MoneyTreeTeam Review: Cancer curing cocoa?

There is no information on the MoneyTreeTeam website indicating who owns or runs the business.

The MoneyTreeTeam website domain (“moneytreeteam.com”) was registered on the 8th of July 2015, with web developer “iStart Innovations LCC” listed as the owner. An address in Lagos, Nigeria is also provided.

The email address used to register the MoneyTreeTeam domain is tied to the “coordinator” of the “1st International Conference of Network Marketers”, an MLM event held on the 3rd of October in Nigeria.

Bringing over 2500 Network Marketers, MLM Leaders, Online Program, High Earners, Awards Beneficiaries etc. together from various Network Marketing and Multi-Level Marketing Companies across the globe in one single event.. 4 Great Workshop Sessions, 2 Conference Sessions; Products Exhibition, FREE Products Sampling and Networking Session.

The Facebook page for the event is maintained by a “Joseph Peters”, but whether or not he is the coordinator of the event is unclear.

As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money.

The MoneyTreeTeam Product Line

MoneyTreeTeam market Loetue, a “pure cocoa concentrate”.

As per the MoneyTreeTeam website, Loetue

• is approved by Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
• prevents & treats diabetes
• prevents & treats hypertension
• improves brain power
• prevents & treats cancer
• improves low sexual performance and
• reduces menstrual pains & cramps during monthly period

There is a NAFDAC registration number for Loetue provided on the MoneyTreeTeam website, but when I looked it up on the NAFDAC registered food database nothing came up.

Loetue retails for 1200 ₦ ($6 USD) a bottle. It is also available in a multipack of 36 bottles for 25,500 ₦ ($128 USD).

The MoneyTreeTeam Compensation Plan

The LoeTue compensation plan pays affiliates to market and sell Loetue. The company also pays affiliates to recruit new affiliates into the opportunity.

Retail Commissions

MoneyTreeTeam pay a flat 8% commission on retail sales orders, that being product purchased by non-affiliates.

Recruitment Commissions

As per the MoneyTreeTeam website, affiliates are directly paid to recruit new affiliates:

As a distributor, you shall be paid N2000 for each new Distributor you recruit into the company.

2000 ₦ equates to $10 USD.

Residual Commissions

Residual commissions in MoneyTreeTeam are paid out via a unilevel compensation structure.

A unilevel compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a unilevel team, with every personally recruited affiliate placed directly under them (level 1):

If any level 1 affiliates go on to recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 2 of the original affiliate’s unilevel team.

Theoretically a unilevel team can expand down an infinite number of levels, however MoneyTreeTeam cap payable unilevel levels at two (discard the third level in the graphic above).

Commissions are paid out on orders of Loetue made by recruited affiliates in a unilevel team, with an 8% commission paid out on each order.

Wholesale Profits Bonus

If a MoneyTreeTeam affiliate and their downline generates 500,000 ₦ ($2511 USD) in sales, they are awarded a 50,000 ₦ bonus ($251 USD).

Joining MoneyTreeTeam

Affiliate membership with MoneyTreeTeam is 3500 ₦.

Affiliates must also purchase a “pack” of Loetue for 7400 ₦, bringing the total cost of MoneyTreeTeam affiliate membership to 10,900 ₦ ($54 USD).

Whether or not MoneyTreeTeam affiliates are required to make a monthly purchase of Leotue to qualify for commissions is unclear.

Conclusion

I don’t know how stringent NAFDAC are regulation wise, but I find it hard to believe they signed off on cocoa powder marketed as a treatment for diabetes and cancer.

Unless actual medicines are being marketed, medical claims in MLM are a regulatory red flag.

That aside, there are also chain-recruitment concerns within MoneyTreeTeam’s compensation plan.

The above is an infographic taken from the MoneyTreeTeam website. Apparently all an affiliate needs to do is sign up (pay an affiliate fee), purchase product and then earn commissions.

Rather than sales to retail customers, the only qualification for commissions appears to be an affiliate’s own purchase of product (pay to play).

Additionally, here’s how MoneyTreeTeam advise prospective affiliates to get started:

Make a list of all the people around you, friends, family, Old friends , colleagues, schoolmates, associates etc.

Invite them using your Affiliate Link and make appointments for them to attend meetings and Business Opportunity gatherings.

That’s oldschool pyramid scheme style network marketing, with little to no emphasis made on selling product to retail customers.

And this is likely indicative of how the majority of sales revenue is generated within MoneyTreeTeam (affiliate purchases).

I suspect one of the reasons for this is a lack of viability for cocoa powder to front a business opportunity.

Sure people are going to buy it, but is there enough consistent demand to warrant a sustainable long-term business?

For now MoneyTreeTeam are only operating within Nigeria, but that doesn’t still mean that those considering the business shouldn’t demand more information from the company.

For starters, who’s running the show? And have they run the compensation plan past an MLM attorney?

419 jokes aside, I imagine chain-recruitment is just as illegal in Nigeria as anywhere else.

With all that in mind, approach MoneyTreeTeam with caution.