It's Christmas so I figured I'd make A Christmas Story reference to start off. You're welcome. I recently came across a YouTube channel featuring a young couple who used to be a member of WorldWide Group (WWG). An Amway cult just like URA. I just recently watched their first vlog detailing their time in their cult. The stories are nearly similar and even more outrageous than the ones I've shared on here. Give em' a look:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl4Zu5UZmoiEWJkYqQkmKog?disable_polymer=true
They brought back many bad memories, but one that they touched on that I haven't yet was the dreadful DITTO. *DUN! DUN! DUNNNNN!!!!!!* "DITTO" is the Amway scheduled delivery system. Basically, you place monthly orders in advance The orders are for your use, as well as getting samples for customers and what not. They make this sound like it's a convenient way to get your products to you, but what it REALLY is is a way for your upline to (sometimes underhandedly) place orders for shit you don't need and lots of it so your numbers/business value go up.
When my upline sponsor Matthew first showed me how to do the "Ditto" he did it with our upline platinum's wife. He started running up a HUGE bill. Like $250 worth. If you've read my previous blogs, I didn't have two nickels to rub together so I was like "WHOOOOOOA SLOW DOWN!" He then reassured me that I could change the order any time I wished. As soon as he left I deleted EVERYTHING. At the time, I figured it was just apart of the business model and Matthew was just showing how it's done. I later realized that putting in an order for that much shit was to pad the upline's stats.
It also seemed like a minor incident in a grocery list of major ones that I experienced during my time in the URA cult. However, when I was at Summer CONference, I remember my upline platinum's wife going on a crazed rant about how it's "inexcusable" for people not to do their ditto. I'm not saying she was crazy. I'm saying she has this psychotic, 'I haven't been laid in three years', no coffee in the morning for a week, I'm gonna set my husband on fire if we don't make emerald by next year look in her eyes that was very disturbing. Like missing your ditto is comparable to forgetting your anniversary. Looking back, she was actually a very unsettling type of person. Not quite all there. She'd been "cultified."
That obsessive demeanor is all too real. I only refer to our "upline platinum" because he did what upline platinum's do. He led our group. He was more of a defacto-platinum. He never reached the qualification. He was what they call an "arrow." From what I gathered, he was close, but never got to that level due to constant turnover. After talking with past group members, many didn't like him. He was a very snooty, unpersonable kind of guy. My family sure as hell didn't like them. They liked Matthew, but they didn't like him AT ALL. If my family doesn't like you: there's a good reason.
The couple I mentioned in the YouTube link talked about the thousands they spent on just Ditto alone. It's all a part of the scam to boost/pad numbers and most people are willing. I said in a previous blog that it was a rare time I was happy to be poor. They tried to get blood from a stone and they couldn't. So for all you "entrepreneurs" out there faithfully doing your ditto, here's some great advice in just two syllables:
DIT-DON'T!
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Coach K Could've Killed it in Cultism
A few years ago, I decided to change professions and go into teaching/coaching. I love being able to develop kids ability in sports and of course, win. URA is big on that winner-like mindset. They always run around with their catchphrase "it's GAME TIME!" They often use sports examples like when Mr. Prince told stories at CONference about Rory McIlroy, Brett Favre, and Rafael Nadal (yet, they look down on going to sporting events....ehhh whatever, I digress).
I still think about my time in the URA cult. Maybe more often than I should. Like I said, my upline sponsor Matthew is out of the business. We still haven't talked since my departure. The other day I saw a meme about a "friend you haven't talked to in forever, wants to present you with a financial opportunity" and he came across my mind. Before URA, Matthew and I knew OF each other, but weren't really close. He went to school with my brother and they were just friendly acquaintances. Now to be fair, Matthew was my upline sponsor, but his buddy Mike was the one who ORIGINALLY recruited me and Mike and I had some history together playing softball.
I then began to wonder (as I often had) what made Matthew, who was a relatively quiet guy become so head over heels obsessed with a glorified money pit. I then remembered him telling me about HIS sponsor (our upline platinum) not being a very vibrant personality either. I then remembered how they met. Our upline platinum was Matthew's ASSISTANT COACH in baseball when Matthew played in college. I then started unpacking a lot of stored info.
It occurred to me that several people in our upline/organization were former coaches.
Mr Prince: Girls basketball coach
Upline Emerald: Boys basketball coach
Our upline platinum: College baseball coach
URA Diamond: Aspiring teacher/coach before going into business for himself
And then I got mildly nauseous.
I've been an assistant for a few years to where I now have my own team. I think about the responsibilities that I have to these kids to improve their skills and lead them to a successful season. And I think...if I SUCCEEDED in Amway and went down the path that those other big shots did. HOW could I POSSIBLY look at my players in their faces and consider myself a man of integrity? A man of character? A man who can be TRUSTED???
More importantly, the talents it takes to succeed in the URA, coaches most definitely possess. Mr. Prince had an INCREDIBLE vibe to him. I could see why coaching would be a fit for him. He commands attention, keeps your attention and after hearing him, you're charged up! You're ready to go! You're inspired! And all the while, he's sending you on a goose chase and no matter if you catch the goose or not, you GO BACK three months later and he'll regurgitate the same drivel and you'll be inspired enough to go back out and chase the goose again!
It's honestly disgusting. Yeah, I won't make very much as a coach. And I'll struggle with my bills a little longer. But when this season is over, no matter how well we fared, I can walk away knowing that I did everything I could to make them better ballplayers, better teammates, and most importantly a better human being.
And it won't cost them a red cent.
Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get to practice.
I still think about my time in the URA cult. Maybe more often than I should. Like I said, my upline sponsor Matthew is out of the business. We still haven't talked since my departure. The other day I saw a meme about a "friend you haven't talked to in forever, wants to present you with a financial opportunity" and he came across my mind. Before URA, Matthew and I knew OF each other, but weren't really close. He went to school with my brother and they were just friendly acquaintances. Now to be fair, Matthew was my upline sponsor, but his buddy Mike was the one who ORIGINALLY recruited me and Mike and I had some history together playing softball.
I then began to wonder (as I often had) what made Matthew, who was a relatively quiet guy become so head over heels obsessed with a glorified money pit. I then remembered him telling me about HIS sponsor (our upline platinum) not being a very vibrant personality either. I then remembered how they met. Our upline platinum was Matthew's ASSISTANT COACH in baseball when Matthew played in college. I then started unpacking a lot of stored info.
It occurred to me that several people in our upline/organization were former coaches.
