| Comment Number: | 522418-10535 |
| Received: | 7/16/2006 4:57:56 PM |
| Organization: | Quixtar |
| Commenter: | Jill Matticola |
| State: | OH |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
My husband and I have been IBOs since the launch of Quixtar. We are now in our last month of Platinum qualification and will start Q-12 qualification in September. Because of our structure, we will reach the Emerald level within 18 months. We are teachers, and this business is a spare-time venture that fits our lifestyle perfectly. We have always had a well-structured business where our monthly income matched or exceeded what is shown in the marketing plan. Everything we have been taught has proved to be true. The benefits are enormous in addition to the income: the positive atmosphere, the personal growth through mentoring, the joy of leading a team, and the fun we have as a team. When we registered, we had more than enough information to make an informed decision. We had print and online material and we met the team-- over 100 people who were willing to help us. We do everything to ensure that the IBOs we register have that same access to information. We tell them that this is NOT get-rich-quick, that work is required, and that their success is based on their own efforts with help from their mentors. Our prospects register with the Bundle of Energy online for $174, and they can get a refund if they want. (A few have) I see NO benefit to our prospects having to wait 7 days to register. They have plenty of time from the moment they first see the business idea, to when they come to the open meeting to see the whole marketing plan and meet the team, to when they go to a follow-up session and register. An imposed waiting period would slow down our business and decrease our profitability. I see no value to providing references for an IBO to contact (and it's an invasion of privacy!). The prospect isn't registering with those strangers, so why should s/he base her/his financial future on them? That is illogical. Prospects have ample opportunity to interact with 100 or more IBOs of all ages and backgrounds at our open meeting IN PERSON and they can get their questions answered there. A litigation list would also be an unnecessary, unfair and negative requirement. My business should not be impacted by bad business practices in OTHER LINES OF SPONSORSHIP!! Anyone can sue for anything these days, and I shudder to think that a person's financial future could be destroyed over some lawsuit that might even be without merit! I think it is sufficient that one can check with the BBB. When it comes to income disclosures, we give the SA4400 and Average Monthly Income disclosure to every prospect. We train them from day one that their income depends on how their personal business is structured. We share our personal income amounts with prospects if they want to know, even providing copies of our checks, and they see our lifestyle with their own eyes. My husband and I build our business with integrity and accountability, as everyone is taught to do on the Winters Team. It seems to me that the proposed FTC requirements are an attempt to MAKE people honest and ethical. No legislation or regulation will ever do that. There will always be greedy, dishonest and unethical people in business. We are all in favor of eradicating scams and illegal schemes from the marketplace. I believe that there are positive ways of doing that, by educating prospects about what to look for in a good, profitable business system such as ours. Please don't penalize and burden those of us who base our businesses on honest, ethical business practices. It is my opinion that prospects in our business have a sufficient amount of information to make a business decision without these proposed regulations. Our Quixtar business, and more importantly, our association with the Winters Team within Quixtar, is the best thing that has ever happened in our lives. It hurts me to think that even one prospective IBO might be discouraged from building this business because of new regulations. Sincerely, Jill Matticola