To The End...

Of 2007 that is.

As I type this I am sitting at my desk drinking a Tim Horton's coffee which was freshly brewed in my Tim Horton's coffee maker. I am a satisfied man.

To conclude 2007 I would like to editorialize the Amquix phenomena as I saw it over the past year. I know that is stepping outside of the box for me, to provide an opinion, but what the hell, if you don't like it, click out of here now.

Big changes happened. Amway started of slow & quiet, then went for the throat of TEAM, telling them if they wouldn't play by the rules, they were out. A few higher level "leaders" started out with TEAM, but seemed to slough off one by one, once they realized that the gravy train may be coming to an end if they followed through.

OK, that could be considered an oversimplification, but I'm a simple man. I digress.

Then the big changes are announced. Amway/Quixtar is cleaning up the dirty messes that have taken literally decades to pile up to the point of overflowing. They (carefully) admit they are not perfect and have made mistakes. They are going to fix the problems, and make it better for the rank and file IBO. By the way, they are also changing the name back to Amway, which pisses off yet another faction of people who have relied on being able to say, honest, it's not Amway. The IBOAI is proven to have no real authority, and Amway is established as the big kid on the block everyone better listen to, or else.

Well Hallelujah. Finally, something is going to get done. Right? What needed to be done in order to put an end to this PR nightmare was exactly what Amway said they were going to do. Fix it. How they decided to fix it , or whether they are fixing it, well, that's another ball of wax, isn't it?

Let's be plain about this, shall we? First of all, let's establish who let things get to the absolutely critical condition they were. Based on the gunboat tactics Amway is now utilizing, I think it's safe to say nothing goes on without Amway's say so. So Amway is the culprit who let things get to the way they are.

Why? Well, does it really matter why they let it get to this point? In my opinion, they simply got away with something as long as they could. They were making money, the "leaders" were making money, everyone was happy, so why tinker with it?

Enter the internet. Sidney Schwartz, John Hoagland, Scott Larsen, QBlog, Truth, Joecool, Imran, Jeff Probandt, Eric Scheibler, Russell Glasser, and a myriad of other people who saw something that didn't add up. Something was rotten in Denmark, and these folks wanted to get to the source of the stink.

What was the smell, and where was it coming from? Depends who you ask. But it was all over the internet, and before you know it, everyone knows what Amway and the "leaders" were doing. How much stock you put in a company that supplies everyday goods to people yet relies on such secrecy is up to you, Reader, not me. I know what I think. The UK decision may give undecided people on the fence a place to fall.

I guess Amway figured they better do something, anything to make it look like they care. Out with the TEAM. In with good intentions, a new beginning, and the world (less 10%).

Here's the problem, according to Rocket. Amway, Critics, and Pro Amway folks, feel free to comment on this, because I am really missing the boat here.

What has Amway done? I mean, yeah, they started corporate blogs, We all get to comment to Beth Dornan, et al, such as they are. But has anything solid been done? Even the corporate blogs are not as frequently updated as much a ham 'n' egger blogger such as myself. Sure, people are allowed to express their opinions, but big deal. When there are no answers given, then what is accomplished? Rhetoric, that's what. They can now say they are open with communication, but don't kid yourself, friend. They will tell you nothing but what they want you to hear, and if that happens to be the truth, hey, bonus.

What is being done? Prices? Still pretty high and not conducive to large volume movement. Shipping? Cumbersome and expensive. Motivation profit issues? Who knows? Yes, they have accreditation, but what does that do? Does it cease the blatant conflict of interest? Not from what I've seen. You're free to disagree, but I have not seen a single thing done to help the IBO. Hell, they won't even break up case lots yet, or address the ridiculous shipping costs.

So, this has been a very perilous year for Amway. They have had some struggles and obviously, losses of profit.

The future? I like to think what comes around goes around.

I think it's going around now. It's easy to be good when things are going well for you. You can test the real mettle of an organization by seeing how they handle it when things aren't going so well.

Guess we'll see.

Amway started off 2007 slow and quiet. It seems to be how they've decided to finish this one as well.

Happy New Year, one and all.

Irie Holiday Mon!

Greetings from sunny Montego Bay, Jamaica. Or, as the locals call it, Mobay.

