June 25, 2018
Some say one can make a fortune in network marketing. Others say direct sellers’ earnings do not cover even those minimal expenses they make. Which one is true? Or truth is somewhere in-between? This article is an overview of 10 direct selling companies’ income disclosures for 2017. The businesses covered here are of varying sizes […]
Read MoreMay 28, 2018
Legitimate direct selling and pyramid schemes have often been confused. While there are clear distinctions between the two, pyramid scheme promoters do everything possible to disguise what they really do and to represent themselves as legitimate network marketing activities. We will go over some of the most frequently asked questions on this topic: 1. What […]
Read MoreFebruary 12, 2018
The initial ideas sounded great so the expectations were set so high. The first reactions from the field were also very promising. Products were moving out and the sales force was happy as the members received increasing commissions… for a while. It is not uncommon for a startup in the direct selling industry to have […]
Read MoreJanuary 22, 2018
Guest author Jeffrey A. Babener, of Portland, Oregon, is the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 30 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the U.S. Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various major direct selling […]
Read MoreDecember 11, 2017
Throughout my career within the direct selling industry, I have received many questions on one of the main components of any direct sales business: The Compensation Plan. Some of these questions aimed at understanding what this “mysterious plan” was all about. The intentions behind some others were to have a good, solid, competitive plan and […]
Read MoreDecember 4, 2017
Guest author Jeffrey A. Babener, of Portland, Oregon, is the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 30 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the U.S. Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various major direct selling […]
Read MoreOctober 9, 2017
Guest author Jeffrey A. Babener, of Portland, Oregon, is the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 30 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the U.S. Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various major direct […]
Read MoreDecember 12, 2016
Jeffrey A. Babener, of Portland, Oregon, is the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 30 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various major direct selling […]
Read MoreNovember 14, 2016
The participants at the U.S. Direct Selling Association’s Business & Policy Conference a few weeks ago listened to an important speech. The speech was given by the Federal Trade Commission’s Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. It was dedicated to the FTC vs Herbalife Settlement and more importantly, how the Commission would take it from there. Highlights From […]
Read MoreSeptember 26, 2016
Many articles have been written on this subject. Despite all this, borders between these three concepts remain fuzzy in many minds. This lack of clarity in general public is important because it leads to unfair criticisms pointed out to legitimate businesses. Below I will explain how I differentiate these three ways of making a “business” […]
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