I’ve been packing on the pounds, and I’m ashamed to admit I went from 145lbs to 175lbs, almost pushing 180lbs. I’ve been jamming all this junk into my veins thinking it’s keeping me sharp and on my game. With trying to start a new business, launch my personal brand and blog, and taking on consulting gigs all at the same time I need the CAFFEINE. In reality, this crap isn’t helping my game any. I’ve noticed a complete dwindling supply of creativity. Just look at my blog, my posts are getting less and less frequent.

To top it all off, this crap has some serious side effects to your health such as tooth decay, bone demineralization and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Constant sugar rushes from energy drinks are a major factor in the development of Type II diabetes. Evidence is starting to come out that high levels of sugar can even cause some neurological disorders.

As a entrepreneur, one should be conscience of their health and their body. When you feel your best, you’ll often give your best. A couple of years ago after a breakup with a long-term girlfriend I did a major detox. I unplugged for a whole month. No internet, no TV. I also gave up all the junk food and soda and started eating healthy and began jogging every day. All the TV and Internet time I replaced with reading up on all kinds of different things on self help and success. My mind was so sharp, and I was able to think clearer than ever.

Why did I stop? Well I got distracted by another girl. Go figure.

So being a fat fatty isn’t helping my business, and it isn’t helping my personal brand either. Ninja’s are not round. They are stealthy, agile and dangerous. And well, for the adventure seeker part, like I said, I am pretty sure there haven’t been any fat guys able to climb to the top of Everest.

Are you neglecting your health? What bad habits do you need to change right now to improve your life?

I’m declaring right here, publicly: I’m going to kick the caffeine starting today. I’m going to cut back on the unhealthy foods and start a work out program.

I’ll keep you all posted so you can keep me accountable.

Listen to me carefully. It does not matter what other people think of your idea. If you have something you want to do, some idea or some perspective, just do it. Share it with the world. Don’t worry about what others will think or say. You will be better off for having done it, then not.

I made a post about my perspective on Porn and I’m pretty sure that 90% of people don’t agree with me on it. So what? I had something I’ve been wanting to share for awhile and I did it. And I feel better for sharing it. Rather than just being quiet about it. It doesn’t matter if I failed to convince anyone to see my perspective. What matters is that I did it.

When I quit my job a lot of my family members said I was nuts. It was the end of the world. “Oh no what are you going to do now” they said. But it didn’t matter, I had a dream and I wanted to start my own business, I wanted to get free from the template lifestyle and to live life my way on my terms. So I just went out and did it.

That’s what you have to do. Even if it’s rude to others, ignore them and pursue it.

So my question stands. What are you holding back on in life?

“Wow, nice Audi, what kind of gas mileage does that thing get?”

“I manage to get about 21-22 city and 27 highway” I said

“Awesome man!” he replied unusually enthusiastic.

“Hey, I saw your license plate, can I ask what you do?”

Then it hit me, this guy is an IBO, and I was suddenly leery of whatever sales pitch he would throw at me.

However, I was pretty candid in my response. “I enjoy life on a daily basis, but if you mean what do I do for an income, I own a web based business and help other companies improve their online presence. I also write a blog where I discuses entrepreneurship and lifestyle.”

“Oh wow, good deal man. I’m actually working with a business team out of Raleigh, North Carolina, helping folks develop web based businesses. We’re actually looking for some sharp folks like yourself who are looking to earn some extra income. Do you keep your options open?”

“Do I keep my options open? Yes. Do I keep them open for multi-level marketing? No.” I replied.

With that note, I finished pumping my gas and got into my car. He looked a little stunned with my response. Perhaps it was the fact that I had readily identified his pitch. Perhaps I was a little rude, but the number of times I get approached by people involved in an MLM is annoying.

If you have fallen victim for this ploy, chances are you gave your phone number to an IBO. He’ll most likely call you within 1 to 2 days to setup a time to do an in-person meeting. The entire point of this quick meeting is to gauge your interest in coming to see his business plan. He will ask if you are interested in making an extra two to three thousand dollars, and who wouldn’t? If you say yes, then chances are you are going to an open meeting where some guy will speak  to you about how to make money while drawing circles on a white board. If this has happened to you recently, do not return the phone calls of these people.

