The promise of unlimited income and flexible hours had me believing I was on the path to a dream life.
Spoiler alert: it wasn’t that simple.
Like so many, I was sold on the dream of ‘make money from home’, to live life on my own terms, building my ‘own’ business from the ground up, being my own boss, and creating a life of both financial and time freedom. It sounded like true freedom, but it turned out to be anything but.
I was drawn in by the promises of financial freedom and the chance to 'be my own boss'.
It sounded perfect, like everything I’d ever wanted. The idea of setting my own schedule, making money from home, and creating this life where I had full control. It was irresistible. I was excited, maybe a little naïve, but I was ready to make it happen.
In the beginning, I was all in. I bought the starter kit, attended the trainings, and told myself this was it. I loved the idea that my hard work could directly impact my earnings — unlimited income potential sounded like the perfect balance of ambition and freedom. The community of women cheering each other on was so appealing, too. I thought, "This is what I've been missing!" But what started as excitement soon turned into stress and exhaustion. The more I chased that 'freedom,' the more trapped I felt in a cycle of constant pressure — to sell, to recruit, to always be ‘on.’
It didn’t take long before I started to realise the cracks in the perfect picture that is painted. The constant hustle wasn’t freeing; it was draining. I was working longer hours, feeling guilty for taking breaks, and pushing harder than I ever had before. What was sold as flexibility felt more like an endless treadmill I couldn’t step off. That’s when I knew something had to change. The more I pushed, the more I felt disconnected from the life I actually wanted — a life that was slower, more intentional, and filled with the things that truly mattered to me. And so, I made the decision to step away from the MLM world and began my journey toward something much simpler and more fulfilling.
Leaving that world behind taught me so much about what I really value: my time, my peace, and the joy that comes from slowing down. That’s when I discovered the beauty of a slower, simpler way of living. It wasn’t about constant hustle or chasing financial freedom at all costs; it was about finding joy in the little moments, creating space for the things that matter, and building a life that feels deeply aligned with who I am. That shift changed everything for me. And now, I can’t imagine living any other way.
It all started innocently enough, a late-night scroll through social media, where it seemed like everyone was living the dream. You know the kind: sipping cocktails on a tropical beach, working from a laptop in a sunlit café, flashing stories of six-figure months and "financial freedom". One message in particular stood out: someone I followed who seemed to be working towards having it all, and was speaking about the success her business had already, and would in future, bring to her family. I was interested. She looked like she was always having so much fun, that she was earning money to support her family and how it would eventually replace her 9-5 income. Above everything else she looked like she was having the best time and living her dream life. It sounded so tempting, so empowering, especially for someone like me who was desperate to break free from the 9-to-5 grind.
After a couple of months of chatting and me mulling it over, I eventually decided to take the leap. I was comforted by the fact that the company I was joining were ‘faith based’ - believing that people who were passionate in their faith wouldn’t scam me. Little did I realise that faith manipulation is huge is MLM’s. Before I knew it, I was caught up in the whirlwind of the MLM world, where every day was a hustle and every conversation had the potential to turn into a sale or recruitment. At first, it felt exciting, the fast pace, the endless potential, the tantalising promise of success just around the corner. It seemed like the perfect formula: freedom, flexibility, and the kind of financial independence that would let me live life on my own terms.
But what I didn’t see coming was the hidden cost. MLMs mirror the very essence of our modern hustle culture: always on, always pushing, glorifying the grind as the only path to success. There’s no time to rest because rest means falling behind, losing ground, or missing out on the next opportunity. The constant pressure to perform, to rise up the ranks, to show up perfectly polished and productive every day, eventually wears you down. The allure of wealth and abundance might get you in the door, but what you don’t realise at the start is how quickly you can burn out, how the pressure to keep up can leave you feeling disillusioned and empty and most importantly how almost the entire thing is an illusion, with 99.6% of people either never making or losing money1. What started as a dream of freedom can turn into a cycle of exhaustion, leaving you questioning your worth and whether any of it is truly worth the cost (Pro-tip: It most definitely isn’t).
