the truth about network marketing

You know those people who discover a new product & allow that product to take over their lives? Well, that's me. I am those people. Or at least it used to be me. You see, I was reluctantly introduced to doTERRA 8 years ago at a time in my life when I was suffering with anxieties about germs. Two semesters of nursing school taught me that western medicines did not have all the answers and I was a newer mom of 3 with H1N1 threatening everyone. I felt helpless against the germs and risks I put my family at by leaving our home. I saw everyone and everything as a physical threat against my family. Anxiety would consume me at the thoughts of allowing my kids to play at playgrounds, attend birthday parties, visit the zoo, bowl, etc.

I did not know, trust, or believe anything most had to tell me about holistic alternatives. I could not understand why hospitals, doctors and everyone else was not using them if they worked so well. I also did not do anything my doctor did not recommend and never questioned his knowledge about my body. That is until 3 doctors failed to diagnose me with a thyroid problem but that is for another discussion in a blog titled, "Why I Chose Holistic Alternatives First." The truth is I was closed off to hearing about anything natural including essential oils until one of my most trusted friends explained her positive experience. I was still reluctant to their potency, but I was at least willing to try them since she was as skeptical as I about things. I took a sample she gave me and did some research. I found actual studies about essential oils and other companies that were claiming and selling the same things. I was intrigued. I bought a kit with 10 oils and a diffuser. I didn’t really think they were going to work but the hope that these oils proposed was worth the investment if they did. I also chose doTERRA because the other leading essential oil company had too many lawsuits and disturbing allegations to ignore. I did not know what I was doing but I was desperate enough to try something new that did not come in the form of a pill.

I will not bore you with the countless testimonies I have experienced over the years using essential oils. I will only testify that my first success came with an oil blend called, On Guard. I was a family of 6 at the time. We shared everything including our illnesses. My oldest daughter woke up one morning with the stomach bug. The only thing I did differently in taking care of her was run a diffuser with On Guard all day. That was it. Ironically, none of us became ill and her sickness only lasted a day compared to her normal of 2-3! It was amazing and you can imagine how life changing this was for me. I felt empowered and equipped. Now that I had a weapon to protect us from outside germs, we could live normal lives. I could take the kids to playgrounds, birthday parties, bowling, the zoo, etc. without feeling like I was endangering them. It was so awesome that I could not call myself a friend if I did not share this good news with everyone. I wanted everyone I loved to have this goodness.

I did not know anything about network marketing 8 years ago. All I knew was I was a stay-at-home mom with a passion to positively change lives using essential oils. The biggest hurdle to do that then was getting people to understand what essential oils were because most had not heard of them. I was looked at as a weird snake oil witch! But that did not quiet the passion I had to help. My bestie and I started teaching classes and built a network of close to 1,000 women. I will be honest and tell you that it was hard work. We missed evenings with our families to plan events that no one came to at times, we spent a lot of money on supplies and countless hours strategizing new ways to spread the word. But we built a sustainable income for ourselves and others. I haven’t worked the business in 3 years and I am still receiving a monthly check because of those first years of labor.

But I’m here to tell you the truth...Multilevel marketing companies, aka MLM’s suck. They do. It is the truth. Imagine how ridiculously hard it is to have to go to your friends and family to ask them to help you build a business. I mean, you know before even questioning them that “mlm, pyramid schemed home party businesses” have such a bad rep to begin with and now you have to ask people that you love, trust and like to not only try your product but share it with others for you! How humiliating is that? And although technology makes connecting easier for us today so that we do not have to actually ask these things face to face, that same technology is also publicly connecting you to those people that you’re really just on-line friends with to be kind to or maybe even past frenemies! How even more humiliating!?

The person going into this type of business needs to be well aware of the rejection they may have to face. After all, that is one of the main reasons why most people do not succeed in this business. They are too scared of what others will think. Imagine loving something so much that it mattered more to you to share it than the fear of rejection. That's what network marketers do. They care so much about helping others that their love of helping conquers their fear of rejection.

