What Happened to My Travel Networking Business

On my previous blog, I had discussed about a travel business.  I will give you the update and tell you more about my story on how my travel business went. But first...

I just came home from work.  As usual, I can hear children and teenagers playing basketball and shouting because just outside my window is a basketball court and a playground.  The voices and the sound of dribbling is fun to my ears and I like it. - Ben

What is a Travel Networking Business?
The business that I'm in to was a travel business.  A travel business with a networking business model or should I say a pyramid scheme.  If you are not familiar with a pyramid scheme, it goes like this...

A person recruits or invite another person, 2nd person, to join and buy a product.  The customer, the 2nd person, will be the downline of the 1st person and will be placed at his lower right side.  Then when a third person joins who was recruited by the 1st, then he will be at his left side.  So goes for the 2nd person and the 3rd once they invited persons down their line.  It forms a pyramid.

The product is about travel.  Once you join the "team", you can have discounts on holidays, which the company offers and the air ticket bookings as well.  You can have your own website where you can book your ticket or someone's ticket, which you also earn a dollar per booking.

The perks and the offers are really great, no doubt.  If you compare to other holiday offers, this is cheaper. 

You will attend a scheduled conference with the trainers and the highest earners but with a cost.

What Are The Advantages as a Member?
Aside from having benefits as stated above,
1. You can also learn how to sell, especially how to convince people just to watch a video presentation of the co-founder.

2. The team will teach you how to talk to the phone with friends or strangers and having them convinced to meet with you in a place and watch the video presentation.

3. You can learn the art of networking and how not to be shy in front of strangers.

4.  Working hard will earn you more.


Are There Disadvantages?
Sure, if there are advantages, there will also be disadvantages.

1.  The team is always on the move, every after office work, to visit the new clients and to present the networking videos, the product and convincing them to join.

At this type of selling, I find it too difficult and time consuming.  It will consume 4 hours of my time and if someone signs up, lucky if it's from my invite, I can just earn $20 per person. 

It is difficult for me to convince people this way because of the nature of the marketing.  We go from house to house and it reminds of me of an electrolux man, a door to door salesman.

We go home at 1:00am, everyday!  This is totally not for me.

2.  Yes it's true that the holiday vacations are cheaper, but this is a scheduled holiday.  You can not choose anytime you want.  This is not for me.

3.  The airline booking is cheaper as compared with the normal booking at the airline booking itself.  But the airlines they offer are the expensive ones.  I only take budget airlines when I go back home.  It is much cheaper and I still can go home by air.  This is not for me.

This is Not For Me
I was holding the membership for 4 months while paying the monthly fee.  This is one of my regrettable investment in my life. 

The joy of leaving the company and informing my upline that I'm quiting is great!  Of course, at their minds, I'm a quitter! 

Lessons Learned
I was convinced by my friend to join the team in just 4 hours and I paid through my credit card. 

I should have thought of it overnight and haven't brought my credit card with me.

Do not join a group or a business without discussing it with some experienced person or checking the whole legitimacy of the business. 

Tell that someone who recruited or invited you that you have to think about it for 2 days.  If he or she still persists, don't bother to join the group or ask them more questions until you're totally convinced and think of it for 2 days...

Please check my post about why I started this blog to know more about me and my blog.  Don't forget to subscribe.

Planning Your Money Matters for the Future

Money is the output of what we do physically, if we are going to view it at the viewpoint of a non-investor.

I was once a non-investor and the thought of saving money in a piggy bank or in bank institutions are the only way to save money in the future.

This video taught me on how to prioritise my money in a planned way.  The lesson that I learned are the following:

1. Prioritize the tithing behaviour.  Tithe is a tenth part of  something or a 10% of our money earned through our income.  This part is voluntarily given to a religious organization or to the government like a donation as what we call it.

This is optional, some people don't believe in tithing, so it's still ok to cut it down from the list.

2. Saving for an Emergency Fund - We should save something that is liquid, ready to use cash, in case of emergency such as accident, hospitalization, etc..

3. Retirement Fund - What is life after our retirement?  Do we just sit down on a racking chair, smoke cigar and wait for our chicken to be 45 days old in order for us to eat?  NO, we should get a retirement fund while we are still capable of earning money so we can still continue our life the same as when we were young and able.

4.  Freedom Fund - This is the fund that you are free to use to whichever money making scheme you are interested in investing.  May it be in the mutual fund or to the stock market.

5. Investing in Stocks - The venue where your freedom fund goes.  This will make your money grow when invested in a trading stocks or in a long term investment period.

I think one thing is missing from the list is paying all your debts first.  This is the most important initial step before planning for the step no. 1.

My views on money, after watching this video, has now changed and my priorities as well. 

Follow me to my journey on Success. Let me know how your views had changed after watching the video.  Leave a comment below.