Mr Prince: Girls basketball coach
Upline Emerald: Boys basketball coach
Our upline platinum: College baseball coach
URA Diamond: Aspiring teacher/coach before going into business for himself
And then I got mildly nauseous.
I've been an assistant for a few years to where I now have my own team. I think about the responsibilities that I have to these kids to improve their skills and lead them to a successful season. And I think...if I SUCCEEDED in Amway and went down the path that those other big shots did. HOW could I POSSIBLY look at my players in their faces and consider myself a man of integrity? A man of character? A man who can be TRUSTED???
More importantly, the talents it takes to succeed in the URA, coaches most definitely possess. Mr. Prince had an INCREDIBLE vibe to him. I could see why coaching would be a fit for him. He commands attention, keeps your attention and after hearing him, you're charged up! You're ready to go! You're inspired! And all the while, he's sending you on a goose chase and no matter if you catch the goose or not, you GO BACK three months later and he'll regurgitate the same drivel and you'll be inspired enough to go back out and chase the goose again!
It's honestly disgusting. Yeah, I won't make very much as a coach. And I'll struggle with my bills a little longer. But when this season is over, no matter how well we fared, I can walk away knowing that I did everything I could to make them better ballplayers, better teammates, and most importantly a better human being.
And it won't cost them a red cent.
Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get to practice.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Freedom: an examination in Real(i)ty
When I first got into URA, our upline Emerald was a rock star on the rise. We'll call him Pete. According to Pete's story, he originally got into the business to make extra money to buy more expensive beer. In just 10 months, he reached the top of the bonus scale and qualified emerald a few years after. He was young, energetic, had a very vibrant and caring vibe. To be honest, I admired him. The gullible me, believed that hey, if he can do it...I CAN DO IT! (Derp!)
Pete knew me by name and was very personable. Unlike most URA hot shots, he had a Facebook/Instagram. On his facebook he has a video of him hitting his alarm clock with his driver while his team/supporters/cultists shouted FREEDOM! There he was, in his 20's FINANCIALLY FREE. Three legs at the top of the bonus scale and GUNNING FOR DIAMOND! The sky is the limit! Everything was falling in place...or was it?
Now one thing that diamonds preach to you is that once you qualify Emerald/Diamond/Crown/Master of the Universe you get those bonuses that come with it for the rest of your life...there's only one problem. They don't tell you that you can FALL OUT OF QUALIFICATION. That's why they harp on you to stay in and sell those products because they HAVE to meet those numbers every year. Because you don't really make as much money as advertised, they're on your ass to make sure you make ALL FOUR CONFERENCES so they can get their ticket commissions.
Well lo and behold, I'm on Instagram the other day and what did my eyes see? A post from Pete advertising his business card...URA? Nope. REAL ESTATE. It turns out our young gun, rising star who achieved "financial freedom" by selling Amway products...issssn't really free. I seriously doubt someone who's financially free decides to get a real job just for kicks.
Surprised? Not really. I believe my team was one of the three legs that helped his emerald qualification. You go down the list of the people that were involved in our team:
Upline platinum: Still active
Matthew: Inactive
Mike: Inactive
Stooge: Inactive
Me: Inactive
The dozen or so people that were apart of our team over the course of a year: Inactive
There can only be so much turnover before your line falls apart.
Now Pete (who is still active) has to find other ways to make ends meet. The saying goes: "Diamonds are forever." Well they better be, because Emeralds don't appear to be.
Sure hope he bought a new alarm clock.
Pete knew me by name and was very personable. Unlike most URA hot shots, he had a Facebook/Instagram. On his facebook he has a video of him hitting his alarm clock with his driver while his team/supporters/cultists shouted FREEDOM! There he was, in his 20's FINANCIALLY FREE. Three legs at the top of the bonus scale and GUNNING FOR DIAMOND! The sky is the limit! Everything was falling in place...or was it?
Now one thing that diamonds preach to you is that once you qualify Emerald/Diamond/Crown/Master of the Universe you get those bonuses that come with it for the rest of your life...there's only one problem. They don't tell you that you can FALL OUT OF QUALIFICATION. That's why they harp on you to stay in and sell those products because they HAVE to meet those numbers every year. Because you don't really make as much money as advertised, they're on your ass to make sure you make ALL FOUR CONFERENCES so they can get their ticket commissions.
Well lo and behold, I'm on Instagram the other day and what did my eyes see? A post from Pete advertising his business card...URA? Nope. REAL ESTATE. It turns out our young gun, rising star who achieved "financial freedom" by selling Amway products...issssn't really free. I seriously doubt someone who's financially free decides to get a real job just for kicks.
Surprised? Not really. I believe my team was one of the three legs that helped his emerald qualification. You go down the list of the people that were involved in our team:
Upline platinum: Still active
Matthew: Inactive
Mike: Inactive
Stooge: Inactive
Me: Inactive
The dozen or so people that were apart of our team over the course of a year: Inactive
There can only be so much turnover before your line falls apart.
Now Pete (who is still active) has to find other ways to make ends meet. The saying goes: "Diamonds are forever." Well they better be, because Emeralds don't appear to be.
Sure hope he bought a new alarm clock.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
An American Tragedy
While my blog is centered on the URA, I came across this post a few years ago from a fellow blogger. This person was involved in Britt Worldwide, the group which the URA splintered from. He documents his entire journey in BWW through a journal.The further you read, the more depressed you get. However, THIS is about as accurate of a journey through these CULTS as you can find.
I ENCOURAGE EVERY PROSPECTIVE IBO WHO IS DOING SOME RESEARCH TO SEE THIS BEFORE JOINING!!!
Link: http://bwwsot.blogspot.com/2005/09/effects-of-britt-world-wide.html
I ENCOURAGE EVERY PROSPECTIVE IBO WHO IS DOING SOME RESEARCH TO SEE THIS BEFORE JOINING!!!
Link: http://bwwsot.blogspot.com/2005/09/effects-of-britt-world-wide.html
Monday, February 19, 2018
Compound "W".....TF
So evidently my blog must be reaching the mASSes of the URA. Since I started this blog, several of "NSBonTV's" vids have mysteriously disappeared. The video featuring our good buddy Tracey Eaton (See "Fight, Kick, Scratch, Crawl" post) has been removed from the channel as well as a few others. A couple vids that were online featuring Mr. Prince (not on NSB's channel) are gone as well. Way to "keep it pure" (See "Purity Through Anonymity) fellas! :D
However, to quote Sean Hannity, "let not your heart be troubled." More vids still exist for my venting pleasure and your information.
