Monday, September 12, 2016

Cultism on YouTube: Fight, kick, scratch and crawl...to your financial DOOM.

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA)


Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Been working my "loser" job and got caught up in "distractions" that keep me from my financial freedom. 

This next video I'm showcasing is the second in the "Cultism on YouTube" series. The original one I wanted to do has been deleted, along with a couple others I wanted to discuss. Guess they needed to "keep it pure" for those people. Luckily this YouTube channel still exists with plenty of cultish videos for all to see. The channel called "NSBonTV" is run by a member of a URA Emerald and is the downline of the "sharpest knife in the drawer" woman (See: Come to My Seminar!). 

It's always better when a celebrity endorses your product right? I mean, if a celebrity says it works, than it MUST work! The "celebrity" in this video is ex NFL player Tracey Eaton. (Link to video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h2A9a55A_U) 

Eaton is a member of WWDB (hence no name change). He played for the Oilers, Cardinals, and Falcons during his six years in the NFL. And recorded 4 career INT's...ok, so he's not Richard Sherman, but hey, six years in the NFL is respectable. He's even got his own Wikipedia page! Eaton was actually a big interest for me. When I was shown the plan, I was given a CD with he and his wife Kimberly and liked what they had to say (I was none the wiser at the time) and being a big football fan, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a desire to hear him speak. 

And in this video...I finally did. 

I saw this video before I joined URA and I had to admit it rubbed me a little bit the wrong way. Eaton is doing a plug for the next upcoming CONference trying to lure as many suckers as he can. Fight? Kick? Scratch? Crawl to get people to the function??? We're not going for a 4th and 1 here buddy. But then again, if I was making a percentage of the gate take, I'd want the little minions to fight, kick, scratch and crawl too! And then he segways into how they're going to show us what an "A game looks like." 

To be fair, he's right. They DO show you what an "A-game" LOOKS like. They strut in their nice suits/dresses and fancy jewelry. Actually saw an Instagram pic of Kimberly Eaton showing off her new ring to Mr. King's wife as well as our upline Emerald's wife, while they both looked at it with a rather disturbingly envious gaze. But yeah, you can see an "A game" much the way football players can show you an "A-Game." But will you ever BE that football player? Nope. Will you ever BE that Amway diamond? Not as improbable as being an NFL player, but unless you're in that .000002 percent or whatever it is...NOPE. 

Then he has the audacity to say "we don't want the B-players there. We don't want average/mediocre." The truth is, I'd bet more than half of the people that attend these CONferences would consider being average/mediocre in the Amway business a HUGE step up! He of course recites the same ol' "you can be rich too" type rhetoric...blah blah...and then says we're gonna show you how to "focus." HOW does someone teach someone how to FOCUS? They have something for that...it's called ritalin. Show you how to focus...that's like saying show you how to chew your food. 

And then of course he goes into the whole "loser" bit. He says "I've always found that winners love challenges." True...very true in fact. But here's the thing: Climbing the Eiffel Tower with your bare hands is a "challenge." If I don't accept the challenge, does that make me a loser??? Because that's a comparable challenge to making diamond or even a profit in Amway. Sure you won't die...but your finances will. Your spirit will. Your self-esteem WILL. Then he speaks about how "losers" always seem to find an excuse that they can't make the function. So that means even if you're financially struggling and can't pay the $100 ticket, money for gas/food, etc. You suck. No Tracey Eaton...YOU suck.

I guess if you couldn't intercept many passes in the NFL, you can intercept the dreams of thousands of people and return them unopposed for your own personal, financial touchdowns. I can only hope you and the rest of your cultist team is flagged/penalized for excessive bullshit. To be fair, being a member of those NFL teams during that time, you'd KNOW what average/mediocre looks like. 

Ballgame. 



Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Cultism on YouTube: The Lawnmower Man - A Message to Larry Winters

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA)


Larry Winters (yes, I said his name, he's not URA) is a "legend" in the Amway business. He's a double diamond who leads the AMO known as LTD (Leadership Team Development). They, like the URA are a splinter group from Britt World Wide (BWW). Winters is a friend of URA founder "Mr. King." This post will address Winters as the inaugural post in a series I'm calling "Cultism on YouTube." This series will address RARE videos on YouTube where you get a glimpse at the cultism that takes place in AMO's such as the aforementioned.

Here's the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPoH1Y25_6U

RIGHT OFF THE BAT, after telling the audience he makes a million a year (of course not saying HOW he makes that money) Winters subtly hints at the cultist mindset by saying it's you and your significant other "against the world" and what makes LTD so great is that you work together to "attack the problem" (who said there was a PROBLEM? I just wanna make extra money). Of course, the materialism isn't left out either. Winters brags that he owns 13 horses before his wife reminds him that they have 14.

Who the FUCK needs 14 horses?

Anyhoo...Winters finally starts on the main point that I'm addressing in this post. He says that while you build your business, you're going to run into three types of people. LAWNMOWER PEOPLE! (DUN! DUN! DUNNNNNNNN!!!!!!) Allow me to educate you on the three types of lawnmower people Winters is talking about so you don't have to hear it from the "highlight" video that lasts 20 minutes.

Lawnmower person #1: When your grass is getting tall, they're going to complain. They won't complain about it to you, they'll just complain. It doesn't matter if your lawnmower is broke or whatever the circumstance. They'll complain. They don't have the BACKBONE/CLASS to complain about it to YOU, they'll complain to other neighbors or the city or whoever. They have to spread gossip/lies. And according to Winters, they're "losers" they're "bloggers" (Hey Joe! Hey Anna! HE TALKED ABOUT US!!! LOL), and they're "quitters" who have to tear it down.

