1. This topic could really be developed further. It is true that using the NSD hubby’s to influence new targets was a thing. Their testimony added greater legitimacy to the “opportunity” and also quieted the doubts of the husbands that went to Seminar, as they were usually sequestered away to be brain washed.

   In our area, one of the NSD hubby’s was quoted as saying, (to the others) “Just load her trunk and stay out of her way cause she’ll make alot of money for ya.”

   Very subtle admonition to not be too nose-y about her business dealings, providing cover for her to over order needed production.

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2. ↑↑↑

   This MKult husband is NOT in on the lies.

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3. “I have never run across a business opportunity such as this” … And you NEVER WILL!

   Not Mary Kay, not LulaRoe, not anything.

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4. “This inventory is a necessary investment in building a profitable business. If a sufficient amount of inventory isn’t purchased it is like a golfer who has a set of irons but no woods.”

   If TOO MUCH inventory is purchased, it’s like concrete overshoes on your finances. If TOO LITTLE inventory is on hand, or too little of the right stuff, you lose sales and waste money special ordering. Every company I ever worked for was extremely vigilant about keeping the inventory as low as possible without running out of critical things.

   However, that’s a problem with a solution. And formulas. And people with PhDs in business figuring it out.

   https://opexsociety.org/body-of-knowledge/5-keys-to-establishing-and-maintaining-optimal-target-inventory-levels-for-each-item-in-each-location/

   https://www.lokad.com/calculate-safety-stocks-with-sales-forecasting

   http://www.nbds.com/articles/Optimum-Inventory-levels.html

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5. Are we sure this was written by a husband, and not ghost-written by the NSD or her office assistant?

   The ignorance behind those claims is just appalling.

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   • Oh, I’m sure it was written by the NSD.

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     • “Oh, I’m sure it was written by the NSD.”

       LOL. Like the letter supposedly written by a consultant to her upline, saying she deeply regretted quitting Mary Kay, she had made a huge mistake, let this be a warning to others so they don’t make the same mistake, blah blah blah.

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6. “MK has 10% of the skin care market. Therefore, thoughts of saturation are unfounded” Riiiiight. That’d be funny if it wasn’t so destructive.
   So, 10% of the market divided by how many consultants?? And more are recruited every day. That’s a tiny piece of the pie for those consultants.

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7. Mary Kay, Inc. has 10% of the skin care market

   really? show me the market research, the report, the proof. Oh wait, like those Schedule Cs that have never been produced and the nonsense about more women earning 100k/year in MK than anywhere else.

   Made up.

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8. Sheesh, show me on the doll where MK hurt you. The writers of these articles, especially this “What to expect for new Mary Kay consultants” letter, all sound salty as hell about the company. I’ve been a successful consultant (now director) for about 2 years and yes, I’m one of the lucky ones who have a lucrative clientele that consists of family, friends and strong community ties that buy from me regularly as well as a few friend of friends who I was able to recruit and make up my amazing team. But I tell you, it makes great money for my new husband and I. If you know how to market the products and have people who are willing to buy it, then it makes you a good living. I understand this is a luck of the draw thing, but stop making it out to be some evil pyramid scheme. If you’re unsuccessful at it, you’re not trying hard enough. Stop trying to discourage other excited consultants, just because it didn’t work out for you.

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   • Sadly, it’s not about knowing how to market or any of the normal things you do with a business, because it’s not a real business. It’s a pyramid scheme, plain and simple, and nearly everyone loses money because it’s a pyramid scheme. It sounds great to say that 99% of people in MLM lose money because they’re not trying hard enough, but the facts don’t support that.

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   • Sheesh, show me on the doll your Schedule C.

     None of us are buying your story, klange48, without proof.

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   • What car are you driving? If you’re not in a Cadillac (as I was, so obviously I tried “hard enough”), you’re grossing less than $48K/year. There’s lots of careers out here paying better than the coveted top 2% of MK.

     And those $70 sheet masks aren’t going to back your “lucrative” adjective to describe sales.

     But, I’m begging you don’t really track your expenses, nor do you really know what your net profit was last year. Or, are you like MANY I’ve heard at Leadership say they don’t report their taxes?

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     • Oh i don’t HAVE to file a schedule C with our tax return ?

   • It’s pathetic you used an analogy of a molested child pointing out on a doll where he was to describe anyone’s time in MK. No matter what you say now, I’m not going to take you sriously or value what you say. Just awful.

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   • “I understand this is a luck of the draw thing.”

     You mean like the lottery? Or going to Los Vegas? You might be better off if you tried those instead of a product-based pyramid scheme…

     http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/shocking-statistics-mlm-vs-classic-pyramid-schemes-gambling/

     Yes, please post your Schedule C. You won’t.

