Would You Be Interested in Making a Few Bucks?

In early August of this year, I received a phone call from a fellow who lives in my town. I've known this guy and two of his kids for about five years now through Little League. I coached his sons (along with my own) for three of those years. And this year, my son played again on the same team as one of them. The father who called me is a cordial person, and I've always gotten along with him just fine. We'd chat at games, pass by each other in town with a wave.

He called me because he and his wife wanted to get together with my wife and I and talk about a business opportunity. Having been involved with the King Daddy of multi-level marketing businesses - Amway - back in the early 90s, I immediately recognized the modus operandus of this phone call. I talked with him about it for a while and told him of my experiences.

As I like this guy, I said we'd get together. But it would have to be later in the month as we were going away for a couple weeks. He agreed to get back to me.

End of August I received another call from him. I told him to give me a call in a week and we'd set up the meeting around Labor Day. He said that would be good.

Prior to his next call, I started thinking about this situation. I was only willing to meet with him and his wife because of goodwill. I had no intentions of getting back into multi-level marketing. There are a lot of people who consider it a scam, and I can see how they'd come to that conclusion. Our experience in Amway, while not unpleasant, was not particularly beneficial. And it definitely wasn't prosperous for us in those two years.

Then the thought came to me that this guy had never once called me in the five years I'd known him to establish any sort of a relationship outside baseball. And it was this thought that led me to tell him when he called again that we would not be getting involved with what he was trying to sell. I couched it in very certain terms, so he would understand that my will was firm on this.

I know this is how network marketing works. Over the years, though, I've developed a rather dim view of the whole process. Maybe it makes me a loser in their eyes. That's usually the implied status when one doesn't eagerly glom onto their system. But at least I don't have to try to fit my round body into their square hole and become something I'm not in order to succeed.

I can fail on my own without their help.