Lawnmower person #2: People that will actually complain to you, but won't spread lies/gossip. Regardless, they won't do anything to help you cut your grass.

Lawnmower person #3: What LTD/other AMO's do. They'll help you in any way they can to cut your grass. They'll let you borrow their mower, they'll give you the gas if you need it, they'll give you a spark plug if you don't have one, etc. They will help you cut your grass no matter what the circumstances.

Well get ready for a bombshell folks...

LARRY WINTERS IS RIGHT.

He's dead on! Right on the money! Bulls eye! WHAT you ask? How can you agree with what an Amway big shot is saying? Have you lost your mind? Why are you agreeing?

Because it's the TRUTH.

AMO's like LTD/URA/BWW/WWDB and any other initials you can throw in there ARE the type of people that will you help you cut your grass. Not only will they help you cut it, they'll make your lawn the BEST in the neighborhood! They'll show you where you can buy sharper mower blades. They'll show you where you can buy sod, weed killer, seeds to strengthen your lawn, chemicals to make your grass look greener than anyone's in the neighborhood. Your neighbors will envy you and want to know how they can do it to! And YOU'LL SHOW THEM! And they'll get involved and pretty soon, your entire neighborhood has the best looking lawns in the city!

But after a while, you've become so obsessed with your lawn that you don't notice your paint inside your house is peeling. The shower is overly grimy and rusting. There's no food in the fridge. The outside of your house has become dirty and doesn't look as appealing. Your windows become covered with dirt and all kinds of crud. Termites have invaded your home but you can't afford an exterminator because you've spent your money on lawn care equipment. Your neighbors experience the same thing and all of the sudden you have a slum neighborhood with a bunch of nice-looking lawns. A turd in the middle of a glorious chunk of grass.

That's Amway Motivational Organizations for you. You get so caught up chasing "financial freedom" that you become a prisoner. You lose sight of the bigger picture. You sink dollar after dollar into these CULTS. And they'll tell ya "don't worry about your house, your lawn looks GREAT!"

So Mr Winters...

What people like myself, JoeCool, Anna Banana, etc. do is not try to "justify why we didn't make it" as you so eloquently put. We didn't make it because we realized WE DIDN'T WANT TO. We saw the "business" for what it really was and we are MORALLY OBLIGATED to keep people from doing the same. We don't "just leave." We keep people from making the same mistakes WE DID. When it comes to "justification" I don't see how you can justify taking people's money 4 times a year to motivate them in a business where YOU KNOW only a small percentage CAN succeed.

As far as being a person who doesn't have the backbone/class/manhood to complain about it to the right people. I addressed my upline and got a bunch of the regurgitated bullshit rhetoric (see my post "The Shot Heard Round the Upline") that you, Mr. Prince, Mr. King, and others spew out repetitively every CONference. I HAD the manhood to address it directly.

If you ever want me to address my complaints to YOU, feel free to let me know. e-mail is in the top right hand corner of this blog. I'll be happy to let you know how I feel about you and the rest of your fellow scammers/cultists. But of course, I probably won't hear from you just like Chris Hansen never did when Dateline investigated BWW in the early 2000's. Bet ya thought we forgot about that.

Now go mow your lawn Mr. Winters..it's littered with horseshit.

Wait...NOW I get the 14 horses.

*Drops mic*

Thursday, August 4, 2016

A "Cause" for Concern: URA's version of the 'bait and switch.'

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA).

Bait and switch. We've heard of it, and former IBO's like myself and other bloggers have experienced a version of it. While bait and switch is defined as luring customers in for superior products and replacing them with inferior ones once the customer is committed (you COULD make the argument that it's used in Amway), Amway Motivational Organizations like URA, WWDB, BWW use a different kind of bait and switch. 

They "bait" you with promises of financial gain, freedom, yadayadayada, then switch the mission statement to serving people, building future leaders for America, and yes, even glorifying God. I'll explain. 

When I went to my first summer CONference, a year before I joined Amway I witnessed the "go diamond" rhetoric and promises of wealth but I ALSO noticed something else. They bashed the democrats in Washington (as a Republican, I took a liking to that), as well as a video at the end that showed American Pride. To be honest, I welled up inside. I'm a patriotic American being the son of a former Air Force Officer and the ideals of the URA/Amway really hit home and encouraged my joining. 

The problem in AMO's is that the rapport, friendships/personal relationships you build with your fellow IBO's, along with the religious/patriotic ideals start taking a higher precedent than the REAL REASON you joined Amway: TO MAKE MONEY! 

Our upline diamond Mr. Prince was very adamant about building character and developing a new group of people that would help lead this country back to ways of integrity. Is there anything wrong with that? No...BUT, when you take it to the level he was taking it, it becomes a red flag. 

When I went to my Summer CONference after I joined, I was pumped to see Mr. Prince and was severely let down because I wasn't learning anything. He spoke that Saturday night and he spent the last part of his speech telling us a story about his kids. I don't remember it verbatim but it went something like this. 

Prince is an avid tennis fan and took his two sons (elementary age) to see a professional tennis team (ironic considering Emeralds/Diamonds preach against going to sporting events, but I guess the rules don't apply to the bosses...anyhoo) he had a three day pass to the event. The first day, his kids were clinging to his leg. They were real apprehensive and didn't talk to anybody. Prince told them they needed to be more assertive and not so shy. The second day they did better, socializing with fans, security guards and cheering for the players. The third day, they were practically independent of Mr. Prince and were known by the people at the venue. 

After the match, one of the top doubles players in the country came up to his oldest son. Gave him some wristbands and told him that kids like him made the game worth playing. Prince went into EXPLICIT detail, quoting dialogue word for word. Evidently the player kept telling the media to hold on so he could talk to Prince's son and everything. Honestly, it was a great story because you love to see little kids impress famous people. 