When this opportunity was presented to me, I was sold the dream that I could work during the small pockets of time in my day. You know, those quick five-minute breaks between meetings or after the kids go to bed. The idea was that anyone could be successful, that it was easy to fit this business around your busy life. Sounds amazing, right? But here’s the truth: once you're in, the narrative shifts. Suddenly, it’s all about how if you’re not seeing success, it’s because you aren’t working hard enough. You’ll hear things like “the business works if you do” or “it’s not supposed to be easy,” implying that the reason you're struggling is because you're not hustling hard enough.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think anyone expects a paycheck for doing nothing, and believe me, I know just how hard I worked. I was all in. But let’s be real: the lack of success wasn’t because I didn’t have the right mindset or wasn’t doing enough IPA’s (income-producing activities). No amount of hustle was going to change the fact that MLM success isn’t just about how hard you work. It’s time to get honest: your work ethic has nothing to do with whether you’ll succeed in an MLM. What actually matters? Luck, timing, and, most importantly, the size of the team you’ve recruited into your downline. The structure is built so that unless you’re sitting at the top with a massive team beneath you, the odds are not in your favour at all. It’s not about you not working enough — it’s about the system you’re working in!
Here is the master list of all MLM companies, past and present.
It’s worth remembering: It’s fascinating, and a little frustrating,how many MLM companies go out of their way to avoid using the term “MLM” when describing their business model. Instead, they’ll throw around phrases like “direct sales,” “network marketing,” “affiliate marketing”, or “relationship marketing” (or something else entirely) to mask the reality of what they’re offering. They know that the term “MLM” carries with it a lot of negative connotations and skepticism, stemming from the many horror stories of people who’ve been burned by the system. By sidestepping the label, these companies attempt to paint a picture of legitimacy and approachability, hoping to lure in unsuspecting recruits who might otherwise be put off by the idea of joining a traditional MLM. It’s a clever strategy, but also a manipulative one, because it shifts the focus away from the truth of their business model. This rebranding allows them to sidestep accountability and perpetuate the cycle of exploitation without scrutiny.
The High High’s & The Low Low’s
In the beginning, the rush of early success in an MLM is intoxicating. You feel like you’re on top of the world: shoutouts from your upline, little wins like hitting a new rank or making a sale, and watching those income claims of others flash by on your feed. It feels like proof that you’re on the right track, that all the late nights and constant hustling are paying off. There’s this addictive buzz around those wins, and for a while, you can ride that high. But then comes the pressure. It’s constant, and it’s not just about making sales, it’s about always recruiting, always growing, always striving for that next milestone. You start hearing things like “If you’re not moving, you’re failing,” and it sinks in. If you’re not on the go, pushing harder, and hitting new ranks, then you’re falling behind.
This mirrors the speed of life today, where hustle culture is glorified. It’s all about multitasking, juggling a million things at once, and somehow making it look effortless on social media. The pace is relentless, and the idea that slowing down is a form of failure feeds into this cycle of burnout. MLMs thrive on this exact mindset, they promise freedom, but what they really deliver is a life of constant hustle, where rest feels like guilt and success is always just out of reach. If you’re not hustling, you’re losing, and that pressure to always be doing more can wear you down faster than you ever expected. It’s exhausting, and the irony is that the very freedom you were chasing starts to feel like a cage.
But you’re just an unsuccessful hater, right?
People who are currently deep in MLMs often try to discredit anyone who speaks out about the predatory nature of the business model, and there’s a reason for that, they're not ready to hear the message. When you call out the exploitation and false promises baked into these structures, it directly threatens the narrative they’re trying to sell.
Think about it: MLMs thrive on recruitment, on convincing more and more people that this is their ticket to freedom. The more people who wake up to the truth, the fewer will fall for it, and that hits the entire business model at its core. So, it’s no wonder they don’t want people to believe you.
Instead of engaging with the truth, it’s easier to label you as a hater or say that you were unsuccessful because you didn’t work hard enough, didn’t have the right mindset, or weren’t “all in.” But let’s be honest, what’s the real truth here? The truth is that success in an MLM has little to do with how hard you work and everything to do with how early you got in, how big your downline is (ie, how many other people have been manipulated into the business model), and how lucky you were to recruit people willing to hustle as hard as you are.
