Top Liberty League earners abandon ship. It’s over.
Over the last 48 hours shockwaves have torn through Liberty league following the announcements that two of the most well known associates in Liberty League, Michael Hamburger and Rhonda Swan, have left the company.
It’s easy to brush off new associates quitting their business after trying to make it work as ‘not dedicated enough’ or ‘not following the system’. When your top earners start pulling out one after another however, it’s time to admit something’s not working.
So, why did they quit, what does this mean for Liberty League and more importantly what can new and prospective Australian associates learn from this?
Michael Hamburger
When I found Liberty League International within our first month, both Leslie & I were able to “retire” from Corporate America.
This opportunity has completely changed our lives! We were able to replace our six-figure income in less than six months.
The coolest part is that we are offering this same freedom to people around North America.
-Michael Hamburger
Michael Hamburger is the brother in law of Brent Payne, one of the founders of Liberty League International. He joined Liberty League back in early 2003 and by October of the same year formed ‘Team Lifestyle’.
Hamburger claims to be a multi-millionaire and was a member of the Liberty League executive marketing committee. He’s spoken at Liberty League conferences and was a very public figure for the company. Around half of the leadership positions in Liberty League were held by members from his Team Lifestyle.
On August 8th Michael Hamburger announced he was leaving Liberty League International for Lifepath Unlimited.
Having such a close family tie to the business as well as over five years of success can only mean his departure reasons were something serious and should raise alarm bells.
Rhonda Swan
Within 3 months of following the system I bought my first NON-company car. A Mercedes CLK convertible and drove up to my boss and said I could no longer afford to work there anymore. It Felt So Great!!!
A few months later my husband retired from his 10 year career as an engineer!
We now make more in a month than most Americans make in a year. ( US census Bureau : Average American annual income $31k)
-Rhonda Swan
Rhonda Swan is another top earner from Liberty League although not as well known as Hamburger. I believe she was part of Team Lifestyle and back in 2007 ranked 6th worldwide on Liberty League’s leader list.
Rhonda Swan claims to have trained thousands of people in the Liberty League business model and has also spoken at Liberty League conferences.
So why did they leave?
Whilst the departure of two of the major players in Liberty League is great news all round, sadly some people never learn. Swan and Hamburger abandoned one sinking ship to seemingly board another, Lifepath Unlimited.
Interestingly enough Google has cached some text that seems to imply they’ve joined up and formed Team Lifestyle under the Lifepath brand.
However if you click on the link or the cached version the text block isn’t there. Not sure if they’ve since buried the information or where Google got the text from. It is interesting that Google’s cache page for the link does not work.
Whilst Liberty League International is going on eight years of business now and has well established sales pyramids for the big earners, Lifepath is about three years old. Thus the pyramids are smaller and it’s easier to continue selling motivational crap under a different lesser known brand.
I haven’t really looked into what the business model of Lifepath Unlimited is but if these two associates have both jumped ship at the same time you can bet it’ll be practically identical to Liberty League.
If their associate sheeple follow I guess it won’t be long before we start seeing ads for Lifepath on television too. If that happens I’ll have to give them a more thorough going over and expose their nonsense too.
What can Australian associates learn from this?
Big deal, so the Americans are leaving – what do I care?
Here’s why you should care. Liberty League has been operating in the US for eight years now. If after eight years two of the top earners have ditched the product that can only mean one thing, business has slowed.
Perhaps the US market has reached critical saturation point and there’s no room to expand the sales pyramids. If you can’t keep recruiting people then you lose your profit.
Apart from two blog posts from Hamburger and Swan, as far as I know no official statement has been made.
By it’s very nature the Liberty League sales model is cannibalistic. The more people you get under you making you money, the smaller your own potential revenue stream becomes.
Liberty League has only been operating in Australia for two years now and with less known about them here and fresher sales pyramids, the results speak for themselves.
Out of the last 4 associates of the month, 3 have been from the Australian market.
If we’re to learn anything from top earners fleeing the US Liberty League market it’s in the numbers.
The population of America is currently estimated to be about 307 million. If after eight years enough people have been canvassed in the US that the Liberty League sales model is no longer sustainable, that’s a staggering 38 million people on average a year.
Now keep in mind this isn’t scientific but merely statistical. Obviously there’s not even 38 million people in Australia so by all rights the model should have failed within it’s first year.
