Sharing My Network Marketing Journey: The Pros, the Cons, and Everything in Between | Episode 95

Sharing My Network Marketing Journey: The Pros, the Cons, and Everything in Between

In this episode of The #PrettyAwkward Entrepreneur Podcast, I’m getting vulnerable. I am sharing all about my experience with network marketing. Before I started my own brand, I was a Beachbody coach. I want to share what I learned from that experience and why I left. NOT here to rip it to shreds or to bash network marketing in general but just want to share the truth of my experience. I know that everyone’s experience with network marketing is different, and probably a lot of people will disagree with this. But I hope that hearing my experience with it will help someone considering network marketing or in network marketing now. 

But before we dive in, let me introduce myself. My name is Megan Yelaney, and I have built two six-figure businesses and one multi-six-figure business by fully embracing my authentic self and not trying to hide the quirks that make me, ME. 

So if you’re a female entrepreneur looking to learn, grow your business strategies and mindset, and scale your biz to multiple six figures while having fun doing it…you’re in the right place, girl! Because I made this podcast exactly for YOU! 

And today I’m talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly of my network marketing experience. For all the details, listen to the entire episode on your favorite streaming platform!

 

 

Pros and cons of Beachbody products.

I’ll focus on the pros and cons of Beachbody products before I branch out and talk about the pros and cons of the marketing side of it. First, I really do enjoy Beachbody workouts. They’re short, efficient, and convenient. I like the trainers too. I still do the workouts today. But a major con of the workouts is that they’re pretty much always marketed as limited time programs, like 20 days, 60 days, 90 days. It feels to me like I’m always starting and stopping them. There’s not really an option for a more consistent type of workout.

I also like Shakeology, the nutritional piece of Beachbody. I enjoy the taste of the drinks, and I feel good when I drink them. However, I never use them as a meal replacement, which is how they’re marketed. I use them more as a supplement. I found that when I tried using them to replace meals, I was ravenous. And I also craved some solid food. So I’ve found that using them as a supplement works for me. A con of the nutritional side of Beachbody is the impact on mental health. It’s really hard to keep saying no to food all the time. I found that I was consumed with food and my body while I was a Beachbody coach. It wasn’t good for me. It’s just not a very sustainable way of living. 

Another con of the entire Beachbody program is that I found myself weight cycling. I would lose and gain the same ten pounds over and over again. And I found that a lot of my clients did too. I found that sustainable change with the program wasn’t impossible but was unlikely for most people.

Pros and cons of the network marketing business model.

Something that’s simultaneously a pro and a con is that anyone can do it. It’s relatively easy to get into, and the things you need to do are pretty simple. But the danger is when you start believing that everyone will be successful with it. The truth is that very few people are. It does take a lot of work to make good money in it. There’s also a danger when people start falsely advertising themselves as fitness coaches or nutritionists. I had a lot of people ask me for exercise and nutrition advice, and I was always very careful to say that I was not an expert in it. But not everyone does that. People can claim what they want without much oversight, and that can get dangerous.

Another thing that was both a pro and a con for me was the recognition I received in Beachbody. As you work your way up the ranks, you get awards and incentives. You get celebrated for moving up. Plus, I got lots of swag (so many freaking T-shirts!), and I also got to go on some amazing vacations. I loved how it felt as I advanced. But, at the same time, that pressure to compete and succeed got to my head. I became irrationally obsessed with getting to the next level. It felt like I could never stop and celebrate my progress. The focus was immediately on the next goal. It was really exhausting. I realize that this is partly my mindset, but it’s also the way that network marketing works in general. So much emphasis is placed on these incentives, and it’s not healthy.

 

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What I learned from my experience.

I learned some good things to do in business from my network marketing experience, but I also learned what NOT to do. We had to cold message people in Beachbody, and I HATED it. It felt so fake and forced, and no one appreciated it. I was also taught to literally copy what the top coaches were doing. Just take their content and regurgitate it. It was basically stealing, and it felt so inauthentic. I decided I wanted to be true to myself and share my own voice in my own way. I didn’t want to be a carbon copy of the top coaches. If I have success, I want to know it’s because I truly earned it by using my own creativity. 

Now, I know the value of client attraction. You don’t have to go out and beg people to buy from you! Instead, you can create real relationships. You can make them come to you rather than you going to them. While I did some things I regret when I was in network marketing, I’m still grateful for the experience because I learned how important client attraction is to me. It’s become the cornerstone of my brand and what I teach. Without seeing what the opposite was like, I’m not sure I would have become so passionate about it.

Sharing My Network Marketing Journey: The Pros, the Cons, and Everything in Between– The Bottomline

Again, I’m not here to bash network marketing. I’m just here to share my experience. I personally learned a lot from it, and I think you can see real success with it if you go about it in the right way. But I also want to encourage you that if you are in network marketing and you feel exhausted by it, there are more options for you. I encourage you to educate yourself and learn more about client attraction. I was afraid to leave, but when I did, I realized there was a whole other world waiting for me. There is for you too!

To hear my whole story, be sure to listen to all of episode 95.

And as always, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay #PrettyAwkward! Take this 2 minute quiz to discover your unique coaching approach!

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