I'm still facebook friends with a couple of our upline emeralds. One was kicked out for allegedly screwing around on his wife (damn shame, she's hot!), but the other is still active and is the one who reached out to me after my fallout with Matthew (See "The Shot Heard 'Round the Upline). Our upline Emerald has vids of him and his time with several URA big shots, namely Mr. Prince. There's even a video of him golfing his alarm clock once he achieved his "freedom."
This vid that I'm going to talk about would've been a HUGE red flag for me should I have seen it before I joined. The video features our upline Emerald driving into Mr. Prince's gated estate. The estate features the homes of Mr. Prince, Prince's dad (Takin' care of the old man. Good on him!), and Mr. King. The property features a golf course (not a full 18, but you get the picture), a basketball court and of course a giant swimming pool with a cave structure to dive off and a water slide.
This place dubbed "Legacy Estates" is where Mr. Prince will hold pool parties for all the URA sheep to flock to, be in awe of his wealth and get "motivated" to buy more CONference tickets, tools, etc. The IBO's on my team that had been there would talk about how amazing the place was, and EVEN HOW Mr. Prince would play pool basketball with them showing off his "alpha male" defense by aggressively dunking players heads underwater, tackling them and even putting sleeper holds on players (I saw video footage at CONference). I don't know about you, but I TOTALLY wanna be like a guy who resembles Bradley Cooper in Wedding Crashers. Nothing I'd love to do to prospective IBO's who pay $100 for CONference tickets, than physically throw them around to show off how badass I am at their expense. THAT'S A TRUE LEADER/MAN RIGHT THERE!
But I digress...where were we?
Oh yeah, my upline emerald is showing off the property as he's driving in and then he says "this is what life's all about. Having your own COMPOUND."
URA really needs to work on its vernacular.
COMPOUND? Poor choice of words there buddy. You know who refers to their property as a compound? CULT LEADERS....and the Kennedy's. Compound is a term commonly associated with cults. The Branch Davidian's (Waco), Warren Jeffs, Heavens Gate, White supremacist Bill Riccio, even Osama Bin Laden had a "compound." Ironically, Jonestown was a COMMUNE.
Speak for yourself my emerald friend, but life is NOT all about having a "compound." Maybe for the brainwashed Ambots you've become, but rational thinkers like myself see more to life than having a "compound." While we DO agree that we need to create a great future for our children and those that follow and that being able to achieve financial freedom is great, the way in which we see things doesn't mesh.
I don't believe in sending mixed messages to people. I don't believe that convincing people that they can easily be successful in a "business," when in reality, it's statistically IMPOSSIBLE they can't! I don't believe in telling people to buy books/tapes/other materials that are ONLY approved by the powers that be will be the ONLY way to succeed when in reality there are several ways and methods one can use outside of your little box. I REALLY believe that making people pay hundreds of dollars and travel like vagabonds to CONferences 4 times a year to hear the same old "mindset" bullshit and tell them that's the only way they can succeed is FLAT OUT IMMORAL. I REALLY believe the fact that you even incorporate GOD into it is SICK and DISGRACEFUL.
And you know what else I believe? That using the term "compound" to describe your leaders home is all one would need to realize you're a cult.
But you know what? It's appropriate. Because the herd of IBO sheep use the term as well. COMPOUND my finances in the ass one more time!
*Inhales deeply*
However, to quote Sean Hannity, "let not your heart be troubled." More vids still exist for my venting pleasure and your information.
I'm still facebook friends with a couple of our upline emeralds. One was kicked out for allegedly screwing around on his wife (damn shame, she's hot!), but the other is still active and is the one who reached out to me after my fallout with Matthew (See "The Shot Heard 'Round the Upline). Our upline Emerald has vids of him and his time with several URA big shots, namely Mr. Prince. There's even a video of him golfing his alarm clock once he achieved his "freedom."
This vid that I'm going to talk about would've been a HUGE red flag for me should I have seen it before I joined. The video features our upline Emerald driving into Mr. Prince's gated estate. The estate features the homes of Mr. Prince, Prince's dad (Takin' care of the old man. Good on him!), and Mr. King. The property features a golf course (not a full 18, but you get the picture), a basketball court and of course a giant swimming pool with a cave structure to dive off and a water slide.
This place dubbed "Legacy Estates" is where Mr. Prince will hold pool parties for all the URA sheep to flock to, be in awe of his wealth and get "motivated" to buy more CONference tickets, tools, etc. The IBO's on my team that had been there would talk about how amazing the place was, and EVEN HOW Mr. Prince would play pool basketball with them showing off his "alpha male" defense by aggressively dunking players heads underwater, tackling them and even putting sleeper holds on players (I saw video footage at CONference). I don't know about you, but I TOTALLY wanna be like a guy who resembles Bradley Cooper in Wedding Crashers. Nothing I'd love to do to prospective IBO's who pay $100 for CONference tickets, than physically throw them around to show off how badass I am at their expense. THAT'S A TRUE LEADER/MAN RIGHT THERE!
But I digress...where were we?
Oh yeah, my upline emerald is showing off the property as he's driving in and then he says "this is what life's all about. Having your own COMPOUND."
URA really needs to work on its vernacular.
COMPOUND? Poor choice of words there buddy. You know who refers to their property as a compound? CULT LEADERS....and the Kennedy's. Compound is a term commonly associated with cults. The Branch Davidian's (Waco), Warren Jeffs, Heavens Gate, White supremacist Bill Riccio, even Osama Bin Laden had a "compound." Ironically, Jonestown was a COMMUNE.
Speak for yourself my emerald friend, but life is NOT all about having a "compound." Maybe for the brainwashed Ambots you've become, but rational thinkers like myself see more to life than having a "compound." While we DO agree that we need to create a great future for our children and those that follow and that being able to achieve financial freedom is great, the way in which we see things doesn't mesh.
I don't believe in sending mixed messages to people. I don't believe that convincing people that they can easily be successful in a "business," when in reality, it's statistically IMPOSSIBLE they can't! I don't believe in telling people to buy books/tapes/other materials that are ONLY approved by the powers that be will be the ONLY way to succeed when in reality there are several ways and methods one can use outside of your little box. I REALLY believe that making people pay hundreds of dollars and travel like vagabonds to CONferences 4 times a year to hear the same old "mindset" bullshit and tell them that's the only way they can succeed is FLAT OUT IMMORAL. I REALLY believe the fact that you even incorporate GOD into it is SICK and DISGRACEFUL.
And you know what else I believe? That using the term "compound" to describe your leaders home is all one would need to realize you're a cult.
