SDL claim they were established in 2001, with the company name standing for “Success, Determination and Long-term Wealth”.

The company is based out of South Africa and operates in the insurance MLM niche.

SDL provide no information about who runs the company on their website, but do state:

SDL Administrative Services (PTY) LTD is an Authorised Juristic Representative under FSP No. 41507

Administrated by Pioneer Funeral Administrators. An Authorised Financial Services Provider FSP No. 41507

The Pioneer Funeral Administrators website advises it’s ‘responsible for providing outstanding Funeral Administration services.‘

Who is running the company and/or whether they also own SDL is not disclosed.

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.

SDL Products

SDL market a number of insurance plans, offered through Pioneer Funeral Administrators and undisclosed third-party providers.

  • Supporter Bundle – combines funeral and personal accident benefits with telephonic emergency medical services and legal assist, costs R110 ZAR a month ($8 USD)
  • Power Plan – same as Supporter Bundle with increased funeral benefits, costs R240 ZAR a month ($17.45 USD)
  • Medical Insurance Plan – comprehensive medical insurance cover, day to day benefits and hospital plan, costs R690 ZAR a month ($50.18 USD)

Full plan details are available on the SDL website.

Under SDL Wellness, the company also markets nutritional supplements.

  • Carniboost – carnitine and magnesium supplement
  • Herbal Tea – “a unique blend of the health benefits of Rooibos, Honeybush and Sutherlandia”

SDL do not provide pricing for either supplement on their website.

The SDL Compensation Plan

SDL affiliates are paid to market SDL insurance plans to retail customers and recruited affiliates.

Commissions on insurance plan sales 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 recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 2 of the original affiliate’s unilevel team.

If any level 2 affiliates recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 3 and so on and so forth down a theoretical infinite number of levels.

SDL cap payable unilevel levels at six for the Supporter Bundle and Power Plans. Medical Insurance Plan commissions are capped at four unilevel levels.

Commissions are paid out monthly based on insurance premium payments.

How much of a commission is paid out on each unilevel team level is determined by which insurance plan a retail customer or recruited affiliate has signed up for:

  • Supporter Bundle – R5 ZAR on level 1 (personal retail sales and recruited affiliates), and R10 on levels 2 to 6
  • Power Plan – R5 ZAR on level 1, R15 on level 2 and R20 on levels 3 to 6
  • Medical Insurance Plan – 3% commission on level 1 premium payments, 5% on level 2 and 3% on levels 3 and 4

Note that SDL provide no information regarding commissions payments.

Joining SDL

SDL affiliate membership is R35 ZAR a month ($2.55 USD).

All SDL affiliates must also take out one of the companies offered insurance plans (R110 to R690 ZAR a month).

Conclusion

Beyond signing up for an insurance plan and recruiting other affiliates who do the same, there doesn’t appear to be much to the SDL MLM opportunity.

After choosing a plan, contact SDL’s Head Office and we will assist you in taking your first steps to financial freedom.

Retail sale and commissions of the insurance plans seems possible but with affiliates required to sign up to at least one plan, hardly a focus.

As above, you can’t sign up for an insurance plan without going through SDL’s “head office”, which no doubt tries to convince you to sign up as an affiliate.

I mean you can hardly have “long-term wealth” without signing up as an affiliate and selling the plans now, can you?

Unfortunately with it being likely the majority of SDL insurance plan holders are affiliates, this means SDL is operating as a product-based (service) pyramid scheme.

Requiring a 1:1 ratio of retail plan sales to match affiliate subscriptions would balance out the compensation plan, but in its current state it’s on the same level as autoship recruitment.

One other thing I want to address are the medical claims SDL makes for its Carniboost product.

Verbatim, this is how SDL markets its Carniboost supplement:

Can be beneficial to people with:

-HIV/AIDS or without anti-retroviral

-alcohol related liver disease

-arthritis, osteoporosis, gout

-athletic performance, muscle cramps, fatigue

-congestive heart disease, HBP

-eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia)/obesity-weight loss

-helps with memory, focus

-Alzheimers and dementia

-multiple sclerosis

-diabetes type 1 & diabetes type 2

-Parkinson Disease

-thyroid disorders

Depending on your current conditions, it may take 6 months for you to see all the positive changes!

Naturally SDL don’t provide evidence to back any of their claims. There’s not even an FDA style disclaimer on their marketing page.

Not that it would do much good, as the diseases SDL claim Carniboost can be “beneficial” for is quite specific.

Research suggests the Medicines Control Council would be responsible for regulating SDL’s medical claims.

If SDL have been such claims about Carniboost since 2001, why the MCC hasn’t stepped in yet is a mystery.

Getting back to the MLM opportunity, with recruitment front and center, once that slows down the opportunity itself will struggle.

If the premiums are value enough to stand on their own (retail sales would be a good indication of that), commissions might continue to be paid but overall company growth would stall.

Definitely don’t be taking SDL’s nutritional supplements as a substitute for medicine and approach the attached MLM opportunity with caution.