And here it comes...

Prince's point of the story was to inspire the crowd to build a legacy like him. To groom leaders who weren't shy or afraid. Then he ACTUALLY SAID: 

"What we do here is not just a business...IT'S A CAUSE." 

Uhhhh...what? 

"It's a cause to create a legacy of..." 

I had tuned him out. He had lost me. He didn't teach us any of his insights or tips to grow our business. He had just told us a story about how awesome his kids were. The crowd was inspired...I was pissed. I don't give a shit about "causes." MY CAUSE was to make MONEY. That moment (like many others) had a delayed effect on me which influenced me to quit the URA. 

Is it nice to work with people who feel the same way you do? Definitely. But is that WHY you go to work? NO! YOU GO TO MAKE MONEY! But IBO's aren't making money with Amway. Do they realize it? Maybe, but they become so attached to the bells and whistles of new friends/family environment that they don't want to leave. And THAT is why AMO's are CULTS. 

You're lured in with the promise of making extra money, but then it becomes more about keeping/developing personal relationships with the other hamsters on the wheel. You're losing money, you're losing money, you're losing money and all the while your too busy supporting "the cause" to notice...or worse yet, care. 

I never was a good fisherman anyway. 

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Purity Through Anonymity

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA).

There was about a year between the time I was shown the plan to the time I officially joined. In between was when I was at the Summer CONference. That was the first time I heard Mr. Prince (our upline diamond) speak. He was URA's rock star and (at the time) my favorite speaker.

Fast forward a few months from CONference. I'm a big football fan and my team had blown a giant lead in a big game. Our upline platinum commented on a facebook post about how he was just in my team's town and said "rough day for your team."

I sarcastically commented "yeah you need to tell Mr. Prince to buy the team and get our current owner out of there. LOL"

Shortly (and I mean minutes) after I posted it. I get a notification that the comment was removed.

I then get a message from our upline platinum. "Hey, I had to delete your comment because I don't want Mr. Prince's name mentioned. Just trying to keep it pure for him, that's all."

What the hell does "keep it PURE" mean???

I was confused. WHY would you not want his name MENTIONED? This is a business where we're trying to get more people to join, but we can't mention names? What kind of top super secret club bullshit is this???

And what the hell does "keep it PURE" mean???

Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, all these big shot businessmen are all very famous and their names are synonymous with success. So if Mr. Prince is so successful, how come his name can't be mentioned in public? Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel's names are mentioned. I couldn't understand it one bit.

And what the hell does "keep it PURE" mean???

There are a lot of words to describe this kind of shadiness, but purity is NOT one of them. Just typing this story out makes me so ASHAMED/EMBARRASSED I got involved with such crazies. Go do an internet search on some of these upline gods. You'll find VERY LITTLE. Seasoned vets like Dave Severn, Dexter Yeager and Bill Britt will pop up but most info is very scarce. I even remember my sponsor Matthew and I talking about some vids I found on YouTube. He said that most of that stuff was probably "leaked."

Who does he think we are? Metallica?

Keep it pure? More like keep it a secret. A very dark, dirty, lowlife...secret.

*Blows candle out*

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Pigs Don't Know Pigs Stink: An Inverted Case Study

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA).


"Pigs Don't Know Pigs Stink." A very famous phrase that's been said throughout every AMO most likely. This phrase is the name of a speech by famous Amway Diamond Dave Severn. While I change the names of people in the URA, he's not, so there. 

This speech is probably the most "iconic" (I use that word loosely) of all speeches in the Amway Motivational Organization world. Severn presents himself as a "good ole boy" from Idaho and gives a TWO AND A HALF HOUR speech about essentially the same ol 'your job sucks, you're going nowhere, blah, blah' rhetoric with the phrase throughout that "Pigs Don't Know Pigs Stink." 

The phrase basically means that people who are doing the boring ol' 9-5, bill paying, routine life don't realize they're wasting their life away. Just like pigs don't realize they have a strong odor coming from them, these people don't realize that all they're doing with their lives are "going 10 feet forward and 10 feet back" according to this near three hour parade of bullshit (pun intended). 

Pigs don't know pigs stink. Well let me tell you something about pigs. Pigs don't CARE that they stink. They don't care that they live in mud, they don't care that they eat slop from a trough. It's the way they live, because they're NOT HUMANS...they're PIGS. If you give a Pig a good home with plenty to eat and space to run around, I guarantee you that pig is HAPPY with the way it lives. It doesn't need a gold-plated trough, or a carpeted, insulated barn to sleep in. As long as it's well fed and you don't make bacon out of it, that pig will die a happy animal. 

What is the goal of your life? Is it to be rich? Maybe. I think we'd all LIKE to be rich. But do I need it to be happy? NO. As long as bills are paid, kids are raised right, and I have a wife who loves me unconditionally, I'll be able to make the best of life regardless of money. Which is the REAL goal of everyone's life: TO BE HAPPY. 

But Severn stands on his pedestal preaching about how that life is no good. Rich is the only way to live and selling Amway products is the way to become RICH. 

And here's where we turn the tables. 

Those "comfortable people" that are living in a "rut." May VERY WELL BE taking 10 feet forward and 10 feet back. But put that pace against 99% of Amway IBO's who go 10 feet forward and 20 FEET BACK! Let me know who finishes ahead on that one Davey! Severn may very well have built his Amway empire "the right way" back in the 80's but today's market is a whole different ballgame. 

Amway's products can't compete with the markets of today, mainly in part because it doesn't LET THEM. People are burning money to travel to show plans, purchasing products, and spending a BULK of their money to hear douchebags like YOU tell THEM that "they can do it too." Thousands upon thousands of dollars are lost every year by IBO's and people like you keep encouraging them knowing damn well that most of them will never come close and then they go from "in a rut" to deepening the rut so bad that they bury themselves. 

