0 Over the last eight months, I have heard from Network Marketing Pros, around the globe asking me about Ocean Avenue, and what it has in common with Max International and Evolv… Well one of the answers, is Ken Dunn! Now don’t get me wrong there are many other similarities… Great founders, solid products, and [...]
3 As promised Kenneth Bell, the claims process is now open for ALL who believe they have a claim against the estate of Rex Venture Group, LLC, aka Zeek Rewards. Click here to Register Click here if you already have a Registration ID and Password Any entity or person (including, without limitation, [...]
2 Since late in 2012 we have seen several “Network Marketing” Mobile App companies launch. I use parenthesis because I am still not convinced these companies fit the legal description of a direct selling company aka MLM or network marketing. Please do not take my words above as a slam on the business model, that [...]
2 This has been a great week in direct sale aka network marketing as more and more companies released their first quarter numbers. Plus many of the companies are catching the eyes of folks outside of the network marketing community and are being nominated for some special awards. Good afternoon. Vemma is pleased to announce [...]
2 Last night May, 1st, 2013, I received a private call from the Attorney representing GoFun Places in several situations. He informed me that as of May 2nd, 2013 GoFun Places aka GoFun Rewards is closing in the doors in the USA, and would no longer be doing any business with United States based distributors. [...]
2 Today is a historic day in Network Marketing! My friend and mentor Eric Worre has officially released his highly anticipated book “Go Pro – 7 Steps To Becoming A Network Marketing Professional” and you can all FINALLY get our hands on it. (I have an advanced copy and WOW!)If you are serious about succeeding [...]
0 Over the last week I have received several contacts from MLM Reporters and MLM Critics alike asking about a purported set of emails being sent from purported RippLn insiders, employees with top-level contact to the founders. I did not give much thought to it, until I received an email from Oz, at BehindMLM asking questions, and [...]
3 Not since Zeek Rewards, have I received so many emails, private messages and phone calls about what is being hailed as “The Greatest Shift In Network Marketing History!” Well… I am not sure about all that, but I do know a little about the “secret” behind RippLn and betting involved in the Ripple. I [...]
2 Over the last 24 months two major developments have developed inside of fastest growing network marketing companies in the profession… They have all moved away from antiquated old school email autoresponders and long drawn out sales funnels, and are using Social Media to grow their brands, and they have all tapped into the ever [...]
2 When Zeek Rewards got shut down, the consumers really lacked an understanding of the problems. As I wrote about in the past, this ignorance in the market was largely our fault. Our “self-regulated” industry failed them. The first one is on us. But with this new breed of Leveraged Profit Sharing Programs (“LPSP”), it’s [...]
2 PUH, which markets products under the brand names Pharmacists Ultimate Health and Doctor’s Natural Therapy, and its president, Stephen J. Poindexter, have entered into a consent decree of permanent injunction sought by the Food and Drug Administration for allegedly distributing unapproved new drugs and adulterated dietary supplements. PUH and Poindexter claimed that the dietary supplement [...]
2 Shortly after Zeek Rewards was shut down by the Securities and Exchange Commission aka SEC, we started hearing about GoFun Places, and how they had created the first ever legit Zeek Reward compensation plan. Then in the last few months we started hearing how JubiMax was really the first company to legitimize the the [...]
2 Receiver’s Message to Net-Winners Regarding Settlement Opportunity April 1, 2013 Since I was appointed Receiver of Rex Venture Group, LLC d/b/a ZeekRewards.com (“Zeek”) I have tried to make clear to those who profited from Zeek that I intend to pursue claims against “net-winners” – regardless of amount – to recover their winnings which came [...]
2 Travis and Summer Flahery have been friends for years. When they told me back in September they were moving to Ocean Avenue, I was very excited. Travis is known for his passion for start-up companies, and with the financial foundation at OA and the product line being launched, that this would be a good [...]
2 Jordan Maglich over at PonziTracker.com broke this news earlier today. I used his editorial to cover the most important parts of what this means for the victims and claimants of Zeek Rewards. Troy’s Thoughts: It is clear from the filings that Kenneth Bell and his team are working to make the claims process, as cost [...]
0 A few weeks ago, I have the privilege to invest some time with one of Tampa’s most famed businessmen Robert “bob” Gries, the founder of the Gries Investment Funds. I first learned about Gries, when one of his companies Public Power merged with Viridian Power to become Crius Energy Trust. Crius is now one [...]
3 The Federal Trade Commission has announced two proposed settlements that will conclude their sweep against online marketers that allegedly used fake news sites to promote weight-loss products. The two settlements, one with Beony International and owner Mario Milanovic and one with Beony International employee Cody Adams, each impose a $13 million judgment. However, that [...]