When you speak out, you’re pulling back the curtain on a business model that depends on people believing the illusion. And when that illusion starts to crumble, so does their chance at keeping the whole thing afloat. The truth is uncomfortable for them because once you see the predatory nature of MLMs, you can’t unsee it. So, discrediting you becomes their way of defending the lie they’ve bought into, and that’s a hard thing for anyone to let go of.
Scrolling through social media these days can feel like a wild ride, especially when it comes to those glossy, picture-perfect posts showcasing people living their “best lives” while trying to sell you on their latest MLM business venture. What’s unsettling is the underlying negative message woven into these seemingly aspirational stories. They present this picture of success that’s all about luxury items, dream homes, and exotic holidays, implying that if you just buy their product or join their team, you, too, could unlock this same lifestyle. It’s a clever sales tactic, but it’s steeped in mind manipulation. The narrative often shifts into something more insidious — the idea that your worth is tied to your ability to hustle harder, to create that same image of success, and to convince others to join the hustle alongside you.
This kind of messaging not only distorts the reality of what it means to achieve success, but it also promotes a culture of comparison and inadequacy. You see these people who are “living the dream,” and it’s easy to feel like you’re falling short if you don’t have the same results. They make it seem effortless, almost as if they’re not putting in the same hours of hard work and sacrifice that so many of us face daily. Yet, the truth is that behind those glamorous images and captions lies a complex and often unglamorous reality. Many of these individuals are not only selling products but also the illusion of freedom and financial security, all while they themselves may be grappling with the pressure to maintain that image and keep the money flowing in (or down right being dishonest in many circumstances - they will refer to it as attraction marketing, but I like to call it what it is - lying). It’s a vicious cycle that can trap you into believing that you need to constantly strive for more, even if it means compromising your own happiness and wellbeing. So, as we scroll and absorb these messages, let’s remind ourselves to question what we see. Real success isn’t about emulating someone else’s curated life; it’s about defining our own path and finding fulfillment on our terms, free from the influence of those who profit from our insecurities.
The mind control techniques are a worry too
One of the most unsettling parts of my MLM experience, looking back, was the way it felt almost cult-like at times. It’s hard to see it when you’re in it, but once you step away, the red flags become glaringly obvious. There’s this intense sense of belonging that hooks you in, with constant messages of “community,” “support,” and “family.” But what you don’t realise is that these tactics are designed to keep you in line. They push this idea that anyone who questions the business or decides to leave is either a quitter or just didn’t work hard enough (Hi! It’s apparently me). If you speak out, you’re seen as negative, or worse, disloyal. It’s a form of control and these organisations use mind control techniques to manipulate how you think, who you associate with, and even how you feel about yourself2. You're encouraged to cut off anyone who doesn’t support your "dream," and before you know it, your world is filled only with people who are also in the business, reinforcing the same message over and over again. It’s confirmation bias and living in an echo chamber at best, it’s coercive control at worst3.
What’s even more concerning is how they subtly twist your mindset. You start to believe that if you aren’t succeeding, it’s entirely your fault. They call it “mindset work,” but it’s really about making you feel responsible for things outside of your control. This is where the brainwashing comes in, you’re told that if you just push harder, if you stay positive, if you believe in yourself enough, you’ll see success. And if you don’t? Well, it’s not the business’s fault, it’s yours. It’s a powerful way of keeping you trapped, always striving for a success that may never come, but blaming yourself for not reaching it. The truth is, these tactics are designed to keep you compliant, to keep you from questioning the system, and to keep you locked into a cycle of hustle and hope that serves the ones at the top.4 It’s a hard realisation, but stepping away from that control gave me the clarity and freedom to think for myself again, and I’ll never take that for granted.
Unpacking it all
Coming out on the other side of MLM life feels like waking up from a dream you didn’t realise you were in. It’s a mix of emotions: relief, frustration, embarrassment and even a little grief as you unpack everything. For a while, I had to sit with the uncomfortable truth that I had poured so much of myself into something that didn’t truly serve me. And the even more uncomfortable truth that I too had been an active part of this predatory system5. It wasn’t just the countless hours of work or the relationships I strained in the process, it was the mental toll, the way I had been conditioned to believe that my worth was tied to my rank, my sales, my success in the business. When you’re in it, it’s easy to be swept up in the groupthink, the constant “rah-rah” culture that tells you you’re on the brink of something amazing. But once you step away, you start to see how much of your identity got tangled up in the hustle, in the need for validation and success.
