DoTerra & Young Living Review: Should You Join Either?

I was an ex-MLM rep based in Australia and I am speaking out. Some people warn you about companies such as DoTerra and Young Living, claiming it’s a scam.

Truth be told, both are good companies. They’ve been shining for years.

Yet these are the cold, hard facts about this industry. It’s tough, very tough, just like any type of offline or online business and I’ll reveal why.

DoTerra and Young Living

If you enjoy essential oils, you most likely heard of both DoTerra and Young Living companies with a presence in Australia. They are both known for their variety of essential oils but also for their MLM / network marketing system that allows clients to make an income.

While both companies promise to make you part of their successful business plan as a distributor, you might not end up getting the income that you dream to make from home.

Here are 5 reasons why joining DoTerra and Young Living probably might not be a good idea.

The MLM Model

Since pyramid systems are outside the legal boundaries, both DoTerra and Young Living do their best to stay away of this tag. Which is why they call themselves MLM companies.

However, ultimately, the system is the same: you get to be a distributor for them under another member who is also a distributor. You get a small revenue if any at all. This is based on the products that you are selling and the people that you convince to become distributors under your link. Not a pyramid at all, but certainly an MLM.

It’s a lot of work

Research shows that only a very small portion of MLM distributors of these companies make a good part-time income. Consider the hours you will work and put in developing your “network” of clients as a distributor. I mean – you will soon realize that it might not be worth it.

Also, there is a big chance of putting in the effort without getting any income. This risk is based on different factors that you might oversee as a beginner.

For instance, you will need to know a lot of people that might be interested in buying your products. You can find clients through social media and online forums. It still requires a lot of time investment as well as some valuable PR knowledge in order to be successful.

It’s a lot of time

Promoting these essential oils could become your full-time gig, but only after spending lots of time on it. You will indeed work from home most of the time but you will nevertheless work a lot.

For the amount of time that you will put into it, you could get a decent salary at a regular job. So some people don’t see the advantages in this scheme.

It’s subscription-based

On top of the fact that you take the risk to not make any income, you also have to be the one investing money initially in it to begin with. Most people join the scheme as wholesale customers which requires an investment of around 35 $ per year.

This status won’t grant you the ability to actually sell their products though. The next level would be to become a ‘business owner’ with either scheme. Here is where the real scheme falls into place.

You will be asked to purchase a certain kit that will initiate you in this business and offer you some products to sell. This kit comes at a price of anywhere between 150$ and 3000$. Yes, you heard right!

You might need to invest this type of money to get a chance, not necessarily a big one. And after investing such a significant amount of money, you might be one of the 99.5 % who can’t reach an income.

You won’t own the business

Now, you might not find it easy to make an income. Yet both of these companies will make a profit based on your work. Basically, you will be promoting their products all over the place. This sometimes will bring them new clients and brand awareness with zero effort on their side.

You might think that you are doing this for you but ultimately. you do it for them. Remember – they own the business. As the statistics show, you will most likely do all this PR for free on the long run.

When I would say yes

Whilst I’ve written these 5 reasons why you should say no, what about saying yes? Let’s say you *really* wanted to join.

Then I would 100% recommend that you join. Seriously! 🙂 Both companies are actually great! In fact, both are some of the most reputable in the world.

Jump in! Go as a customer (because both have great products) or as a distributor, as this business model still works. It just takes a lot of work. The same goes for any type of business model. You’ll need courage, time, capital, effort and energy.

Alternatives to MLM

Let’s say you decided to pass, but are curious about alternatives. The truth is that eCommerce is knocking out network marketing companies such as these two like the plague. Their growth is becoming stagnant, and the consumer is becoming more informed since it’s not 1994 anymore.

After all, you found me through a Google search, just like you’ll easily find better deals for your essential oils. I’d highly consider building an online business as I have done three times over now.

I have multiple sources of income with the best part being that my customers always win, every single time. My favourite business is my Amazon FBA business in the US which continues to scale faster than I could have ever imaged whilst I reside here on the Gold Coast.

In summary

I quit MLM because the road to success was a lot tougher than many other opportunities, and for this I consider myself a winner actually having cut my losses short. I didn’t want to be the 1 in 1,000 to win if 999 people behind me are losing.

I consider winning when you make a full-time income, after all it’s what we all strive for when building a new business. I have done this multiple times in eCommerce now.

If you still want to give DoTerra or Young Living a chance, then I would say yes! Hopefully your friends and family will still love and support you.

I am looking for winners to work with that actually want to build a real solid business on Amazon. Please get in touch if that’s you.

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