I spent 5 years in network marketing. And honestly? I was excited about every aspect of it.
The business. The compensation plan. The products. The people—because they were ambitious, chasing financial freedom, and actually living personal development.
The company I joined had a world-class training system. I got exposed to books, CDs, MP3s, training from upline mentors who'd achieved higher levels in the business. That's where I learned the core fundamentals of business. I'd had some business experience before, but what I got through network marketing? I couldn't find anywhere else.
I learned how to legitimize a business, how to work daily towards your dreams, the cashflow quadrant—fundamentals that still sit at the foundation of everything I do today.
So there were a lot of positives. Including new business ideas. I even invested in a company because I had an idea and found people already doing what I wanted to do. That investment didn't exactly work out. But I don't regret taking a chance. If I had to do it over, I probably would've started out of my basement and kept it simple—less overhead, fewer people, fewer tools.
But there was a cost to doing it. For a good while, I was convinced this was the right business model for me. I liked the products. I wanted to stretch myself, talk to more people, get out of my comfort zone, build relationships, have financial freedom. I wanted the home. The car. The watch.
So I really started doing the work. I wasn't perfect at it. I wasn't necessarily great at it. But I got to the point where I was talking to one person per day. Then two or three. Then five or more people in a day.
My business didn't grow much at all, though. And I didn't sponsor anyone.
That experience still gave me valuable things—things that still influence the way I think about personal development, business, and life today. But I probably stayed in the business for too long. I was starting to feel discouraged long before I actually quit.
Seems like I always find a reason why I shouldn't leave in many situations. But in network marketing specifically, the odds were just stacked against me. And there was no way to make a graceful exit.
I'm not here to tell you I lost my shirt in network marketing. A lot of people tell that story. That's not my story. Yeah, I kind of had to start over financially. But it wasn't just because of the business. And I don't really blame the business.
I think the business model's fine. I think it works perfectly for some people. But again, it was something that didn't quite fit for me. Just like teaching guitar—which looked amazing, which I thought might be a dream job—I learned pretty quickly it wasn't quite right.
In this post (and video), I share what 5 years in network marketing taught me about business—and what it cost me.
Read the full article
