This woman’s parents have been involved in both multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes for the past 35 years. They have borrowed half a million dollars against their house to pay for it. This is their story…
My family are multi-level-marketing addicts.
I grew up in a house where multi-level marketing wasn’t the elephant in the room. It was the pile of unused products taking up three seats of our couch.
My mum and her sisters started selling clothing and cosmetics before they were married and dad started when his cleaning business collapsed. My dad is a highly educated man, but he didn’t know what else to do, he was desperate. They just don’t see any way out of this situation.
I didn’t know how unusual my parents’ money-making schemes were for a long time.
I grew up in a fairly socially-isolated community and my parents were very religious people. Being involved in multi-level marketing schemes was very common in my community – everyone was just buying from each other. I didn’t really encounter people from outside my community until I about 17 years old. That’s when I realised being involved in multi-level marketing schemes was unusual. Some people’s mums had kitchen storage products parties and clothes parties, but that was different to the volume and type of MLMs that I was around growing up. My parents have tried more than a dozen multi-level marketing schemes; in cosmetics, clothing, stationary and more.
None of them made any money.
Listen: One in seven Aussie kids thinks cash from the ATM is free money. On This Glorious Mess, we discuss why. (Post continues…)
Top Comments
Although if there is a positive, it is the policy of it being a deal breaker if your partner goes into debt without informing you. Absolutely agree this should be the case. Don't wait until they can't pay it themselves and guilt you into getting a STD (Sexually Transmitted Debt).
Im probably a rare breed I live within my means always have, never ever needed to get a credit card, always had enough money to live on an always had money in the bank , I dont "store" money an i will never be rich Im not a show off but always make sure i look nice I dont need to drive an expensive car,, not being in debt ever is a nice comfortable way to live your life, I never go without either Im not a scrooge Im jus not greedy sadly I think that is mainly the problem in todays world people want more than they really need,,