Sometimes I would think it would just be easier to go and get a “real” job so I wouldn't have to put myself out there and feel like I was pestering people all day? So I did. I went out and got a normal job that paid me hourly. No more counting on others to receive a paycheck. It was great! Until I realized that network marketing paid me more even when I wasn't even working! The residual income with a MLM is untouchable and there is no other business that allows you to change lives so personally.

But, there's still the different types of personalities you have to work with along with false expectations in network marketing. You’ll always get those friends who say they want to build a business with you without actually building a business with you. What I mean is they either won’t commit to doing actual work outside their comfort zones to succeed or they have false expectations of receiving an income by finding that one person who is going to do all the work for them. Then there are crazy work hours and endless demands your family has on you because even though you are working, you are indeed at HOME working which to some means you should be able to get all the house stuff done, shopping, homework, and dinners while working your business. And let’s not forget that in order to do any of these home businesses you have to work the hours that others aren’t working! That means time away from your kids, significant others and missing multitudes of practices, games, sleep and concerts. You will get disappointed with the friends that do not do what they said they would invest, and you may find yourself frustrated when a friend you built a business under gets mad at you and quits, affecting your family’s income. Yes, mlm’s can suck!!

But what business can’t? The good that can come with network marketing is extraordinary and not found in most any other companies. Mlm’s pay you to hang out and party with your friends! Businesses thrive on the relationships that they have with other companies and people. Network marketing is no different except that you get to actually choose who you have those relationships with. There is no pressure to have to get along with someone. I have turned down teaching at home parties because I did not get along with the hostess. That was my choice. I referred her to someone else because she was not worth the hassle to me. I also get grace when working with my friends. When I screw up, I don’t get written up. There is no one above me counting my mistakes to fire me. I get laughed at of course but we move on and I do better next time. I get paid for being my quirky self. I also get paid when I am not working. My income is not based on the hours I clock in and out of. It is based on the residual income I create for myself. If I want a larger paycheck one month from the next, I can choose to work more hours. For example, I’ll never forget sitting at the pool beachside and receiving an email from doterra informing me that they just deposited a large check in to my account because of residual work I had done a year ago. I was still getting paid on things I had done previously. I also get to choose the days and hours I work. I get to build a business with my family that I can gift to my kids when I die. And I am free to be me. The more I grow personally, the more my business grows. It is a win-win all around in so many ways. Not to mention the fact that I am and have always been passionate about helping others. I get to make money positively changing other people’s lives by helping them create healthier versions of themselves, building life changing lifestyle improvements that can last beyond their generation and build relationships based on Christ’s love. Through the freedom network marketing provides, I get to be the person God says I am in comparison to what someone else would like me to be. Yes, it takes a lot of effort. Yes, it is work. But it is more than that. It is a calling to pursue a passion.

You only get this one life. You get to create what you want out of it. For me, I challenge myself to make it worth more than a paycheck. I want my life to mean something by positively impacting others. I know God created me for more than the world expects and I am determined to not allow the humanness of others to hold me back. I have lived my life for far too long in the expectations of others. It did not fulfill what God placed in my heart. Network marketing provides an opportunity for me to do just that because I do not want to have a capped income. I do not want to have to get out of sweatpants every day. I do not want to have to leave my kids all the time to make someone else money. I do not want someone else to determine my worth. I do not want to build someone else’s dreams while ignoring my own. I do not want to depend on another to reward me for my good efforts assuming they acknowledge them. I want to have the freedom to create my own lifestyle. doTERRA does that. It lets me shine outside of society’s box and rewards me for it.

Network marketing is not for everyone. To be honest, I have spent the last 3 years contemplating this very thing and yet my conclusion is always the same-no other job provides the opportunity network marketing has to offer.

I am always looking for new business partners to grow with so if you are looking for a Christ centered doterra community to join, I’m right here. If you are doing a different kind of mlm, I pray you find your way and are encouraged by what this business has to offer. There is no limit to what you can create and I sincerely believe you are meant and capable of creating your own success if you have the desire to make this work.

Join my community or educate yours with my devotional, "God Over Hustle."