Controversy surrounds Online Team Builders, which is why I looked into it, to see if it’s a scam and read the reviews, and what I found, is a mixed bag.
I first heard about Online Team Builders after getting 2 comments on it, on this very blog:
- One of those comments asked me if the company was a scam.
- While the other mentioned that they were called up by them, and explained their story, which was a pretty negative experience (I’ll post that shortly).
This led me to go out and research it and to find that it’s pretty popular (and again, in a mixed way).
Naturally, this led me deeper into trying to see for myself what this company does and that is what I’d like to share with you in this review (as well as what I have found other people saying).
Let me say these 3 things regarding Online Team Builders:
Now with this said, let me continue this review.
Online Team Builders summarized (3 things I discovered):
1) So the company seems to be very vague from what I saw. Their official site is just a members log in page as you can see from this screenshot:
2) There are no official home pages that describe what this program is.
3) There is no information on any creators, nothing of that sort and that’s just basic info any program needs in my opinion (Am I wrong here?).
Note: There is an update to Online Team Builders below.
Certain updates (improvements have been made), but overall, in my opinion, it still needs more of the basic info I talk about.
Now based on the reviews I read, the way OTB operates is that it:
- They find leads and one of their reps call them up.
- These reps talk about the opportunity, then send the person to a presentation that talks about the opportunity.
- They also say how there’s about 1,000 or so people waiting to join this thing, to keep you hooked into not leaving.
- At the end of the presentation (which I believe is online), there’s a cost to join which is about $30 a month.
- This is what MOST of the reviews I found online say about this company, specifically this page.
- Further, I have had people in the comments section of this very review comment on a lot of similar stuff.
- I’m always open minded and if there’s anything wrong in this Online Team Builders review, I’m happy to update it.
Here’s a screenshot (as promised) of what one of my commentators said:
Pyramid scheme? I heard this too about Online Team Builders, but here’s my opinion on that:
I don’t agree with that rumor because I know a lot about MLMs and pyramid schemes and what I later found about OTB (coming up) just doesn’t make the case for a pyramid scheme (which is good).
When I dug into Online Team Builders more, I figured out what was up:
One of the links on the Online Team Builders website led me to a company site called Essante Organics which appears to be a legitimate company that sells health related products.
Now the interesting thing (where it starts to come together) is that they offer a promotional program where you as an individual can sell their products, but to join, you need to sign up for one of their 3 pricing packages:
One is about $30, one time (which is the same price as Online Team Builders pitches, but they say it’s a month, so something strange is going on and 2 others, one at about $200 and the other at about $500. These prices basically allow you to get and sell the products from Essante Organics.
- The $30 buys you a promotional website to promote the products of Essante Organics.
- The other price points let you officially start promoting their products from what I saw.
The idea is that this company lets you partner with them and start your own business via selling their health products.
Before I continue, let me share one quick thing:
Based on all the info I found on OTB, here is what I concluded (4 important things):
All of this is my personal opinion:
1) I believe Online Team Builders (OTB) is affiliated (read about affiliate marketing) with Essante Organics.
2) I believe their presentation leads you into the opportunity of making money by joining them, which will have you connect with Essante Organics (I just wish that info was more obvious and not something I had to look for or filter through).
3) I believe that OTB tries to recruit people to join Essante Organics, but through themselves, so they can get credit and paid for the referral. If they do this in masses and a lot of referrals, they can make a lot of money.
And usually this is something I see happen, specifically with MLM programs, as in there are “teams” and groups of people who create their own learning platform to promote the MLM, amass recruits, and get paid for it.
It sounds like this is what OTB is doing (and honestly, that’s not a scam, and many people and teams do this across other programs).
4) I do believe Essante Organics is a legitimate company but with regards to OTB, I need to see more to believe in them.
They seem like a middleman in all of this stuff and if you wish to promote Essante Organic’s products, you can just join them directly and do that. And my alternative recommendation, Wealthy Affiliate would teach you to do that.
Do I consider Online Team Builders to be a good opportunity to make money from home?
It can potentially work, but based on the reviews of OTB, I did not like what I heard about how they promote themselves and a lack of information on the company, which I had to scrap from many sources and try and figure out on my own.
If that’s true, this kind of sales approach is something I do not like.
But what about Essante Organics then. Is that a good opportunity?
Now as for Essante Organics, that will require it’s own review, which I may do in the future if enough people ask me to. But I know about these types of businesses from my own experience and usually here is what I suggest.
