| Comment Number: | 522418-07457 |
| Received: | 7/10/2006 9:48:11 PM |
| Organization: | Xango |
| Commenter: | Bernadette Knox |
| State: | CA |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| Attachment: | 522418-07457.pdf Download Adobe Reader |
Comments:
July 10, 2006 Dear FTC Members: I have a day job. I work in a store. Most of the customers are pleasant and well-mannered, but we don’t talk about them very much. The ones that bring out the talk are the ones who say horrible things, blame the employees for things they do themselves, cut in line, write bad checks, and so on. In the same way, I’m thinking you hear from those whose experiences with MLM has been ugly, way more than you hear from those whose experience is uplifting and life-affirming. That’s why I’m writing to you. I do so appreciate you being there to protect me and others like me, and I’m fully in favor of good and reasonable regulations. I figure you probably don’t hear nearly as many stories like mine, as you do stories of people whose experiences have been less-than-pleasant, because in every walk of life, it tends to be the unhappy stories that people talk about. No problem? No story. That’s bound to affect the way you see the situation, so that you over-regulate unnecessarily. I think that’s what’s about to happen with “Business Opportunity Rule 511993,” unless it’s greatly revised. I leave it to others to recount what-all isn’t good about it. I’m just here to tell you my story. I was thinking of starting my own business when I met someone who introduced me to a network market. I knew it was a real, income-producing vehicle, because I examined her business reports. Like I said, I wanted to start my own business, but I’m not the sort of person who finds that easy. Not even close. I’m reclusive by nature, I’m not detail-oriented, and I didn’t have any potential partners. Forget about it! You can’t do business that way. No matter what you are able to produce, you have to market it, or you’ve got no business. Not ever. Believe me, I know this. In the 4 years I have been participating in 2 network markets, I have worked every day to learn the sales craft. Sales requires a lot of record-keeping, as well as a lot of reaching out. I still struggle with both of those, but I’ve come a long, long way. I’m working on a business plan now. None of those advancements would have been possible without the ready-made, low-overhead businesses that network marketing provides. They gave me a framework to study the craft, that I wouldn’t have had, otherwise. You could say I could have done it anyway, but I wouldn’t have. I might have attempted a business from scratch without the skills. If I had, I’d be destitute and unbearably depressed today, because I would absolutely have failed and ended up in enormous debt with no hope of recovery. I probably haven’t been able to fully explain what I mean by the following statement, but it is no exaggeration to say that network marketing has saved my life. That’s all I have to say. Thank you so much for your attention. I do hope you’ll re-consider, so that others who come after me will have the same chance to grow and develop that I’ve had. I don’t want to sound maudlin, but it really is true that network marketing has saved my life. Really. Respectfully and Sincerely, Bernadette Knox