"Retire early and pursue your passions" - what bs!

When I told a 19-yr old not to fall for network-marketing and that it reduces him to a salesman, he goes, “it equips you to take charge and become a leader” - this is everything thats wrong about network marketing for me. To each his/her own, but it makes my blood boil whenever I hear about this concept.

Maybe its because I was abused as a kid :). I have been hit by these scums thrice in my life when I was a gullible 20-yr old. When someone said they wanted to help me, I thought they were sincere; little did I know they wanted me to sell shampoo so they could be richer. For those not in the know, this is how network marketing (aka pyramid marketing) works. You subscribe to buy stuff from a company. You sell the products to others. You make your commission for all sales. Further, you subscribe other members to do the same stuff (this is the “pyramid” about pyramid marketing and to me, the most disgusting part of it) and for all sales that everyone you introduce make, you get a cut of the commission. So that way, the guy who started it all, makes money everytime someone sells something this company makes – it could be soaps, shampoo, cleaning solution, credit cards, the next Viagra, you name it..

The 1^st time it happened was probably when it hit me the most – I was working behind the bar at an Indian party (yes, yours truly has been a bartender once in his life), when this Indian guy approached me and said he runs an “ecommerce company” and he was looking for smart, enterprising young men like me to join him to make this “dream come true”. I thought I was getting a job even before finishing my degree! The next day he drove to my place in a BMW to tell me how Corporate America doesn't reward hard work and I was better off selling soaps for him, to make my money soon, retire before I was 30, and pursue my other passions. The next time, my then neighbor said he wanted to take me to a “conference”, which would be a great networking opportunity. Everyone there had a well-rehearsed schpeel – how I looked like a bright/smart/enterprising young man and ending with, “remember, there is no such thing called a free lunch”. It was like a cult, the guy on stage would say “hello everybody” and everyone in the hall would say, “hello”! #3 was in Macys – I was checking out shades when this dude stopped to say Macys had great shades and I must be a grad student in the area and he was looking to hire someone to help with his “ecommerce setup” - aaah, by now I had finally smartened to the ways of these bastards!

What do I have against this – for one, it makes scums of these people, they look at everything / everyone as a chance to get them introduced to this “dream opportunity”. You can't simply socialize with these people. Two, there is something terrible about making money out of someone else's work – yeah, it happens all over, but never so blatantly. Three, for someone who chooses to get an education, there is nothing terribly honorable about being a soap salesman! Strong words I know, but my thoughts..

Primary targets – housewives who think they can make money just sitting at home, and struggling students who would do anything to make a buck and supplement their income.

I wish I could shake some sense into that 19-yr old and ask him to focus on his school instead of selling soaps, but I think they have him sold. He just subscribed his dad and best friend too..and I think the reason he wanted to meet me was to get one more subscription out of me..