Fair Enough!!  You have always been a proponent of due dilligence.  I have you to thank for that from my early days at ALP - Now - it's a habit!!

Thanks, Ken!  It is so nice to see you around again!!! 

Judy

Hello Kenneth.

Good to see you around again.

great post , spot on too.

Paying to join a business just to be a part of the business itself without receiving a product or service in return would be deemed illegal in most countries.

Are you selling and earning from the sales of the products of the business? .Or does your money really come from the members under you? If you are dependent on the latter then you are in an illegal program".

I think ponzi scheme is the word you are looking for Ken LOL.

Best wishes

Nick

You problemly have heard this before If people can understand apple trees, then they can understand network marketing. It all has to do with the seed and the fruit. We plant the apple seed to get the fruit and the laws of nature work for us.

The laws of nature tell us no seed = No fruit. The laws of nature also tell us one seed can produce a tree and a mature tree can produce more apples than we can eat. 

We Plant (enroll) one new person in our downline, cultivate (train), feed (communicate) water (be concerned about it's growth) and we have a healthy tree (downline member).

The laws of nature dictate that if we let the apples fall to the ground they will rot and not be fit for anyone. If we pick them at the opportune time and care for them they can provide us with nourishment and inside every apple are many seeds we can plant. Plant several seeds and we get an orchard and a crop. 

We pick a new person to add to our downline at the perfect time (when that person wants to earn more income), help that person to plant the seeds inside their business circle of influence then we build our orchard (downline).

Sometimes it's the simple comparisons, no matter how childish they may seem they help us remember that growing a business is like anything in life, when you work with the natural laws you get a predetermined result. 

Plant one new person in your downline today, care about their mature success and you can have a orchard that produces for years and years to come. Inside every person in your downline is an orchard. You and they both get paid for every apple it produces.

Here are two program I believe would pass the FTC and FBI test. Http://au9b.mastersprg.com  and http://www.funinmlm.com/member.jisl?CD3016

Thanks

Larry Parsons

Official FTC Advice on Multi-Level Marketing Plans

The Federal Trade Commission cannot tell you whether a particular multilevel marketing plan is legal. However, the FTC suggests that you use common sense, and consider these seven tips when you make your decision:

1. Avoid any plan that includes commissions for recruiting additional distributors. It may be an illegal pyramid.

2. Beware of plans that ask new distributors to purchase expensive inventory. These plans can collapse quickly - and also may be thinly-disguised pyramids.

3. Be cautious of plans that claim you will make money through continued growth of your "downline" - the commissions on sales made by new distributors you recruit - rather than through sales of products you make yourself.

4. Beware of plans that claim to sell miracle products or promise enormous earnings. Just because a promoter of a plan makes a claim doesn't mean it's true! Ask the promoter of the plan to substantiate claims with hard evidence.

5. Beware of shills - "decoy" references paid by a plan's promoter to describe their fictional success in earning money through the plan.

6. Don't pay or sign any contracts in an "opportunity meeting" or any other high-pressure situation. Insist on taking your time to think over a decision to join. Talk it over with your spouse, a knowledgeable friend, an accountant or lawyer.

7. Do your homework! Check with your local Better Business Bureau and state Attorney General about any plan you're considering - especially when the claims about the product or your potential earnings seem too good to be true.

Hello Ken,

I saw this post yesterday and meant to comment and became busy.

You know much of what you are saying here is good advice, unfortunately our world is changing and sometimes you need to trust folks.  Remember when we could do that without fear of being ripped off.

Another thing that is unfortunate, is that the agencies you listed as the authorities that you would trust with their seal of approval.  Are some of the same ones that are responsible for the mess our country is in today.

FTC is responsible for NAFTA and GAFTA as well as other things.  HMMMM neither one of those are working that well are they?

FBI?  Get real, can you say Weapons of Mass Destruction and 911?  Well all I can say is

Ken, I do agree that a product or service must be the focus of any successful business.  However recruiting talented, sales folk and advertising is all key.  As a Sales Manager, I have always received overrides from the efforts of my salesforce that I recruited and trained