Our last review featured one of the largest direct selling companies in the world. It seems only fitting to follow that up another famous direct selling company. Another guest reviewer turns the spotlight on Amway. Like Avon, Amway is a household name for many people. But Amway is also known for being controversial. Over it’s 50 year history thousands of people have claimed that Amway has been the answer to their dreams of owning a business. Can it be the answer to yours?
This review was compiled by guest reviewer G.M. Shu. If you would like to be a guest review please leave a comment and I will contact you
What They Say
Pitch
In a nutsell, Amway (parent company:Alticor) claims to give you the opportunity to make money by selling products and by sponsoring/mentoring/training others as Independent Business Owners. Like similar Multi Level Marketing (MLM) companies, you recieve a percentage of the revenue generated by any of the IBO’s you sponsor.
Products
Amway offers a various products that their IBO can sell. Product categories include Nutrition & Wellness, Beauty, Bath & Body, and Home. You may have heard of some of their brands: NUTRILITE®, ARTISTRY® Skin Care, L.O.C.® Multi-Purpose Cleaner.
Cost
According to Amway’s registration contract the cost for joining is $137.75. This fee covers "Business & Support, IBOAI Support, and Product Info Pack". Additionally, several sites have reported that Amway encourages new IBO’s to purchase several self improvement/ motivational books and CDs. The cost of these materials can push the inital investment much higher.
What Kind of Support Do They Offer
Amway offers several ways to support IBO’s:
Your sponsor
Training-online, video, and instructor-led trainingMarketing
DVDs, online sites, magazines, brochures, and free websites
….My start up cost was 140 dollars. That money, I was told was to pay for my start up kit and for my 4 websites. Only maybe 2 close friends actually signed on the business with the full 140, the rest did 60 to mainly get the websites. Oh and remember my friend I mentioned earlier, the cousin of my upline and sponsor? Well, he also signed on with me as my upline since he signed up first. None of my friends including me have made any actual money since we’ve been in the business. Sure I’ve received checks: 1 for 6 dollars, another for 38 dollars and the last for 50 dollars, but that money still doesn’t exceed even my start up cost. Plus it was basically forced so that I would go on to the next bracket, I didn’t do anything my upline just bought a bunch of random crap. To be honest my friends also haven’t really done anything either except my one friend Neill who was occasionally selling some products to his mom. And basically not really seeing any money from that anyway, he was probably getting 10-20 dollars for selling like 200+ dollars worth of Amway garbage.
WAHM.com:
I was an IBO with Quixtarseveral years ago, some family members are still IBO’s… Good products, the comp plan is ok. Since I am in Calif.it is easier and cheaper to drive to the store for the bulk of the products they offer. I know it works well in areas that are not as populated, but a hard sell for many….
YouTube.com
Positive:
Negative: (note: This Dateline expose is from 2006)
Amway is listed under 3 names in the Better Business Bureau. Amway, Quixtar, and Alticor. All have an A+ rating. Only Quixtar has any compliants, 28 to be exact, listed against them
Final Say
Overall Grade: No Grade
I was personally involved in the Amway “culture” and prefer to abstain from influencing your decision…Now that we got the disclosure out of the way. It should be noted that the culture of the company “called for” a lifestyle/mental change to narrow for my taste. Meetings, talks, reading materials, friends all related to the Amway …well way. This might appeal to some and not to others.
Is Your ‘Scammy’ Sense Tingling? I haven’t come across Liberty League as of yet but someone down under doesn’t like them. Does anyone know anything about this company? Stand up and share with the class.
Good Idea? Bad Idea? I’ll let you decide. Read the article and leave a comment stating if you think this is a good mony making idea or bad one. I’ll post results in next week’s column.
Heeere’s Tony. As is Tony Robbins the self guru. He posted a video on his blog on where he interviews two millionaires that made their fortunes from Internet marketing. The interview seeks to find out what traits successful people share. The video is 38 minutes long so you might want to get comfortable.
Is That Really Legal? Can someone explain this to me? I’ve seen some "creative" ways to make money but this one takes it to a whole new level.
It’s been many moons since I have step foot on a college campus. While I have many fond memories of my time in college, one memory stick out the most– how much I hated being broke. Fortunately, I was able to get a pretty decent job that kept a few pennies in my pocket but I was working 35 hours week. That kind of time commitment affected the classes I chose, the actiivites I could participate in, and the amount of time I could spend with peers. Today’s college students have many more choices avaiable to them. And the rise in entrepreneurial is also reflected on college campuses. Some of todays biggest companies started in college dorms. Can you be the next Michael Dell or Bill Gates? Maybe. But if you are just looking for a way to make some money on your terms, here’s a list to consider:
Tutoring/Coaching: If you are knowledgable about a subject and have the skill to teach others you will find someone willing to pay you. Services like Crossloop can enable you to get clients off campus as well.
Workout Buddy: Unless you are certified, I would stay away from calling yourself a personal trainer. But you could offer to assist people who need help in the working out area. For a fee of course.
Cleaning / Organizing Service: It is a dirty job but some one got to it. If you have the skills for cleaning and organizing, why not get pay for it.
DeeJay: With today’s technology you can be a DJ with an iPod and special portable digital turntables. No more carrying crates and crates of records.
Website Designer: Put all that time you spend on Myspace to use. You can get clients from all over the country without leaving your dorm room.