But you know what? It's appropriate. Because the herd of IBO sheep use the term as well. COMPOUND my finances in the ass one more time!
*Inhales deeply*
Thursday, February 8, 2018
How to speak "URA"
They actually did this...the URA has THEIR OWN WEBSITE.
Not the super secret login website either...no, they actually have a website that gives you "information" about "who they are.
Here's the link: https://urassociation.info/
When I first started in the "business," my sponsor Matthew and I would go over how to talk with prospective IBO's on the phone. We would go over the "right way" to say things. Surprisingly, we were NOT supposed to tell them that it was "Amway." Even though it WAS AMWAY, the amazing products we sold were from AMWAY, and we get our money from AMWAY. We couldn't tell people it was AMWAY.
*Smacks self in the head repeatedly with cleats...the metal kind* STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!
Ok I'm back..had a moment of self-loathing/regret. Where was I? Oh yeah...HOW could I possibly not see the shadiness of it all? It may have been in part to the vernacular of how we presented ourselves as "professionals" for a "marketing group." If you go to the LinkedIn pages of some of the URA (or any other AMO big shots), they never say they work for AMWAY. If I was Amway, I'd be pissed if someone was using my company but too ashamed to say it. I guess if you're margins are fat, who gives a shit?
So yeah, the conversation with prospective IBO's would go something like this: Well I've just gotten involved with a group of professionals with a marketing team. We're looking to expand with a few people (would usually insert an adjective such as "sharp"), and I thought you would be perfect.
The translation would sound something like this: I've gotten involved with some people selling Amway. They haven't made any significant amount of money, but our rich upline keeps encouraging us to do so. We're looking for a few gullible people to convince that they can become financially independent by going to four CONferences a year and buying a shitload of CD's/Tapes that basically regurgitate the shit you hear at CONferences, and all the while it's all a giant pep rally rather than a training session. You'll have to pay hundreds of dollars throughout the year and won't recoup shit, but we're all gonna suck each other off about how our team is growing and then we'll switch the motive from making money, to developing great new leaders for the free world. YOU'LL LOVE IT!
Well the URA's website is an echo of that sentiment. First of all, I put better web pages together for college projects than this hunk of shit. The URA is making millions of dollars off seminar revenue/tools alone, but they can't afford a decent web designer.
The vagueness is ALL OVER what little of this "website" there is. There's NO mention of Mr. King, Mr. Prince, Jax and Tara, or any other big shots in the company. No profiles, no specific mentioning of what they do or who they work for, and as for CONTACT INFO: An 866 number and an address in Ohio (which is weird since Mr. King/Prince are from Virginia and several emeralds come from Pennsylvania).
Here's some excerpts from their site and a translation of what it really means:
URA Website: "We are a marketing arm for dozens of major retailers. We work with some of the largest companies on the web in order to help them continue to develop a greater market share in the competitive and ever-changing world of e-commerce."
Translation: It's Amway.
URA Website: "We understand that "high touch" is just as important as "high tech." As a result, we focus on building long-term and mutually beneficial relationships with both customers and team members."
Translation: We're a cult...that sells Amway. (High touch?)
URA Website: "The large amount of professionals have affiliated with this mentorship team have limited time outside their full-time employment and family life. This is why thousands of our team members around the country have found our system of creating passive income to be beneficial as a means of generating a secondary revenue stream around a flexible schedule."
Translation: And that limited time better be spent with us or you're a LOSER! Fuck your free time!
URA Website: "Our track record of success is a direct reflection of the qualities of individuals we have selected to join our team."
Translation: We got rich because we "selected" people with money who were dumb enough to literally buy in to our bullshit. KEEP IT COMIN!
URA Website: "At our core team of entrepreneurs, we continue to expand with credible individuals of character and integrity who are tired of the status quo."
Translation: Hate your job? COME ON DOWWWWN! But we can't pick up any criminals or thugs. They have street smarts and will know a scam when they see one!
Once you sift though all the bullshit, they have a "blog" with a grand total of THREE entries. One from a diamond and two from emeralds. None of which I have talked about on here. The blogs, much like the website are very vague and uninformative, but to be fair...they have to "keep it pure." (See "Purity Through Anonymity.")
The fishiest part about this is there is NO info on King, Prince, or anybody else I've mentioned in this blog. How is ANY legitimate professional going to look at that site and say "boy, I want to get involved with these guys/gals!"
What's even funnier/fishier is that regardless of their reputation, Amway is a BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY with their names on ARENAS. WHY would the URA not want to mention they're AFFILIATED with them? I had a detractor comment on here arguing URA's legitimacy by saying they're partnered with Google, Apple and Nike. THEN WHY NOT MENTION THAT YOU'RE AFFILIATED WITH AMWAY??? The company that would actually LAND YOU SOME LEGITIMACY.
Because the fact is, just like the website, just like the seminars, just like the URA on the whole. There IS NO LEGITIMACY.
URA even has the cute "LLC" at the end of their name. We all know what it stands for: Limitless Lying CULT.
*Shut down.*
Not the super secret login website either...no, they actually have a website that gives you "information" about "who they are.
Here's the link: https://urassociation.info/
When I first started in the "business," my sponsor Matthew and I would go over how to talk with prospective IBO's on the phone. We would go over the "right way" to say things. Surprisingly, we were NOT supposed to tell them that it was "Amway." Even though it WAS AMWAY, the amazing products we sold were from AMWAY, and we get our money from AMWAY. We couldn't tell people it was AMWAY.
*Smacks self in the head repeatedly with cleats...the metal kind* STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!
Ok I'm back..had a moment of self-loathing/regret. Where was I? Oh yeah...HOW could I possibly not see the shadiness of it all? It may have been in part to the vernacular of how we presented ourselves as "professionals" for a "marketing group." If you go to the LinkedIn pages of some of the URA (or any other AMO big shots), they never say they work for AMWAY. If I was Amway, I'd be pissed if someone was using my company but too ashamed to say it. I guess if you're margins are fat, who gives a shit?
So yeah, the conversation with prospective IBO's would go something like this: Well I've just gotten involved with a group of professionals with a marketing team. We're looking to expand with a few people (would usually insert an adjective such as "sharp"), and I thought you would be perfect.
The translation would sound something like this: I've gotten involved with some people selling Amway. They haven't made any significant amount of money, but our rich upline keeps encouraging us to do so. We're looking for a few gullible people to convince that they can become financially independent by going to four CONferences a year and buying a shitload of CD's/Tapes that basically regurgitate the shit you hear at CONferences, and all the while it's all a giant pep rally rather than a training session. You'll have to pay hundreds of dollars throughout the year and won't recoup shit, but we're all gonna suck each other off about how our team is growing and then we'll switch the motive from making money, to developing great new leaders for the free world. YOU'LL LOVE IT!
