# Work from Home People / Self Employed are they a cult?



## Road Guy (Feb 23, 2017)

Not talking about those who work (for a company) from home but people that work for _themselves_, either selling beach body, scentsy oils, photo shoots, massages, life coach, crap, etc, etc..

I think these people are basically all in the same circle of each other and they mostly only do business / "shop" with other like minded people creating their own circle of employment / money / clients...

For example the lady that lives next to us has recently befriended the wife. She is a stay at home mom, whose kids are also home schooled. She also does photo shoots (you've seen the type, a family walking down a RR track holding hands, a couple standing next to an old barn, HS senior pictures, etc)  &amp; I am all in favor of these types of photos over "Olan mills"..however..

So the last couple of months she has brought my wife along to all these little neighborhood get-together's of other women / moms and all of them have basically the same thing. I sell some crap out of my house and I'd like for you to buy some. But they are billed more as "come get on board the neighborhood wine train!" luckily after the 3rd one the wife figured it out and stopped going...But it seemed like everyone there also hawked some type of crap product or service and they all were eagerly passing the plate around to speak..

The same lady nextodoor is also having a bday party, we haven't met many neighbors so we thought that would be safe, until she started emailing out "I will have a drawing for a free family photo shoot at my party!" Yeah.. some lucky winner     Can "these people" not even have a simple birthday party without basically inviting everyone to a quilt trip of please by my shit cause I am too ill equipped to get a real job?

F'n annoying..  

I was going to have a cul de sac BBQ this summer to get to know everyone (actual BBQ/*Pork)* not the "verb" BBQ which out here means "_grill hot dogs_"  maybe I will see if I can get anyone to buy  new road or Bridge?


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## matt267 PE (Feb 23, 2017)

Any swinger parties yet?


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## snickerd3 (Feb 23, 2017)

very true!!  I'm not in the social circuit in our town( I'm not old enough) so thankfully I miss out.  I tried selling pampered chef about 10 yrs ago as something to do in the evenings since mr snick was only home on the weekends at that point, but sales person I am not.


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## Dleg (Feb 23, 2017)

I'd love to see "real" family photos.  You know, everyone around the dinner table with their faces buried in their phones.  Or worse.


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## ISpitHotFire PE (Feb 23, 2017)

Those multi-level marketing schemes are the worst. Taking an item like vitamins or lotion that costs lets say $1 to produce then sell for $40-60. They prey off one's network of friends and gatherings just like the one you described.

Some people who are desperate for more money just see friends as 'potential customers'. It's sad and annoying as hell.


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## willsee (Feb 23, 2017)

My wife sells MLM stuff.  She isn't doing too well.  It is annoying.


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## P-E (Feb 23, 2017)

matt267 PE said:


> Any swinger parties yet?


I was thinking a neighborhood of hookers might be less annoying and a more interesting circle of selling 

Looks like RG will be having a cult de sac BBQ.


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## NJmike PE (Feb 23, 2017)

EB-b-q meet up


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## P-E (Feb 23, 2017)

I might be in NJ on a study soon.   BBQ at NJM's.  I'll bring the mad elf.


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## kevo_55 (Feb 24, 2017)

BBQ is not a verb!


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## P-E (Feb 24, 2017)

kevo_55 said:


> BBQ is not a verb!


I'm from the north so it is okay.


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## Road Guy (Feb 24, 2017)




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## Flyer_PE (Feb 24, 2017)

My wife tried selling Pary Lite candles for a while.  With having to buy samples of that stuff for the shows and other expenses, she barely broke even.  There was also a lot of pressure to sign up other suckers women to expand the network.  She gave it up after 6 months or so.  After 12 years, we still have a shelf full of those damned candles in the basement.


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## snickerd3 (Feb 24, 2017)

party lite candles were huge in the 90's early 00's.  I think I still have some of their tea lights for lighting halloween pumpkins.


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## csb (Feb 24, 2017)

I believe my rant on this topic is well established, but I recently got hit with another party, so here it is:

LADIES. We can hang out and not have to spend money on overpriced products. We can just hang out. I'll even bring snack! No dudes are sitting around another dude's house being pressured into buying some crap so RG can have free crap and NJMike can be a businessman. STOP MAKING US LOOK LIKE FOOLS. YOU'RE BRINGING THE GENDER DOWN. 

Ahem. That is all.


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## snickerd3 (Feb 24, 2017)

my SIL has tried many of these companies as a way to make $ but she hasn't managed to stay with a single company for very long.  She went from having the parties to being the peddlar.

she tried osburne books for awhile, then tupperware.  I think she probably spent more $ than she brought in, she isn't a good sales person.  now we are getting all the cast offs of the failed business venture as christmas/birthday presents.