Ebay: I know everybody with a baseball card collection is on eBay trying to become a millionaire. But if you find the right niche you may be able to crave out enough profit to be worth your while
Affiliate/Information Marketing: This is the latest craze that’s producing a thousand new gurus a day. Do your research and get some solid information and this can be a decent money maker.
Blogging: This one is my favorite (hmmm, I wonder why?). Blogs are easy to setup and usually require little money to get started. Like eBay, there are a lot of bloggers but there’s always room for great content. And with great content comes traffic and the opportunity to monetize that traffic.
Geek Services: Upgrades, backups, virus removal, crash recovery all of these things happen to college kids and if you know how to handle these things you can get paid.
There are of course more businesses that can be run out of a dorm room. I am interested to here what ideas others can come up with. Leave a comment with your idea, let’s see if we can get this list up to 100 businesses!
One of the unfortunate results of the current economic crisis is the rise in the number of foreclosures. According to Realytrac.com, foreclosure filings are up 18% from January 2008. Because these houses usually fall into disrepair due to lack of upkeep, foreclosures present problems to the surrounding neighborhood and the banks that hold the mortgage on them.These problems present an opportunity to anyone who is comfortable working on hands on, home improvement environment (i.e. construction workers, contractors). I came across a site that offers a startup package that details what you need to know to get started in this business.
Business Opportunity Made Possible by Foreclosed Homes
This is no get-rich-quick scheme… but a get-rich-with-hard-work business opportunity with a built-in demand," says Stewart. "I can show you exactly how to tap into this relatively unknown and emerging trend in the housing market. With the economy slowing and the sub-prime meltdown still brewing, the foreclosure rates all over the country are higher than ever. The opportunity to make money cleaning out and maintaining foreclosed properties for banks, lenders and real estate companies is a growing industry on a coast-to-coast basis. You can advance quickly to making big profits starting out with very little or no money. In markets where there’s a high rate of foreclosures, $60k a year (even for a part-time business) is typical.
Better Business
Although this isn’t a full review of this opportunity I did check the Better Business Bureau for any information on JT Stewart Enterprises Inc, the company the owns www.cleanoutforeclosures.com. They have an A+ rating with BBB and only one complaint filed in the 36 months. You can read the full report here.
A Day in the Life
Just in case you’re interested in what this type of job might entail take a look at this video:
What do thousands of unemployed Americans have in common? Answer: they need a new resume. Resume writing services are not new but there is a growing demand for this type of service. I received a press release for a new ebook that maps out what you need to know and do to start a resume writing business.
Are you looking for a new career that will allow you to work from your home? Do you want to take control of your income and work for yourself? Then you need to read The Complete Guide to Starting a Home Based Resume Writing Business. This is not a get rich quick scheme or a multi-level marketing plan. It’s a legitimate way to go into business for yourself. And the timing is perfect! There are millions of people looking for employment right now and if you can write, then you can provide a service that they need–writing their resume!
Here are just a few of the topics that this comprehensive resource covers:
• Researching the Competition
• Detailed Explanation of How to Set Prices
• Developing & Running an Effective Website
• How to Manage Your Time to Get the Highest ROI
• The Legal Issues of Running a Business
• Understanding Tax Implications (with write-offs!)
• Tons of Marketing Tips (Specifically for Resume Businesses)
• The Most Cost Effective Advertising Techniques
• Getting Your Own Affordable Health Insurance
• Insider Tips From A Professional Resume Writer
• Much Much More!
PLUS
You also get these valuable checklists — FREE!
• Business Start Up Checklist
• Complete Office Supply Checklist
• Sample Resume Interview Questions for Clients
• Effective Resume Words & Phrases
• List of Software to Get You Up and Running Fast
Each of the above topics was written specifically with a resume writing business in mind by someone who has worked in the business and gives you the Insider Tips that you need to succeed
Even if you have been in outer space for the last 100 years or have NEVER work with any females in an office setting you still would have heard of Avon or know someone who uses, buys or sells there product. Avon has been around for over 100 years and has help hundreds of thousands of people fulfil their dreams of owning their own business. Avon has continued to grow during times of economic hardships so it will most likely continue to do so during the current recession. If you’re interested in beauty and have a kanack for selling then this might be the right opportunity for you. Keep reading to find out.
Interesting reading that you might have missed this week. Read, digest, discuss.
Have you got the moxie? Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Forget startup capital, forget years of experience, forget having a huge network of contacts. This article wants you to look deep inside of yourself and ask some pretty tough questions.
Finding Money For Your Business. Not having enough money to fund your business is one of the biggest killer of the entrepreneurial dream. This post outlines a couple of places to look for additional funding.
Books For Entrepreneurs. I read The Prince years ago. It might be a good time for a re-read. Never heard of the other 2. Can anyone share a few books that they think are good for entrepreneurs?
Your JOB (Just Over Broke) is Killing Your Spirit.This one is kind of wordy but I agree that nothing can kill your dreams of freedom and happiness quicker than a job. That’s why its important to stay focused on your goals and take immediate and consistent ACTION towards acheiving your goals.
My name is Dakim, I am the creator of the Home Business Private-Eye.com. I want to help you discover your true passion and then, help you to turn that passion into profit! Learn How.
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My name is Dakim, I am the creator of the Home Business Private-Eye.com. I want to help you discover your true passion and then, help you to turn that passion into profit! 