Well the URA's website is an echo of that sentiment. First of all, I put better web pages together for college projects than this hunk of shit. The URA is making millions of dollars off seminar revenue/tools alone, but they can't afford a decent web designer.
The vagueness is ALL OVER what little of this "website" there is. There's NO mention of Mr. King, Mr. Prince, Jax and Tara, or any other big shots in the company. No profiles, no specific mentioning of what they do or who they work for, and as for CONTACT INFO: An 866 number and an address in Ohio (which is weird since Mr. King/Prince are from Virginia and several emeralds come from Pennsylvania).
Here's some excerpts from their site and a translation of what it really means:
URA Website: "We are a marketing arm for dozens of major retailers. We work with some of the largest companies on the web in order to help them continue to develop a greater market share in the competitive and ever-changing world of e-commerce."
Translation: It's Amway.
URA Website: "We understand that "high touch" is just as important as "high tech." As a result, we focus on building long-term and mutually beneficial relationships with both customers and team members."
Translation: We're a cult...that sells Amway. (High touch?)
URA Website: "The large amount of professionals have affiliated with this mentorship team have limited time outside their full-time employment and family life. This is why thousands of our team members around the country have found our system of creating passive income to be beneficial as a means of generating a secondary revenue stream around a flexible schedule."
Translation: And that limited time better be spent with us or you're a LOSER! Fuck your free time!
URA Website: "Our track record of success is a direct reflection of the qualities of individuals we have selected to join our team."
Translation: We got rich because we "selected" people with money who were dumb enough to literally buy in to our bullshit. KEEP IT COMIN!
URA Website: "At our core team of entrepreneurs, we continue to expand with credible individuals of character and integrity who are tired of the status quo."
Translation: Hate your job? COME ON DOWWWWN! But we can't pick up any criminals or thugs. They have street smarts and will know a scam when they see one!
Once you sift though all the bullshit, they have a "blog" with a grand total of THREE entries. One from a diamond and two from emeralds. None of which I have talked about on here. The blogs, much like the website are very vague and uninformative, but to be fair...they have to "keep it pure." (See "Purity Through Anonymity.")
The fishiest part about this is there is NO info on King, Prince, or anybody else I've mentioned in this blog. How is ANY legitimate professional going to look at that site and say "boy, I want to get involved with these guys/gals!"
What's even funnier/fishier is that regardless of their reputation, Amway is a BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY with their names on ARENAS. WHY would the URA not want to mention they're AFFILIATED with them? I had a detractor comment on here arguing URA's legitimacy by saying they're partnered with Google, Apple and Nike. THEN WHY NOT MENTION THAT YOU'RE AFFILIATED WITH AMWAY??? The company that would actually LAND YOU SOME LEGITIMACY.
Because the fact is, just like the website, just like the seminars, just like the URA on the whole. There IS NO LEGITIMACY.
URA even has the cute "LLC" at the end of their name. We all know what it stands for: Limitless Lying CULT.
*Shut down.*
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Cultism on YouTube: The "Suck" Zone
"The 'suck zone'...basically the part where the twister sucks you up...into the tornado. That's not the technical term for it obviously."
Ah the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman. His humble beginnings talking about the "suck zone" in the movie Twister. Well URA has a "suck" zone of it's own, and unfortunately, it's not anywhere near as pleasant or entertaining as that underrated classic was.
In this clip from the NSBonTV channel (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEtpHi-q4Yo ) this guy talks about how a couple from the URA going diamond is a big thing. Not only for the URA but for their "personal finances" as well. He encourages the minions to get caught in the "suck zone" so they can (paraphrasing) escalate their place in the business as well.
Here's my list of observations:
1. How the hell can we take this clown seriously when the camera guy can't even hold it correctly???
2. UH OH! He mentioned NAMES! You're not keeping it very "pure" young man! (See "Purity Through Anonymity")
3. HOW is it going to benefit MY personal finances??? Someone in my UPLINE going diamond isn't going to help MY finances if I'm in the DOWNLINE ya dipshit! Who's this video supposed to be addressed to? Mr. King? Mr. Prince? The couple they mentioned? I thought these vids were targeted for the downline peasants to get them encouraged. Whoops! It'll help the UPLINES personal finances...and that's what it's all about.
4. This video was made in 2013, the couple that he mentions going diamond were still emeralds a year later at summer CONference when I went.
5. The OTHER couple he mentioned DID go diamond to be fair. That's the couple I mentioned in "Come to my Seminar" where the wife told the story about raccoons and glazed donuts (not lying).
6. Of course, the same "URA is growing" blah blah blah is mentioned. It doesn't mean the URA is legit...it means there's a sucker born every minute. To be fair, I was one.
7. The title is "It's an NSB Diehard Team Diamond for the Riders and Everyone Knows It!" Ummmm, if everybody knows it...once again, you're not "keeping it pure." (See "Purity Through Anonymity" on this blog).
8. This guy encourages the members to "get it done" and do what they can to help this couple reach diamond status. Now if I was an IBO receiving great mentorshp/leadership and was seeing an ACTUAL, LUCRATIVE PROFIT from this "business" I would've been more than motivated. But what it really means is "operate at a loss like a boss. You'll lose money, friends, pride, etc. But I'll be rich so screw you!" Of course he encourages you to keep sponsoring people because hey...that's more ticket revenue in the pockets of this couple!
9. All the "growth" that came out of the last couple going diamond? What growth? I'll tell ya what "growth" SEMINAR REVENUE!!!!
Yeah they want you to get in the "suck zone" alright and to quote Wayne Campbell..."It certainly does SUCK." SUCKS your bank account dry, SUCKS your energy, SUCKS your life and the WHOLE purpose of it is so you can SUCK OFF the Executive Douchebag Committee and the few (and I mean VERY FEW) people who find a way to make it work.
Mr. King was famous for a saying that my sponsor Matthew always used:
"Either build your dream, or you're going to help somebody else build theirs."
Does anyone NOT see the BLATANT hypocrisy in this???
SUCK IT.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Successful IBO's and "Losers Lunch": A Look at the Art of Mixed Messages.
URAssociation uplines used to always talk about "growth" all over the place, and "this team is on fire!" On and on and on and on......my naive ass was thinking "people are making money in this business! Can't wait until I get going!" Now if you ready my very first blog "Come to my Seminar"you'll see some similarities. This post is kind of a spin-off of sorts.
