My name is Paul Wozniak, and I'm a network marketing spouse.

We've all heard of it. Some of us have been pitched on it, or have friends or family members who have joined a company. Late last year, my wife Sarah told me she wanted to join a network marketing company.

She wanted to spend our hard earned money on this business idea, they don't pay her like a regular job, and she had no idea if or when she would bring any money back.

WTF?

This blog post is for spouses (like me) that are dealing with your partner pursuing network marketing.

What's the bottom line?

The bottom line is this: If your spouse has come to you with ideas of joining a network marketing company, they are doing this because they want something more. They may want more money, or they may want more fulfillment in their career. They may, like my wife, want more free time, professional satisfaction, to help others and to stop working for people who drive her crazy. They may want something to do.

In any case, they want something more. How much you care that your spouse wants something more is completely up to you. My experience has been, since my wife is so talented, that when she wants something more, I just encourage her and she usually comes back with pretty spectacular results.

I know one thing. There is not much that is more powerful than human desire. It has created everything we know of, and once it is there and expressed, it isn't going away. Unfulfilled desire can turn into ugly things, like resentment.

What I'm saying is that network marketing isn't the issue. Desire for something more is. If you choose not to support her, then you are denying at least one of her expressions of desire for something more. She is asking you, 'Can I get more out of life?' and you are replying, 'No' or at least, 'Not this way'.

I don't think you should go against what your best judgement is urging you to do. Perhaps instead of talking about the money it costs to start the business, you should ask clarifying questions like 'Why do you want to do this?' or 'Do you feel something is missing?'

Your concerns are valid, as is their desire for something more.

If you are the 'No and thats final!' type, you probably aren't reading this anyway.

If you are open to discussion, these questions are going to lead to deep ones. Prepare accordingly.

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You've gotta get up and try, and try, and try
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try
You gotta get up and try, and try, and try

~Pink

Paul with his mentor Marshall Thurber (center) and his group from the seminar Money and You
Paul with his mentor Marshall Thurber (center) and his group from the seminar Money and You
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Does Network Marketing work?

I had the same exact question, so I asked the smartest person I know. Marshall Thurber is my mentor and he is one of the world's foremost experts on leverage (leverage in this case refers to being paid many times for work we've done once). So, I emailed him. Below is the question and response taken directly from our communication.

Marshall,

I have a question for you about network marketing, and its ability to create leverage.

My wife has invested in a network marketing business. It is direct sales and recruitment. She gets a piece of the sales she makes, the sales of the people under her, her signups, and the signups of the people under her. I believe the product has incredible dynamic value because it is essentially chia, which is one of the world's most powerful superfoods.

My question is this: Do you believe that network marketing is a great way to create leverage?

Here is his simple reply.

Paul,

Multi-level sales works if you are in at the early stage of the initiative and the product is full of DyVal

That being said, it is VERY hard work initially.  However if one persists in this then you can become quite successful.  High six figure income is possible if you stay with it and the products are high value.

DyVal is short for dynamic value. Is the product truly different and better than others in the market? Do people really want it? If so, it has DyVal.

So, the answer from the best source that I can find was 'yes'. I can't stress enough how much of Marshall's life has been put into helping people find leverage, or that which helps people to earn enough money to have time to enjoy life. His confirmation was huge.

Suggested Listening or Reading

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Robert Kiyosaki wrote what has become a manifesto for entrepreneurs. Everyone should read this one, regardless of involvement with network marketing. It's a quick informative look at the difference between being an owner and an employee, and the simple concept that if you are an employee your role is to make the owner wealthy.

My Uncle Dean said something to me shortly before he died in 2010. He had worked hard for the phone company his whole life, but always had passion projects of photography and videography on the side. We were talking about the very first business of my own I ever started and he was proud.

Keep it up, Paul Robert. I know if I had worked as hard for myself as I had for Bell Telephone all those years, I would have retired much younger with lot more money.

If your spouse's head is in the right place, these are the kinds of things they want for themselves, and for you and your family.

Other Suggested Reading or Listening

GoPro by Eric Worre. Simple, quick, basic and solid breakdown of why and how network marketing works.

Why Does It Work?

Because they keep it simple, silly! If there is one thing our adviser tells us, it is to stick to the system. For the people in Genesis Pure, we Show, Share and Connect. And repeat. That's it. We don't invent our own system. We don't have to find the best way to do this. The company has done the leg work. All we have to do is set appointments. Show, share, connect. Follow up. Repeat. Some will join. Some won't.

Good network marketing companies have simple, repeatable, duplicatable systems that convert. Don't reinvent the wheel, because if you joined a good compnay, it should roll along just fine.

It isn't a scam to dupe you out of $1,000.

At least most of them aren't. Definitely triple check any company you consider working with, but there are plenty of great, reputable network marketing companies that have products that people really want.

Some may be scams, but they should be pretty easy to spot.

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If it works, how come I don't know anyone that has been successful at it?

