Multi-level marketing or network marketing

Before I even begin - let me unequivocally state my stand on multi-level marketing - don't do it! Yes it works for some people, and yes it just might work for you as well. But at the end of the day, the effort and skills required to make it work might just as well be put into an enterprise of your own, and I can guarantee you'll do many many times better.

Here's a brief intro of what these are. Essentially, they're pyramid type schemes, where someone convinces you to join in, and buy goods through him/her - also known as your uplink. And you then need to convince others to join into your group, and they become your downlinks and so forth.

I have spent quite some time studying and reading up on this, and here are some of the best reasons not to get into this:
1. It's not something you can do part-time. All that is bs. This is something that will require a lot more effort and persistence than you can every imagine.
2. It's not something that lets you control your time. Sorry, simply not happening. Most people start of thinking they can hold onto their day jobs while they do this. But that doesn't work. The only successful people in MLM are those who do it full-time and then some.
3. These are pyramid schemes. Outlawed in most states in the US, companies such as Amway are now pushing into China and India where laws pertaining to pyramid schemes are vague.
4. You cannot keep earning if you stop working. They often tell you that you can continue to earn through your downlinks. But that's simply not true. As soon as you stop showing the plan around, your income drops.
5. The money really comes through the tapes and the training material. There are some excellent resources out there that do the math. There is simply no way for you to make money selling FMCG goods. The real moolah comes from the tapes and other training material.
6. It's not fulfilling. It really isn't. It's simply depressing to keep selling the same fake story to your friends, family, and others, when you know it's all hollow.
7. You will lose friends. Every time you try to con someone into attending an MLM seminar or listen to tapes or buy the kit, and they drop out of the program, they're going to dislike you from that time onwards. In fact, eventually most of your friends circle will consist solely of people who're in the program.

Resources:
1. Merchants of Deception - free e-book. Excellent insider's point of view.
2. Amway - the Untold Story - very informative
3. MLM Survivor - website with a number of good resources
4. Dateline show on Quixtar