Since I was actually in a form of multi-level marketing for a couple of years, I’ll give you my perspective on the subject, and my warning. You see, I was in Quixtar (aka Amway, same company). And to be honest, it’s not 100% a scam. There are a lot of really decent and honest people in these systems, and it is slightly possibly to make money in them, about as possible as you winning the lottery.

The problem is, most people in Quixtar are going just short of broke. If you attend one of these business meetings you’ll be presented with a display of just how easy it is to get setup in business for yourself and to start making money. They’ll draw some circles to show you how fast you can be a millionaire. They tell you all you have to do is get 6 people under you and then you’ll be rich. They probably even give you a book called Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Which by the way,  Mr. Kiyosaki was sponsored by Amway to write that book.)

But there is a BIG FAT SCAM right in the middle of this whole “Business System” that you won’t see at first. Most people don’t realize there are two businesses at work here. Quixtar is just the same as say Avon for example. YES, you can make money in Quixtar and some people do. If you sell products, you get a portion of those sales. If you sign up other IBO’s, you will get a portion of their sales. Quixtar itself is not a pyramid scam. Pyramids are outlawed by the federal government and Quixtar is a valid, privately held corporation that does billions in sales annually.

The REAL SCAM and the scam that Quixtar itself turns a blind eye to on a regular basis is the training systems. You see, to become an IBO you have to be registered by another IBO, called your “upline”. Once registered you can sign up all of your friends and anyone else you’d like. The people under you are called your “downline”. Now generally once registered you’ll be a part of some business team. You could always go rogue, but I doubt many people ever do that or know that they can. Besides, it’s the team that is providing all the training you are going to receive to run your business successfully.

Once you join up and start going to these weekly meetings you will be reminded over and over again how important it is to cut off negative associations and to listen to the CDs promoted by the training system.You’ll be encouraged and reminded over and over again that you need this training to be successful in business. According to them, you can’t succeed in your Quixtar business without listening to their CDs, without attending their seminars and 3 day conferences. You will also be told to buy books from their system and sign up for over-priced web hosting, voice-mail and a half dozen other useless services you could get elsewhere for free.

However, the money spent on this per month still seems trivial to the average cost spent on getting a traditional business off the ground. Most IBO’s never realize how much money they are actually spending in comparison to how much they actually make in Quixtar because the money invested is so low. Until you start to add up the money spent over the course of a year do you begin to see the real damage being done. The average IBO is typically in the red.

Let’s do the math, from my experience.

It cost $151.00 dollars to register, and I also had to buy my 100PV (Point Value of products purchased from Quixtar to get paid) which was $175.00. I was also signed up on the book/CD program which was $60.00 a month.

The very first month I had spent a total of $368.00 (Not counting the open meetings).

Each Tuesday I was suppose to come attend a weekly meeting, it cost $4.00 dollars to attend.

$4 x 52 weeks = $208 (If an important speaker came out, I had to pay $6).

Now lets add up 11 months of 100PV and 11 months of the books/CDs.

$175 x 11 = $1925.00

$60 x 11=$660.00

Then there was the 4 major conferences every year at $110 dollars a ticket  which equals $440.00 a year.

So far that’s $3619.00. I haven’t even included how much money was spent on gas and food.

Do you see where this is going yet? If your Quixtar business doesn’t earn you over $4000 dollars a year, guess what? You are broke and foolish. YOU MIGHT AS WELL DO THIS WITH YOUR MONEY:

The problem here is that the whole system is promoted like it is the most cost-effective way to do business. The truth is, it isn’t. You will be spending more money a year running your Quixtar Business than you are likely to ever make. Check Quixtar’s own stats. Most of their IBOs never make more than $100.00 a year.

Thinking about quitting then? You will be brainwashed to believe the people who fail or quit the system are weak and don’t want their freedom from the 9-5 bad enough.

BULL CRAP. I have watched good people in this system work and work and destroy their own marriages because they were working this broken business model as hard as they could, and today, they still aren’t free. They still work a JOB and pour that money into Quixtar, believing that someday doing the same thing over and over again will actually work.

So where is all this money coming from that these Kingpins, the Diamonds of Quixtar, are always talking about? Well it’s not Quixtar, because they limit how much you can make. You can only ever make $32,000 dollars from Quixtar. The real money-maker is the books, CDs, and conferences. That is where all the real money is that THEY are making off of you. I would attend a conference with a stadium of thousands of IBOs and listen to a fat man on stage tell me he put the whole event on just to make me successful. Bullcrap. How do you think a concert works? What’s $110 x 5,000 IBO’s. Answer: $550,000 dollars. More than enough money to bankroll production and have lots left over.

