A lot of people in academia have lost their jobs or job security & are facing unknown futures. Grad students are struggling due to lack of extensions in finding.

Let's make sure our friends don't become victims of MLMs during this time

#AcademicChatter #PhDchat #GradStudents

Here is a great video by the financial diet about how to know if your friend is in an MLM (and how to help them get out). I learned a LOT from this video

Here is a super short video about someone who was in an MLM and what their experience was. Also a great video.

Tiffany Ferg also has a fantastic video about how the "girl boss" narrative is a manipulative lie, and how MLMs prey on vulnerable people

Tiffany Ferg's video is so awesome because her own sister was part of an MLM. There is a follow up video about that

Those videos will help you understand what an MLM is and the warning signs/ red flags. Protect yourself!

MLMs are SUPER SNEAKY and excellent at marketing.

Their website and videos will convince you that you'll make money if you work hard enough.

It's a lie.

MLMs work by making you pay a lot of money for their product.

If you need to buy a "business kit" or "starter kit of products" or " girl boss success kit" or " (insert name) kit" ...

RUN AWAY!

Run away faster if there's a min quota of sales you need to make each month.

If you make money by recruiting other people to become "consultants" "representatives" or "more girl bosses!"

If there are uplines and downlines...

RUN!

Then freeze your credit card in a block of ice if you need to!

That's a huge red flag it will go horribly wrong.

Good people get trapped in an MLM because they believe in the product. They buy the kit and try to sell the product.

It might go well at first but quickly sales end.

They panic, and talk to their upline rep (the one who recruited them) for advice and the inevitable happens...

The upline sales rep starts encouraging them to get more downline sales. Meaning, instead of selling the product, focus on recruiting more "consultants".

Eventually they realize that's where the REAL money is.

And that's where the icky marketing strategies start.

Watch the videos to learn how stuck and trapped people felt when they get to this point.

It's heartbreaking.

This is when friendships breakdown. When icky marketing happens. Good people do things they don't want to. I won't go into detail here because it's in the videos.

In summary:

MLMs will prob be really aggressive right now to take advantage

Watch the videos

Stop yourself from buying a business kit of products from anyone

If you know someone trapped, and you are pretty close to them, HELP THEM. the first video I posted is about that /