When my brunch conversations shifted from job loss to passive income, I knew my girlfriends were onto something good. The shift occurred when they got hip to the network marketing machine. What was once considered a pyramid scheme has now turned into a recession busting profit center. Network marketing is a structure designed by corporations to turn brand loyalists into distributors. This smart business model is the perfect money maker for proactive, out of work New Yorkers, those looking to rebuild their savings or entrepreneurs who rely on payment upon services rendered.
Due to numbers of new celebrity distributors, network marketing has become a trendy way to make money. Celebrities such as Donna Karen, Christie Turlington, Rodney Yee, Dr. and Christiane Northrup are now distributors for companies they love.
The hippest part of all is that it's young women who are the big players in the network marketing machine. Leave it to the ladies to bring abundance back! Neurobiological expert Louann Brizendine hypothesizes that women speak over 20,000 words a day. If we're spending that much time talking we better have something to sell. And now we do! New York City's finest female self-starters are stimulating our economy one conversation at a time.
I've featured four of my fabulous friends who are making major moves in the network marketing business. I'm confident their stories will help you further understand the benefits of this creative profit center.
Acupuncturist, Physical Therapist, Certified Aromatherapist and wellness enthusiast Bianca Beldini had been successfully using Young Living products on herself and her patients for the past five years. In January of 2009 she stopped buying products retail and became a wholesale distributor. She was inspired to make this shift after taking advice from her YL mentors and becoming aware of the possibility of creating a steady paycheck. "My first intention was to get my own monthly personal products paid for. One of my motivations for this was that I'm an entrepreneur. As an acupuncturist, unlike corporate employees, I have a fee for service business and if I don't go to work, if I get sick or go on vacation, I don't get paid. Utilizing this model afforded me an opportunity to get a monthly check in the mail that I could rely on. I get to enjoy and encourage the colleagues in my organization, I believe in the products and I've created an additional revenue stream. The best part of it all is that I am able to empower each individual in my organization to create the perfect trifecta: Health, Wellness and Financial Abundance!" says Beldini.
Though she may be young she is far from new to the networking marketing arena. Co-founder of Team Northrup Kate Northrup Moller has built her entire business model around the Usana network marketing supplement company. Kate was 18 years old when she began working out of her mother's living room. She has since partnered with her mother, Dr. Christiane Northrup, and together they've created an organization thousands strong that spans seven countries. "For me building a business in the network marketing industry means freedom -- I am the only 20-something I know who could potentially take a year or more off and not need to work. I continue to expand Team Northrup because I adore what I do and the fact that I not only have the financial stability to live the life I want to live, but also the freedom to choose to work on something that I love is such a blessing."
My friend Kelly Lynn Adams has used multilevel marketing business as a launch pad for her entrepreneurial future. Five years ago Kelly was looking for botanical & herbal skincare products to help her problematic skin. That's when she was introduced to Arbonne International. She soon discovered that Arbonne was not only a product line she loved but a way to move out of the 9 to 5 rat-race. "I love my extra check every month from Arbonne and continue building my team while still working a full time job. What could be better than choosing who you work with, talking about products that you love and believe in and not having to trade your time for money? I have finally found the perfect career! I am most passionate about the fact that I am able to empower, motivate and inspire each person on my team to have whatever it is in life that they want. "
In addition, the products these ladies are selling are perfectly aligned with recession theories on spending in a downturn economy. When times are tough we buy lipstick! The Lipstick Theory proposes that during a recession women will purchase inexpensive indulgences such as lipstick. This theory implies that we still want to treat ourselves, even when we can't afford more extravagant purchases. Furthermore, vitamin products and non-pharmaceutical healing aids such as essential oils will thrive during a recession. The thousands of people without health insurance can't afford to get sick. Therefore, they load up on vitamins for immunity.
The recession offers many opportunities to think without a box and follow your passions. Consider network marketing and turn those passions into profit centers.