Pigs really don't know pigs stink. And you oinkers definitely need a shower. 


Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Skittles, Mt. Dew Freezes and Tiger Woods: A Love Story

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA).

Oh the GREAT Amway products! Out with the old and in with the new! Suck it Right Guard! Amway's got deodorant! Hit the bricks Dawn! Legacy of Clean is your daddy now! Ride on out Red Bull! XS is the new you!

Ok, I'm being a tad harsh. To be fair, Amway makes some GREAT products. I'm a huge fan of XS, Perfect Water, and yes, even legacy of clean. But Mr. Prince and the rest of the EDC (Executive Diamond Committee) know that ya ain't gonna get points and get any closer to "freedom" if you don't purchase as many Amway products as possible.

To be fair, it IS true. Your job in Amway is to SELL THE PRODUCTS but Mr. Prince has a rather uncomfortably passionate view on the products. In one of Mr. Prince's "tapes" he was giving a speech and said "If you buy any other products (than Amway's) SHAME ON YOU! SHAME ON YOU!

Shame on ME? I don't make the kind of money Mr. Prince does. He's got a huge house with a giant outdoor pool and a GOLF COURSE. I'm making MINIMUM WAGE!

To be a little more informative, let's break down the cost of Amway products:

Store deodorant: $2-3, sometimes you can even get two for that price.
Their deodorant: $5

Store shampoo: $2-3 for a good brand
Their shampoo: $10

Energy drink: $3-4 maybe even less
XS: Not sold individually, $27-40 a case.

Whey Protein Powder: $20-30 for a 2lb tub
Nutrilite Whey Protein: $82 (For that much money, I better look like Triple H in a week!)

Most of us "little people" are too busy saving/burning money for the rallies, gas money to show plans, etc. but yet we're supposed to pay WAY more for our everyday products (even with the Amway employee discount, you're still paying more). SHAME ON YOU MR. PRINCE! If I was making the money HE was making, sure I could buy Amway products with no big hassle.

Mr. Prince once said "Would you ever see Tiger Woods wearing ADIDAS? Then why would you buy other products?"

Oh my cheez whiz...

First of all Mr. Prince, Tiger Woods gets all of his Nike gear....FOR FREE. They also PAY HIM to endorse the product. I tell ya what, you give me my Amway products for free and HELL YEAH I'll endorse them! But it doesn't work like that does it?

If you are an Amway IBO and you use that as a point of reference...WHIFF!

But of course, my upline would've stuck their head in fire if Mr. Prince told them they could see hell. So at Summer CONference I was confronted about such an issue. I had just got paid the Friday that we left for CONference, so I went to Wal-Mart and got some snacks for the weekend since we weren't going to be leaving the hotel. Also, earlier in the week I had posted a picture on my Instagram of a Mountain Dew Freeze I was drinking. (LOVE those things, especially in the summer)

So while we're waiting Saturday night for another round of "We're awesome and there's a slight chance you can be too if you keep pouring money into our pockets" I pull out a box of Skittles I had bought. Matthew decided to call me out on having them. He said I needed to buy our products and then said that I needed to stop buying Mt. Dew Freezes and start ordering XS.

Hold the fuck up...

I got paid the Friday we were leaving. I didn't have TIME to order the Amway products. THEN, as far as the Freezes are concerned. They're 85 CENTS!!! He said that I needed to start saving up money to buy a case of XS.

WOWWWWWWW

So basically it's "I'm thirsty, got a dollar in my pocket, need to save it back and hopefully by the end of the month, I'll have enough to buy some XS to quench my thirst that I have now!"

BRILLIANT!

Of course when I called Matthew out on this, he backpedaled severely. This was another major red flag that fell when I realized the URA's cult-like tactics. This wasn't a part-time gig, it wasn't even a business, it was a LIFESTYLE. AN OBSESSION. A CULT.

Shame on YOU Mr. Prince for laying a burden on the financially anemic forcing them to buy overpriced products and still pay money to listen to your blitherings. I sincerely hope one day that you're exposed for the FRAUD you and your organization are, I hope you have to pay reparations...

And I REALLY HOPE Tiger Woods gets sponsored by ADIDAS! Damn I'm thirsty...time for a Mountain Dew Freeze!




Saturday, May 28, 2016

The Shot Heard 'Round The Upline

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA).

I was fatigued.

I was being worn down bit by bit since getting back from Summer CONference. It started off with our upline platinum's comment about the first order of business being to get our fall tickets locked in, which of course was passed down from the higher ups (a.k.a. the speakers who make their money by taking ours). I was driving 30 minutes once a week for "weekly business briefings" which was a whole much ado about nothing. We'd listen to a speaker via facetime, or go through more of the same motions we got from CONferences: Make calls, build your business, 6% circles, yadayadayadayada.

I wasn't making much money from my job at the time and I couldn't keep dropping gas money and time to listen to the same old same old. Even our upline diamond, the upline leaders son-in-law who we'll refer to as "Mr. Prince" had lost his appeal with me. I called into a conference call right after work that he was holding, and I was bored in the first five minutes. I sat there thinking "WHAT am I doing here? This is doing NOTHING." We would have "accountability calls" and I'd have nothing to report, it just seemed like there was always something going on and NONE of it was focused on building the business.

Granted, had I had a better paying job, I would've been able to take more action, but after coming to the end result like some of my other blogging allies, I couldn't be happier I was poor. I know THEY lost way more than I did.

My sponsor Matthew wasn't helping matters. He kept trying to peg down times to meet with me and I had other things going on. This Amway business was meant to be PART TIME. A side gig to make a little extra money. There were other things I enjoyed doing besides the business. There were a couple speakers who downplayed doing activities outside the business. They made them out to be "losers" who were going nowhere in life.