What Australian associates can learn from this though is that yes the market does appear to have a cap. No amount of believing in abundance can change the fact that there’s only so many people you can market Liberty League to.
Here in Australia we have nowhere near the advertising penetration American associates had. Over there they had thousands of associates competing in a very competitive marketplace.
Over here it’s only been recently we’ve seen television advertising from Six Figure Chicks, UXL and the likes. Why do you think EMC members like Tony Rush who are based in the US are hosting social network sites like LibertyLeagueLife catering to Australian associates?
With this relatively new increased exposure, the Liberty League sales model and Australia’s relatively small population of 22 million – how long do you think it’ll be before the market for Liberty League here goes bust?
Learn from your US co-workers and remember, it’s never too late to get out while you still can.
You may want to amend your story.
Michael Hamburger, Rhonda Swan and Brian Swan did not quit Liberty League. They were terminated for multiple compliance violations.
John Galt
“Obviously there’s not even 38 people in Australia so by all rights the model should have failed within it’s first year.”
No wonder I keep bumping into the same people!
(I think you’re missing the word ‘million’ there)
Gday John, they might want to change their story then as both of them have blogged about leaving Liberty League with no mention of being terminated.
Do you have a source for your claim? I’m happy to ammend my post if it’s reputable information.
There are plenty of associates suffering from “non-compliance”.
Examples such as:
Associates warm marketing and logging into their LLI backoffice to show the prospect how well Aussies are doing on the Leader Board.
Non-compliant websites. The home business people have website templates that are compliant and are sold to associates as a marketing website. Associates wanting a better organic ranking and to not stand out like the proverbial, are getting their own sites built or even DIY. These sites must be passed to the compliance dept at LLI to make sure there are no false claims made and disclaimers are correct etc LOL. I doubt hardly any new sites are compliant. I have seen quite a few and they are drifting off script.
Whoops thanks for that. A country with 38 people? Incest ahoy!
The truth has come out finally!!!!! Oz soapbox editor drives a mini from the “UK”.(in his own words)
That says it all about this forum doesnt it folks.
I am guessing here that the editor is a whinging pom as us Aussies call em.
Who else would run a website based on negativity,complaints,un researched blogs etc.Who honestly has got time to sit in front of a PC all day broadcasting negative facts to the whole of OZ.Wake up people why not look at some positive websites.Instead of complaining,take control of your own life and do something good for the community.I for one will never be on here again as I have better things to do.
@ David.
So sad. I will miss your wit and reasoning.
@Oz. You’ve done more for the Australian public than most could ever do by exposing the facts on LLI. Keep it up man.
Isn’t it amazing that when people cannot explain their actions or beliefs they resort to insults, threats, personal attacks etc.
@ David
Haha how is this complaining, it’s more like a warning. Which IS good for the community. I have an idea, how about you either:
a) Go away
b) Be constructive about the topic
To those who still have access to the Liberty League backoffice, has there been any official statement regarding Hamburger and Swan??
I think that LL misjudged the Aussie mentality. It seems that in the US people are happy enough to get bitten by this mob and walk away without too much of a fuss. Here in Australia, people get bitten and want everyone to know to avoid the dog that bit them. Good on ya Aussies!
Thanks for all your articles on Liberty League International.
I’ve read all the related articles and would like to thank you for all your time and effort.
Someone mentioned on Whirlpool that;
‘The smallest thread can unravel the biggest pullover’
How apt, your efforts have more than likely contributed in some magnitude, to the apparent demise of this scheme.
Not to mention the people saved from the clutches of LLI, by reading these articles, in exercising due diligence.
Well done & thanks.
Whingeing pom? Hardly, born and bred here. You are aware cars are transportable right?
I’m starting to see a pattern here, attack the author as if that somehow discredits the facts presented.
I’ll let the readers make up their own minds as Liberty League’s associates true colours start to come out.
Nothing to report from the LLI backoffice, just a post on Liberty League Life by Tony Rush to get associates to sign up with UWS.
Yes Rod, I had to laugh at that.. he states on Liberty League Life that incomesunlimited were cross promoting other products yet he(Tony Rush) pushes his affiliate links and UWS to the masses. I wonder do new associates know that he is UWS?
Kettle…pot …black springs to mind!
Going by Alexa stats, UWS has had a marked decline in traffic in recent weeks so even that source of income is drying up. I guess associates are realising that by using UWS, they are only increasing traffic for Mr.Rush and his cronies to prey on.
