MLM Brands: The Devil on the Shoulder of Broke College Students
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Imagine scrolling on Instagram and you see yet another one of your high school classmates posting that they have become a partner with some random brand. You do a little digging and realize that they might have found themselves involved in a sticky situation: an MLM brand partnership.
An MLM, or multilevel marketing company, is a company that distributes products or services to an individual. This individual is expected to sell these products or services and recruit others to be consultants with the said company. These individuals earn commissions from how much they sell and from how many people they recruit.
It’s important to note that an MLM is different from a pyramid scheme. However, MLM’s still come with their own dangers, and they can be enticing for a lot of people, especially broke college students.
False promises, high-pressure sales tactics and the risk of financial loss are what make these companies a danger to young people looking to make money.
About 71% of recruited salespeople for MLM brands have yet to complete a bachelor’s degree, according to an AARP study from 2018. The study also found that almost half become entangled with these brands in their 20s, such as college-age students.
Things like working from home, getting an income quickly and gaining an almost “influencer status” are all enticing things to university students hoping to pay for their education in a “get rich quick” kind of way.
Remi Dryer, a freshman studying history and anthropology at the University of Utah, recently found themselves unknowingly involved with an MLM brand.
“They sent a letter to my house,” Dryer said. “They said, ‘Hey, we’re a really good job for college students to have. We’re a huge employer of students at the U.’”
Dryer added that they are unaware of how this brand received their information. Dryer ignored the first letter, but then a second arrived. “I was like, I’m kind of desperate for a job so I might as well apply,” they said.Then, after four days, Dryer started noticing the problematic signs that couldn’t be ignoredDryer said that they would call people on the phone, read a script and try to promote this certain product.If they didn’t make an appointment to review the product, Dryer wouldn’t receive any money However, unlike many MLM brands, they did not have to pay to join this particular MLM company.
Content retrieved from: https://dailyutahchronicle.com/2025/05/15/mlm-brands-the-devil-on-the-shoulder-of-broke-college-students/.