That didn't sound very appealing to me. I LOVED doing other activities like playing softball, watching my sports teams, and coaching basketball.

Matthew's persistence finally came to the surface after we had shown the plan to a friend of mine. After he left, we met outside the coffee shop where we showed it and he sat on a bench with me telling me basically that if I didn't start putting "more of an effort" in that he was going to "spend time with people who were more serious about building their business."

Strike one.

Forget the fact that WE JUST SHOWED A PLAN. The next incident came after I'd blown my knee out in a softball game. It wasn't to serious, but I had hurt it badly. But after the game, did I go the hospital? Home to rehabilitate? NO! I WENT TO A WEEKLY BUSINESS BRIEFING 30 MILES AWAY!

DEDICATION BABY!

Halfway through it however, the pain just became overbearing and I left early. He decided to mention that to me as well...even though he knew I was hurt.

Strike two.

Now in my previous blog "Come to My Seminar" I mentioned how a friend went with me but quit after what he experienced. He DID however say that he was going to support my business and be a customer with me but hadn't registered so far.

Finally one day I was doing a job for my grandmother when I get a text from Matthew.

Matthew: "Has (your friend) registered to be a customer with you yet?"

Me: "Not yet."

Matthew: "Well you've known him long enough. Call him out on it."


Holy Santa Claus Shit.

Call him OUT ON IT??? This guy can't be serious. CALL HIM OUT ON IT! Like he forgot to pay me back money he owes. Is that how the major retailers get customers? By calling them out on it? Every negative thing I had heard about MLM's was slowly unveiling.

Strike 3. I'm out.

I had begun ignoring Matthew and the others. I was depressed. This isn't what I signed up for. One night Matthew texted me saying "Don't lose your fire!" But it was extinguished. I finally texted him back with all my grievances that you have seen in this blog, or will see.

My phone rang. Guess who. 

Not being a coward, I answered it and an ugly argument followed. I basically called HIM out on the fact that when I was recruited to which he quickly responded "you were NEVER recruited, we presented you with an opportunity."

Yeah and Nick Saban gives high school football phenoms a chance to get an education. 

 He started backpedaling from things he had told me over time and what not. We eventually got to the question of where the money was going from our conferences and URA memberships.He tried to tell me that the money goes to the URA app, money to rent the facilities for CONferences, etc. When I told him that it doesn't take over a million dollars to fund those miniscule tasks, his retort was THIS: 

"You know what? I DON'T CARE where the money goes." 

He was got. He didn't realize it, but he was got. Like GOT DAMN he got got! He basically just exposed himself and the business for THE CULT it was. When you and several other suckers are funding a million dollar business without giving a tenth of a damn where it goes. You are GOT. He was GOT in the argument, he was GOT in the URA. The URA had him. He was beyond the point of no return. 

I basically replied "man, you have drunk the kool aid." 

Surprisingly the conversation ended on a good note. But I was gone. I wasn't done with selling Amway, but I was DEFINITELY out of the URA. I was going to try to sell the products on my own and see if I could. Eventually I realized it wasn't going to work (future blog about that).

See you on the next blog.


Oh wait...I forgot. 

The day after Matthew and I had our spat, I was on a road trip when I got another call from him. He then said that he had called my friend and confronted him about what he had said to me. 

Oh NO you didn't...

Of course, my friend was very non-confrontational and didn't want trouble so he basically told Matthew what he wanted to hear to shake him off his back. He said I'd probably be "getting a call" from my friend to discuss me throwing him under the bus. Luckily, he didn't call. I texted him and smoothed things over. Truth be told, I shouldn't have mentioned him. That was my bad.

Matthew then went on and in a roundabout way expressed his concerns that I was going to tell the other team members about how I felt. He was scared shitless, and he was scared because he knew I had a point. He used the rationale that I could bring their optimism down. He said I could "kill their dream." 

No...I could kill YOUR dream. 

The conversation eventually ended, this time on a less pleasant note. I wasn't going to give in and come back. Matthew and the upline thought really highly of me. I had a network larger than anyone in our group, including Matthew. I knew hundreds of people from high school, college, professional world, etc. There are four metropolitan areas within a couple hours of my town and I had contacts in every one of them. Honestly, I had more potential to build a successful Amway business than most. 

The level of my importance was even confirmed when our upline platinum sent me messages and several phone calls. I wasn't responding. I wasn't about to have yet another fight that went nowhere. But then it took an even crazier turn. 

Our upline EMERALD messaged me. 

Anybody who's been in an AMO knows that's some heavy shit. The Emerald (who I said earlier is a real nice guy), played it cool and asked me how things were going and if I needed any help. He offered to help me make phone calls and help build my business in any way he could. I was blown away. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it, but I eventually realized they were only trying to get me BACK IN. 

I had enough respect for Matthew NOT to tell the other members how I felt. I think in the end I chose not to because AMO's are a "hot stove" lesson. You've gotta get burned before you learn not to touch it. Slowly but surely, the others have now left the business. I haven't talked to them though I plan to in time. 

I always thought it was funny how Matthew said I could kill their dream. America is a country that's built on dreams and the pursuit of those dreams. But for THIS dream, I'm very grateful that my alarm clock went off when it did and my fellow bloggers are too. If you're dreaming the Amway dream, I implore you: 

Wake up.  

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Key Ingredient

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA).

Kool Aid...if you don't love it, you're practically un-American. I mean, pack your bags and geeeeyit out right? My blog of course is titled "The Financial Jonestown." For those of you who may be a bit young (or historically illiterate), Jonestown was a community in Guyana (That's South America for the Geographically illiterate) founded by Jim Jones, a minister turned cultist. The community was officially called "The Peoples Temple."