By the way, I’ve just emailed our local paper here on the Gold Coast (The Gold Coast Bulletin)outlining that the last thing the ‘Scam capital of Australia’ needs is a Liberty League convention.
The email address is viewpoint@gcb.newsltd.com.au if anyone feels they would like to share their views.
i dont get it? whats the scam? ppl arn’t making money? the products arnt good? there’s no marketting? just want to understand why its hated so much….
Gday Dianne, you probably want to start reading from the beginning.
Grab some food and drink, it’s a long journey.
Seems like they’ve taken the cream and walked away, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Thank you for all of your postings! As a former LLIer, it took me a while to wake up and take on a broader perspective about this business and the damage that has been done to many. The team that I was on, lead by a top earner of 2008, I will say that many of them have failed in this business. I wish that I knew the actual numbers…I just know of the ones that I have kept in touch with. A few have filed bankruptcy, some have had to refinance their homes to pay off their credit card debts. One couple, who cashed in the last bit of their retirement fund, have had to ask for family support. There are many more stories that I could share. So the advisor, to make himself feel justified in making his multiple six-figure income off the backs of many (the best saying I could think of right now), says it is the ‘law of attraction’ at work. Such bull#@*#! Yes, I am quite sure that most people who have been involved with this biz held the vision of failure and bankruptcy, or didn’t keep their thoughts focused on abundance and prosperity, or didn’t follow the formula.
When the light went on for me, I was finally able to see this business for what it is, the odds that are only in favor of the house (LLI), and that a few folks beat the odds (less than 10%), and the rest lose. It would be one thing if this business drew people who could easily afford to lose $30k-$50k, but it doesn’t. This business preys on people who are desperate to quit their jobs, who are on the verge of losing their homes, who feel stuck financially in their lives, who have been layed off or terminated from their jobs, etc. I fell into this group, and was blind, which resulted in very little research and due diligence. I was lead by my emotions, and lured in with empty promises of wealth, freedom of time, world travel, blah, blah, blah. I took the bait, I had a blind spot, and I helped create wealth, but it was for someone else. I gambled and I lost.
While I see this experience as a HUGE wake up call, and a rather expensive lesson in life, I intend to do what I can to inform others and be a voice so that, perhaps, others will not have to go through what I, and many many others (probably thousands), did. If even one person runs the other way, then that is enough.
Far out… Youd have more luck with Westpac. (too bad about the employee getting fired though)
This is the Ultimate retirement scheme. lol.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/26/2667264.htm
BREAKING NEWS: Wendy Steves, a top income earner & executive member quits Polaris Media Group (formerly Liberty League International)
Stay tuned OZ. It is factual & will be everywhere w/in 24 hours. I am certain “Delete” Rush will try to spin this elsewhere.
1st Payne, Hamburger & Swan haul ass and now Stevens. Anyone have a life-jacket?
Hi there Larry, is there any confirmation of this? How did you come across this information?
No worries. I’ll see if I can find anything concrete tonight.
If she has left it seems life at the top of Polaris isn’t nearly as profitable as it was under Liberty League.
I must share a true story of a couple I know in their late 60’s who were sucked in by an EMC member in New Zealand. They have lost their retirement savings and are now deeply distressed. This NZ EMC member would know exactly what differculties this couple faced in this business – with probably 100% chance of failure – but was quite happy to take their money anyway and then leave them in the dark. This is criminal behaviour and she should be prosecuted for it. These sort of poeple deny any responsibillity for thier part in the robbing of poeple – explaining it away in thier tiny brains as ” the law of attraction”
Very sad for this couple. I am $20 000 dollars down and trying to get my money back. We need to get to together and try to make something happen. There must be hundreds of people out there who have lost money. Problem is that they make you feel like you have lost the plot when you leave. Would love to know how many have been sucked into this business. Can’t believe I thought it would change my life.
Although it has lead me to my next venture which is to become an accredited life coach. Maybe i can help people get back on their feet after being conned by business like this.
LLI officially declared an illegal pyramid scheme in Australia. Just google or yahoo it.
I personally don’t think that he was complaing or being negative, how about he was simply stating the facts or pointing out the obvious dugh!
That’s the point of reaserching these work from home companies so you don’t get ripped off.and even if it isn’t the facts dosent it still seem strange that they left? Hmmmmm…YES!
Keep up the good work on writing these articles