The  real kicker though was the local business meetings. I took it upon myself to find out how much money it cost to rent out the space they where using. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but by my estimation at $4 a head with about 500 IBOs in Va Beach, they where raking in $800 dollars every Tuesday after expenses. Whose pocket did that end up in?

You see, it’s not Quixtar, it is the training systems that are the real scam. I figured this out early on, but I, like many other people, stuck around because I believed in the other things they promoted. Things like helping people get free, living better lives, and fixing broken marriages, etc. I saw the business have a positive impact on the lives of people. Truly, at each conference I went to, I saw people give their lives by the hundreds to Jesus Christ.

While all of that is good and dandy, it is deceptive as well. The truth about the real money is never openly disclosed. Most people never truly succeed at this business, and I suspect most are going broke. A quick Google search will show you thousands of blogs and posts about people claiming it is a cult or scam. Most are angry victims who didn’t have a clue.

Be warned! Multi-Level-Marketing has its ups and downs. I quit the business, not because I’m weak, but because my heart was no longer in it. I still have a passion to see people succeed and achieve and break from the template lifestyle. That is the reason and purpose behind this whole blog.

I’m not denying that you can make money in an MLM, but I am highlighting what I think is an often glazed over and sweep under the rug.: the reality of how “successful” the business model really is.

(I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter below in the comments. I will allow all comments so long as you are not directly insulting me or another person. )

If these WARNING SIGNS apply to you or a loved one, fear not. While this information may be hard to swallow at first, there is hope. You can get help and start making immediate changes to your lifestyle that will result in you not remaining poor.

Please be sure to share this important information with everyone you know!

1. You keep spending more than you earn.

   This one is a no brainier. Every time you spend more money than you have earned, you are in debt. If this is how you live, making $1.25 and spending a $1.50, you’ll always remain poor.

2. Your wheels cost more than your car.

   You invested $4,000 dollars on a car worth $800 bucks. When your financial priorities are out of balance it is guaranteed that you will not be acquiring wealth anytime soon.

   Other examples include: No money to fix your car, but you  bought a new plasma television. You can’t pay child support, but you bought an ’09 Corvette Z06. The power company turned off your lights because you didn’t pay your bill, but you’re wearing 80 dollar jeans so your butt will look good when you go out to the club.

3. You believe there is a Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and Stupid, Aka Blame “The Man”

   It’s up to you to educate yourself about finances and to do something about it. Stop blaming someone else for your problems. Stop blaming the government officials you elected. Stop blaming corporations. Stop blaming bad luck. Stop blaming the man in the sky. Stop blaming the credit card companies and your bank.
   

   It’s your own fault for getting yourself into debt. So long as you think that everyone else is out to keep you poor and dumb, you will remain poor.
   

4. You notice the “cost per month” price on items.

   It should be obvious that if you can’t pay for it in cash, you can’t afford it. If the only thing that matters when you go to buy something is what kind of payments you can make, then chances are you are going to remain poor.

   Consider this: you have just been promoted to manager at Kinko’s  and you are looking at a brand new BMW. The car salesmen tells you that you can drive this new car home today for only  $549 a month for  72 months. That’s a sweet deal! Heck the car is only 32K, and you make that in a year! Right?

   Here is why you are poor. That car will actually cost you in the long run a total of $39,562 at 7% APR. That sweet deal actually cost you an additional $4,000.

5. You Keep spending money on Weed, Cigarettes, Beer or PORN.

   Nothing is more expensive than addictive habits. Not only are they unhealthy, but they are keeping you in the poor house.

   A pack of cigarettes cost almost $5 on average—with some states tacking on additional taxes that raise the price. In New York City, for example, local taxes have pushed the cost of a pack to more than $10 in most stores. You are literally smoking your money every time you light one up.

   Making a habit out of getting high or drunk just to have fun will end up hurting your wallet in the long run. You don’t need to be hammered or stoned to enjoy life or to relax. If you have a real job (besides flipping burgers) you want to risk your income by doing drugs. Random drug screenings anyone?

   All to often, finance gurus fail to mention that PORN, a highly addictive and widely popular habit, is also a huge waste of your money.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from these warning signs be sure to immediately read my “4 Ways to be Richer“