The URA's premise was clear: You can make lots of money, and THIS TEAM is making lots of money. My sponsor Matthew even told me that URA was the #1 AMO for IBO's making money in their first six months. In "Come to my Seminar" I wrote how the year I went to my first summer CONference (before I joined). We rented a couple vans. The only drawback to the conference was that six of us were staying in a two bed hotel room. But other than that, it was ok. We went to a nice restaurant for lunch on the Baltimore harbor. Everyone was self-sufficient. We were good. It definitely accomplished its purpose.
Fast forward a year later. I'm active. A month in, a decent grand opening, and even a good friend of mine was on the brink of joining. Business was good. But all of the sudden, things were taken a turn for the 'holy shit, this isn't making sense.' We got an unpleasant voice mail from our upline platinum about being frugal with our money and not going out to eat. Making sure we chipped in for gas and went on the hotel room.
I was working part time for minimum wage at the time. I had my snacks, gas covered but I didn't have enough to chip in for the hotel room. Matter of fact, none of us did because there was going to be six of us in the room again! Another issue was the encouragement...check that...DEMAND that we pack lunchmeat, peanut butter and jelly, bread, fruit, and OF COURSE your lovely Amway products INSTEAD of eating proper food. However, for lunch we DID eat out....we chipped in for Pizza's and sat outside in 90 degree weather making phone calls to prospective IBO's while we ate.
So picture this scenario: We're at a CONference for a business that is supposedly VERY successful and making big money. Yet we have IBO's who can't afford hotel rooms, almost forbidden to go have a decent meal, and spend a whole weekend eating peanut butter and jelly. To the average cultist, that may seem reasonable. To the rest of the rational world: It's BULLSHIT. Go to any successful business that has weekend conferences (note: no CON in all caps) and ask if THEY pack lunchmeat and eat like peasants.
During the CONference there was a couple that spoke. They were known as "arrows." It's some kind of leadership position. Anyways, during the church service I saw the man closing a bag he was carrying. Inside, it contained a loaf of bread, some mustard, lunch meat and miracle whip. The first thing I thought was "yuck!" Not much on mustard and miracle whip together. Blegh. But then it hit me, even THIS guy who had done well enough to speak on stage was eating JUST LIKE THE REST OF US! It made no sense! It's like "once I work my way up, I'll be able to eat at Applebees next CONference!"
Word of advice to AMO higher ups: If people can't afford to go, don't make them. And if they DO go, it doesn't set the right impression to pack half a dozen people into a hotel room and eat sandwiches all weekend. That's one of the reasons my friend decided not to join. It didn't send a good message.
My other advice to AMO higher ups would be to tell the TRUTH to your downlines about how you make all that money. I know...hilarious!
The URA's premise was clear: You can make lots of money, and THIS TEAM is making lots of money. My sponsor Matthew even told me that URA was the #1 AMO for IBO's making money in their first six months. In "Come to my Seminar" I wrote how the year I went to my first summer CONference (before I joined). We rented a couple vans. The only drawback to the conference was that six of us were staying in a two bed hotel room. But other than that, it was ok. We went to a nice restaurant for lunch on the Baltimore harbor. Everyone was self-sufficient. We were good. It definitely accomplished its purpose.
Fast forward a year later. I'm active. A month in, a decent grand opening, and even a good friend of mine was on the brink of joining. Business was good. But all of the sudden, things were taken a turn for the 'holy shit, this isn't making sense.' We got an unpleasant voice mail from our upline platinum about being frugal with our money and not going out to eat. Making sure we chipped in for gas and went on the hotel room.
I was working part time for minimum wage at the time. I had my snacks, gas covered but I didn't have enough to chip in for the hotel room. Matter of fact, none of us did because there was going to be six of us in the room again! Another issue was the encouragement...check that...DEMAND that we pack lunchmeat, peanut butter and jelly, bread, fruit, and OF COURSE your lovely Amway products INSTEAD of eating proper food. However, for lunch we DID eat out....we chipped in for Pizza's and sat outside in 90 degree weather making phone calls to prospective IBO's while we ate.
So picture this scenario: We're at a CONference for a business that is supposedly VERY successful and making big money. Yet we have IBO's who can't afford hotel rooms, almost forbidden to go have a decent meal, and spend a whole weekend eating peanut butter and jelly. To the average cultist, that may seem reasonable. To the rest of the rational world: It's BULLSHIT. Go to any successful business that has weekend conferences (note: no CON in all caps) and ask if THEY pack lunchmeat and eat like peasants.
During the CONference there was a couple that spoke. They were known as "arrows." It's some kind of leadership position. Anyways, during the church service I saw the man closing a bag he was carrying. Inside, it contained a loaf of bread, some mustard, lunch meat and miracle whip. The first thing I thought was "yuck!" Not much on mustard and miracle whip together. Blegh. But then it hit me, even THIS guy who had done well enough to speak on stage was eating JUST LIKE THE REST OF US! It made no sense! It's like "once I work my way up, I'll be able to eat at Applebees next CONference!"
Word of advice to AMO higher ups: If people can't afford to go, don't make them. And if they DO go, it doesn't set the right impression to pack half a dozen people into a hotel room and eat sandwiches all weekend. That's one of the reasons my friend decided not to join. It didn't send a good message.
My other advice to AMO higher ups would be to tell the TRUTH to your downlines about how you make all that money. I know...hilarious!
Sunday, May 7, 2017
We Didn't Start the Fire
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).
As time has progressed since my departure from URA, I've reached out to a couple people from the team that have left as well. EVERY person from that team has either left, or I'm confident has left. Whatever their status, the pictures of hopeful smiles at CONferences, and inspirational quotes about success have disappeared. Our upline emerald is still active however, but he can afford to be with the ticket commissions. Matthew and I saw each other at a friends funeral, but neither of us went out of our way to speak. I still hold no ill will.
One person that I've talked to fairly regularly since my departure is a girl named "Leigh." Leigh joined after I left URA but was still active in Amway. I left URA in October of 2014, but renewed my license in hopes that I could sell the product on my own, with no success. Leigh however was having a HUGE start to her business. She was friends with our upline platinum's fiancee (now wife) and came out swinging! She was selling the product like hotcakes and reached 6% very early.
She was placed on my downline, so I reaped the "benefits" of her success, though I didn't make squat because I wasn't selling enough product. But over time in my last few months in the "business" I noticed her numbers fell off a cliff. We had become friends on facebook and had been talking about her sales when she started, so I messaged her the rhetorical question of why she had fallen off. She first stated she was "taking a break" like so many people say, but I eventually got it out of her that the "business" was too much for her to handle. Leigh had a job, school and was engaged. The time that the platinum's fiancee and others were demanding out of her, like everybody else, just became irritating.