- You have to understand that you have to put in several $100 to get started. And this can possibly rise as you continue.
- If you are not experienced in sales and that includes online sales, or you can’t really invest a few $100, then I would not join this opportunity.
And if you were looking for work at home jobs, this isn’t something I’d classify as that. You are basically buying into a business opportunity, not a traditional job, so if you don’t see yourself making an online business, then this isn’t for you.
But if you do not fall under these 3 categories, then you can give this company a shot.
Update: Here is a review I did for Essante Organics.
My alternative suggestion (which I have already mentioned):
My alternative is not a work at home job either (I have suggestions for that here if you’re interested), it is also a business opportunity, but one that has less risk and while I am a referrer for it, I am by no means recruiting you into some scheme. It’s not an MLM, and it certainly is in my opinion, in every way better than OTB.
This is legit stuff and here is how it works:
To conclude, while I am critical or Online Team Builders and not so much Essante Organics…
There are 3 things I can say about OTB and Essante Organics:
1) With OTB, the way they market themselves (based on the reviews I read), is in my experience, just not something I personally like (this is my opinion).
2) Essante Organics has potential to make you money in my opinion, but without proper experience, that’s a hard thing to do.
Plus with the extra investments necessary, that is risky in my opinion. Another risk to consider is that if selling health products isn’t your thing, then in my opinion you should NOT force yourself to do it for the promise of potentially making money.
Start a business selling things or services that you love and know a ton about. And doing that online is extremely cheap to do if you know how and this is what the Wealthy Affiliate program will teach you to do.
3) And this is what Wealthy Affiliate will teach you to do. And this itself offers a lot of flexibility and you WILL see that when you get started with their first lesson. I’ll be there to help too 🙂
Update: Online Team Builders has made improvements (more transparency). But is it recommended?
I had a look at the new OTB website recently, and thankfully, unlike last time, there’s a lot more info about how they actually help you make money. Here is the short story:
They provide you with tools to collect and manage online leads and do things like send them followup emails. Basically this company is a good way to help you organize an online business that collects leads.
This is fine, but there are still 2 issues I see:
- There’s no mention of Essante Organics (are they still connected or are they just an individual company now?).
- There’s no mention of pricing. Why is that still missing? This just isn’t normal for a company in my opinion.
This digging into companies to find out basic stuff is not something I enjoy doing and it shatters my confidence in opportunities. This is why I’m still standing behind Wealthy Affiliate over OTB.
Do you know how I can have them remove my personal info from their hands? Why and how did they even get access to it? I am so confused and frustrated, I don’t want these people to have my information.
Hi Ru, so if they are contacting you via email or phone, odds are you submitted your info somewhere, either on their main website or somewhere else. To get rid of it, there might be a few things you can do:
1) If it’s an email from them that you’re getting, look for a unsubscribe link somewhere at the bottom of the email
2) If it’s by phone number, either blocking it or when you get the next call, asking them to take you off their list might also do it.
I got a call from them. They were stressing me out with 48 hours to complete the training. We call it a quick sale. I figured they wanted money. Why would they need you if they have all of the promotional abilities at hand. I figured it was a pyramid scheme.
They only wanted $29.00 a month to get started. I said to myself this is money to start into the pyramid. What is the return? They claim you get paid six ways. I went to find out but my internet stopped the presentation.
It is better than having nothing. If they can pay out more than what you put in. However, you in turn have to get people to join.
I don’t know if I can do that. Know I am reading that they are an affiliate for the company they are representing. It doesn’t mean that you won’t get part of the affiliate income. But for the need to know where my money is going at $29.99 a month, I won’t join. Companies are selling email leads of ten thousand/s for as little as $1.99. However, if you don’t see any opportunities, and are second guessing your skills, as I have, then this maybe a starter than sitting on the sidelines with nothing in your pocket.
There are many online opportunities which don’t do this stuff Donna and Wealthy Affiliate is one of them.
I applied for the Apex Focus Group a few days ago, and I have constantly kept getting calls from the same number in Indiana. I honestly thought the person that called (and finally left a voicemail) was the Apex Focus Group, but didn’t realize it was actually the Online Builders Team until that pointless prerecorded interview I had to listen to.
I reluctantly chose to do the interview at 9:00 P.M. two days ago because for some reason they didn’t have any other time available because “so many people are applying.” I thought it was an actual interview for what I previously applied to, but like I mentioned before, it was a 25 minute presentation that was obviously recorded prior. They just talked about how this Pandemic has ruined everything with businesses, and marketing items they sell.