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   • “it makes great money for my new husband and I.”

     Please send your Schedule C for the Maty Kay years to Tracy (pinktruth@gmail.com) to confirm this statement. She’s the site owner and an accountant.

     Because often people confuse “high cash flow” for “great income”.

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   • I agree, I am a new consultant as of December. My sales director and team are very supportive and I am not making a buttload of money, but I am doing fine and know if I apply myself and time just a bit more, I will be even more successful. I am a teacher and will have even more time to commit this summer! I am still excited and motivated about Mary Kay and I have two new friends on this team who have only been doing it for about six months and are already making a decent profit and succeeding! The market is not saturated!

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     • Sigh. Another teacher who got sucked in with the idea of making money over summer. How do you know your friends are profiting? Have they shared all of their income and expenses with you?

       99% of people lose money in MLM, so your friends are likely losing money, but they told you they’re making money because they wanted you to sign up as a consultant. Do you think they’d tell you if they were losing money? Of course not! You wouldn’t sign up then!

       So you’ve been a consultant for 2 months. You’ve sold to the friends and family who are willing to make pity purchases. Who do you sell to next? Where do you get new customers? It gets really hard really fast.

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       • I have already had parties with new people I don’t know and booked parties off of those parties, all new people to me, looking forward to this summer….I am not looking to “get rich” or even earn the car, I am looking for a little extra money each month and the time I put in is fun, not grudging work.

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         • 1) If you are going to give it a go, please be sure to keep a spread sheet with ALL of your sales and expenses. ALL of your expenses – gas, phone bill, car maintenance, samples, packaging, labels, tags, tissue, cellophane, shrink wrap, coffee, lunches, taxes… EVERYTHING.

           2) Keep track of ALL the hours you work – not just 2 hours at a party. Time you spent calling and recalling the hostess and the guests, preparing for the party, driving to the party, setting up at the party, cleaning up after the party, driving home from the party. All the time spent unpacking the MK orders, labeling everything

           At the end of the month, divide number 1 (if it is more than $0) by number 2 – that’s how much you earn per hour.

           Come back and let us know how it’s going.

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           • Well, summer is almost over, I suspect Siobhan will along soon to let us know how much extra money she made this summer. Hopefully she’ll provide the figures for actual net profits and the time she spent. It will be very interesting to see how her hourly wage compares to those of a Wal-Mart cashier vs. a summer school teacher, or vs. just staying home enjoying time with her family.

             She won’t. They never do.

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             • I emailed her and asked. 🙂

               • She responded and says she’s netted $275 per month.

                 • Wow, she could work 4 hours/week at Hobby Lobby and make that. How much time does she spend on MK for that tiny amount?

                 • $68.75 a week. You think she worked more than 10 hours per week?

                   Do the math…

                   • Also keep in mind that she is new, and probably still benefiting off of pity purchases.

                 • $275? She could have made that much in 10 hours of tutoring, with zero travel and expenses.

         • How did you book parties with people you didn’t know?

         • That’s great. You’ll find it’s hard to consistently continue to find new people.

9. “a lucrative clientele that consists of family, friends and strong community ties.”

   Personally, I would never want a business built on selling to my family and friends. They are, after all, my family and friends.

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   • You profit off your family and friends, eww. Sorry, but that’s not being a very good friend or relative.

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10. A local NSD and her husband often promoted the fake pink story. He also sold motivational tapes etc which I’m sure they both profited from. How many women were conned into joining this mlm by the misleading words of these two. Since she joined MK in the early eighties, the market for her area was wide open. Still it took her a while to make it. I can’t imagine any consultants or directors making executive income anymore. Especially when the market is now saturated and when the pieces of the pie gets continuously smaller. (For quite some time now, word is out that this is an mlm and there have been hundreds of women who have been hurt financially and otherwise for decades now.)

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    • I would venture to say tens of thousands of women have been hurt, not hundreds.

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      • And to think, that number is for just the last MONTH OR TWO!

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11. klange48…. still waiting on that dreaded Schedule C.. ..the one that itemizes every single expense against your sales, commissions, etc…. and shows us the bottom line.

    Seriously, I wish I would have paid more attention to that bottom line when I was in. Just like MK always says… Numbers don’t lie…. so let yours speak the truth and prove it… otherwise you’re just a bunch of hot air spewing.

