By now, most people in the industry have heard that Wake Up Now shut down.

Kinda makes you think….

Is this Network Marketing thing  just a big scam?

This was just one of the thoughts going through my head that fateful morning. The morning where everything changed… and I lost faith in this industry.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever questioned it?

 

We tell people that they will find “FREEDOM” and are building their “Legacy”.. but it’s all a big lie.

If you’re not ready for the truth about this industry, then stop reading this now. I am about to share with you our personal experience that I am sure a lot of the distributors in Wake Up Now can understand.

When I heard the news of what happened with Wake Up Now closing… it brought it all back to me.

We had put blood sweat and tears into building our Network Marketing team. Been on the road for weeks at a time, in someone’s living room every night of the week, making at least 200 calls a day… Taking 3 Way calls  till the wee hours of the morning to help our team succeed.

Preaching the Dream… but Living the Nightmare.

 

Actually to this day, I am still a little scarred. When my phone rings I cringe… thinking back to the hours and hours I spent with it attached to my head.

 

Yes, our hard work was paying off… we were making more money than we ever had in this industry. Breaking through the $25k/month benchmark was like a dream come true.

But then thinking about what we had to do to sustain that, the actual numbers we had to hit just to reach our bonuses.

Our monthly team volume reached over $3Million a month in sales. (Looking back, that’s less than 10% commission… what da beep, I’ll stick with 70% any day)

 

To most people in this industry… if you hit that level you would think, “I’m set.” and that you had done it, you’d created your Legacy.

YOUR LEGACY. Just one of the lies we’ve seen.

As I am sure a lot of the Wake Up Now distributors are experiencing right now with the recent shut down… YOU own nothing. YOU have no power. YOU are at the Mercy of whoever is cutting the checks every week.

 

That morning I put my username and password into our back office website, only to see we had been locked out.

Reading our email, to see that we had been terminated.

You may be thinking, Well what did you do? Did you break the rules?

Considering a company owner can change the terms and conditions at any moment… yes, I guess we did.

 

When we signed our distributor agreement the rule was you could not promote another company that had a competing product or service. Since it was a weightless company, an online marketing system and blogging platform shouldn’t be a conflict right?

WRONG.

 

Well, not entirely. Apparently it was A-ok for the first year we were building… bringing in people AROUND THE WORLD using our Internet Marketing strategies. But there was always a disconnect for us.

Our company was preaching an old model, of making a list, calling that list with your sponsor and inviting them to your home party. I am not saying this model doesn’t work….

 

SOUND FAMILIAR?

 

But we didn’t want to call all our friends and family and keep bugging them to lose weight. That’s why we used the Internet.

So there was a big internal conflict when you recruit someone on the internet, and then get on the phone with them and tell them to MAKE A LIST.

Our team wanted to do what we were doing… they wanted to blog, they wanted to generate leads, they were sick and tired of chasing people.

This is when the problems started happening and the people at the “TOP” started to get pissed off.

 

We went against the grain, against the model, and even though we were getting results… they wanted us out.

 

Now, our situation is a little different than WUN… as our company didn’t shut it’s doors… they just slammed them closed on us. Overnight, the Terms and Conditions changed… and suddenly promoting ANYTHING else, was forbidden. They told us to make a choice… keep our check, keep our car, keep our team and stop blogging and using our Online Marketing System…

OR LEAVE.

 

Imagine that for a second.

You work day in/ day out…On the phone for 10/12 hours a day…Traveling away from your loved ones every other weekend… Doing nothing but eating, sleeping and bleeding that company.

You build up a solid consistent income of $30,000 a month…you build your life and your parents life around that income…And then you wake up one morning…and… BOOM!!! Your entire livelihood pulled from right under your feet.

 

Terrible isn’t it?

 

I don’t want you to feel to sorry for us lol As we had learned from our mentor years ago… Brand yourself and not the company. And no matter what happens…You’ll be safe…

 

Luckily for us, our little Online Business was churning out some killer profits…BUT… It effected us mentality…At first we didn’t release it…

…We just took sometime off. Then that “time off” turned into almost 13 months of being in MLM/IM Limbo…I guess we were letting the residual pain of losing something you work your ass off for, control us. Luckily for you and us we didn’t let it ruin us.

 

So the ultimatum … play by our rules or get out.

If you know Toby and I, you know that we don’t really take well to being told what to do.

 

We didn’t get in this industry to have a boss.

We didn’t get started so we could be employees.

We got started so we could be FREE…

 

My heart really does go out to the Wake Up Now reps who were counting on their company to be there… who were depending on their owners to have their back.

I know how difficult it was to feel like company owners had turned their back on us. It shook my belief to the core.

I almost walked away completely.

 

Thinking “F THIS… I am just going to make my own products, control my own financial success.”

If you’ve gone through this Wake Up Now shut down, I challenge you to look past the “Money Hungry Corporate Suits” making all the decisions… and to remember why you fell in love with Network Marketing in the first place.

It’s probably going to be hard at first…

Like I said, you put your heart into something… work your ass off, and because of no fault of your own… it’s taken from you.

