This is a very difficult question to answer. That’s because in many ways, asking what is the best MLM program is like asking if there’s such a thing as an honest politician.
And especially online, where they are sprouting left and right, it is that much more difficult to identify which ones are truly legitimate.
But it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I’ve reviewed A LOT of MLM’s and even though I am not a big fan of them in general (why I am against them), am not associated with any, I do believe there are still some legitimate ones available, although in truth I find the whole notion of working through these companies a waste of time and there are much better alternatives as I’ll later explain.
But that’s besides the main point. Obviously you’re here for one reason, so let’s answer the question:
So, What is The Best MLM Company?
If I had to choose, I’d say Melaluca. I wouldn’t say it’s the ultimate opportunity for a business oriented personal, but in terms of legally operating, it’s legit and isn’t involved in anything pyramid scheme related.
But if you’re going to enter into this business, I have 2 program suggestions that can help you with succeeding in it:
1) The first is MLSP which teaches you how to succeed within the MLM industry as well as create one. They have a pretty good training platform.
2) My other and better pick would Wealthy Affiliate, which teaches making online sales in ANY field and I personally suggest people join this program to learn how to succeed in any business.
3 necessary components of a legitimate MLM:
1. It has to be transparent:
Far too many of these companies lack this VERY important quality. They promise you a lot for very little and then surprise you with charges or most notably up-sells which are basically additional offers.
Sure you can ignore them, but many MLM companies market these up-sells in a way which makes you believe you absolutely need/require it to succeed.
This is a very dirty marketing tactic which far too many use. Here are 2 examples of these companies which use this very shady tactic:
Empower Network: They promise so much for just $25, but then bombard you with up-sells that go beyond $5,000! And the original $25 you spent doesn’t really give you anything. It’s that crazy and it’s NOT transparent. And many people take the plunge because they are promised 100% commissions.
My Online Business Empire: Also known as MOBE, this place is like Empower Network x 10 and that’s not a good thing. They basically follow the same “Get you in for little then up-sell to you like crazy”. In MOBE’s case, if you purchase everything they offer, you’d be looking at over $20,000.
Unfortunately these 2 companies are not isolated cases. Most MLM’s follow the same business formula which is why I advise this:
If the MLM you want to join promises “easy” or “cheap” access, be very careful. Make sure to research it first because odds are there are many things they aren’t telling you. Again transparency is essential.
2. It’s pricing should be fair.
This is vague so allow me to elaborate:
As I mentioned in an example above, MLM companies are notorious for masking their “true” cost behind a small price tag to get you to join. Then once you do, they unveil themselves and put you in an uncomfortable spot.
For many of these organizations, the only thing you get for the price is training and in many instances the price of that training is far beyond “Fair”. Let me put this into perspective for you:
Let’s take Empower Network as an example again. What you essentially end up paying for (if you purchase everything) is basically video training on how to promote the company to others, a worthless blog you can get for free and that’s pretty much it. The price of all this is well over $5,000.
I’ve been around the block for many years and let me tell you that price is way beyond fair. They are inflating their prices and giving you an impression the training is worth that much which couldn’t be further from the truth. In the end if you end up promoting EN, you are essentially going to be promoting, well, nothing… which brings me to my next point:
You should NEVER have to pay $1,000’s for training on how to make money online. Not through an MLM, not a regular how to guide. It is wrong to pay so much. My #1 recommendation is a perfect example of a place where you can get legitimate training for very little and even nothing, and what you end up learning is far superior to what you get from EN.
3. It cannot be a pyramid scheme.
One of the main reasons I am against the whole model of business is because I feel it is very much based on a pyramid scheme. You are 
referring people to a company which then teaches you to only refer others into it and you make money not just through your primary referrals, but almost everyone they refer.
This means the money flows upwards and the only way for someone to profit in the business is to refer others into it.
If you were to apply this same “definition” and say pyramid scheme instead of MLM, I doubt anybody would notice the difference and that’s because they are basically identical.
However, I have found that there are 2 ways to discover if the MLM company you’re interested in joining is running a pyramid scheme:
A) You have to get a fair value for what you’re paying. This is similar to component #2 but needs to be mentioned. Again never pay outrageous prices for training.
B) The training you get from the program must be applicable to more than just referring others into the program. If the program you join only teaches you to promote itself to others, run away!
Many would argue that the same training can be “Cloned” and applied in other fields. Experience has shown me this VERY rarely happens because in most cases it can’t and people who are already in the program already invested too much into it, meaning the only way they’ll get out is to get others into the program.
My final thoughts & recommendations:
If you’re looking to build a solid online business, or have a business idea, hobby or passion you want to make money off on the internet, MLM is also NOT where you want to be.
There is generally very little to no real substance in these programs. You are not providing actual value to people. You are referring them into a system that then teaches them to refer others into the same system. If you can do this with a clean conscience, I can’t stop you, but you have been warned.
Even if you can truly find an MLM company that provides value and substance to customers in addition to teaching you how to refer others into it, I would still recommend against it because in these companies, there’s 2 things you really need to know:
1. Their very survival depends on you promoting them so the main emphasis is teaching you how to do it, rather than building your OWN brand.
2. In online marketing, it is much more difficult to make money through MLM’s than say affiliate marketing which is basically selling people what they want, not trying to sell them an idea. It’s what I do and personally recommend.
With MLM, your success depends on referring people under you, a tactic which from my experience gets a bad rep. It’s almost like trying to do sale’s calls or walking door to door. People are not as open to this kind of stuff.
This is a HUGE difference and why you’re far more likely to succeed in the latter option. The only thing needed is proper guidance which is why…
If you want to build a solid online business or do affiliate marketing:
I recommend starting here and getting the exact guidance on doing so. It’s a place called Wealthy Affiliate, an organization founded on helping anyone turn their passion into an online business which also teaches affiliate marketing. I started there and it’s really the only place I recommend above anywhere else because they are one of the only places which meet my 3 components for a legitimate program. As I said before, it’s what I personally do and I’ve been in this business for over 8 years.
My final word: If you want to succeed online, build your own online business and don’t look for the “best MLM’s”, because even if there is one, it’s foundations are based on faulty/unethical business models and putting all your eggs into that basket will likely lead to disaster as many of these places come and go. Their foundations are just too shaky and questionable.
There are many legitimate MLM programs, but unfortunately there are too many programs popping up in the “make money” world that are illegitimate.
An MLM is multi-level marketing. A ponzi has the requirement of newcomers into a program that spend money on that same program in order to keep the program going.
Most of these programs (and the ones you mentioned) fall into this category and unfortunately the people that are within these programs are required to sell people into the program in order to make money…rather than selling people in the external world quality products.
Big difference.
The MLM industry is one that has gotten a bad name because of this. There are legitimate programs like Avon, Melaluca, and Stella and Dot that people are earning money with (albeit very difficult versus the affiliate marketing model) and they don’t require people to build massive downlines in order to be successful. They can sell quality products.
Thank you for sharing this information Kyle! I have heard of Avon and from what I’ve read, they were at one point very credible within the MLM subject, yet I’ve seen that their focus has shifted to a more make money approach like you mentioned which is shifting it’s reputation more towards the bad end. I will take a look at Stella & Dot. Melaluca is pretty good, but I can’t really speak for the quality of their products.