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12. Well I had my husband fooled. He believed in me, but was skeptical of Mary Kay. And rightfully so. He saw the flow of money and mistook it for income. Sadly it wasn’t income at all. After ten long years of “profiting” off my friends and family, and making fake friends out of strangers for the sole purpose of a pink car, I finally looked at my schedule C. The numbers don’t lie and I had lost $20,000. And Mark Kay lost me. But we’re all easily replaced in pyramid schemes…

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13. I am totally in disbelief and sadness to read all these postings about MK Cosmetics being a Pyramid and how untruthful the leaders, directors & NSDs are in motivating & teaching
    Women about what a MK Business is about with lies. I am really stunned to read how subtle these leaders are with their teams & units “layering
    & layering how wonderful it is to have your own MK business…. I am very sad over this awareness and disappointed over the word “manipulation” being used to keep a Consultant ORDERING AND MAKING HER FEEL OBLIGATED TO GET INTO THE NEXT PROMOTION etc…..

    Wish I could wish this ALL AWAY.

    I still want to continue teaching women about skin care. They all change with a simple facial! I love seeing a woman learn about the importance of a terrific skin care routine and with great products.

    I have to really think deeply about what I’ve read and let my Lord Jesus Christ give me understanding. HE’S THE ONE I FOLLOW AND BELIEVE.

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    • MK consultants don’t do real facials. They’re not allowed to touch the customers. It’s just self-applied squirts and mostly bad makeup advice from women who have zero real cosmetology training.

      A real facial is something that a licensed beautician does to you. The recipient relaxes in a chair while the beautician does all the work.

      And please stop telling me how they’re great products. If you still believe that it’s because you’re surrounded by a MK fog. Anytime you’re told that itching and burning means the products are deep cleansing your skin… that’s just dangerous. Most women already know better.

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    • “Wish I could wish this ALL AWAY.”

      What do you want to “wish away”?

      Mary Kay and all MLMs?

      Or Pink Truth?

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    • The same ones quoting Jesus are the same filling up garages and storage units with inventory they bought to finish a goal. They’re the same ones strutting around with an ego, are vain and want everyone to see their bodies, and say they don’t watch TV (but then have one in their kitchen {Hello, Pam Shaw!}).

      Yes, please do pray to God, Jesus, and anyone in the universe that’ll listen that these people will be stopped. They preyed on my naive mind, and they took over a DECADE from me.

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14. Mary Kay isn’t a business for the consultants.

    http://www.pinktruth.com/2018/01/23/mary-kay-not-a-business/

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15. “I have to really think deeply about what I’ve read and let my Lord Jesus Christ give me understanding. HE’S THE ONE I FOLLOW AND BELIEVE.”

    Seriously, how about we start with The Ten Commandments. Everything about Multi-level marketing would make Jesus roll over if he was in a grave, not to mention that MLM-ing is the opposite of altruism.

    You shall have no other Gods but me. – NO WORSHIPPING MARY KAY ASH AS IF SHE WERE SOME KIND OF GODLY CREATURE.

    You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it. – THIS INCLUDES ALL UPLINE – and THEIR FLAUNTING OF JEWELS AND FANCY CARS.

    You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. – NONE OF….DEAR GOD, PLEASE MAKE ME RICH AND SUCCESSFUL IN MK PRAYER MEETINGS.

    You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy. – NO PYRAMID RECRUITING ON SUNDAYS. LOL

    Respect your father and mother. – DON’T RIP THEM OFF ASKING THEM TO PAY DOUBLE RETAIL.

    You must not commit murder. – NOR DRIVE SOMEONE TO SUICIDE BY BANKRUPTING THEM.

    You must not commit adultery. – SOMETIMES EMOTIONAL ADULTERY WITH GIRLFRIENDS IS JUST AS DAMAGING.

    You must not steal. – $10 PRODUCT LISTED AT $100 @50% OFF IS STEALING $40

    You must not give false evidence against your neighbour. – IT’S WHAT THEY DONT SAY!

    You must not be envious of your neighbour’s goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour. – I WANT THAT PINK CADILLAC JUST LIKE HERS. BIG NO NO.

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16. I own and built from the ground up a chain of highly profitable fitness centers, and while we arent classic retail, I know a thing or two about running and growing a company, and I can tell you that no matter what they say, you simply can’t make any real money with the pathetic margins available in mary kay. The mark up is no where near large enough, they pay for shipping and pre pay sales tax, and every sales training document I’ve seen emphasizes discounts and free products. you can not make money beyond perhaps a few dollars a month of “pin” money selling this stuff, its just not possible.

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    • Hi Eric,

      How do you feel about the margins in drug dealing?

      Okay, I only posted that to make a point. Apologies Eric. I appreciate the post and it would be absolutely relevant to a real business. Thing is, MK is an MLM-ing scam so comparing it to one is pointless.

      Now, if you want to talk about asking each of your fitness member customers to also be a club owner, pay wholesale, and open up a club right next door, who also asks their customers to pay wholesale and open up another one right next door, to infinity, we have a conversation.

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