The Teckki Says

I was recently invited to an "opportunity" event that someone felt that would be profitable to me. Of course, details would be forthcoming, and I really needed to see the presentation to get the full story. After 10 years of business, I know of no other situation that presents itself like this like a Network Level Marketing (NLM) scheme. What I am surprised about is the source - a fellow business owner. As a matter of fact over the years, a number of business owners have approached me about various "opportunities".

Why?

I can only speculate, but I can see why this appeals to those that are employed. The thought of being your own boss, more free time, and financial prosperity are bandied about like summer rain on a hot day. It's easy to see why this appeals to someone who works 40+ hours a week and takes orders from someone that they aren't crazy about. But these aforementioned perks are some of the reasons why we started our businesses. What we found is that you work 70+ hours a week, and take orders from a bunch of people that you may not be crazy about - and these are OUR employees! Maybe after having two turns at the prosperity/freedom/more time wheel, we are open to trying something else.

But is this it?

I imagine that things could be better for many businesses and organizations – financial conditions are not great, work is too hard, and the headaches of running an organization seem to last forever. However, I am missing what the allure is for people who give and have given up a lot in pursuing their dream, in the hopes that they can make some quick money.
I have two main problems with NLM. The first one is that some of the "successful" speakers presenting still have their day jobs. My question is that if this stuff is so good, why do you still have a job? I would not quit tomorrow if I started making, let’s say, $20,000 or more a month, but all of my clients would be put on notice that my days as their vendor are numbered, and sooner rather than later. I really love what I do, but at that level of big bucks, especially relatively hassle-free, that these presenters are fantasizing about, I could quickly find some new brides to fill my days.

The next issue I have is that it involves sales. You would think I would not or should not have a problem with this, and I don't for MY business. I have a HUGE issue with developing a market for an unrelated product line, and spending time selling something to someone that they probably have never heard of. Been there, done that, and actually, still there and doing that with the stuff I know. As we have built our organizations, I'm wondering if some of us have forgotten what that was like.

An interesting note is that my colleagues don't feel that they are going to start totally at the bottom. They're business people, and they've gotten good at getting other people to work for them. Their objective seems to be geared to get you, and to get you to get people to help them move up the ladder. I see no enthusiasm in their eyes when it comes to selling the actual product or service. In this respect, business people involved in NLM schemes remain true to their nature.

We've all had it tough. Let's face it, that's what recessions do; they make business or running your organization much harder, sometimes impossible. They even cloud our dreams. However, whether you are working for someone, or for many some ones are working for you, I believe you can more often than not do better for yourself. Recessions can be times to try something different, sometimes by choice, sometimes not, or sometimes by opportunity. I would argue that there is no better time to assess and possibly reinvent yourself or what you do, because fewer people are buying what sold so well yesterday.

There is an abundance of opportunities out there. I just don't believe that NLM is one of them.