USAloe, a company in California that I've been doing some consulting work for, is launching two new products this week: AloeBoost (an energy drink) and AloeRest (a relaxation and sleep aid). Both are made with Aloe Vera juice and other healthy, all natural ingredients.
What's interesting is that these products are going into a network marketing channel instead of a traditional retail channel, and I think people are going to make pretty good money from it.
Now, over the years, I've had plenty of people pitch me on different network marketing companies. All of them have said pretty much the same thing: "I'm going to be retired in two years!" I've checked back with a few of them, and none of them had the financial success that I've had.
The truth is, a lot of people HAVE made a very substantial income with network marketing (or multi-level marketing, or whatever you want to call it) but these people are in the minority. The majority of people who are in an MLM organization just use it to supplement their exiting income, and as you probably know, there are those who haven't made a dime.
Just like any company or product, there are winners and there are losers. Over 50% of all businesses in the United States fail in the first two years, and it's no different with MLM companies.
Why do I think that USAloe one is going to be one of the winners? It's the right combination of product, program, timing, and people.
There's a common perception that in network marketing, just a few people at the top make all the money. That's not entirely true, but yes - the system does tend to favor people who get in early with a successful company.
But this doesn't apply only to MLM companies - there were countless people who made millions by getting a job at Microsoft in the early 80's, even secretaries and janitors. I joined Microsoft in 1997 and made a decent salary but didn’t make much on my stock options. I worked for the most successful company in history but I was too late. With MLM, anyone can build a large organization under them, but it does get harder to do as the company matures. That is part of the "timing" I mentioned above - but I was also referring to being a good time to be launching these particular products, even in a bad economy. We are a sleep deprived, self-medicating society - yet we want healthy, all natural products to cure our ills.
AloeBoost and AloeRest are all natural, made with the finest ingredients - and no sugar. AloeBoost is an energy drink loaded with B-vitamins and antioxidants. It has Aloe Vera, Green Tea, Pomegranate, Acai, Plum and Pear juices. AloeRest is a relaxation and sleep aid – it has Aloe Vera, valerian, st. johns wort, magnolia extract, and black cherry juice for flavor. Both are exceptionally delicious and I expect they will sell like kiddie porn in a monastery (JUST JOKING - I know that priests don't buy porn, they just download the free stuff from the internet).
How about people? USAloe is headed up by Pete Mountanos, who I've known for over twenty five years. He was the CEO of two of my previous companies in the high tech industry (one of which was acquired by Microsoft in 1997, which is how I ended up working there). He has a management team of very experienced, creative, competent, enthusiastic, and ethical people - and they are starting the network with a select handful of successful marketing executives who know how to train, motivate, and quickly build an organized and effective marketing network.
There are some MLM companies that are successful, but really have bad reputations. There's an old joke from the 1970's - "I was at the airport and I saw a Hare Krishna running away from an Amway salesman!"
Amway has always had a really bad reputation as having overly aggressive salespeople. Mona Vie has been sued for encouraging their distributors to make false health claims, and their products are outrageously expensive. But there are excellent companies as well - Melaleuca, for example, is one of the most highly admired companies on the planet. I love shopping there! And look at all the happy Mary Kay ladies driving around in pink Cadillac's. Some MLM companies have great programs, and others don't. Some are outright scams, making money by charging outrageous fees to distributors and requiring that they purchase a bunch of products they can't sell or return.
USAloe wants to do this right. In my consulting role for the last six months, I have seen the program come together and the management team is always asking, "how do we make it easier for the independent distributors to be successful?"
They've put together a distributors program with a low entrance fee, no "personal consumption" rules, no stocking of inventory, no outrageous charges for marketing materials and training, and a very generous commission structure. I'm looking forward to seeing how it does. Of course, my role as a consultant pretty much ends when the products launch this week - but I'll be one of the first in line to sign up as a distributor! Contact me if you want more information, or see the website at Shop.USAloe.com.
Here's a video of their factory in operation: