Last week I wrote about the social network Sponsor Hunter. Currently in pre-launch, Sponsor Hunter aims to replicate the Facebook experience with a network dedicated to the social networking niche.

The revenue model for Sponsor Hunter revolves around paid monthly subscriptions for network marketers who wish to list themselves as ‘available sponsors’ on the site.

Each month these network marketers pay Sponsor Hunter $25 and each month Sponsor Hunter will list them as available sponsors for any business opportunities they are in listed on the site.

It goes without saying that any social network’s success or failure lies solely with its ability to attract members to the network and retain them.

As Sponsor Hunter is a relatively new startup, that’s where Golden Money Gate comes in. [Continue reading…]

Ever since the meteoric rise of Facebook, network marketers have sought to capitalise on the what is essentially the biggest online network on the planet.

Whilst some try to integrate themselves with Facebook itself and us it as a tool to gain exposure and build their networks, others still seek to replicate the Facebook experience.

One such attempt is the newly pre-launched social network, ‘Sponsor Hunter’.

Sponsor Hunter seeks to centralise the MLM industry by placing itself as the go-to site for information-seeking prospective leads looking into MLM businesses. [Continue reading…]

With the South African Department of Trade and South Africa Reserve Bank both conducting continuing criminal investigations, TVI Express is South Africa is all but dead.

With arrests already made over the promotion of TVI Express in South Africa, those participating in the scheme risk fines and arrest themselves.

Despite the regulatory crackdown and arrests however, supporters of TVI Express still exist in South Africa. This was clearly evidenced when recently arrested TVI Express promoters Irwin and Glenda Shirindzi were given hugs and support from TVI Express members once released on bail.

Not withstanding one South African female member of TVI Express, who wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, stated that ‘nothing will stop us from going ahead and investing in TVI Express’.

In my last article about TVI Express in South Africa and the subsequent arrests, I reflected on this stubbornness by TVI South Africa members to accept that TVI is indeed a pyramid scheme.

In the face of such criticism and regulatory crackdown, one can only wonder exactly what it will take to shut down TVI Express in South Africa. And furthermore, just how mindlessly brainwashed are TVI’s supporters there?

At the time I placed my criticisms squarely on the supporters of TVI, rather than the company itself.

If the latest press release from TVI Express is anything to go by however, turns out I might have been a tad too hasty in my judgement. [Continue reading…]

Back in 2007, Seth Fraser (photo above) launched the company Freebie Force. The concept of Freebie Force was simple, pay a monthly fee, get access to free stuff and receive a commission for each new person you recruited to the business.

Three years later there wasn’t anyone left to sign up to Freebie Force and the company failed. In a desperate attempt to save what business he had left, Fraser went on to sell the Freebie Force memberlist (with the usual membership fee waivered, Freebie Force members were given no choice), to LiveSmart 360.

Here’s the cheesy exchange between LiveSmart 360 founder Mark McCool and Seth Fraser announcing the deal;

Update 22nd June 2011 – I’ve noticed that either Mark McCool or Seth Fraser have removed the original videos that were available at the time of publication of this article.

As such I’ve removed the Youtube links that were included when I first published this article. Basically all you’re missing are two embrassing exchanges between Seth Fraser and Mark McCool. Considering they were pretty bad, I guess I can understand why they removed them from the internet. /end update.

In the video Fraser mentions that FreebieForce has a memberlist of 117,000 members, but that number is misleading. In this next video he states that the memberlist number includes those that either signed up to Freebie Force, or simply entered their email address to take a free tour.

The ratio of non-actual members to real members is obviously unknown. Regardless, to gauge the success rate of the Freebie Force / LiveSmart 360 merger, at the time of publication the first video has a viewcount of 301 and the second just 241.

Keep in mind that these videos were no doubt circulated to the entire email list of 117,000 Freebie Force ‘members’ as they appear to be videos Fraser would’ve used on a capture page.

Regardless, seven months later the Freebie Force and LiveSmart 360 partnership seems to have ultimately failed (the second MLM failure for Seth Fraser), and he’s attempting to relaunch the freebie MLM business model with his new company, That Free Thing.

From what I can gather, the initial membership structure of Freebie Force was slightly complex, but then over time became quite simplified. The last known compensation plan I was able to see detailed a basic 5 by 7 matrix paying a commission of $1 a month per member you directly recruit.

Given that a 5 by 7 matrix holds 97,655 positions, the idea is that if you recruited 97,655 people to Freebie Force, you’d be making $97,655 a month in membership commissions.

