The truth is, MLMs aren’t inherently odd. They’re just businesses like any other, with their own unique model. But here’s why many people find them challenging or off-putting: most folks who join MLMs have never had any real exposure to the world of business or its inevitable challenges.
Think about it—running any business requires skills: sales, marketing, handling rejection, managing time and money. For someone stepping into business for the first time, these things aren’t just hard—they’re foreign. Most of us grew up in a system that taught us how to be employees, not entrepreneurs. So, when people join an MLM without those tools, they can feel blindsided.
And here’s the kicker: the struggles they face in MLMs aren’t unique to MLMs. They’re the same struggles every entrepreneur faces. Low sales? That happens in every industry. Difficulty building a team? Welcome to leadership. Fear of rejection? It’s part of the growth process.
But here’s where MLMs differ: the entry point is lower. It’s an easier “yes” than starting your own business from scratch. But because the barrier to entry is low, so is the preparation most people bring with them. They jump in without understanding that business success—any business—requires discipline, consistency, and an appetite for solving problems.
Here’s the good news: MLMs can teach you a lot, fast. If you treat it like a real business, you’ll develop the same skills you’d need to succeed in any venture: persistence, communication, leadership, and grit. But if you treat it like a shortcut or just dabble, you’ll get dabbling results.
Jim Rohn said it best: “Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.” The challenges of MLMs—and of business in general—aren’t there to stop you. They’re there to shape you. And as Alex Hormozi might add, success is simple, but it’s not easy. It’s about putting in the reps.
At the end of the day, most people struggle in MLMs not because they’re “bad” or “weird,” but because they enter unprepared. The same thing would happen if you handed someone a gym membership and they expected abs in a week. Success—whether in MLMs or any other business—comes from the work you put in.