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“The FTC, On July 15, 2016, fined Herbalife $200 Million, but stopped short of finding Herbalife a pyramid scheme,” said Steven.

This morning is very interesting,

I ran into a longtime acquaintance, whom I know was a Herbalife Distributor.

I say “was”, because Steven is no longer a Herbalife distributor.

I invited Steven to have coffee with me, and he accepted.

The Herbalife discussion came up during our conversation about life, work, and business in general.

I didn’t know, Steven is interested in becoming a writer, which I shared with him the lifestyle and process of making money as a writer.

NO, sorry, today Coffee Talk is not about making money as an online writer… you can follow the link above to learn more… I’ve told Steven the same.

This discussion is about Herbalife a pyramid scheme.

I wanted to discuss with Steven the FTC final decision against Herbalife.

Surprisingly, Steven offered me interesting insights into the Herbalife business, culture, practices, and the complaint accused Herbalife as a pyramid scheme.

In your opinion and experiences, I asked Steven,

Tired Of Scams And Pyramid Schemes?

Your Work From Home Opportunity!

Herbalife Review

I was a little disappointed that the FTC failed to call Herbalife a pyramid scheme.

You know TQ… “this is the question that I had to deal with, almost, every time meeting with prospective recruits.”

The matter was worse when the FTC announced their investigation into Herbalife mlm business practice in 2014… the negative news spreading like fire… it helped to end my Herbalife distributor business.

So, basically, you are saying, you couldn’t recruit anyone after the FTC announced their investigation into Herbalife?

YES! That’s a fair way to say, Steven answered.

You had been a distributor for a longtime, right?

Only 3 plus years… But why are you interested in Herbalife?

I explain to Steven about, Coffee Talk and OnlineBzDog, and that I write and share with you topics related to home-based businesses and make money online opportunities, and

a lot of readers have expressed an interest in the Herbalife business opportunity, but wondering is Herbalife a pyramid scheme?

Steven, why did you say the FTC investigation “helped ended your Herbalife distribution”?

It woke me up! I was living in denial. Everyone around me was telling me, “Herbalife is a pyramid scheme”, But I refused to listen.

The investigation forced me to sit down and reconsider my Herbalife distribution business… “Why I am struggling to make money? Was this my fault or Herbalife?

I think it was my fault, not listening to friends and families!

So, you blame yourself?

Steven, It’s not your fault! I have read the FTC complaint against Herbalife, and I can tell you “it’s not your fault!”

Herbalife business practices were designed to mislead the public into believing that they could make a good living distributing Herbalife products.

Even, the FTC said so in their report!

Was the FTC correct not calling Herbalife a pyramid scheme?

That’s what’s troubling me, TQ… Steve replied.

Did you read the FTC settlement?

Yes, I did Steven.

What upset me is that, Steven Continued,

The FTC concluded Herbalife mlm opportunity violated the Federal Laws…

it failed to meet the 70% true retail sales requirement to be a legit mlm operation…

the government even said that, coerced consumption was the main source of Herbalife revenue.

YET! It’s not a pyramid scheme under the law, Steven was shaking his head in disbelief.

What’s most interesting to me, is the term “coerced consumption”, were you forced to purchase products as a Herbal distributor?

Ah… I cannot say “technically” that they did… BUT, Steven continued… the ways they’re doing it… does put pressure on you to buy more and more products.

How? Can you give examples?

Yes, I was constantly harassed by my upline to attend meetings after meetings, with promises that these meetings will help me get rich.

I spent time and money attending them for nothing…

These meetings were designed to promote and sell Herbalife products, with no intention of helping distributors making money.

I guessed that’s why the FTC fined Herbalife $200 million, Steven said.

OK, I see, this is the same as the FTC conclusion, “the business meetings are used as a way to coerce distributors into buying products.”

So, you believe Herbalife is a pyramid scheme?

My belief is not important… the company is still in business… scamming more innocent people.

Why did you say that, Steven? The Pyramid scheme is a popular question, and everyone wants to have a definite answer, YES or NO!

Does it make a difference if I say yes? I don’t think so…

That’s what people have been telling me all along, “Herbalife is pyramid scheme”, but I did not believe them… I still joined!

What I wanted to say is this, the reason I did not make money as a Herbalife distributor, not because of a pyramid scheme, but because I failed to follow the rules of investment.

But, you just told me the business meetings are scams?

I am not talking about following Herbalife business practices… “forcing people to buy products.’

I’m talking about the rules of investment in general, like looking at the financial numbers before investing.

Like millions of other Herbalife distributors, I get too excited with all the marketing hypes and empty promises, when I joined Herbalife.

I never questioned the fundamental value of the business… I did not ask about earnings and incomes… I did not question, why purchasing so much inventory… I never asked, I just went along.

I wasted a lot of times and money investing in Herbalife!

Steven and I have a long discussion about the process of becoming a Herbalife distributor, what is Herbalife? and Herbalife products…

I’ll share this part of the discussion the next time we meet, talking about “How to become a Herbalife distributor?”

Here’s what I want to tell you, Herbalife is a billion-dollar multilevel marketing (mlm) company, selling health and wellness supplement products.

The company has been accused of operating a pyramid scheme through its distribution business opportunity.

Steven was correct… the simple answer to “Is Herbalife a pyramid scheme?” should not be the primary conclusion to invest with Herbalife!

Yes, we want to know the truth, but the truth also includes financial information.

Next time we meet, I’ll continue our discussion with Steven on Herbalife Distributor Opportunity… including Herbalife compensations, earnings, and profits.

Before we go, I want to ask you this question,

Is the FTC correct not concluding Herbalife a pyramid scheme?

How do you feel about this decision?