Long story short, the people of Jonestown wanted to escape the perils of American life to establish their own way of living. Having his people brainwashed, Jones began imposing his own will much contrary to the principles that led people to join the commune. When distress arose back home after concerned relatives voiced their opinions, the United States sent California Congressman Leo Ryan and members of the media to Jonestown to investigate. Make an even LONGER story short, Jones flipped out, had the Congressman and media members shot at an airstrip as they were leaving. Realizing he fucked up something awful, Jones had the 900 members of the commune drink poisoned Kool Aid resulting in their death. Jones, proving his un-Americanism decided not to drink Kool Aid and instead, put a bullet in his head.

Communist douche bag.

Back on track...in Bill Maher's 2004 comedy routine "I'm Swiss," he criticized then-President George W. Bush's sitting in the classroom for seven minutes after hearing about the 9/11 attacks. While a die hard Republican I am and even a fan of  Maher's, I didn't agree with this piece, but that's neither here nor there. He summed it up that if Republicans still supported Bush after he sat there for seven minutes (Even though his Chief of Staff signaled for him NOT TO...dammit! WILL YOU STAY ON POINT???)

He said "You have drunk the Kool Aid. You're apart of a CULT."

The URA and other AMO's serve up their own brand as well. Regular Kool Aid is known for its particular flavors, Jonestown Kool Aid had cyanide, AMO's have TOOLS (get it? LOL)!

It's always been said that attending these seminars are the key ingredient to building a successful Amway business. You see the IBO's with their voice recorders and notepads (Hey, I took notes, no shame) hinging on EVERY WORD the Emeralds and Diamonds said. But the sleep deprivation, mixed messages, and even some of the snobbery/up our own ass swagger from some of these jagoffs threw a damper on it (See my first blog "Come to My Seminar").

But when it was time to leave, we met up with our upline platinum to get a "pep talk" before heading home. He said "first order of business...let's get our fall tickets locked in."

Hold up.

FED (Fall Conference) was THREE MONTHS AWAY! We've got businesses to build, we got team members packin' lunch meat that can't afford a cup of coffee and need to get their businesses going and THE FIRST $100 we get our hands on shouldn't go to buying samples/generating PV (Personal Volume), gas money to show plans, etc...no LET'S BUY OUR TICKETS FOR THE NEXT CONFERENCE!!!

Get the serious FUCK out of here!

At the time, I thought it was weird, but in retrospect, THAT MOMENT was what caused me to start THINKING (an unwritten no-no in URA).

So I sat at home one night thinking about how much CONferences were emphasized. WHY? It drove my friend away after attending, plus, it was basically the same stuff I had heard a year ago when I was prospecting. So I pulled out a calculator and had a fun, fact-finding session/epiphany.

After I wrote 43LL and 80085 (Hell and Boobs...hey I said I had fun), I started crunching a few numbers.

The venues I went to held about 4,000 people and was pretty close to capacity. Let's just be optimistic and say there were 3,500.

3,500 people X $100 a ticket = $350,000

$350,000 X 4 conferences = $1.4 Million

Considering that URA more than likely didn't have to pay for the venue (most hotels give you the venue for free if you're staying at their hotel...and we were). That's a pretty nice racket. Chop that up among the dozen or so speakers and everybody's taking home six figures a year. Not to mention the "independent" seminars they do on their own for a much smaller gate fee of about 10-15 bucks.

We're not done yet.

The URA also has a website where you can keep track of your downline, download audio of speakers "teaching" you the (Am)Ways of the business (Pun intended) and of course...this is where you buy your TICKETS!!!!!!

The membership has three levels. The cheapest is around $35 a month, medium is $50, and premium package is $75. Now if I was a bettin' man, I'd be willing to book that most URA members have the "premium" package...but for all intents and purposes, let's just say everybody in the URA is po' folk (which in reality...never mind...skip it) and has the $35 package.

I'm sure there were a few "losers" who missed out on the CONference because something else happened. Petty reasons like a funeral, childbirth, dumb shit like that. But let's just say that EVERY URA MEMBER was in attendance.

3,500 members X $35 a month = 122,000 a month.

122,000 a month X 12 months = $1.4 million (and change)

Well hit me with a turd pie and call me shitface...That's nearly $3 million A YEAR. And these are BARE MINIMUM estimates!

Now you chop that up over a few years between the Emeralds/Diamonds who speak at these events. Plus the bonuses they DO get from their Amway qualifications, though miniscule compared to this, and yeah...you can have financial freedom.

But this is a FACT. 99% of Amway IBO's will NOT reach that level. Want to fact check? CHECK THEIR WEBSITE. This isn't propaganda, this is something that you see right on their page. The "average" active IBO earns $200 a month. That's $2,400 a year. Subtract your CONference tickets, personal volume for samples, personal consumption, etc., Independent conferences, gas money to show plans and go to weekly business briefings and THEN what do you have? Is it EVEN CLOSE to the time/effort you put in???

These CONferences are no different than if you took 5,000 high school baseball players and had Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutcheon and Clayton Kershaw give speeches about how if you have "this particular mindset" and "do x, y, and z" then YOU TOO can make it to the majors. You'll have 5,000 dudes all jacked up and excited, when in REALITY, maybe ONE OR TWO OF THEM will have a CHANCE to make it to the bigs.

You do with this information what you will. Me? I'm JONESin' for some grape Kool Aid.

Good night.



Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Come to my Seminar!

Disclaimer: The thoughts in this blog are my own opinions. Names (if any) have been changed in order to protect everyone's privacy. The thoughts in this blog do not address Amway directly, but rather the motivational organization known as URAssociation (URA).


