If Only $500 Could Make You a Millionaire

Patrick Benard of TMCNet has an excellent piece today on the emergence of pyramid or Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) schemes within the VoIP industry. The premise is simple – you pay an upfront fee to get into the program and receive basic training. Next you go out an recruit others to become agents underneath you. Do you or anyone else you have recruited every really sell VoIP service? Who knows. But who cares, you going to be rich right?

These schemes are very popular with teenagers and college students for obvious reasons – they “sell the dream” of getting rich quick, but only those at the top, usually the “founders”, are the only ones who get rich quick. So why do I mention this? I do because these schemes can really become a black eye on the industry. Any group of people who are directly or indirectly representing the industry, whose sole intent is to “get rich quick” is bound to do things that will hurt the image of our industry.

My advice to those approached by peers or others who are members of a pyramid or MLM scheme pushing VoIP? Walk the other way. There are plenty of careers and entrepreneurial opportunities within the VoIP industry. Don’t waste your time or money with a pyramid or MLM scheme.