WorldLink Team fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

At time of publication, WorldLink Team’s website pitches a $149.95 founders fee. This is asked for without disclosing any information about the company.

Further research reveals WorldLinkTeam marketing presentations hosted by “Coach Ken”, aka Ken Kimes.

Kimes is cited as WorldLink Team’s Field Leader. In Kimes’ presentations, Kirby Cochran is cited as WorldLink Team’s CEO.

WorldLink Team marketing also cites Roger Grosser as its CEO and, as of 2021, company owner.

Why this crucial due-diligence information is hidden from consumers on WorldLink Team’s website is unclear.

BehindMLM first came across Kirby Cochran in 2012, as then CEO of WakeUpNow.

While providing a clear distinction between retail and affiliate subscribers, WakeUpNow was otherwise a convoluted mess.

Typically membership orientated schemes throw up a red flag due to a lack of  distinction between retail members and company members however retail members are quite clearly defined here.

That said, the complexity and extremely poor manner in which the WakeUpNow compensation plan virtually overshadows this and drags the whole thing down as an income opportunity.

While retail was possible, it’s suspected that the majority of WakeUpNow member subscribers were affiliates. In other words, WakeUpNow operated as a pyramid scheme.

WakeUpNow collapsed in February 2015. By then Phil Polich had replaced Cochran as CEO.

In a public statement addressing the collapse, Polich blamed WakeUpNow’s demise on alleged executive abuse by Cochran.

By taking advantage of the office of Chief Executive Officer, Kirby Cochran had made decisions that put the company on an irreparable negative trajectory; and sadly, he went to great lengths to keep many of these decisions secret from the rest of the management team and board of directors.

As we made progress, we continued to discover that Kirby Cochran’s deceptive actions had put the company in a position from which it could not recover.

In the end, his decisions for a privileged few outweighed the incredible heart and dedication of the many.

The month before it officially collapsed, WakeUpNow filed a $70 million lawsuit against Cochran. The specifics of Cochran’s alleged executive abuse were laid out in detail in the filed January 27th suit (our article on the suit is far too long to even summarise here).

Nine days after WakeUpNow filed suit, Cochran filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

WakeUpNow’s lawsuit against Cochran was settled as part of his bankruptcy proceedings in July 2015.

In September 2015 Cochran, alongside brother Gary Cochran, resurfaced as CEO of Global Connection Network.

Global Connection Network’s business model heavily favored affiliate recruitment, lending itself to being another pyramid scheme.

Sometime after launch Global Connection Network started going by GCN Wireless.

In late 2021 Global Connection Network rebranded as Tetherbyte. This is from Tetherbyte’s website terms and conditions;

TetherByte, LLC and TetherByte, LLC name, logo, and all product names, company names, and other logos, unless otherwise noted, are trademarks and/or trade dress of Global Connection Network.

A visit to Tetherbyte’s website reveals the company seemingly never left prelaunch.

While still in prelaunch, Tetherbyte rebranded as WorldLink Team in February 2023.

Putting all of this together, we have Kirby Cochran –> Global Connection Network –> Tetherbyte –> WorldLink Team.

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.

WorldLink Team’s Products

WorldLink Team fails to disclose any retailable products or services on its website.

WorldLink Team marketing presentations cite four offered third-party services:

  • WorldLink cell service (offered through T-Mobile) – $50 a month

  • WellnessShield Plus – $60 a month

  • WeCare Advantage

WorldLink Team Travel hasn’t launched yet but is apparently coming in 2025.

Pricing for bundled access to services offered through WorldLink Team is through “success packages”:

  • Success Silver Package (WellnessShield Plus and WeCare Advantage) – $60 a month
  • Success Gold Package (WorldLink cell service, WellnessShield Plus and WeCare Advantage) – $109.95 a month

Note that at time of publication, the only thing you can do on WorldLink Team’s homepage is sign up as a “founder” affiliate.

WorldLink Team’s Compensation Plan

WorldLink Team’s compensation plan plays on subscription sales to (theoretically) retail customers and recruited affiliates.

WorldLink Team Affiliate Ranks

There are six affiliate ranks within WorldLink Team’s compensation plan.

Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:

  • Business Partner or Founder – sign up as a WorldLink Team affiliate
  • Elite Business Partner – generate and maintain 350 GV a month, and sell at least two active subscriptions
  • Managing Business Partner – generate and maintain 1000 GV a month
  • Senior Business Partner – generate and maintain 3000 GV a month
  • Regional Business Partner – generate and maintain 10,000 GV a month
  • National Business Partner – generate and maintain 25,000 GV a month

Note that until October 31st, 2024, WorldLink Team affiliates can rank promote by recruiting three Founder affiliates.

GV stands for “Group Volume”. Group Volume is generated by an affiliate’s own subscription sales and that of their downline:

  • sale of a Silver Success Package = 125 GV a month
  • sale of a Gold Success Package = 215 GV a month
  • sale of a standalone WorldLink Team cell service subscription = 85 GV a month
  • sale of a standalone WeCare Auto and/or Wellness Shield Plus subscription = not disclosed

Fast Start Bonus

WorldLink Team affiliates receive a Fast Start Bonus upon signing up.