Because when all is said and done, more is said than done. It doesn't have to be a tough road, but it takes time, and most people don't have the patience or persistence that it requires, so they quit before they give themselves a chance to be successful.

Spouses who are skeptical don't help with their mates sticktoitiveness.

Suggested Reading or Listening

The best book we've found to give you an idea of what you'll face if you are considering this path is this: Your First Year In Network Marketing by Mark Yarnell.

I say 'Reading or Listening' because I take in almost all my personal development stuff on audio. I drive long ways and can really get into some of these audio books during the trips. If you have long commute, or take regular long trips, give it a try.

Pre-Money Phase: I thought jobs were supposed to pay us

That's right, jobs are supposed to pay us. And make money for the owner of the company. In network marketing, you own your own business. Like most businesses, there is a 'pre-money' phase.

When my wife came me and said 'I want to join a network marketing company', I looked at it as if she had just said, 'I want to start my own business to improve the condition of our family.' Perfect! Thanks for having the ambition to do it!

I had started a small business a few years before, and knew that it wasn't free. It wasn't even cheap. The entry cost (at that time around $2,000 for the full package) of what she was proposing was pretty low compared to what it cost to run my fairly lucrative wedding dj business every year.

You Better Not Lose Our Money!

Some spouses face the pressure to 'not lose any money' on their network marketing project. This type of attitude just doesn't work with entrepreneurship.

Don't fail? You gotta be kidding me! Most entrepreneurs fail so many times they could tell story after story of the times they were tripped up and fell on their proverbial faces. A person with a small business who is intolerant of failure is not going to be a person with a small business for very long. If you are risk averse, you better be at work at 8.

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Risk

If you 'don't have the money for it' or 'don't have the money for it right now', then that is even more of a reason to consider a change. Been working for years with very little to show for it? And you are expecting this to change because you are doing the same thing you've been doing that has brought you very little to show?

Who's crazy now?

The less than perfect financial position we were in was the exact reason I wanted to take the leap. Not acting, not doing anything differently, not taking any risk had put us exactly where we were, and our financial situation sucked! At least if it was going to suck we could be proud that we were trying to change it.

What's the alternative?

'Honey, I know this situation sucks, but let's not make any changes or take any risks. It may suck, but at least we know what kind of suck to expect.' That just wasn't for me.

Suggested Reading or Listening

Choose Yourself by James Altucher - Fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, accidentally succeed. Many entrepreneurs would agree that this is the way it goes, and they are fine with it.

So You Think Your Spouse Isn't Ready For Such A Thing?

You are probably right.

Make sure the one of you that is joining the network marketing company reads this section. They probably aren't ready.

The word 'No' will be said to them so many times they'll start to think it is their name.

Network marketing has the potential to provide residual income, possibly a large residual income. Does that come easy?

When my wife came to me and said she was wanted to try it, we had both been immersed in personal development for over a year. I once watched her (and did it myself) read the chapter 'Persistence' from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich 30 times in 30 days. She read it every day. Refused to miss. She woke up in the morning and wrote down her Chief Aim. She was ready to go, and I knew it because I saw what her desire was creating in her.

We took a year long class called Accelerated Results and were on a call for it every Monday night. She didn't miss. We did our reading and our homework.

She launched her own website. She created vision boards. She took action steps that made her income in her 'dollars for hours' jobs almost double. She was rocking it. It was time.

I didn't expect her to be perfect. I didn't care if she was a success right out of the gate. What I expected in exchange for my full blessing in investing our hard earned money in network marketing was a sustained effort, a stiff upper lip, teachability and persistence. If anyone applies those to anything, they aren't going to fail.

It was like she went to personal development boot camp and came out a total badass waiting to crush the right opportunity.

Look at the determination in those eyes. You think this girl could fail?
Look at the determination in those eyes. You think this girl could fail?
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So is your spouse (or you) ready for network marketing? Well, here's the thing. It's a marathon, not a sprint. People want results in months when it can take more than a year. We found a product we would buy anyway, and our consumption keeps us active until we figure the way to make the business work for us.

The Investment Shows You Mean It

To own a business that makes me money, I have to invest money. This is your spouse's small business and it is a pretty turnkey one at that. It offers great opportunity for very little money and overhead. But spending money is a part of it.

For the investment, they usually get a few things. They get a backend (systems that process payments, receive money from customers, ship product, track progress, etc.). They get an upline (people who are there to help them learn how to do what it takes to succeed). They get an introductory package (usually samples to use to build interest, marketing materials, etc.). They often get their own website to send their customers and prospects to.

Any idea how much this would cost without a big company's support? A lot more than $1,000, I can tell you that.

Personally, it makes me happy to spend the money. At least I know that I'm trying to create something of our own. Once again, with entrepreneurship, spending money and risk are a part of the game. There is no way around it. Network marketing is setup similarly to the rest of the business world. If you make a very small investment, you can expect a very small return. The more you buy in, the more money you can make.

When my wife said 'I want to buy the most expensive package' I heard 'I want to make us the most money'. Go honey, go!

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