Disclaimer: If you are against networking marketing or MLMs and are not open to the business idea this may change your mind. If you don’t want your mind changed close this window now and continue along your internet journey. 

This post was inspired by Nicole Walter’s Periscope. On March 23rd, she demystified Networking Marketing (also known as Multi-Level Marketing or MLM) myths on her live broadcast and it was epic. I’ve been spending the past month researching an essential oil company as I’ve been using the essential oils for over 2 years and started to get curious about if the business side would be a great fit for my personal brand.

Many years ago I had tried out networking marketing and had a bad experience so I have adamantly said I would never join an MLM ever again. So if anything, I was the biggest non-believer in-network or multilevel marketing you could find.  I would posts status updates asking MLMers to stop asking me to join and I would use the ever-popular group think the term of “oh that’s just another pyramid scheme.” Until recently, I truly bought into every single myth about MLMs until I started doing the research. I started looking at the amazing women (& men) currently doing it as a business and wanted to understand why I had limiting beliefs about aspects of the business model.

So without further ado here are 4 myths or confused beliefs about network marketing and why my opinion has changed. I truly believe that when you are ready for incorporating this type of business part-time or full-time into your life you’ll be all in.

CONFUSED BELIEF #1 Network marketers aren’t brave enough (or are too scared) to start their own business

TRUTH: Due to networking marketing having the worst stigma around, Nicole stated that she actually thinks those who start an MLM business are the bravest to jump into this type of business with such strong beliefs against them. When you align with a company and product you believe in and works for you personally then you can easily say that you’re choosing a resource that you believe in and matches your personal brand. There are so many with entrepreneurial mindsets who want to create abundance in their life but aren’t necessarily born creators. MLM companies with an amazing product are a great fit for born communicators and curators who can organize and present information in an easy way and that’s why it looks like a great fit for me personally.

CONFUSED BELIEF #2 Oh MLM, oh you mean pyramid scheme!?!

TRUTH: This video below is slightly robotic but hilarious and has great points. I love the point that if you work in a corporate job then the structure of the company is technically a pyramid. I have chosen to work in the corporate world since the start of my career in 2005. I work hard, get paid for my time, sell products and those “above me” make more money. So the decision to work hard, to share products with those who want them, and potentially earn incremental more than a salary is quite enticing and exciting for those where the business model resonates with them. If it doesn’t resonate then you simply aren’t ready. Which is what I was for years! I just wasn’t ready until my mindset was ready to change.

CONFUSED BELIEF #3 You know you’re not going to make millions

TRUTH: Joining an MLM is about creating another income stream for yourself. You have the ability to put in hard work and see the results. You can supplement a full-time income and do the work part-time or you can make it your full-time business. It’s completely up to the individual to structure their business and their time according to their goals.

The truth is that someone in MLM is out there trying to diversify the income. That is smart and necessary in today’s economy. So whether their goal is to make millions or simply enough income as a side hustle to live a comfortable life with ease all the power to them.

CONFUSED BELIEF #4 The products don’t really work

TRUTH: First of all the company would get shut down if the products weren’t ok for the market. Second of all, you should always start off as a customer of a company and actually see if that product works for you and if you actually have a passion for what they can do in your life before choosing the business side. This is true of brand ambassador work as well.

I’ve been approached by so many network marketers as an online influencer. Every single time I’d review the product ingredients and could immediately tell that I couldn’t support the product or even talk about it in an authentic way. So in the past, I was never a big believer in the product and if I was a believer in the product I didn’t like how I was approached and that it was all about the business and less about the product.

After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in December of 2014 and always researching how my body has been affected or could be affected I decided to decrease my stress and anxiety as my number one priority. In my journey of living with this sidekick, I’ve also overhauled my nutrition, optimized my supplements, began fixing my digestive system and began reducing the toxins in my home.

I won a sample pack of essential oils from 12 days of Christmas giveaway on Instagram in 2014 a few short weeks after being diagnosed. To help reduce stress & ease muscle pain from my obstacle course race training I developed a habit of having an epsom salt bath every night before bed. I started using the oils by putting 3 drops of the lavender oil in my nightly baths. I quickly ran out of the lavender oil and started buying lavender essential oil from the drug store. I used it but it just didn’t seem as fragrant. I also didn’t know the difference. I used the essential lemon oil sample bottle slowly over the course of a year. I was travelling extensively for obstacle course races on weekends in 2015 and wanted to ensure I was still able to have my morning routine of warm lemon water every day to clean out my system before starting the day. For races in the US, I couldn’t take actual lemons across the border so I threw the lemon oil in my bag and started using it with one drop in my warm water in the morning. The 3rd bottle in the sample pack was peppermint. After watching a Periscope with my business mentor, Ange Peters, I discovered that I could throw the small peppermint bottle into my purse and use it as a pick me up when I was tired. I started diluting it in fractionated coconut oil, rubbing my hands together, inhaling the aroma and also placing it on my temples to help restore alertness. 

Over the holidays last year, I decided to purchase a starter kit so I could start using more oils in my home. At the same time, I started educating myself on how they are sourced, how their made, and their many uses and benefits. In their simplest function, essential oils simply make my home smell divine and help me relax.  I love that I have tools in my life that I can add to my overall health care plan which is a perfect complement to everything I’m doing to take care of myself.

If you’re curious about how I’ve incorporated essential oils into my life you can read more HERE. I just wanted this post to really be about how I’ve worked through limiting beliefs about network marketing as I dive into diversifying my income with a company whose products I love.