Classic example of MLM tactics—vague promises, motivational fluff, and manufactured success images. Glad you saw through it early. These schemes prey on ambition and financial stress, so sharing experiences like this can really help others avoid the trap.

In my early 20s while working a shit retail job, I was approached by a Ukrainian man in a cheap suit that was trying to recruit me for a marketing and sales job. I come from some money, so I know a nice suit when I see one; his suit was not terrible, but it wasn’t tailored/bespoke. So I knew he was trying to convey success, but was not successful.

We met at a Starbucks and talked about the work vaguely, he handed me some CDs that were speeches given by higher ups in the company. He also gave me a website to look at the products they offer and a sample of the caffeine-free “energy” drink they sold. It sounded off and I already knew it was part of a scam of some sort. We parted ways and I gave them a listen. The drink was about a generic and unremarkable health drink that included every buzzword of the 2010s healthy energy drink alternatives that never seemed to make it out of the first half of that decade.

The speeches were about success and business stuff. Very much screamed grifter motivational stuff that said nothing about the business.

He wanted to meet again and get my thoughts. He had not asked for money, he had not presented me with a contract or anything, so I wanted to see how deep the rabbit hole went. He described the job as being an independent business owner in direct digital marketing(giant red flag terms). He invited me to a “business meeting” at a hotel where I would learn more.

I showed up and I saw a lot of people in cheap suits, maybe a half dozen were in tailed suits and designer dresses. It was a hotel convention hall with a few hundred in the audience, the majority of which looked like they were grabbed from a low-paying job like me and the gas station worker that was also invited by the same guy as me.

There were a few speeches and a few explainations of the business structure and how you make more money. There was a lot of talking about how successful they were, how much their life changed, and how great their lives became. It was a pyramid scheme, a legal one, but just barely.

After, the guy I was talking to and his wife sat down with the other guy he invited and myself to chat about the next step. Dude tried really hard to hype everything up and convey excitement while he pitched the deal to us. He made the mistake of asking me what I thought after asking the other guy, who was excited. I told him that it was a pyramid scheme. The suit acted dumb and didn’t understand what a pyramid scheme was. I borrowed a pen and drew a diagram on a napkin of the “business structure”. He continued to play dumb and defended it, claiming that it is his business and it is legitimate. He humble bragged about buying his car in cash(a Chrysler 300) and how him and his wife are doing really well while the ticking Rolex told me how well he was actually doing. (If you didn’t know, a real Rolex second hand does not tick, it glides.)

I had obviously crushed the other invitee’s dreams of having a mansion, a luxury car, and vacations to tropical beaches with a trophy wife. At least I hope I did and he went on to live a modest life of joyous contention with mediocrity instead of chasing a lie that would require roping in anyone foolish enough to fall for the scam.

We concluded the conversation and I ghosted him, keeping like 6 of his CDs lol. I honestly don’t remember the name of the company. I think it was an Amway derivative, but I might be misremembering.