Having a fantastic time in the sun. Went to Dunn's River's Falls today, and the fam had a great time climbing to the top.

Also went snorkeling in the ocean today and saw some tropical fish I had never seen before.

Had a pretty low key Christmas, mind you, Santa seemed to find his way to our room and brought the kids some new things they were pretty pleased with.

The weat her out here has been steadily hot at about a consistant 28 degrees celsius. You'll have to find a converer to get the farenheit temp on that to all my US friends.

All in all, the beaches are hot, the pina coladas are cold, and so is the Red Stripe beer.

Have had a great time tasting the Jamaican Jerk Pork & Chicken, and the Red Stripe helps the cooling process.

All in all, couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable time with all of my family. Don't ever derlay gratification when it comes to your family, and any other Amway or Quixtar leader that states otherwise is an idiot.

New post before the New Year.

Amway still sucks. I got all this fun time without it.

Steppin' Out

Hey Folks

Just finished checking through the packing list for our trip to Jamaica for Christmas. We got all our passports, itineraries, and luggage. I can't believe the amount of stuff that we have to take for a week, but I guess that's the way of it when you have 2 girls and a wife. Got me to thinking.

That dream, that the "leaders" always talk about? I already got it. I can even do one better, I don't have to misrepresent facts on a daily basis, or benefit because others lose out. Nothing dishonest, and I still have a great life without Amway.

My whole immediate family (parents, siblings) is going to the Caribbean with me and my family for Christmas. How great is that? If I was still involved with an AMO, I would likely be encouraged to delay gratification. Delay Christmas with my family?

Suck it, Amway "leaders". Obviously you have no clue what a healthy relationship entails if you are encouraging that type of behavior.

You don't need Amway or Quixtar to be happy, and you certainly don't need them to have stuff. Stuff is overrated anyways.

Anyways, whether you are an IBO or not, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and all the best in 2008. Hopefully those of you that are losing money pull your heads out of your asses and quit listening to those that profit from the motivation you hyper consume.

If you are an IBO who has not been profitable, perhaps the new year is a good time to take a good honest look at how your business has been doing.

Are you profitable?

Do you for see yourself becoming profitable?

Do you believe you have a lot of control over your business?

Do you see any reason that it's going to change?

If you answered no to any or all of the above questions, I would strongly encourage you to re evaluate what it was that made you start in Amway. If you are no closer after a year, what is going to be different this time next year?

Next post from Jamaica. Cool Runnings, Mon.

The Spin Goes On

I was over at Spinsider's Blog seeing what crap he was writing about now.

In this post, Spinsider tries to get people on the Gravitron with this little spin job.

I'll tell you why only 50% of IBOs place any order after joining. It's actually quite simple.

They don't see the prices of the products before joining (deliberately in most cases), and when they see how ridiculously overpriced they are, they don't buy anything.

That's why.

Anyhoo, just thought I'd make a quick comment on that.

I'll try to get another post before we take off for Jamaica. Any IBO's out there that want to join me & my family, quit spending your money on expensive junk like tools, and we'll see you next year.

Maybe when Tex is able to break 1500 PV, he'll come too.

Quick Update

My apologies for the lack of posts. I've been doing Christmas stuff like taking my kids to Santa Clause parades, getting a real tree and decorating it, eating my wife's Christmas baking, and getting ready for our trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica for Christmas.

The Amway BERR court case is going to be decided, according to here. I certainly hope Justice is served. Funny how the prices seem to lower to a reasonable level when the government gets involved. It's like Amway all of a sudden said,

"OH! You wanted us to LOWER the prices so you could sell them! OH, OK! We didn't know!"

As well, Spinsider has been active on different blogs as of late, and has been a case study in spin doctoring. I stand by my suspicions that Spinsider is a corporate shill. Once again, can't prove it, but I don't understand how someone could devote that much time to defending the indefensible. Plus, if he/she is spending that much time defending it, certainly there wouldn't be much time to build it. Makes no sense. Even Spinsider can't spin away the facts. Remember what they are Spinsider, the facts? You say you are all about them.

I gotta go for now. I'll be back soon.

P.S. Tex is an idiot.