We talked about the problem with Amway's prices, the time they demanded interfering with work, and then Leigh finally dropped a bombshell on me.
Turns out she was listening to one of the CD's, you know the ones that if you don't listen to you'll fail at the "business" (LOL) and the speaker (she couldn't remember the name) said. "I drove by the firehouse one time and I see all these people just wasting their time."
This speaker was talking about the FIREFIGHTERS working a job that isn't going to make them financially free.
That was the last straw for Leigh, as she is a volunteer firefighter/EMT. That was a WTF moment for ME! FIREFIGHTERS WASTING THEIR TIME?????????
So let me get this straight...
If this speakers' big expensive mansion catches on fire, WHO is he going to rely on to put it out? Because firefighters don't need to be working that job when they can be pushing Amway products. I guess he must think Mr. King or Mr. Prince is going to Superman on over to their house, and put out the flames with perfect water!
What a dipshit!
The URA cult has reached a point where evidently we don't need firefighters, cops, military, etc. Amway is going to save the world! We'll fight ISIS with Rhodiola in our veins and we'll pelt them with full XS cans! And we'll bankrupt them by making them buy $18 shampoo! BUT OF COURSE, I'm surely mistaken as to what that speaker was saying as there is always some rationalized bullshit they'll use to cover up what they really meant.
Firefighters don't waste their time. They save lives. URA and other AMO big shots waste YOUR time, and ruin YOUR life.
Burn!
As time has progressed since my departure from URA, I've reached out to a couple people from the team that have left as well. EVERY person from that team has either left, or I'm confident has left. Whatever their status, the pictures of hopeful smiles at CONferences, and inspirational quotes about success have disappeared. Our upline emerald is still active however, but he can afford to be with the ticket commissions. Matthew and I saw each other at a friends funeral, but neither of us went out of our way to speak. I still hold no ill will.
One person that I've talked to fairly regularly since my departure is a girl named "Leigh." Leigh joined after I left URA but was still active in Amway. I left URA in October of 2014, but renewed my license in hopes that I could sell the product on my own, with no success. Leigh however was having a HUGE start to her business. She was friends with our upline platinum's fiancee (now wife) and came out swinging! She was selling the product like hotcakes and reached 6% very early.
She was placed on my downline, so I reaped the "benefits" of her success, though I didn't make squat because I wasn't selling enough product. But over time in my last few months in the "business" I noticed her numbers fell off a cliff. We had become friends on facebook and had been talking about her sales when she started, so I messaged her the rhetorical question of why she had fallen off. She first stated she was "taking a break" like so many people say, but I eventually got it out of her that the "business" was too much for her to handle. Leigh had a job, school and was engaged. The time that the platinum's fiancee and others were demanding out of her, like everybody else, just became irritating.
We talked about the problem with Amway's prices, the time they demanded interfering with work, and then Leigh finally dropped a bombshell on me.
Turns out she was listening to one of the CD's, you know the ones that if you don't listen to you'll fail at the "business" (LOL) and the speaker (she couldn't remember the name) said. "I drove by the firehouse one time and I see all these people just wasting their time."
This speaker was talking about the FIREFIGHTERS working a job that isn't going to make them financially free.
That was the last straw for Leigh, as she is a volunteer firefighter/EMT. That was a WTF moment for ME! FIREFIGHTERS WASTING THEIR TIME?????????
So let me get this straight...
If this speakers' big expensive mansion catches on fire, WHO is he going to rely on to put it out? Because firefighters don't need to be working that job when they can be pushing Amway products. I guess he must think Mr. King or Mr. Prince is going to Superman on over to their house, and put out the flames with perfect water!
What a dipshit!
The URA cult has reached a point where evidently we don't need firefighters, cops, military, etc. Amway is going to save the world! We'll fight ISIS with Rhodiola in our veins and we'll pelt them with full XS cans! And we'll bankrupt them by making them buy $18 shampoo! BUT OF COURSE, I'm surely mistaken as to what that speaker was saying as there is always some rationalized bullshit they'll use to cover up what they really meant.
Firefighters don't waste their time. They save lives. URA and other AMO big shots waste YOUR time, and ruin YOUR life.
Burn!
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Fantasy Football: The Anti-Amway!
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).
Been a while. But sometimes you just gotta take some time off and wait until the right inspiration hits you. And boy, did it EVER!
When I wanted to start my "Cultism on YouTube" series, one of the videos I wanted to show was a young couple that was in Emerald Qualification being interviewed from the same guy who interviewed our good friend Tracey Eaton (See: Fight, Kick, Scratch and Crawl post) for his YouTube channel. Sadly, the video isn't on his channel anymore. Guess they wanted to "keep it pure" (See" Purity Through Anonymity") as well. Hey ho!
Luckily your dude remembered most of their interview. Now this couple, we'll call em Jax and Tara (LOVE Sons of Anarchy!) do their interview and go through the same 'we need to get focused' blah blah blah. Then he eerily says "don't worry about what's going on in the world." And "eliminate all distractions." And you WONDER why I call this blog the Financial Jonestown. How much more cultish can you sound???
I actually saw their interview before I joined and while they DID give me a bad vibe, they also proposed an interesting feature. They were both young and on their way up the ladder QUICKLY! Much like our upline Emerald they had propelled to URA stardom in a very short time so obviously if THEY could do it? Why not you? I got my first dose of Jax and Tara when they kicked off the Friday Night session of Summer CONference. I was interested to hear their story and then they dropped a bombshell when they mentioned who their sponsors were:
Mr. and Mrs. Prince.
WOMP! WOMP! WOMMMMMMP!
That was another one of the many red flags I endured that weekend. The vibe I got was that they were INSIDERS getting the best advice from the big wigs while the rest of us lived off the table scraps. Now, in their interview, Jax was asked the BLATANTLY RHETORICAL question: "Do you play fantasy football?" Of course, the 'focused' and 'non-distracted' Jax quickly replied "nope. No fantasy football, no XBox, no nothing. I love them, but they don't put me ahead financially." And HERE is where we arrive at my point for this blog.
