Speaking of MLMs

[cjcouple]

Are those brick & mortar craft type of businesses an MLM model?

I only ask because I know these nutrition shakes places popping up are herbalife and I don't go there because I truly try not to support any type of MLM business models. Even if I might like the products.

There is this new Board Painting place that looks so fun and I think it a franchise. Anyone know how would I research that?

[af1212]

Sept 13, 2021 6:45:58 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Are those brick & mortar craft type of businesses an MLM model?

I only ask because I know these nutrition shakes places popping up are herbalife and I don't go there because I truly try not to support any type of MLM business models. Even if I might like the products.

There is this new Board Painting place that looks so fun and I think it a franchise. Anyone know how would I research that?

Is it board and brush? If so then they are just franchises to my knowledge.

[cjcouple]

Sept 13, 2021 7:00:43 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Sept 13, 2021 6:45:58 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Are those brick & mortar craft type of businesses an MLM model?

I only ask because I know these nutrition shakes places popping up are herbalife and I don't go there because I truly try not to support any type of MLM business models. Even if I might like the products.

There is this new Board Painting place that looks so fun and I think it a franchise. Anyone know how would I research that?

Is it board and brush? If so then they are just franchises to my knowledge.

Yes!

thanks.

[basilosaurus]

I listened to the sawbones episode on herbalife yesterday. I had no idea those shake places exist. "nutrition clubs." I have no idea about the board painting. Never heard of it either.

[ssmjlm]

I think they're all just franchises. We've had both board and brush and AR Workshop locally.

The ladies that own the AR Workshop are really nice. They always donate to our PTA fundraiser and my kid loved the summer camp she did there. #anecdote

[cjcouple]

Sept 13, 2021 7:04:35 GMT -5 jennyparnassus said:

Do you mean one of those places where you can go and bring your own wine or whatever, and paint a mug or a sign or something?

Genuinely curious, why would you think that it was an MLM?

I was under the impression that a place is a multi-level marketing scheme if they try to sell you on investing on your own "business" to sell the exact same product that they are trying to sell you.

Did you encounter a craft place that gave you a "sales pitch" such as this?

I'm asking, because I'm curious if other places have a crafting MLM that hasn't come to my area.

I went to a painting place this summer. We painted signs, and then we paid for the signs and left. There were no sales pitches about how we should invest and open our own painting businesses. 

That's why I was asking. I didn't know if they would try to sell me on something. Im not sure how the nutrition spots work. I know they obviously sell the shakes but idk what hidden agenda there is.

I have seen board painting "at home" parties often and those style parties are typical MLM so that why I was asking.

I'm glad to see these are straight up franchises.

[fivechickens]

It’s sad that there are so many MLMs that say they aren’t MLMs that we have to question every new thing that pops up that is a little different from the ‘norm’.

And I mean that genuinely.

[cjcouple]

Sept 13, 2021 9:07:00 GMT -5 fivechickens said:

It’s sad that there are so many MLMs that say they aren’t MLMs that we have to question every new thing that pops up that is a little different from the ‘norm’.

And I mean that genuinely.

Yup.  Especially because I like to support local businesses and they definitely use the "support local business" angle. Last couple of years I see posts on FB "drop your small business here and shop local" for Christmas shopping.  They were loaded with MLMs (Nail wraps, jewelry, LLR, etc).  Disheartening

[osulori]

Sept 13, 2021 7:04:54 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I listened to the sawbones episode on herbalife yesterday. I had no idea those shake places exist. "nutrition clubs." 

They're all over town here (Ohio). Like there are three within a 5 minute drive of my house.  No wait, four.  I will admit to going to one of them a couple times before I realized they were all Herbalife products...the shakes and "teas" were okayish but on the expensive side and IMO not worth the cost.  I do have to give the people running them a small amount of credit for not trying to push Herbalife stuff on their customers-the "energy bars" they sell clearly have the Herbalife logo on the packaging and if you get a look at the containers of protein powder etc you see the same but they don't talk about it at all, or at least they didn't when I was in there.  It's an interesting tweak to the usual MLM business model, I'm sure just to suck more people in. 

[basilosaurus]

Sept 13, 2021 10:16:33 GMT -5 osulori said:

Sept 13, 2021 7:04:54 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I listened to the sawbones episode on herbalife yesterday. I had no idea those shake places exist. "nutrition clubs." 

They're all over town here (Ohio). Like there are three within a 5 minute drive of my house.  No wait, four.  I will admit to going to one of them a couple times before I realized they were all Herbalife products...the shakes and "teas" were okayish but on the expensive side and IMO not worth the cost.  I do have to give the people running them a small amount of credit for not trying to push Herbalife stuff on their customers-the "energy bars" they sell clearly have the Herbalife logo on the packaging and if you get a look at the containers of protein powder etc you see the same but they don't talk about it at all, or at least they didn't when I was in there.  It's an interesting tweak to the usual MLM business model, I'm sure just to suck more people in. 

