I found an article with some good tips regarding multi-level marketing: Should you go into network marketing?.

        

L'Bri Pure 'n Natural is an aloe vera based skincare company. They also have a cosmetic line and a nutritional product or two. To sign up, a distributor pays either $115 for the Skin Care Showcase, or $295 for a Full Showcase. Sometimes they have specials because when I first researched this company, they had a deal where they would hold the $295 check for 45 days. If the distributor made at least $1,600 in sales, the check would be torn up.

20-40% commissions are earned on a distributor's personal company website. If a distributor retails the products, s/he can earn between 30-50% on retail. There are bonuses if sales are over $1,000 a month. As in mlm fashion, there are bonuses for personally enrolling other distributors; plus various other bonuses as the distributor moves higher up in the company according to sales and downline.

A distributor must have at least $150 in retails sales each month to receive a paycheck.

I think the skin care showcase is a reasonable price, but it's getting rather pricey at the full showcase level. We're talking $300! However, if someone has a lot of friends who want to host skin care and make up parties in their home, then the showcase would probably pay for itself fairly soon. Plus, additional income can be made through marketing online with the personalized company website.

        

Here are some more articles I've run across dealing with women entrepreneurs.

Finally, Moms Can Be Choosy About Direct Sales Jobs: MommyEmpire.com Grows Direct Sales List, Posts Extensive Company Profiles

Encouraging Business Bliss at the First Annual Make Mine Pink "Getting Down to Business Retreat"

        

I found a new website where many work at home mothers are congregating: WorkItMom.com Launches Online Marketplace for Mom Entrepreneurs and Women Business Owners. I read a few of the blogs on there, and they seem informative. When I have more time, I'll probably join and perhaps even contribute.

I'm not only blogging, researching, and writing, I'm also starting my own natural skincare, soap, and candle(soy based) line. I brought some samples of my lotion to my massage therapist appointment last week. Both the owner and my massage therapist wanted me to sell the skincare line there. How cool! So after I take care of my huge tax bill, I'll start buying more supplies. My massage therapist also works at an exclusive spa resort, and she wants me to give her a bunch of my products to sell there. So, I'm pretty excited about that. I've done a lot of researching this week about soap making and was delighted to find I can make non-lye soap! Good grief, there was no way I was going to deal with lye. I was so happy to see that I can have the fun of soap making without lye! Yay!

        

Here are a couple more home party plan multi level marketing companies:

The Home & Garden Party sells home decor and gourmet food through parties. Distributors get started by paying between $99 to $149 for starter kits. These kits contain products and business materials. A good sign with this company is that it guarantees to buy back the kit if the distributor leaves the business within a year. Distributors earn between 30 to 40% commission. There's an infinity bonus structure set in place. Distributors may be able to earn a refund of the price they paid for the starter kit if their first three months sales are at a certain level.

Home Interiors is another home decor home party plan mlm. A distributor can get started for as little as $99 for the starter kit. This includes products and business tools. Distributors can earn up to 45% commission on sales. They also receive bonuses for sales and recruiting.

        

The following are multi-level companies where home parties are the bread and butter. The hostesses earn free and/or discounted products, while the distributors earn a commission off the sales. I generally think of home party plans as a bit more personal and thus, more honest, than the snake oil that's usually peddled.

Latasia has a pretty darn good commission plan: 40% if personal retail sales are under $1,500; 50% commission on sales reaching over $1,500. With a plan like this, distributors get to keep their share of the money they collect from parties, and send the company its share. Pretty cool, huh? No waiting to be paid. Plus, it's YOUR money; it's not going to bypass you because you didn't earn your monthly quota or you don't have 58 people on your downline! They do have the traditional mlm approach of getting bonuses for enrolling other distributors and commissions are earned up to five levels down.

Latasia also offers health insurance through Pro Insurance Inc. Distributors sign up by purchasing the jewelry kit at $139. If the distributor decided to quit within 60 days, there's a partial refund for jewelry that is still in perfect condition.

Another jewely mlm is Jewels by Parklane. The starter kit is a lot cheaper here - just $33. This includes about $1,000 in jewelry. Parklane was one of twelve companies featured in Empowering Women magazine.

Lia Sophia has a nice heredity: Victor Kiam, of the Remington razor fame, purchased the company when it was named Act II. He turned it over to his son, Tory, to manage. I have to admit they've got incredible looking jewelry. It's a company you'd be proud to sell their product.

Distributors pay $149 for a starter kit, which includes 25 jewelry pieces. Commission is 30%. For $9.95 a month, distributors can have a company approved website. They must sell $250 worth of jewelry every three months to be considered active; active distributors get 70% off on jewelry.

        

At first, I really liked the products at Life Force because they sell liquid nutrition, which I'm a big fan of. I believe that getting vitamins and nutrients in pill form is a poor way of absorbtion. In fact, tests have shown that foods and liquids packed with our daily vitamins and minerals are far better absorbed into the body. So, as you can see, I was keenly interested in their products, since they are liquid based. However, when I read their product descriptions, such as this one for Body Balance, I was rather taken aback by their test findings: "E.coli MPN/g <3 (negative by test); CP Staph/g <10 (negative by test); Salmonella/25 g (ELI) negative by test; Listeria monocytogenes/25g (ELI) negative by test."