 

Focus for a second what really inspires you about the industry.

For me, it was the people… the team… the community. Being able to reach down into the team and make a difference in someone’s life.

So if you’re out there searching for the right “deal” … think carefully, and choose wisely.

 

Here are a couple of key pointers to follow if you are looking for the right Network Marketing Company to join.

The Wake Up Now Shut Down – 5 STEPS to Prevent it from Happening to YOU.

1. WHO OWNS IT.

This is now the FIRST thing I look at when a new company pops on the scene. Why did they start the company? What are they passionate about? What’s their track record like… have they walked away from companies before?

1. WHO’S PAYING FOR IT.

Sometimes the face at the top, is not the one actually paying the bills. Which is what happened in the case of Wake Up Now. A team of investors are not going to keep the doors open on a leaky profit bucket. The moment it shows signs of weakness, they are outtie. Is your company Debt Free?

1. ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT IT.

This is one of the most important. Don’t just join a deal because you got in at prelaunch with some founders position. After our big TERMINATION we were offered a lot of “Deals” to promote different things, everything from skin care to phone apps. Was it attractive? Yeah, when someone says I’ll pay you $30K a

month to put your name to this company…. there’s a moment where you think, Should I do it?  But for us, it was more important to stick with a company that we were passionate about. Stick with a leadership team that we loved, stick with a company owner who always had our back and would NEVER give up on us. Plus we were never scared of working hard for the things we had in our lives.

1. IS THERE SPACE FOR HYPER GROWTH?

Think about. Having the best and most efficient typewriter in 2015 doesn’t allow for much growth. Sure it could help you write faster, or it has it’s own streamline case for easier traveling. But let’s be honest. It’s going no where fast as the market doesn’t have a demand for it.

1. IS THERE NON-EGO DRIVEN LEADERSHIP?

This is for sure the hardest one to find out. If you are serious about putting all the blood, sweat and tears it takes to be successful in a Traditional MLM. You must know who your going to be lead from. To be honest Layla and I only ever joined companies because of the leadership that either brought us in or were at the top and we knew of them. A bunch of EGOTISTICAL Leaders who are always competing with each other and jealous of each other is a VERY SURE WAY to destroy a company. We have seen companies IMPLODE because of this.

 

So you’re thinking, alright… HERE COMES THE PITCH.

You’re wrong.

I’m not going to pitch you on my perfect deal, and my perfect team, and my perfect comp plan.

 

And when a company closes, like Wake Up Now… you see a lot of people start targeting the Distributors with a “Look at Me” mentality.

I even saw an ad on Facebook that read “See Where the Wake Up Now Reps are going…”

I guess it’s smart marketing… but I believe when something like this happens, the last thing Wake Up Now reps want is to be pitched your deal.

 

It’s tough to go through something like this.

It’s emotional.

It’s deflating.

It effects your mind, your life, your belief, your family….

It’s straight up freakin hard.

 

It took me a good 13 months to get out of my own funk, and put my heart back into this industry.

I simply wanted to share my perspective, my experience, in hopes that I could encourage some of the Wake Up Now reps not to give up on their dreams…. and also educate some of you other Network Marketing Distributors on what CAN happen.

 

One of the most important things you can do… is create your own BRAND of VALUE.

Rather than just promoting your company all over your Facebook Fanpage or your blog, Rather than being known as another _____________ Rep…

Focus on YOU.

What value do YOU bring to the industry?

 

Then no matter what happens…. THAT will never go away.

 

HINT: You will instantly lose engagement on your fanpage if it is all focused on your specific company or product. I see a lot of fanpages, and the ones that get the most comments and likes are often the ones you cannot even TELL what company the fanpage owner is in.

So whatever you decide to do…

Whatever company/product/service you decide to promote… remember the words that you read here today.

 

And if you are brand new to the Network Marketing industry… this article is not meant to sway you from working your ass off, or putting your heart into what you do… it’s simply meant to make sure you protect yourself, your family, your income, and YOUR BRAND.

For us, our passion is all about helping other people realize their passions. Too many people walk around in a Zombie state…. Day in Day out…. And if you asked them what their passion was, they would struggle to even answer.

We want to change that.

So if it’s health and fitness you’re passionate about… or Dogs…. Or Cooking… or Acting… Art or MUSIC…. We consider it our purpose, to show you how to live that life.

 

How to turn your passions into something profitable that can actually sustain you financially.

One of the fastest ways to do that is on the INTERNET. Why?

Because you create a global audience, all over the world.

 

You leverage yourself through Videos and Articles… like you’re reading this from me right now and who knows what I’m doing. I could be hanging with my daughter, walking my dog…writing a song… or even sleeping.

But here we are together, getting to know each other… no matter where you are or what time it is.

If you’ve got a message, a Passion, a purpose that you are ready to tap into… then by all means, Click Here and see how we do it.

Most importantly though… follow your dreams, where ever they take you… and don’t let the decisions of OTHER PEOPLE deter you from your passion!