| Comment Number: | 522418-07751 |
| Received: | 7/11/2006 4:33:13 PM |
| Organization: | Quixtar affiliated IBO |
| Commenter: | Benjamin Lawson |
| State: | IL |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
I would like to start by saying that I have been an Independent Business Owner (IBO) for eight years. I first registered in 1998 as an Amway IBO, and then transferred my IBOship to Quixtar in 1999, and have been since. The benefits I have received from my association with this business and the other IBO's I personally work with goes well beyond the income that I have earned. I have learned about moral and ethical business practices, I have received free mentoring, and I have seen what "compassionate capitalism" really is. We help other people reach their dreams and goals, not tear them down and ridicule them. I am building my Quixtar business to create a solid financial future for myself and my family because retirement plans are no longer solid investments. While building this business, I use multiple tools to inform my prospects about Quixtar and the business opportunity I have just shared with them. I provide CD's with testimony from other IBO's, I provide forms that have different explanations about terms associated with this business, and I provide a list of websites with more facts and figures; some associated with Quixtar, and others that are third party. I always do my best to explain to every prospect that this is not a "get rich quick" plan. I explain that it will take a lot of effort to build a business that would provide a substantial income. And the factor of how long it will take to do this is dependent on how much effort they put in. I make sure they know that success of this business depends on their effort, with help from a team of other IBO's. Also, I clearly state in every presentation that the cost to get registered is approximately $250. I explain this is paid directly to Quixtar, not to myself, and that in return for the $250, they will receive their IBO number and a number of products that they can choose to keep for themselves, or try and sell. It's their choice. If an IBO then chooses not to participate, and wants a refund, they can receive their full start-up cost back. This just recently happened with an IBO I know. His prospect registered, and the next day, the prospect decided not to go ahead with the business. He contacted the Quixtar corporation, and received a full refund, no questions asked. This is all explained during my presentation to prospects. Everything has a 100% money back gaurantee for 180 days, even if a product is partially used. All of this, again, is explained during the presentation. In regards to the proposed rule, there are a few areas I would like to spicifically address. First, the list of references of at least 10 local IBO's. This rule would do nothing but hurt the IBO. First of all, the prospect could potentially register with a different IBO than the original IBO that made the contact if s/he was persuaded to by and IBO that doesn't necessarily practice ethical business. Also, not all IBO's follow the same system of building this type of business. Therefore, the prospect could receive information that is in contrast to how the contacting IBO works, thus leading to the prospect to lose interest. In my line of sponsorship, we make it a practice to introduce prospects to other IBO's that follow the same system as us so they can get multiple opinions based on the way I grow my business. The other area I would like to briefly address is the idea of required financial substantiation. First, I believe it is an invasion of my financial privacy if I'm required to show what I earn with my business. It's the same as asking someone how much they earn at their jojb. Next, it doens't really matter how much I earn, because if the prospect puts in more effort and time than me, they could earn more than me. If a prospect insists on knowing what I earn, I give them an approximate monthly amount, and explain that that income is from a business that looks like the one I have built. Use these thoughts to create a fair rule that will not hurt our businesses.