I had quite an interesting encounter with someone. A sharp looking black man dressed in a business-professional attire, who had an offer that a normal person couldn’t refuse.
An opportunity to build income.
Who wouldn’t want more Money in their pockets or bank accounts? With him looking so professional, it has got to be a legitimate offer. Why me out of all the people around me?
Must be because I’m black. Perhaps even because we were around the same age as well. A brother from another mother helping another brother make some money. A bond soon to be everlasting.
He saw the potential I had after supposedly viewing the work on my blogs. The topics I spoke on that he supposedly connected with. The desire to learn more about the drive for my passion & where I would see myself to be in the future.
Of course, there is the basic American dream. To own a nice home, have a nice car, nice job, have a family, be completely debt & stress free, & just enjoy all of what life offers. Along side being the author I had dreamed of becoming ever since I was i the second grade.
That was when it was set to meet at a nice public setting to speak one-on-one & get to know each other. Panera Bread. A “business meeting” he would call it. As if we were two guys out grabbing a cup of coffee like they do in the movies.
My story was quite “intriguing” to him to where he returned the favor by telling his story. Building that connection & bond that would be everlasting. So many things we related to, so many things I understood, had some good chats & good laughs.
But while the bond was looking good, what was the real motive? Where is the actual business conversation?
Ah I see. This was part of the “lecture process” So now we move on the the introduction to making money. Network Marketing! But wait, a mentor-ship program!
Oh the glory of Network Marketing! People helping people make money together! Building revenue up to six figures & resulting in early retirement so you’d never have to work anywhere again! You are your own boss! You do whatever you please! Its the golden dream!
Before he joined, he was a young & feeble minded man. Made mistakes (like we all do), been through some tough times, but once he was exposed to what Network Marketing was all about, it changed his whole demeanor.
He shared stories about other people/mentors he works with & how they manage their money & such. All the more reasons why you would want to join their cause.
It was pretty great to hear & all, but…well…how exactly are you making this money? What are the steps? What are you doing to build this high income?
Those are somethings I should have asked. But being a semi-convinced individual, I was hoping he’d explain it himself. Instead, after we ended our meeting, he hands me this book:
Some of you reading this may already be familiar with this book. Might have already read it, or was even given the book like I was.
The author, Robert T. Kiyosaki, glorifies Network Marketing for what he believes it to be, “people helping people build income”.
He talked about how he had two dads, one being poor & one being rich. His poor father was the one that taught him the basic path in life. Go to school, get good grades, go to college, graduate, & get a good job with good benefits. Whereas the rich dad taught him about being his own boss, using his assets to build income without the need to do any of those things. Hence his exposure to Network Marketing in which the man makes millions of dollars through it.
Now take note, I had no knowledge of Network Marketing at all. So that was the advantage he had. I did not read the full book. I was given a week to do so before our next meeting with one of his mentors. Step two into the recruiting process. He stated that in that meeting, we would be discussing various things from the book.
Though, when someone you don’t truly know gives you a book, are you really just going to read it off the strength of them telling you to do so? Or are you going to do your own independent research on the whole book as well as find out more about what Network Marketing truly is?
If you took my route, you are a smart person.
The classic “pyramid/ponzi scheme”. Where one gives you an offer to make more money than usually by having you give more money than usual to them as an investment & have you recruit others into doing the same. And thats basically what it is in a nutshell.
Do you actually end up making money off of this scheme? Well, that depends on how long you stay in it. And also if you’re willing to possibly end up with an empty wallet to see it through.
The people who are already in the scheme, the ones above you, are the ones that will get the income increase before you do especially those that originated it. And that could even take years depending on how far ahead they are. Thats why they make you submit to say a 2-5 year partnership plan to do the exact things I said.
But one little thing that they just seem to leave out…..what are we selling?
Oh they don’t tell you that from the get-go at all. There’s no way we are just gonna be making money just by recruiting people. We have to give them a reason to invest! A reason to get their money! Only when you’ve earned enough “prestige” will you soon discover the hidden motives.
Upon arriving at my second meeting, I was reunited with the same guy as well as his “mentor” who was excited to meet up for the first time. He was told a lot about me & believe that my mindset was perfect for their cause.
It had to do with the way I spoke, the way I carried myself through the world, the way I explained my drive & passion for the things I do & my personal opinion on how the value & love of currency has become one of the greatest evil things in the world.
I didn’t speak like the ordinary people they run this process through. I stood out as different, unique, my beliefs were noteworthy to them.