2 The Federal Trade Commission has updated its online advertising disclosure guidelines to reiterate that just because the media are new or rapidly changing does not mean that the law and FTC regulations do not apply. “.com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising,” makes it clear that online advertising, whether desktop or [...]
1 As a refresher, in early February of 2013, the FTC got an injunction issued against Fortune Hi Tech Marketing. The summary of the lawsuit can be found here: FTC vs. Fortune Hi Tech. FTC’s Strategy FTC passes on the scalpel and picks up the sledgehammer. Since the lawsuit was filed, I’ve had a lot [...]
0 Some of you may have heard of the recent enforcement action taken by the Montana Securities Commissioner against a start-up MLM program known as “Funky Shark”. Funky Shark was a penny auction MLM program based in Bozeman, Montana that began operations in the Fall of 2012, but never actually launched its auction website before [...]
0 Yes, you just may have to—and in states other than where your business is located. Most entrepreneurs and business people understand that if they have a business location, employees, or business assets or property in a state, they will be required to collect sales taxes on the sales made to the residents of that [...]
0 The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 (“TSCA”) went into effect on January 1, 2012. Retailers and manufacturers doing business in the state of California bringing in more than $100 million in annual world-wide gross receipts must report their efforts to eliminate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains. The California [...]
0 So your company has great products (or services). You’ve searched for the best of the best and you regularly lay out a significant chunk of change for R&D and inventory. You take great pride in what you offer and try to take the message to the sales force about the benefits of your products. [...]
0 In what can only be described as yet another blow to the MLM penny auction niche, BidXcel quietly closed their doors last week. Launched in late 2012, the company’s website (“bidxcel.com”) and penny auction (“xcelbids.com”) were pulled offline a few days ago with no official explanation provided regarding the closure. Both websites currently announce [...]
0 Richard Brooke shot me over an interesting article from the New York Post about Herbalife Eliminating 98% of all the Internet Marketing Lead Generation Tool Companies which have been one of the most successful but controversial methods used by their top reps over the last few decades. Is this the wave of the future [...]
2 Without a doubt Direct Selling worldwide is coming on strong. Having weathered the economic recession of 2008, we are now seeing the rise in sales as well as distributors. And 2013 has started off on a strong note for both the public and private network marketing companies as we can see with this most [...]
2 It has been a few decades since the direct selling industry and the network marketing community has been thrust into the mainstream limelight like we have been in the last eighteen months. And although not all of it has been totally upbeat, I feel it has been a very positive experience, because not since [...]
0 Alex Pereira joined Empower Network around October 2012 and regularly publishes articles to his Empower Network blog under the account “arkam77″. Pereira also had a YouTube account which he recently uploaded some marketing videos he’d created, which he then embedded into his Empower Network blog. Ultimately of course the goal was to recruit new [...]
0 Last year I was contacted by a BehindMLM reader who requested a review of something called the “Poker Training Network”. Finally getting around to researching the company today, I soon discovered that the Poker Training Network website now redirects to “Card Geniuses”. Card Geniuses is a company that markets poker training and noticing that they [...]
0 Destination Travel Resorts operates in the MLM travel niche and market a series of third-party travel club memberships. Destination Travel Resorts do not reveal where they operate out of (company’s website domain registration is set to private) but reveal that they are headed up by CEO Johnny Bolton (photo right). On his LinkedIn profile, [...]
0 These guys know what I have and are terrified and desperate. Rest assured (Bidify Fraud) will not go offline until there is creditable news reports that all of these guys are headed to jail. -Albert Liske, former CEO of Bidsson Just over two weeks ago explosive allegations uploaded with tangible proof began appearing on [...]
0 Using the old “invest with us, do pointless tasks for us and we’ll pay you a ROI with new investor money each week” business model, it comes as no surprise that authorities in Brazil have launched an investigation into TelexFree. On the 11th of January the Brazilian Bureau of Consumer Protection (known as Procon), after [...]
0 There is no information on the Global Hangout website indicating who owns or runs the business, with the company’s “About Us” page only offering up the following vague paragraph: Our management team is composed of experienced business leaders and technology developers that have established business protocols that will support the Company’s growth objectives and [...]
0 There is no information on the Level 9 App website indicating who owns or runs the business. The company’s website domain (“l9app.com”) was registered on the 23rd of January 2013 and lists the company “Restart Your Life” as the registrant. Restart Your Life appears to be a separate MLM company launched in 2011. On [...]