Now maybe I'm ignorant, but I've read several labels in my time, and NOWHERE have I ever seen any label telling what their tests for deadly diseases and ailments have found. Is there a reason for this? Does Life Force have a history or some sort of government mandate that they must put the results of their tests on their products? Plus, quite frankly, I'm not too happy with something being less than 3 or less than 10 for E.coli and Staph. Wonder if it's 2.9 or 9.9? That means there's still E.coli and Staph in there. Good grief! All their product descriptions had those "comforting"tests listed.

After reading that, I went straight to the Vitamin Shoppe and ordered liquid nutrition for the first time. I wasn't going to trust life and limb to an mlm, particularly for one whose products don't have ZERO readings for E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and staph. I'll order from well respected brands at well respected companies, thankyouverymuch!

Also, if I believed in the product and didn't mind salmonella, E.coli, et.al with my vitamins, I wouldn't particularly care fore their “dynamic compressions” program. Their definition is thus: commission “starts with the person who placed the order and works its way up the upline sponsor tree until it finds those upline members with the correct qualification for a bonus. It will continue to search and bypass members who are not fully qualified…” This again is letting those who are top heavy in the sales department get more of the benefits. If you're just starting out and you don't have the required amount of downlines and the required amount of sales volume and monthly autoship, you're S.O.L., even if you brought in a customer who bought a boatload. Too bad, so sad. You lose, sucker.

An additional note, my email inquiry went unanswered as to how much it costs to be a distributor.

Neeeexxxxxttttt...

        

One of the many hats I currently wear is researcher. I love doing research, particularly this research as it relates to sociology and women's issues. I wrote about my new research job previously. I frequently come across links to articles I feel will be good to post here. I'll start doing that on a more regular basis. Granted, most of them will be related to women, but that doesn't mean they can't relate to men as well.

The "Do you have what it takes to run your own business from home?" article was a very good one. It mentions what it's really like to work at home. Towards the end, you'll also have one of those moments where you hit your forehead and say "Now why didn't I think of that!?!"

Oh, remember Blowhard Bob and how he started getting late on my pay? Well, he still hasn't found a replacement writer, and it's been about three weeks. Thank goodness I stood my ground and refused to write for him until he paid in advance because of his financial difficulties. I guess he just plain doesn't have any more money.

        

I consider Le Gourmet Gift Basket, Inc. as more of a franchise opportunity than an mlm. This company was listed as one of the mlms that I had to research. After reading their website, there's just no way anyone could consider them an mlm. The number one reason is that they've faced a ton of scrutiny and have been found legitimate. (Oops, is my cynicism showing!?!)

There are so many differences between Le Gourmet Gift Basket and the usual mlm. There's no minimum monthly quota you have to purchase, nor is there a hammering away at you that you have to sign up other distributors under you. In fact, personally enrolling another distributor is not mentioned at all, which is quite refreshing. How about that - if you sell something, you can keep the commission even if you don't have anyone enrolled under you! Le Gourmet Gift Basket is set up in such a way that you actually purchase your very own business.  There's no worries about an upline breathing down your neck or worries about your downline not having the right amount of group volume so you miss out on a bonus or commission.

What seems to be a huge start up cost (from $3,500 to $22,000) is basically all the tools you need to succeed, as well as getting access to wholesale suppliers that don't require high minimum orders. The start up fee also includes extensive training; beginning inventory and equipment; agreements with credit card companies so you can accept credit card payments; flyers and brochures with your company name and logo on them; client referrals, and much more. Client referrals actually come from their corporate website, which they pass on to their distributors according inquirers' zip code. Additionally, other distributors may have received an order that they can't get out as quickly as somone else could, so headquarters passes it along to another distributor. This also comes in handy between the borders. Canadian distributors may not want to have to deal with the hassles of customs, so they'll pass along the referral to a U.S. distributor, and vice versa. There is no referral fee involved.

Profit is between 50-60%, and baskets take an average of 8 minutes to make. From their website: “A spare room or small area is all you need to assemble your baskets, and we have arranged for all your products to be purchased directly from the wholesaler and shipped right to your front door. In addition to gift baskets, we will show you how to market flowers and balloon arrangements, as well as specialty baskets…”

They were profiled on 20/20, The Today Show, and other national television shows; magazines such as TIME and Entrepreneur Magazine, which voted Le Gourmet Gift Baskets as the Top Business to Buy; newspapers such as the New York Times; and 2006 winner of the Association of Mothers Working at Home Opportunity of the Year.

Sigh...if only I had the money to invest. It sounds like a great opportunity and something my creative little mind would love to wrap itself around!

        

Mannatech states on their website: “Share what you learn with as few as six friends, and you can receive a commission on the products they purchase!” Um, so does this mean that distributors don't earn a commission on their downline's commissions until they've signed up six people? And you know what, six people is a lot to sign up, quite frankly. I don't know where mlm companies think all these non-Mannatech people are to sign up, since most mlms are set up in such a way that distributors can't really make good money unless they sign up a lot of people. I guess mlms will have to start storming the great wall of China and forcing people to sign up there!

To sign up at Mannatech, the Basic Associate Registration Pack costs $39. From their website: “Select from one of the pre-selected registration packs or select the custom pack option and click continue to create your own registration pack.” Unfortunately, I didn't see the “custom pack option,” no matter how hard I looked. Registration packs cost between $99 to $1,099, which isn't exactly chump change. Or maybe it is. It takes a chump to sign up and pay that kind of money.