At least in WV, where the services hosts live, there are all sorts of restrictions. Things like not allowed to display prices or advertise in certain ways. They can answer customer initiated questions. Once the door is opened apparently they can push the product and recruit.

[osulori]

Sept 13, 2021 10:23:36 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Sept 13, 2021 10:16:33 GMT -5 osulori said:

They're all over town here (Ohio). Like there are three within a 5 minute drive of my house.  No wait, four.  I will admit to going to one of them a couple times before I realized they were all Herbalife products...the shakes and "teas" were okayish but on the expensive side and IMO not worth the cost.  I do have to give the people running them a small amount of credit for not trying to push Herbalife stuff on their customers-the "energy bars" they sell clearly have the Herbalife logo on the packaging and if you get a look at the containers of protein powder etc you see the same but they don't talk about it at all, or at least they didn't when I was in there.  It's an interesting tweak to the usual MLM business model, I'm sure just to suck more people in. 

At least in WV, where the services hosts live, there are all sorts of restrictions. Things like not allowed to display prices or advertise in certain ways. They can answer customer initiated questions. Once the door is opened apparently they can push the product and recruit.

Ah, that makes sense then.  I'm guessing the restrictions are the same or similar here.

[sent]

We had a local chain of one of those paint and sip places close down after COVID. It was not an MLM.

Interesting, there is a plaza nearby that was rebuilt very nicely a few years ago. There are 3 restaurants in the plaza, and the 4th spot, a prime corner location, belongs to an MLM. If you look in the windows, it is very unclear what kind of business it is, just a bunch of white office furniture inside and some sparse display shelves. After I googled the name, it is apparently it is the front for a global MLM but post-COVID, I have never seen anyone inside of it.

unitedstates.nhtglobal.com

[goldengirlz]

MLMs are usually direct sales businesses because it’s harder to grow the pyramid if you have to account for everyone in your downline renting space and paying for all the overhead costs.

[melmel48]

Sept 13, 2021 10:16:33 GMT -5 osulori said:

Sept 13, 2021 7:04:54 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I listened to the sawbones episode on herbalife yesterday. I had no idea those shake places exist. "nutrition clubs." 

They're all over town here (Ohio). Like there are three within a 5 minute drive of my house.  No wait, four.  I will admit to going to one of them a couple times before I realized they were all Herbalife products...the shakes and "teas" were okayish but on the expensive side and IMO not worth the cost.  I do have to give the people running them a small amount of credit for not trying to push Herbalife stuff on their customers-the "energy bars" they sell clearly have the Herbalife logo on the packaging and if you get a look at the containers of protein powder etc you see the same but they don't talk about it at all, or at least they didn't when I was in there.  It's an interesting tweak to the usual MLM business model, I'm sure just to suck more people in. 

My friend owns a nutrition club and I've only gone there once. I have friends who go frequently and they all say nothing is pushed on them. They buy their shakes/tea etc and leave. I am friends with the owner on Facebook and that is a whole different story... but as far as the actual nutrion club, I haven't heard of anything been said about the MLM side of things. 

[donthasslethehoff]

Probably super late to the party here, and this does not answer your question, but I donated blood at a Red Cross donation center in a large city in Massachusetts the other day, and on their "snack" table that people are free to pick from after giving blood there were multiple boxes of the Herbalife protein bars on the table. Big WTF from me.

[turkletsmom]

There's a documentary on the whole Herbalife club thing (it was either on Netflix or Prime) called Betting On Zero that's pretty good and I think worth a watch to understand that whole crazy model.

[af1212]

Sept 14, 2021 6:58:35 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

Probably super late to the party here, and this does not answer your question, but I donated blood at a Red Cross donation center in a large city in Massachusetts the other day, and on their "snack" table that people are free to pick from after giving blood there were multiple boxes of the Herbalife protein bars on the table. Big WTF from me.

I’m guessing they were donated. We get tons of bars like this (mlm companies - herb.a.life but others as well) donated to the food pantry where I volunteer. People are pressured into buying a big order and then don’t want.

[RitzyHeifer]

Sept 13, 2021 13:07:22 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

MLMs are usually direct sales businesses because it’s harder to grow the pyramid if you have to account for everyone in your downline renting space and paying for all the overhead costs.

This is what I don’t get about the shake/tea places. There are 3 in my metro area and none are in places where the rent would be $$$, but it wouldn’t be free either. A friend was big into going to one so I was thinking of checking it out and then realized it was just Herbalife.

I have a Facebook friend from my old town doing Herbalife (or something) teas as a delivery service. So she makes them at home and delivers. Which doesn’t have rent, but does she really make enough $ to warrant driving all over?