Unpacking it all meant giving myself permission to feel all the things I had pushed aside while I was in the thick of it: the exhaustion, the self-doubt, the questions and red flags I had ignored for too long. It also meant realising that it wasn’t all my fault. MLMs are built on promises that dangle just out of reach, and they thrive on making you believe that if you’re not succeeding, you’re the problem. But the further I get from that world, the clearer it becomes: the system is rigged, and it’s designed to benefit a few at the expense of the many (and I believe the few know exactly what they are doing). There’s a lot of healing that happens when you finally step away from that mentality, when you stop measuring your value by someone else’s definition of success and start redefining it on your own terms.
On this side of MLM life, I’ve found something that’s worth so much more than any rank or paycheck: peace, clarity, and the freedom to live a life that’s aligned with who I am, not who I was trying to be.
Life on the other side
After leaving the world of MLM and stepping away from the constant hustle, I began to rediscover something I hadn’t felt in a long time: the joy of simplicity. Slowing down made me realise what truly matters: quality time with my loved ones, being fully present in the moment, and making space for self-care in a way I’d neglected for far too long. Instead of always chasing the next big milestone or obsessing over quick wins, I learned to appreciate progress over perfection. It was such a shift from the "grind mode" I had been stuck in, where everything had to be done now and success was measured by how much I could check off my to-do list in a day. Moving into a gentler, more intentional way of living allowed me to focus on the things that actually filled me up rather than drained me.
I started to embrace small, sustainable steps toward growth, knowing that long-term fulfillment is so much more rewarding than any short-term high. Instead of scrambling for the next rank or sale, I found peace in knowing that growth can happen slowly, steadily, and with purpose. This shift leaving behind the constant hustle allowed me to finally cultivate a life I could enjoy, not just endure. The irony is that by slowing down, I didn’t lose anything; instead, I gained so much more. Life became richer, more meaningful, and far less exhausting when I let go of the pressure to always be doing more. Slowing down gave me back my life, and it reminded me that success doesn’t have to be fast-paced to be real or meaningful.
Before we go
My journey toward intentional living has been a beautiful, transformative experience, and I want to take a moment to encourage anyone who might feel stuck in the fast-paced grind of life. Slowing down doesn’t mean you’re giving up or settling; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. It means choosing joy, presence, and balance over the constant striving that so many of us have been conditioned to embrace. Leaving the world of MLMs taught me that real success isn’t about chasing the next rank, the next sale, or the next achievement, it’s about living in alignment with your values and what truly matters to you. When you let go of the pressure to always be “doing more” and instead focus on what brings you joy and fulfillment, you start to uncover a deeper sense of purpose and peace.
It’s so liberating to recognise that your worth isn’t tied to your productivity or how much you can accomplish in a day. For me, it’s about making time for what fills my cup, whether that’s enjoying a quiet morning with my coffee, taking a leisurely walk in nature, or simply spending quality time with the people I love. So, I invite you to reflect on what slowing down might look like in your life. What would it feel like to prioritise the things that truly matter, to find joy in the little moments instead of constantly pushing for the next big thing? This shift can be daunting, but I promise it’s worth it. If you need some help you can download my Busy Person’s Guide to Slowing Down for tangible tips to help. When you start living with intention, you create space for the life you’ve always wanted — a life that feels fulfilling, authentic, and uniquely yours.
MLM Resources
FTC - 99% Failure Rate in MLMs
How MLM’s & Cults use the same mind control techniques
How MLM’s use the BITE Model (a known cult tactic)
The Anti-MLM Coalition Resources
Podcast: Manipulation, Exploitation, and the Darker Side of MLMs with Roberta Blevins
Everything written & spoken here is for educational purposes and to spread awareness of my personal experience and opinion. My opinions don’t represent the company I partnered with, or any other network marketing or multi level marketing companies. They are my experiences.
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.
How MLM’s use the BITE Model (a known cult tactic) - Dr Steven Hassan
Multi-Level Marketing Businesses and Pyramid Schemes - Federal Trade Commission
“Ethical Issues Connected with Multi-Level Marketing Schemes,” Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 29, nos. 1 & 2 (2001): 153-160. - Daryl Koehn
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