Obviously with a requirement for a constant influx of new members and no product to sell, Freebie Force ultimately failed. Today I’m going to compare it to That Free Thing.

With the same founder, same freebie business concept and a similar compensation plan, are we looking at That Free Thing also collapsing in a few years or will Seth Fraser avoid the mistakes he made with Freebie Force this time round? [Continue reading…]

Late last year it was announced that Wealth Masters International were planning to branch out into nutrition, insurance and finance.

WMI Health and Nutrition was supposed to provide WMI members with affiliate opportunities to market ‘the world’s most advanced anti-aging technologies’ and slated for a first quarter launch in 2011.

Since last November however, nothing has been officially announced by Wealth Masters leaving me wondering what had happened to their plans.

With the deadline for a first quarter launch just days away however, at WMI’s recent Peurto Rico M2 conference, an announcement was made outlining the Wealth Master’s roadmap for ‘PURE’.

Wealth Masters International’s ‘PURE’ (ok enough with the caps) will not be launched in the first quarter and has been officially delayed until September later this year. [Continue reading…]

Back in December 2010, the Norwegian Gaming Board ruled that after a lengthy investigation into Wealth Masters International, that the WMI business opportunity was indeed a pyramid scheme.

Effective back in December, the Gaming Board ordered Wealth Masters International to

cease operations in Norway. The same applies WMIs members.

It would be illegal to create, operate, participate in or propagate pyramid schemes or similar system.

Unless the sale of products WMIs stops in Norway, it could lead to penalties or fines.

Wealth Masters Scandanavia, on behalf of Wealth Masters International appealed this decision but this appeal was dismissed in March with the Gaming Board reiterating that

The Gaming Board has considered the concept of WMI (and) our assessment (is) that the WMI is a pyramid-like sales system.

All sales of products to Wealth Masters International in Norway must immediately stop.

In plain English, Wealth Masters International in Norway was dead.

Well, unless you’re Per Gunnar Hoem, the top WMI consultant in Norway. [Continue reading…]

Six years ago Wealth Masters International was launched and over that period of time WMI has been putting ‘the keys to true personal and financial freedom in (their member’s) hands‘.

Wealth Masters claims to have ‘the most innovative and lucrative compensation plan in the industry’, and that the

Wealth Masters business opportunity empowers you to help others transform their lives, as you build your own foundation of financial freedom.

Members of the Wealth Masters International community are creating lives of greater wealth, health and wisdom by simply applying our proven formula.

Yes, for six long years members of Wealth Masters International have been applying WMI’s proven success formula and as such, you’d think after all this time there’d be some vibrant success stories for the Wealth Masters community to share with us all.

If you look at the latest spate of external promotions WMI has made over the last few weeks though, you’d be forgiven for thinking that nobody within the WMI community was successful.

Over the last few weeks WMI has brought in no less then seven outside marketers to its community whilst completely neglecting those that have been with WMI (and presumably found success) for years.

With some recognition bestowed on marketers from other opportunities, one can’t help but ask – where are all the home grown success stories of Wealth Masters International? [Continue reading…]

Over the past few years the travel industry based MLM offering a matrix compensation plan has become somewhat of a cliche.

Paired with a travel opportunity that is in no way tied to the compensation plan or commission structure, these companies usually require members to recruit a minimum amount of people before they can earn a commission.

Today we’re going to look at MLM travel company ‘Fortuna’.

Not only does Fortuna fall within the travel industry MLM niche, but by introducing a 2×1 matrix, they’ve gone for the unsustainability jugular. [Continue reading…]

As we know it today, social media is huge.

Facebook has over five hundred million users and Twitter isn’t too far behind with around two hundred million.

With such potential reach and exposure, it isn’t surprising that many seek to duplicate the larger social network’s success.

To differentiate themselves though they have to offer more. This might be the combining the network with other things we do online, a closed niche community, or in the case of Unaico’s SiteTalk, a MLM business opportunity.

Combining a binary MLM compensation plan, shopping portal, travel, education, pay per click advertising and social network together, SiteTalk aims to carve out its own piece of the social network pie.

Today I aim to find out if there’s any value in SiteTalk’s offering. [Continue reading…]

Last week I wrote about TVI Express South Africa playing the race card as the South African regulators closed in on the business.

This investigation, launched by the South African Reserve Bank, came on top of an already existing criminal investigation underway by the South African department of Trade.

Whilst the South African Reserve Bank investigation was only just recently launched, the Department of Trade investigation has been running for a while now, and just last week resulted in the first arrests over the promotion of TVI Express in South Africa. [Continue reading…]