There is always a middle man and network marketing gives you the opportunity to become the “middle man” in the the buying and selling space of the world. People need products. Businesses produce products. How those products get to the consumer has a wide range of channels. Even on the Amazon spectrum, there are many layers of people between you and the product producer. Bezos and many other people position themselves in between the product you want to purchase and the person producing the product.

My husband and I are self-employed and we have a different perspective on buying and selling. We know first hand about the middle man that makes a lot of the profit in between the farmer and the end user. Often the producer and often the end user are at the mercy of the people that are positioned in the middle. The middle is often where the money is made! We also love the freedom to make purchasing decisions based on what we are looking for and not just what is offered closest to us.

Network marketing is not a new thing (by the way this is not the same as a pyramid scheme). It is quite simply marketing done to your network. I buy a product, I believe in a product, and I tell my network about that product. In exchange, the company gives me some earnings. I am a paid marketer on some level. The amount of work that I want to do is up to me. It is a unique opportunity to be somewhat self-employed and yet not have the overhead cost of starting a business.

I know many of you have seen me posting about Plexus for the past few months, but what you might not know is I have been part of network marketing for 22 years! My friend, Leslie, presented Neways to me back when my oldest son was a toddler. He had skin issues and, now I know, gut issues that were coming out on his skin. But this was my first exposure to looking at the products I was using in my home and making choices that were less irritating to us: less chemicals, less perfumes, and less toxins. Neways was on the front line of the essential oil home party which was considered weird and woo-woo 22 years ago! Neways was re-structured and purchased by Modere who kept many of their products and added some of their own. The mouthwash pictured was originally formulated by Neways and my family has used this mouthwash for 22 years! And this is my last bottle (or so I thought).

Network marketing struggles can come due to the rise and fall of these companies. They restructure, they make some poor management decisions, or perhaps they get into debt by trying to formulate a new product that just flops. They have new board members that look out for themselves instead of their members. When Modere acquired Neways, I went from the rank of Executive to Member and lost a lot of my percentages and benefits. And yet because I still believed in the products I was using, I continued to use them up until a couple of months ago. When Modere was closed suddenly by a board who decided not to pay out commissions to its members and to shut down completely! Truly a shock wave that went through the network marketing world, and yet not the first. It happened with Modere and Ruby Ribbon recently, and even restructuring for Beauty Counter, Beachbody, and Rodan & Fields. These were not bad products or bad concepts, but at some point ran into bad decisions or struggling leadership.

I have also bought products consistently over the years from Norwex and Young Living. I have continued to be more of a consumer in this realm of network marketing companies than actually marketing myself. Until lately, when I have been more vocal about my Plexus journey. Part of this is because I have more time now (i.e. 3 adult kids and 1 teenager). I also have 22 years of experience watching companies and consuming products and experimenting with what works for me.

Plexus is a debt-free company who just celebrated 18 years in business! They are the OG of gut health. Besides an at-home breast self-check kit, their pink drink Slim Microbiome Activating has been a foundational product. The founders of Plexus are still involved in the business and structured the commissions in a way that benefits its ambassadors. There is a belief in the products and the people involved by the founders. Also, I have met some of the most amazing people. People that are selling to their friends and neighbors, but selling out of a motivation to help them achieve better health and also to provide opportunity. These people are passionate goal-setting individuals that believe in Jesus and gut health!!

So the next time you are tempted to tune out your network marketing friend, please consider turning to them and listening. Maybe you don’t think you need what they are selling, but there is someone you know who does! And why not let your friend, mom, sister, neighbor benefit by being the middle man instead of someone sitting in a corporate jungle somewhere?

(NOTE: Shaklee acquired Modere formulations and products, so I can now buy my mouthwash again! YAY!)