I can’t believe I actually fell for this marketing scam, and thankfully I looked at the reviews after watching that presentation. I didn’t even bother doing the five steps that were required after finally realizing it was a scam. I also just found out afterwards that the Emails they’ve sent me were under “Spam.”
Hi Alexander, sorry to hear about your experience with OTB. Sadly, this is what I commonly hear about this program and in all honesty, they might even be a good program to join, but with all this “job interview” stuff and the way they are so carefully doing what they do (not much transparency in my opinion), it just makes it difficult to trust.
Dude you sound like OTB. That’s exactly how they attract you. Whats with the outlinings. Whats with you recommending your stuff. This too is a ponzi scheme.
1) When people look at OTB they are looking for opportunities and if one doesn’t suite them, they’ll want to know what does, hence Wealthy Affiliate (totally different program).
2) I think you’re misunderstanding of what a ponzi scheme is and what you’re actually trying to say is pyramid scheme, which Wealthy Affiliate is neither off.
Thanks much for the great info. They called me and wanted me to have an “interview” tonight at 8 pm.
I told them I was busy and the contact woman told me she couldn’t get me in for another interview until next week so I could miss out on getting a “job.” I asked what the company does and what their name is. She said she couldn’t tell me about the job over the phone but she reluctantly told me the company name. That is how I found your review.
Also, had another “interview” (or sales pitch) from Legal Shield/ID Shield earlier today. I believe the companies are genuine and have a good product to sell, but the only way to make money is through the “pyramid” and you had to pay $99 to joint the team. I turned them down.
Hi Wendy, thanks for commenting. Honestly, based on what you’re saying, if you think about it, what kind of job interview does the following:
1) Not actually tell you what the job is.
2) And actually has you PAY to join?
That’s just absurdity and that’s why I wrote this article and if the other program you mentioned does the same thing, I’d also be VERY cautious and do research on them too.
Thank you for the information about this OTB, because I too, have an interview today, but not doing it now & not wasting my time on them. I refuse to pay to work when I don’t know 100 % it’s for me. Thanks again
No problem Dawn! I hope you get a chance to check out the Wealthy Affiliate program. That might be for you, and if not, no problem!
I am trying to log on with my pass word and it wont work
Are you talking about Online Team Builders or another program Sharon? Every membership website should have an option that lets you reset the password through the email you entered. Try that.
You neglected to mention that before Online Team builders affiliated with Essante Organics, they were banned from promoting Isagenix who OTB was with at first.
Hi Geoffrey, I didn’t neglect it, I just didn’t know about this. Being that my research into OTB didn’t really mention any of this and I had to figure out the Essante Organics connection (among other stuff), I didn’t know about their history. But if this Isagenix ban you mentioned is true, then it adds to another reason I would be careful with OTB.
There’s a lady that called me from the company Team Builders and I forwarded the call (like I do with any other call that is not saved into my phone ?) and now the lady is texting me saying I have an interview tomorrow morning and I’m asking all the questions possible to see if this is really a Pyramid scheme like everyone is saying and the lady wants me to do the video interview and not sure if I feel comfortable doing it knowing what everyone is saying about it. What should I do??
Hi Ashonna, in my opinion, this “video interview” sounds like a filter/sales process that you’ll go through. You can certainly do the video interview but be careful if you hear things like “opportunity” and “act now” being used, because that is a common way pyramid schemes and network marketing “opportunities” get pitched. It’s your decision if you wish to listen to what they want to tell you about Online Team Builders.
That is one option. Here is the other…
You can try out the Wealthy Affiliate program I talked about here and I assure you that there will be no nonsense sales calls or questionable things going on.
I was contacted by a representative of OTB, as I had shown interest on some website earlier in the day. I was sent an email with a Pre-Interview Questionnaire. It looked very professional and like they were only looking for people that were truly looking to work hard towards their own success. I answered the questions, sent it in and then waited for the time we had set up for an online interview/presentation. I logged in with my name and password at precisely 2 minutes before we were to start (their requirements).
That was 15 minutes ago. I guess they weren’t looking for people that were going to work hard towards their own success! They can’t even get online and try to sign someone up with them who has shown definite interest. WASTE OF TIME!
Hi Brad, honestly if you’re talking about working hard for an online business, then why not try Wealthy Affiliate? This is where you’ll get great information, no wait times and be able to build your business.