The Truth About Network Marketing: What Really Works and What Doesn’t

Myth #1: Blindly Following Your Upline Is the Fast Track to Success

We see this all the time: you join a new business, you're excited, and your upline says, “Just make a list of 100 people.”

Then they hand you scripts to send out copy-paste messages to your friends, family, and anyone who breathes.

Next thing you know, you're being ghosted, blocked, and wondering why nothing is working.

Here’s the thing—your upline might be giving you advice that worked for them.

But if they’ve been in network marketing for 20 years, they’ve probably built a huge audience and influence.

So when they post something or launch something new, people respond.

That doesn’t mean their advice will work for you, especially if you're just getting started and don't have that same influence.

Brandy followed her upline’s advice for nearly three years before realizing it just wasn’t working.

Her soul was slowly dying.

It wasn’t just ineffective—it didn’t fit the life she wanted.

She was trying to build a business while also being a mom, wife, and human who wanted freedom.

That old-school method?

It didn’t work for us.

What changed everything?

Learning how to build online with systems, automation, and influence.

That's when it started to get fun—and effective.

Myth #2: Doing All the Things = Success

We’ve been to those company events where everyone on stage has a different story of how they built their business.

One says, “Do home parties.”

Another says, “Go live every day.”

Another says, “Host vendor events.”

And you leave thinking: “I need to do all the things!”

But here's the truth: trying to do everything will leave you burnt out and confused.

There is an order to this.

If you're just starting and don’t have an audience or influence, your first job isn't to promote.

It’s to build influence.

Why?

Because nobody buys from someone they don’t know, like, and trust.

If there’s no connection, there’s no conversion.

You also can’t just post about your goals and expect people to care.

Saying “I just need 3 more people to hit my rank” won’t move the needle—people care about how you can help them, not how they can help you.

Focus on giving value, building relationships, and showing up to serve.

Myth #3: Giving Equals Receiving (Immediately)

Let’s talk about the Law of Reciprocity.

Giving value consistently does work—but it’s not always immediate, and it doesn’t always come from where you expect.

Fran remembers going live, helping people, sharing tips, and still seeing no sales.

It was frustrating.

But she realized that when she gave from a place of obligation (“I have to do this to get this”), the results didn’t come.

When she shifted to giving from a place of service, things began to change.

People feel your energy.

They can tell when you're genuine versus when you're desperate.

Be authentic. Be present. Be grateful.

Gratitude raises your energy and makes you more attractive to your ideal clients.

It might not happen overnight, but if you keep showing up in love and service, it will come.

Myth #4: You Need to Know Everything Before You Can Be Successful

This one is huge.

We hear it all the time: “I can’t start until I understand the comp plan, all the products, how the system works, everything.”

Nope.

That’s analysis paralysis, and it’s a dream-killer.

You don’t need to know everything—you just need to be one step ahead of the person you're helping.

We’ve built businesses not because we knew it all, but because we were willing to say, “Hey, I’ve done this step—let me show you.”

Success is a series of messy steps forward, not a perfectly mapped out path.

Myth #5: Working Harder Means Making More Money

This one hits home.

There was a time when we believed that if we just worked harder, longer, more hours, more hustle… the results would come.

But it’s not true.

Hustling harder doesn’t equal more income.

Working smarter, with systems and automation, brings time freedom and leverage.

We learned that we needed to stop doing all the manual things and start building a business that worked for us, not one we constantly had to chase.

Automation. Lead machines. Systems.

This is how you build a business that gives you freedom and income.

Otherwise, you burn out.

And we’ve been there, too.

Myth #6: I’m Not Like My Upline, So I Can’t Be Successful

“I don't look like them.”

“I'm not confident.”

“I say ‘um' too much on video.”

“I don't have their body or their energy.”

Sound familiar?

We’ve said all those things too.

But the truth is: you are your superpower.

You were made perfect, whole, and complete.

You don’t need to be like anyone else.

You just need to be you.

Your audience will connect with your authenticity.

When you show up as your true self, when you focus on growing the right audience and building real relationships, success will come.

And yes, it will stretch you.

It may push you out of your comfort zone.

You might be scared to go live or talk to new people.

But every level of success will require a new version of you to show up.

And that version?

They're already inside you.

You just have to say yes.

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