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## goodal (Feb 24, 2017)

We don't sell any of this crap (never have never will for a number of reasons), but my wife is constantly going to or hosting a party for friends selling jewelry, cleaning supply, purses, etc.  I'm sure its costing me a good bit of money, but she thinks its good stuff and gives her a girls night every now and then, so I guess thats a fair trade.


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## ktulu (Feb 24, 2017)

The pull to MLM is crazy. Have a few friends that graduated with Engineering degrees that now sell full-time!


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## Road Guy (Feb 24, 2017)

MLM (multi level marking)? or just selling some type of amway full time?


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## snickerd3 (Feb 24, 2017)

We had a lady here at work that sold those 31 bags to pay for their international adoption. Once the adoption went through she promptly stopped selling.  A high school friend who is a teacher sells that tastefully simple stuff.  at the time it was to help get the mortgage out from being upside down so they could sell it and not have to bring a shit load of $ to the table.  But she still sells it, has her own network of ladies beneath her and is in the top 5 groups in her region.    Amazing what people will spend money on


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## Road Guy (Feb 24, 2017)

I think that is one of the few products we have bought (bag for kids) Id have to say they at least hold up, I think we bought some out of quilt back home and the wife and daughter still have these lunch bags they still use..

The one that really annoys me is the Juice Plus. Here take this pill and be skinny and healthy!!!!!


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## snickerd3 (Feb 24, 2017)

Road Guy said:


> The one that really annoys me is the Juice Plus. Here take this pill and be skinny and healthy!!!!!


if only it was that simple.


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## willsee (Feb 24, 2017)

My wife sells Rodan and Fields.  

She used the product herself and really enjoyed it (it is similar price to other face care stuff) and thought she would help other people.  My wife has sold B2B and B2C before so selling isn't new but this is just different.  The push is to recruit others, not push product honestly.  A girl that started with her hasn't sold anything but already received a free trip and other goodies by just recruiting others.  That part isn't my wife's strong suit and I'm ready for her to just stop.  

Just like all pyramids, get in early, hope it catches on, profit.  Some girls locally make over 100k a year, not selling the product, but "managing" the people under them.  Like Xerxes


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## csb (Feb 24, 2017)

A high school friend was on facebook selling her ViaONEHope wine and she said, "I just need to sell 100 more bottles and I get a free trip to Mexico!" It was $2400 worth of shitty wine she needed to move and she did it. That's basically guilting your friends into paying for your vacation. How is that okay?


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## Flyer_PE (Feb 24, 2017)

The latest one I've encountered is a thing called a Bemer.  It's being marketed as an electromagnetic field therapy machine to improve blood circulation.  The damn thing costs $6k.  My wife got invited to a presentation by a friend at church and I tagged along 'cause my BS detector was going off and I was curious. 

The presentation was a lot of "We can't tell you some of the great things it does because we're waiting for FDA approval.  However, if we could tell you, you would be astonished."  Pretty slick presentation until the guy said you could store "energy" (he couldn't specify which type) in a pitcher of water by setting on the Bemer pad for a few minutes.  They also claimed that it wasn't a MLM scheme and then went on to diagram a MLM scheme.  Everybody in the room (about 50 people) were pretty much eating this stuff up.  I just watched quietly and kept my mouth shut so as not to hurt any feelings or anger the wife.

I swear the logic they are using is that they wouldn't be charging that much for something that didn't work.


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## P-E (Feb 24, 2017)

Some of the women in the hash "running" club were into selling sex toys and had parties.. Never went to one though.


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## matt267 PE (Feb 24, 2017)

P-E said:


> Some of the women in the hash "running" club were into selling sex toys and had parties.. Never went to one though.


My wife went to one of those. She didn't buy anything (that I know of).


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## P-E (Feb 24, 2017)

matt267 PE said:


> My wife went to one of those. She didn't buy anything (that I know of).


She probably got one of those rabbit thingamabobers.  Who can compete with that?


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## matt267 PE (Feb 24, 2017)

Not even gonna try. Just let me watch.


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## P-E (Feb 24, 2017)

Need demo


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## Supe (Feb 27, 2017)

P-E said:


> Some of the women in the hash "running" club were into selling sex toys and had parties.. Never went to one though.


I went to one in college.  Was the only guy there.  Mood in the room really changed when everyone else was a few drinks deep.  Good times.


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## csb (Feb 27, 2017)

I've been invited to a few of those and they always tell you, "There's normal stuff, like sheet sprays!" 

1. Anything floral makes me sneeze.

2. I'm married. I don't need to freshen the sheets to get him in the mood. 

3. You guys aren't going to be demoing the sheet spray. It's going to be the ThunderStick3000 all booted up and roaring as everyone giggles and the "consultant" tries to talk over all of that.


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