Is a Network Marketing Business Right for You?

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Is a Network Marketing business right for you?

When I became a single mom, I did not want to give up being home with my kids, but I knew that I would need to find a way to bring in some income. So I wracked my brain, trying to come with a home-based business idea.

I tried to think of my skills: What was I good at? What equipment did I already have, so I wouldn’t have to invest a bunch of money? I had a sewing machine and I could sew. I tried to come up with different sewing businesses. Mending? Aprons? Teaching sewing classes to children? None of those things really lit my fire. As much as I loved to sew, the thought of putting myself under pressure to do it for money did not feel good. I would also need to work a full 8 hours a day in order to bring in anything close to a full-time income. This simply would not work, as I also had a household to run, and children to homeschool.

I thought about child care. I was already home with my kids, why not add a few more to the mix? However, this also didn’t feel right for me. As much as I love raising my own children, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about taking care of someone else’s. I was also concerned about how it might disrupt our daily rhythm, and our homeschooling.

What I finally came to realize, was that I wanted to earn a full-time income, working part-time hours from home.

Easy, right?

But I’m stubborn, and I knew there had to be a way!

Network Marketing

I began looking into Network Marketing companies.

There were tons of companies out there – surely there was one that would be a good fit for me.

I LOVED that it was basically a ‘business in a box’ – all of the front-end work was already done, and for a small start-up fee, you can be up and running. The product has already been created, along with advertising materials, shipping, and payment collection. Our only job is to share the product!

What about the stigma?

Of course, there is a stigma that goes along with Network Marketing. Many people refer to it as a Pyramid Scheme. You sell products to people, and then hopefully some of those people also start selling products, and then you make money on not only your own sales, but on their sales as well.

The truth is, Pyramid Schemes are illegal! A pyramid scheme is basically a ‘business’ where no product is being sold – you are simply getting people to invest money, who then recruits more people to invest money, and so on and so forth, until the whole thing finally collapses.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Network Marketing, which is a legitimate way of distributing product.

Network Marketing is Brilliant

No experience necessary

Network Marketing is one of the most brilliant business models there is. Instead of paying for traditional advertising, overhead, charging retail mark-up, etc., smart companies pay people like you and me to share products they love. When someone loves a product, it’s easy to share. Just as you would tell your best friend about a great restaurant you ate at, or an awesome movie you just saw, you would do the same thing with a product you use and love.

The difference is that, outside of Network Marketing, people don’t pay you to share their products! You can talk about your awesome Vitamix ’til the cows come home, but Vitamix is not going to send you a cheque for that. If you have wonderful service from a company, and share that on Facebook, your friends might use that service, but you won’t be receiving a thank-you cheque from them. 

Network Marketing companies take the money they would normally spend on traditional advertising, and give it to you instead! Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising there is.

It creates leverage

When you share the product with someone, and THEY, in turn, fall in love with it, guess what? They are also going to share it with THEIR friends. And you are also going to earn money from that. Because you have taken the time to share the product with them in the first place, and then teach them how they, too, can share it with their friends and earn some money.

Do you know what this means? You have now created leverage. Now there is income flowing into your life that you personally did not have to work for. Smart people know that rather than working for your money, you want your money working for you. If you have one other person sharing products, you have effectively doubled your efforts, without having to invest any more time (other than the time it takes to train that person and show them the ropes).

Residual Income

The part that most people don’t realize, is that it is RESIDUAL income. Meaning money continues to come in, month after month, whether you are actively ‘working’ or not. You even get paid while you sleep. This is because when you have an incredible product, you only really have to ‘sell it’ once – and people continue to purchase it on a regular basis, because it’s so amazing they don’t want to live without it. 

If you do a great job of educating people about the products, they are going to continue to use them, especially if it’s truly a great product.

It fits into your life

Almost anyone can find time to do a Network Marketing business. Since all of the hard work has been done for you (you’re not the one making the products, or distributing them), all you have to do is find the time to educate people about them. This can be in person, or on social media, or on a blog (like this one!). You can easily tuck this into the pockets of your day-to-day life.

Depending on how much you want your business to grow, you can also do ‘parties’, or teach classes (as we do in my company). This allows you to reach more people in a shorter amount of time, which is another very effective means of creating leverage.

You can do it even if you have another full time job or business

Network marketing also fits very well alongside more traditional businesses. Whether you own a yoga studio, a spa, a hair salon, are a realtor, or have any other type of business – you can use network marketing to create a residual income stream. This income stream can help fund your greater passions and higher purposes. 

It’s Flexible

You can work your Network Marketing business from ANYWHERE.

Love to travel? Take your laptop with you!

Home with the kids? Work while they sleep, or while they’re busy with activities.

work while the kids sleep

At work all day? Work from your phone during your breaks.

On the go? Snap some pictures of yourself using the products you love and share them on social media.

Share products on social media

Introvert? Grow your business online.

Grow your network marketing business online

Craving human interaction? Grow your business in person!

You can even do all of the above! It’s your business, so you are in charge of how you want to build it!

Is Network Marketing for you?

Not sure network marketing is for you? The question to ask yourself is… if for some reason you were unable to return to work, would you continue to get paid? Network marketing is like an insurance policy, except the only premium is the products you would be purchasing anyway.

Do you have a back-up plan if you were to lose your job?

I believe everyone should work on creating multiple streams of income. Network Marketing is an incredible way to build a residual income stream.

How easy is it to make money in Network Marketing?

Network Marketing is not get-rich-quick. 

It takes time, effort, and perseverance.

It takes an attitude of ‘doing it no matter what’.

It takes being in it for the long haul. If you go into it saying ‘I’ll give it 6 months and see what happens’, then don’t bother – because it will take much longer than that to see consistent, long-term results.

It takes a thick skin, and the ability to take criticism from those who don’t understand what Network Marketing is, and think it’s a Pyramid Scheme.

It requires you to absolutely love the product (in fact, I highly recommend becoming a customer first, before deciding if the business opportunity is for you. You can’t effectively share a product you don’t love!

It takes passion.

It requires the ability to have fun!

But everyone I know is selling (fill in the blank).

Saturation is a myth. The truth is, people will buy products from those who they know, like, and trust. No matter how many people are selling a product, there will be a reason they will want to purchase it from you, rather than Sally next door. If you are a kind, caring, genuine person, who wants to help people, then that will be the reason someone chooses you.

When should I start?

Since it takes time to grow a Network Marketing business, the best time to start was 5 years ago. The next best time to start is right now. The sooner you begin, the sooner your business will begin to grow, and the sooner you can create financial freedom for your family. 

Making a conscious choice

I made a conscious decision to create a life that would not require me to trade time for dollars. ❤️ Dollars are unlimited. Time, however, is not. The more leverage I can create, the less time I spend working, and the more time I have for my family – and that is truly what means the most to me!

Network marketing gives us more time with our families

Would you like to learn more about the Network Marketing company I chose to partner with? Read more here

 

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