How DEMOCRACY can Return  to this Special Home Business Model

Our economic problems have never seemed to lack so many basic solutions over long term. We feel helpless in controlling and directing our economic futures that get more bruised and battered daily. More than ever we need to be in control of our personal income because big businesses can’t be trusted to give us a job for life.

However, rather than look at the glass as being half full with less jobs, outsourcing, credit debts, stock/mortgage meltdowns, impoverished retirement plans…let’s look at the other half full of possibilities to profit from our growing Information Economy. Let’s take a much closer look at one of the fastest growing trends in home business and building a personal economy. Let’s especially find out HOW we can bring DEMOCRACY back to a home business built on grassroots capitalism so every person who wants to can “cast a vote” to earn extra income with a home business. We’ll examine WHY systemization is the way of the future and how it offers a democratic platform for everyone to participate.

First, given choices in a democratic society, most people are well qualified to make a profitable home business work if they could. Don’t you agree that most of us:

…are positive and motivated to reach more income goals

…may be tired of working to making other people rich

…would like to spend more time with family and friends

…can learn how-to put in less effort for more returns

…are interested in how others achieve true success and are ready to change

The $64,000 question is what kind of home business can cater to the masses that can level an equal playing field one for all and all for one?

There is such a home business based on a network marketing model, but in my opinion it has lost serious groundwork in its basic principles and needs to return to its roots. It has become more of an institution with hierarchies. The good news is a few simple steps can reinforce the main groundwork of this business as the last free enterprise system where it doesn’t matter your age, sex, race, religion, background, education, resources, or contacts in order to achieve success.

This essay takes a look at how to bring real democratic opportunity back to the masses.

It offers the rationale to do so and a plan for an equitable program that everyone can do.

Your qualifications are found in the previous paragraph and these should never be limited to a handful of elite marketers with unlimited resources or privileged associations.  It is not about rising to the status of leadership in order to be rewarded. This is different from a political arena where a leader is elected and compensated accordingly. This is my life, your life, and we’re happy being “grassroots”, the salt of the earth. But, equally, we also deserve the democratic right to have a successful home business if we so choose.

Let’s briefly review some Basic Definitions and relate them to this topic:

Democracy is defined as government by the people for the people with an absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions. There are two principles held as rights:

---all members of a society have equal access to power (in this case home business profits)

---all members enjoy universally recognized freedoms and liberties (in this case equal home business opportunities)

Capitalism is an economic system where goods are owned, operated and traded by private individuals, businesses, corporations for the purpose of profit where the productive enterprises are protected by rule of law.

Grassroots Capitalism can be described as ordinary people supporting each other’s marketing systems and cash flow. People, like you and I, can use cost-effective, simple systems to market exceptional products or services to meet our own needs and create our own profit margins. This opportunity can prosper in the Information Economy because information tools through technology do most of the work.

The Network Marketing Home Business Model is considered one of the last bastions of free enterprise or grassroots capitalism. You can plug into a large successful company with top management; use their products, manufacturing, accounting, distribution, shipping, and marketing strategies. Your independent “contract” with the company is to help advertise or promote their products. In return the company pays a handsome commission through multiple levels of referrals. Most companies in fact pay back over 50% of their sales to their marketing teams. You are eligible to receive commissions from purchases made by your direct and indirect referrals.

The low cost to run this kind of business makes it a democratic option. To qualify for commissions your purchases may vary but can start as low as $40 for monthly consumption of outstanding products. It’s a perfect win-win situation.

Democratically, who can not afford $40 to maintain a home business, especially if marketing costs are also greatly reduced?

This sounds basic enough, and using this model a few people have build 5 and 6 digit incomes for life.

But it’s not basic enough. If it is truly democratic, then more people based on work ethic and beliefs should also achieve this kind of success. Why doesn’t it happen for them?

The main problem, of course, grows from the fact, that most start-up home business entrepreneurs do not market correctly.  Distribution of product is handled by the company, but as independent distributors (associates) you need to be able to market successfully. In fact, your profits are directly proportional to your marketing success. This can be expensive, frustrating and when the “dream profits” are fleeting, most people drop out of the business and blame the industry. 

Let me give you an example. I can share my experience as one of the “independents” in the “great masses” that believed totally, tried unconditionally, but failed to earn more than I spent.  Sure, I managed to build a team but the effort was huge and totally unrealistic to expect my team members to duplicate my full-time efforts. And I certainly did not want to spend the rest of my life chasing endless prospects trying to explain the benefits and replace lost customers. Something better had to be designed such as a marketing system where 90% of people succeed with average effort, not fail. The good news is the change is simple based on the main principles of duplication and multiple levels found only in this business model.

But the harder I worked as a leader for our team leader, the more impossible it became for anyone else to follow and duplicate what I was doing. The more I discussed company, products, team, compensation, benefits, the longer the list of prospects grew, along with more objections.

Complexity beyond 3 facts leads to uncertainty and procrastination.

I played every inning in this game…took every swing…and from a democratic point of view, these strategies didn’t work long-term:

….trade show promotion…new products are the most difficult to educate about

…high spending on corporate marketing CD’s, DVD’s with leaders’ testimonials

…high spending on advertisements in newspapers, magazines, etc

…mailing costs to send out CD’s and samples

…following up by phone to make appointments with prospects and team leaders

…sending direct mail offers to your prospect list on top of email and phone follow up.

…writing articles to market website thinking virally

…writing informational e-books with updated research

…setting up social network sites in order to brand links and logos,

…listening to endless seminars about networking and finding that “golden mind-set”.

…maintaining daily checklists, weekly “exposures” or monthly promotions

And then, one day looking over the “debris” and mountains of paper, came a single illumination…one real key that everyone could use over and over again…like casting a democratic vote. Perhaps it was overlooked as too obvious a factor…like seeing a car as a “model of a car” without seeing the various parts that make it function. What was presented through all of this advertising were features and benefits to differentiate one car from another but the common engine that runs them all was taken for granted or not explained.

Everybody was showered with information about excusive products, company, teamwork but very few people were shown the nuts and bolts that made this business model truly unique, professional and powerful.

It is about the most important business word called LEVERAGE or using information tools to expand your time and knowledge without physically being there.

It is about residual income (versus linear income) where you work once and get paid multiple times through multiple levels.

It is about inbuilt training programs that explain the industry model, the company

and marketing strategies so that you don’t need to chase or teach anyone.

It is about time flexibility...work part-time or full-time.

It is about information technology that opens the world for markets and customers.

It is about duplicating a simple marketing plan that everyone who can read and share…

 I CAN DO IT….a phone number, a website and an overview summary.

It is about investing in your self-sufficiency and developing a personal mindset that you and your family deserve better.

It is about community support and an equal opportunity for everyone to share valuable information and get fair “redistribution of wealth.”

It is about education and self-empowerment and partnerships, not salesmanship.

In closing, these business principles are open and available to everyone. You can join companies with monthly purchases of $40 that qualify you for commissions. There are tried and proven marketing programs with free training and systems to reach thousands of prospects for $60 monthly. As a home business owner, you get substantial tax refunds that could cover any monthly expenses. One accountant actually said that you need to be “brain-dead” not to take advantages of a home business.

When our economy struggles, home business ownership always seems to rise. But let’s make successful home businesses low-cost, time-effective, comprehensive, supportive, simple to follow and truly democratic for everyone.