The Fast Start Bonus rewards affiliates for generating new subscription sales across a binary compensation structure.

A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):

The first level of the binary team houses two positions. The second level of the binary team is generated by splitting these first two positions into another two positions each (4 positions).

Subsequent levels of the binary team are generated as required, with each new level housing twice as many positions as the previous level.

Positions in the binary team are filled via direct and indirect recruitment of affiliates. Note there is no limit to how deep a binary team can grow.

For the purpose of Fast Start Bonus tracking, the following reduced BV amounts are generated per subscription sale:

  • Success Silver Package – 15 BV
  • Success Gold Package – 25 BV
  • WorldLink cell service – 10 BV a month
  • standalone WeCare Auto and/or Wellness Shield Plus – not disclosed

Personal subscription sales are tracked across both sides of the binary team. The Fast Start Bonus pays out as follows:

  • day 1 to day 60 – generate 50 BV on both sides of the binary team and receive $20 per match
  • day 61 to day 120 – generate 100 BV on both sides of the binary team and receive $20 per match

Residual Commissions

WorldLink Team pays residual commissions via the same binary compensation structure used to pay the Fast Start Bonus (see “Fast Start Bonus” above).

From 121 days since joining WorldLink Team, A $20 residual commissions is paid per 100 BV on one side of the binary team matched with 200 BV on the other side.

The Fast Start Bonus is paid on all generated BV during a WorldLink Team affiliate’s first 120 days.

Note which side of the binary team has 100 BV and which has 200 BV doesn’t matter.

Revenue Sharing

WorldLink Team sets aside 10% of company-wide revenue and uses it to fund a Revenue Pool.

WorldLink Team affiliates earn monthly shares in the Revenue Pool based on rank:

  • Elite Business Partners receive one share
  • Managing Business Partners receive three shares
  • Senior Business Partners receive six shares
  • Regional Business Partners receive ten shares
  • National Business Partners receive fifteen shares

Joining WorldLink Team

WorldLink Team affiliate membership is $299.99. Note this is reduced to $149.99 till the end of October 2024.

WorldLink Team Conclusion

Tetherbyte launching in late 2021, never progressing past prelaunch, rebooting as WorldLink Team in early 2023 and still being in prelaunch is pretty incredulous.

Tetherbyte’s and WorldLink Team’s websites run the same design template.

This is from Tetherbyte’s website;

The people who have registered in the TetherByte Lobby and have paid their one-time Founders Fee of $89, will lock in top leadership positions and be set up first to market the products and business opportunity to leverage the viral growth of TetherByte.

Our goal is to have at least 2500 members by the commercial launch in Q1 of 2023. The Lobby will officially close when we have reached 2500 Founders (positions are filling FAST!)

And this is from WordLink Team’s website;

The people who have registered in the WorldLink Team Lobby and have paid their one-time Founders Fee of $149.95, will lock in top leadership positions and be set up first to market the products and business opportunity to leverage the viral growth of WorldLink Team.

Our goal is to have at least 1000 members by the commercial launch in Q2 of 2024. The Lobby will officially close when we have reached 1000 Founders (positions are filling FAST!)

As of August 2024, monthly traffic to WorldLink Team’s website is so low Similar doesn’t track it.

If we put aside WorldLink Team’s business model has effectively been in prelaunch for four years, taken “as is” the company’s legitimacy as an MLM opportunity lies in retail subscriptions.

Based on Tetherbyte’s and WorldLink Team’s respective websites, it appears all visitors to either site have been able to do since 2021 is sign up as a founding affiliate.

Today, this lends itself to everyone in WorldLink Team being an affiliate.

Limited time or otherwise, WorldLink Team rank qualification being simplified to “recruit three affiliates” emphasized this focus. It’s not “refer three retail subscribers”, it’s “recruit three affiliates”.

With recruitment the primary focus of WorldLink Team, what subscription services are offered thus become irrelevant.

With respect to FTC compliance, MLM companies that don’t generate significant retail sales company-wide are operating as pyramid schemes.

Such was the case with WakeUpNow and, on face value, such was the case with previous WorldLink Team incarnations, and such is the case with WorldLink Team today.

Disclosures to consumers is another area WorldLink Team massively fails at (potential FTC Act violations). With respect to WorldLink Team’s website, this includes ownership and executive information, retail product subscription information and full compensation details.

As with all MLM pyramid schemes, once affiliate recruitment dries up so too will commissions.

This will eventually see affiliate subscribers stop spending, resulting in even more commissions drying up.

I’m tempted to say after four years of prelaunch WorldLink Team is pretty obviously DOA. Kirby Cochran appears to be a CEO in hiding. A Google search for “cochran worldlink team” fails to return even one relevant result.

Obviously there’s a core group still trying to promote WorldLink Team but otherwise common sense dictates, after four years, anyone who is going to sign up probably has.