I played in two fantasy football leagues this year. One was for a cash prize of $200, the other was for a trophy that you get to keep all year, plus $40 that was left over from the trophy purchase. I won BOTH leagues. Yes, awesome I know you don't have to tell me. NOW it's time for a famous number crunch:
In Amway, I paid $150 for my startup kit. $100 for a Summer CONference ticket, $50 for gas, plus another $50 for expenses. I spent around $300 for personal volume/samples/etc. The money I MADE in Amway? Probably in the neighborhood of $250. So $250 profit with an expense total of around $650, I netted a whopping total of -$450. This of course is just coming off the dome, but you get the picture.
Now, this year in Fantasy Football, my league fee total for both leagues was $40. I made $240 PLUS a trophy. That nets me $200 and a 365 day reminder sitting in my room of how much of a Fantasy Football badass I am. Much nicer looking than those cracker jack rings the diamonds wear. I even get to DECORATE it how I please.
So you have a net profit of -$450 from reading books, listening to tapes, wasting a weekend with little sleep packed in a hotel room with six men, weekly business briefings, conference calls, showing plans, team get togethers, etc. etc. etc. OR you get a POSITIVE $200 net from setting your lineup with the occasional research. At the most EXTREME 2 hours a week. Seems like a no brainer.
And there's always the argument: Well you got a point, but WHAT IF YOU DON'T WIN??? Ok, that's a fair point. In which case I would've had a net profit of -$40. Less than 10% of what I lost in Amway! Also, if you play in a Fantasy money league, you have probably 8-12 teams so you have a 1 in 8-12 of winning the grand prize and an even better odds to win money if they give prizes to 2nd/3rd place. Forget the odds of making Platinum/Emerald/Diamond....try to find the odds where at the end of the year, you've netted a PROFIT. Just go look up THOSE odds and tell me how you would fare!
So now I totally understand why Jax, Tara, Mr. Prince, and the rest of the Executive Douchebag Committee look down on Fantasy Football: IT'S BETTER COMPETITION. Is it gambling? Yeah, but at least it's honest. At least you know how much you can gain/lose. With the URA and their counterparts, it's thievery. Thievery of your trust, your confidence, your money, YOUR SOUL.
In closing, Jax and Tara referred to a saying they have in their home state of Texas: "Let er' rip tater chip." It really should've been "rip em' off jagoff."
Word of advice: If you're low in the draft, draft two receivers.
Been a while. But sometimes you just gotta take some time off and wait until the right inspiration hits you. And boy, did it EVER!
When I wanted to start my "Cultism on YouTube" series, one of the videos I wanted to show was a young couple that was in Emerald Qualification being interviewed from the same guy who interviewed our good friend Tracey Eaton (See: Fight, Kick, Scratch and Crawl post) for his YouTube channel. Sadly, the video isn't on his channel anymore. Guess they wanted to "keep it pure" (See" Purity Through Anonymity") as well. Hey ho!
Luckily your dude remembered most of their interview. Now this couple, we'll call em Jax and Tara (LOVE Sons of Anarchy!) do their interview and go through the same 'we need to get focused' blah blah blah. Then he eerily says "don't worry about what's going on in the world." And "eliminate all distractions." And you WONDER why I call this blog the Financial Jonestown. How much more cultish can you sound???
I actually saw their interview before I joined and while they DID give me a bad vibe, they also proposed an interesting feature. They were both young and on their way up the ladder QUICKLY! Much like our upline Emerald they had propelled to URA stardom in a very short time so obviously if THEY could do it? Why not you? I got my first dose of Jax and Tara when they kicked off the Friday Night session of Summer CONference. I was interested to hear their story and then they dropped a bombshell when they mentioned who their sponsors were:
Mr. and Mrs. Prince.
WOMP! WOMP! WOMMMMMMP!
That was another one of the many red flags I endured that weekend. The vibe I got was that they were INSIDERS getting the best advice from the big wigs while the rest of us lived off the table scraps. Now, in their interview, Jax was asked the BLATANTLY RHETORICAL question: "Do you play fantasy football?" Of course, the 'focused' and 'non-distracted' Jax quickly replied "nope. No fantasy football, no XBox, no nothing. I love them, but they don't put me ahead financially." And HERE is where we arrive at my point for this blog.
I played in two fantasy football leagues this year. One was for a cash prize of $200, the other was for a trophy that you get to keep all year, plus $40 that was left over from the trophy purchase. I won BOTH leagues. Yes, awesome I know you don't have to tell me. NOW it's time for a famous number crunch:
In Amway, I paid $150 for my startup kit. $100 for a Summer CONference ticket, $50 for gas, plus another $50 for expenses. I spent around $300 for personal volume/samples/etc. The money I MADE in Amway? Probably in the neighborhood of $250. So $250 profit with an expense total of around $650, I netted a whopping total of -$450. This of course is just coming off the dome, but you get the picture.
Now, this year in Fantasy Football, my league fee total for both leagues was $40. I made $240 PLUS a trophy. That nets me $200 and a 365 day reminder sitting in my room of how much of a Fantasy Football badass I am. Much nicer looking than those cracker jack rings the diamonds wear. I even get to DECORATE it how I please.
So you have a net profit of -$450 from reading books, listening to tapes, wasting a weekend with little sleep packed in a hotel room with six men, weekly business briefings, conference calls, showing plans, team get togethers, etc. etc. etc. OR you get a POSITIVE $200 net from setting your lineup with the occasional research. At the most EXTREME 2 hours a week. Seems like a no brainer.
And there's always the argument: Well you got a point, but WHAT IF YOU DON'T WIN??? Ok, that's a fair point. In which case I would've had a net profit of -$40. Less than 10% of what I lost in Amway! Also, if you play in a Fantasy money league, you have probably 8-12 teams so you have a 1 in 8-12 of winning the grand prize and an even better odds to win money if they give prizes to 2nd/3rd place. Forget the odds of making Platinum/Emerald/Diamond....try to find the odds where at the end of the year, you've netted a PROFIT. Just go look up THOSE odds and tell me how you would fare!
So now I totally understand why Jax, Tara, Mr. Prince, and the rest of the Executive Douchebag Committee look down on Fantasy Football: IT'S BETTER COMPETITION. Is it gambling? Yeah, but at least it's honest. At least you know how much you can gain/lose. With the URA and their counterparts, it's thievery. Thievery of your trust, your confidence, your money, YOUR SOUL.
In closing, Jax and Tara referred to a saying they have in their home state of Texas: "Let er' rip tater chip." It really should've been "rip em' off jagoff."
Word of advice: If you're low in the draft, draft two receivers.
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*
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).
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*
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.
"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!
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.
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).
Then...we left for DC.
I sat there trying to determine if she was legitimately lit.
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.
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'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."
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.
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)
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!
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.
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.
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