Money. We need it, we want it, we want more. There's no argument to that. Even the most content of content always like to have a little extra. Well a few years ago, I was in need of not only the little extra...but a base income PERIOD! I received a call from a friend I hadn't heard from in two years. To be honest, I was surprised he still had my number. He was calling me from Washington DC. He, along with a few other people I knew were at a "business conference" and were dying to get me to join their "team." 

I had come across something similar a few years ago. In retrospect, I actually believe it was Amway as well. Problem was it wasn't presented right and I passed on the "opportunity." But this guy brought a lot of enthusiasm. I'm an enthusiastic person myself, so I took an appreciation to it. I met him (we'll call him Mike) a few weeks later with a couple of the other guys I knew. One of them was the "upline leader" (we'll call him Matthew). 

It was Amway alright. I had heard OF Amway, but never knew much about it. As a matter of fact, I confused it with Amtrak if that shows you my level of ignorance. The plan sounded great. A phenomenal way to make some extra money and if I did well enough, I could earn five to six figures. I had come very close to getting a couple jobs in sales and was constantly told by people that my personality was perfect for sales, so this seemed like a good way to use that strength. 

I thought I had found something tangible. 

A year later, I went to the Summer Conference. I was told these weekend seminars were the key to being a successful IBO. We drove from our area to Baltimore (about 10-11 hours) in vans we had rented. When we got to the hotel, I found out I was staying with 4 other people. It was a little irritating, but the way Matthew and Mike made said it was WORTH IT to help motivate individuals to succeed. He DID have a point. The atmosphere was like a concert/sporting event. A band played upbeat, well-known music to get the crowd going. There was even a conga line at one point! I was taking it all in and was so amazed that people could be so hyped up about a "business." My thought at the time: They MUST be making some serious coin to get this excited! 

The conference had three sessions in two days. A Friday night session that lasted from 8 till midnight, a morning session from 8 am to Noon, then an evening session that ran the same as Friday's session. The speakers were well-dressed, charismatic and just radiated with a successful, confident heir. I thought to myself "WOW! These people are the real deal making six figures or more! They're sales/marketing/networking geniuses!" 

At the finale Friday night, I heard the URA leader speak. He had a phenomenal story of perseverance, wisdom, etc. His son in law, who was also a diamond, spoke before him and was explosive with energy and had the same kind of intensity/passion that I tend to have. I was sold, although I didn't officially register until a year later. I had a "grand opening" where Matthew helped run it.  It went pretty solid (though only family and one friend came). And before you know it, it was Summer Conference time again! I even had a friend who was about to join my team, and he was going with us. 1 month in and I ALREADY HAVE A DOWNLINE GOING! I was psyched. He was psyched. We were gonna set the Amway world on fire. 


Then...we left for DC. 


A year ago at Summer Conference, we had a dozen people in our group. THIS SUMMER, it was a huge turnover. More than half the group had dropped out. In the year before I joined, our upline platinum RAVED about how "our team was growing" and we were "on fire." Yet here we were, 50% turnover.

Huh???

In addition, the year before, we rented two vans. This year, we piled into two cars belonging to team members because it would "save money." We were encouraged to pack lunch meat, peanut butter and jelly, etc. and NOT go out to eat. Our upline platinum even sent a rather unpleasant voice message to us the night before about being frugal with our money, going in on our hotel rooms, etc. This sent a bad vibe to my friend and I, and would be the first of many that weekend. 

After the 10 hour car ride, we arrived in DC. I was absolutely exhausted because I didn't get much sleep. I then found out that SIX of us full grown men are going to be sharing a room (kind of illegal, but whatever, OUR BUSINESSES ARE GOING TO GROW RIGHT?) My friend and I along with another team member (who was kind of a stooge) get in the room. I laid on the comfortable bed to catch my breath. Stooge immediately says "Don't get comfortable, we gotta get changed and get down early to get good seats."

You gotta be shittin' me. 

We had an hour or so before everyone arrived so we unpacked and showered up. Eventually all the guys arrived and we go down to the hotel conference center and wait in line for an hour or two to get "good seats." By this point, I'm irked to say the least. My friend (who was my #1 priority considering I brought him in) was a little put off by everything as well. Nevertheless, we got our "good seats." And proceeded with the festivities. It was lively at first, the band played some good songs and positive vibes were flowing, but after a while, my vibe died because the event was so dragged out.

I'm sleepy, a little hungry, and when I'm either, or worse yet both...I'm not friendly. One of the speakers had went diamond just a year ago. He was well-spoken and held my attention but then his wife took the stage. She gets up there and tries to tell a story about being the "sharpest knife in the drawer." Out of NOWHERE, she digressed into a long story about a raccoon that was living in her attic that only liked glazed donuts.

I sat there trying to determine if she was legitimately lit.  

When she (finally) got back on track, it finally hit me...SHE IS WINGIN' THIS! 

This speech COULD NOT have been prepared. No way does someone practice a speech that went from A to M, over to Z and THEN back to B. There was no revolutionary advice, there was no "secret" that would help us build our business. There was a lot of great MOTIVATIONAL speaking, I'll give them that, but that only goes so far. This broad was just incessantly blabbing about stuff that no one cared about. Even the crowd wasn't responding to her idiotic drivel and a majority of them were apart of their team.

Before midnight, the URA leader and his wife took the stage to a roar from the crowd. As much as I thought he was going to bring some serious knowledge, I was severely let down. He spoke about jalapenos and something rather, while the wife tried to tell a story about Navy Seals that fell about 100 feet shy of being relevant or interesting. We're paying out the tailpipe to come to these seminars to LEARN the best ways to make money in this business, NOT THIS. I even asked one of our team members what the hell she was droning on about. He said "well...this stuff is more focused on wisdom." 

