Network marketing or multilevel marketing is a way for an average individual, without any prior business experience and technical training, to establish a world-wide, highly profitable marketing organization, and to run it out of their own home. Network marketing is simply an efficient way of getting products from a manufacturer, directly into the hands of the customer or end user, without all the middle men who serve to increase the cost of the product, and without the traditionally huge advertising expenses most companies incur.

This type of business is open to anyone who has drive, determination, and perseverance, and is an excellent way to earn extra money without compromising what you are currently doing, while reaping all the tax benefits of owning a home based business. Network marketing businesses function by recruiting salespeople to sell a product or service and then offer additional commissions based on the sales of people recruited into a down line (a team of people that includes direct recruits as well as the recruits of those recruits, etc.). Networking is not by any means a get rich quick scheme. If you're looking for a way to make vast amounts of money in a very short time then you should probably consider crime or gambling, but I wouldn't advise either!

A networking business is not recommended for everybody. If you are an already somewhat established non-profit organization with your own fund raising methods that have proven to be successful, then please continue on with your efforts. Networking is a legal, ethical business model that offers participants a leveraged opportunity with a huge potential upside, that's the good news. The bad news is that not all companies that represent themselves as multilevel marketing companies are in fact legal, ethical, or in fact multilevel marketing companies at all. Some are pyramid or ponzi schemes, which are illegal for good reason, they're predatory and based on fraud.

Network marketing is a business of duplication and replication. To do it successfully, you need a duplicatable strategy. It is a trade like any other trade and needs to be learned in order for you to be successful. Where can I find a legal and ethical network marketing company and where can I learn the trade? These were questions I asked myself before getting involved in the industry.

Having had one bad experience, I was very cautious when looking to get involved again. I eventually found a company and people I felt I could work with, but it has taken me 18 months to realise, that the strategies I was being taught to build a business and it seems those same strategies being taught by most other major network marketing companies, do not work for everybody. Building the business was more difficult than I had been told it would be.