With me being a responsible individual that holds myself accountable for all my choices & actions, it all just added more to their interest in me joining.
The new guy I met pretty much did the same as the other. Introduced himself, shared his background & life story about once being a broke college student who was exposed to the world of Network Marketing by a power couple he referred to as “John & Jess”, who were big six figure income makers that are responsible for his uprising in this business.
Quite a compelling story I would say. Building that bond, well played sir.
Now back to business!
With him aware that I received the book & was instructed to read it, he asked if I had done so & I told him that I partially read through yet did my own personal research on Network Marketing as well as listened to an audio version of the book by Robert T. Kiyosaki himself that was basically a synopsis of the book & Network Marketing in a nice 26 minute audio clip. Beats reading the 100+ page book I’ll say.
But the funny thing was, upon hearing that I did independent research & listened to an audio version, that was where things shifted to a landslide.
The guy stated that they did not ever know of an audio version & were only going to be referencing things straight out of the book alone. With that being said, he felt as though we would be on two completely different pages because of that & made no sense to continue through with the process until I fully read the book.
See, I briefly forgot what I read & heard from the audio but I would have thought them knowing I have some knowledge of the concept that we’d still proceed further on & that they would maybe explain some things in detail for me to grasp & understand.
But no, only if I read the book & the whole book alone would I truly understand the quadrant system, financial values, using your assets to generate income, things that could’ve been explained personally if you were that serious in me joining the wave. Come to find out, those were things the man himself spoke on in the audio.
The meeting ended sooner than expected due to them wanting me to read the book fully to be able to touch basis on it the next time we’d meet. Which was to be three days after. For a second, it made me feel as though I was too incompetent to be able to understand the concept since I didn’t read the book entirely. As if without the book embedded in my brain, I would never be able to meet to their level on the playing field.
But did I ever show up? Nope! Well, I can’t say that I wasn’t planning to just to tell them that I am no longer interested in falling for the scheme.
After discovering what Network Marketing entails, finding out that there have been a plentiful amount of people in this world that have gone through the exact same process I had gone through & ended up playing right into the trap, & finding out that my father & other family members have been exposed to the scheme more than once in their lifetime & even tried going along with it only to discover nothing but cons, I decided to take the free knowledge I received & continue to go my own way. A step to becoming an independent entrepreneur.
I wouldn’t be my own boss if I was working amongst people in the same circle. Let alone being recruited into a scheme & having them be my “mentors” which I look at as another way for saying bosses.
Now who’s to say that these guys were truly trying to suck me into the black hole of Network Marketing? Who’s to say that they were genuine people trying to bring people together to build a bright future? Who’s to say if I were to trust them enough to dive deeper into the business could I actually find myself with an increase in income throughout my life?
Who knows? It all seemed possibly legit yet too good to be true. They say Network Marketing does have its ways of making you money, but its hard to tell the legit from the fake. They use the same strategies to recruit you, establish a relationship with you, whittle you down with kindness to make it easy to trust them, & then reveal the beast behind the beauty.
It was almost as if reading the book entirely was meant to brainwash one into believing that Network Marketing truly is the best way to become successful & making “investments” into the business will build your golden dream.
They were quite the smooth talkers I’ll give them that. But it pays to have a family for sure & to do research before you dive head first into something new.
Should they ever see this post, no hard feelings. I’m sure you guys are good at heart (I hope) & may want to really help people make it to their lifelong goals. Me disappearing was simply my way of saying “I’m no longer interested given the knowledge I gained from all of this”. You had me intrigued for a bit, but I wish you would’ve been more straight forward than beating around the bush.
My uncle said one of the realest things I ever heard back when everyone was hyped up to test their luck on the mega millions: “If the Lord wanted me rich, he would have been done it by now.”
But we all know money as the root of all evil. I’m confident he would not just want you to become rich especially by doing evil deeds such as manipulating people for their money, theft, etc.. Earning the right to be rich through hard work, perseverance, & while still placing the value of life over the value of currency.
However, it is scary to know that there are naive people in this world who are easily swayed & influenced into things. Like someone offering drugs to another claiming it will make them “feel good” or will “eliminate pain & stress” only to endure more suffering. I know that me saying no will not hurt them at all since there will be a plentiful amount of people that probably will say yes. I just hope they really understand what they are getting themselves into & not ruin themselves trying to make it to that golden dream they promise people.
What an experience it was….