If I want wisdom, I'll talk to my grandfather. Wisest man I've ever known. Just teach me how to make money like you did with Amway! K? K!

They finally wrapped up. It was midnight, I was dead tired, over it, unenthusiastic and ready to hit the hay. But not so fast...

It's time for the NIGHT OWL!!!!!!!!!

What's a "Night Owl" you ask? Some concerts have encores, Amway Motivational Organizations have Night Owl's. But unlike an encore...these suck. After three straight hours of speakers gloating about their riches, raccoons, donuts, and jalapenos, we get A BONUS seminar! And of course, you HAVE to stay because you'll deprive yourself of even more wisdom...even if you're brain has shut down for the night. But like a good loyal solider, following orders in hopes it would generate income for my business, I toughened it out and made it to bed around 2 am...only to realize that I had to get up at 7 am the next morning. That's like being served the best steak ever made and finding out that you only get one bite. 

Surprisingly, I was able to get up and drag myself into the morning conference with the rest of my exhausted group. This time, they did a little bit of teaching but mostly just focused on goals rather than how to achieve them. You'd think there would be training and methods of how to sell the product. Eh not really. To add insult to injury, my fatigue was catching up to me so I went upstairs to the hotel lobby to their coffee shop. I've heard stories about how uplines will run you down if you try to leave. Luckily, Matthew was a little smarter than that...either that or he was too tired to notice considering he slept for only an hour before jetting down to the conference center doors at 4 am to make sure we got "good seats" for Saturday.

He was starting to scare me. 

When I got back, one of our team members was struggling to stay awake (plot twist). He asked if he could have a sip of my coffee. I gave him a sip and told him where he could get some. He said he didn't have enough to buy his own cup. Without thought, I handed him some cash to go get some. I felt horrible for him. Coffee Shop's in hotel lobby's are a bit pricy, but still...five bucks??? He felt bad for taking my money but I wouldn't allow him to feel any such way. I told him we're a team, and we help each other. He thanked me a ton and headed upstairs. I sat there baffled. This is a business where you can make good money, yet a guy who had been in the business a few months didn't even have enough cash to buy a cup of coffee??? My brain was starting to put things together in spite of the fact that sleep was at a premium that weekend. 

After the morning session, the teams within the URA split up for a mini-team session. We got to say hi to our upline emerald who in all fairness is a really great guy. Then...lunch! Now, a year ago we went to a nice restaurant right on the Baltimore harbor. This time? We chipped in a few bucks and got pizza while sitting in the 90 degree heat. Once again, a team is growing with the best business opportunity in the world, yet....

Then we had some downtime so what should we do? Sleep? Go check out the many things DC has to offer? Check out the Smithsonian? PLEEEEEASE! We've got our team in DC! The fever is in the air! Lets make phone calls to people and try to set up appointments to show the plan! Make the same call that I got two years ago from Mike (who ironically had also quit the business by this time). Besides, historical American monuments are overrated. Succeed in this business and you can BUY ONE OF THEM! (Lame joke I know)

Well, the night session rolled around, and it felt to me like more of the same repetitive lameness. The first summer conference it was impactful, but this time, not so much. It's like a movie you see once and it's cool, but the second time around, it just doesn't resonate. At midnight, the seminar ended, but there was going to be....you guessed it...a night owl!!!

My friend and I didn't care. We had our fill. Much to the dismay of our team, We headed back to the room, ordered some food, and watched Kevin Hart on Comedy Central's Secret Stash. To be honest, that was the most fun he and I had all weekend. We were in Washington DC. The Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery and the White House were all a stone's throw away but no time for fun stuff or enjoyment. Let's stay cooped up in the hotel and focus on the business! 

The day after we got back, my friend, who was DEAD-SET committed to joining the team decided not to. He was completely turned off by everything. He said the speakers were materialistic and felt the message was dishonest. To sum it up: He saw the seminar, the business and the URA for what it TRULY was. I was hurt, but honestly I wasn't mad. If anything, I was just confused. These conferences were supposed to be what MADE PEOPLE want to join the business. Not deter them! Eventually his decision to quit prompted me to do some soul searching (as well as other incidents I'll talk about in this blog). I quit the team two months later, and Amway a year later.

Over time I did some research and eventually I've come to this conclusion: URA, WWDB, BWW and any other Amway Motivational Organization are one thing:

A CULT.

You may not move away to some remote location away from your family, or participate in mass suicide, but organizations like the URA perform those deeds in a more subtle way. Groups like these kill your SOUL. AMO's have broken up marriages, put people in insurmountable debt, and left a huge void in people's dreams and self-worth. People distance themselves from family and friends and you dump dollar after dollar into an account that never grows, but instead transfer to the accounts of your upline emeralds and diamonds.  

In the movie "Casino," Robert DeNiro's character said that running a casino was like "selling people dreams for cash." There isn't a more perfect description of what an AMO is. Everybody wants to be rich and these despicable people will nurture that dream for $100 a ticket, four times a year. Not to mention the revenue from books, tapes, CD's and other functions these people do...and sadly, most of their income COMES FROM THIS, NOT the selling of Amway products. Oh URA wants you to keep your dream alive alright! Because people will do anything to be rich...including paying ridiculous sums of money to hear people drone on about the same old thing and believe it can help them as well, because THEY said it would. 

I was blessed to have to foresight to see the business for what it was without going too far, but there are still thousands of people who have become brainwashed that this is the way to financial freedom. DON'T BE FOOLED! 

Many of my blogs to come will focus on incidents at the conferences, as well as other incidents that occurred once I had joined. If I can stop just one person from going down this destructive path, then I've served my fellow man more than any of those cultists could do in a lifetime.