Buying into a Dream with a Pyramid

Off the mark from reality television, something has come  up that I must discuss.

Recently someone passed along some information with sincere means to help me promote my event planning business. I don’t think she knew the real deal of what she was passing on to me, otherwise she would have not wasted her time or mine.

So I went and contacted the person who informs me  that a well known celebrity’s mom is involved with the next big thing in skincare. Hmm really, how so.

Well we are in the NYC area holding a meeting so we can tell you all about it.

I thought about going and then as usual me, I changed my mind at the last minute, sending her a kind text that I won’t be able to make it.

This lead to a series of texts that lasted for about three weeks.

“Here’s a link where you can watch the presentation on video”

“I’ll be sure to check it out when I get the chance”

In case anyone doesn’t know (and most people do know), I have three business that I’m basically running consecutively. So watching a presentation isn’t on my priority list.

A few days later, “did you get a chance to watch the presentation?”

Sending apologetic texts, I informed her I’m quite busy and I plan on watching it as soon as I can.

Finally, two weeks later, she sends me a text that they are doing a live online presentation. Since I wasn’t inundated with important things, like, my business, I took some time out to watch the live presentation.

As I watched, I thought, very interesting, and then hmmm perhaps this could be done, maybe set up a banner on my new magazine, etc, etc.

Then the good part, the part I’ve heard for years in attending these meetings (and if you got the gist of it you already know what I’m talking about).

You know…the part…in the meeting where they mention how they left a six figure salary as attorney or a scientist to sell said item. And became instant millionaires, almost overnight. And OH, when she got so busy with her business, her husband left HIS job as a broker to help her.

I don’t know anyone that would invest so much time in their career only to leave it for skin care or better yet coffee.

Anyone who’s smart would get it at the end of the presentation. Anyone who’s stuck will sit there and say, “gee, how can I raise $700 bucks to get the stuff and then buy a second set at the same  price so I can test it myself.”

Here’s the old school of hard knocks lesson. Back in the late 80s (and I use oil of olay for my skin), I was taught, you never pay an agency for a job. The client pays them. Period. The End.

So why???? WHY???? On God’s green earth would anyone pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for such farce?

My response a week later. “No thank you, but if anything should change I will let you know.”

Nothing is going to change. I have no plans on spending $700 so I can spend the rest of my natural born life trying to get people to do the same thing.

Not too long after I finally got rid of her, I run into someone at the supermarket about a week ago. It was a guy I grew up with in school. Since my colorful life in the late 80’s to early 90’s there are many people that I don’t remember. But for some reason as he approached the section where I was standing, I looked up and said, “hey I know you”…and there ensued a conversation of catching up…how’s life, how are you doing.

kwestThen, it comes….”do you want to make some serious money?”, well of course, I mean tell me a way that I can score a million dollars tomorrow.

And he goes on to tell me that he’s selling coffee. The third most traded stock in the world. And this is not just any coffee but this coffee has healing powers.

So I was like well you know someone tried to sell me the same thing with skin care and was asking for $700 bucks and he’s like oh this is way more this is like $1200 bucks for the starter kit.


You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

Are people really falling for this shit?

As I always do with anything or anyone, I do my research and what do I find?  Well, a lot.

I find this women exposing them as a scam. I find another link where another woman was exposing the wife of the coffee scam artist, exposing her scam too. I go on on her FB like page and about five of my friends like her page which surprised me.

Then on her page there isn’t a place where you can write post like most fan pages, usually there’s a place where you can write a post. Why doesn’t she have one. A lot of pics displayed of her rich lifestyle, but when you do research on her, she’s not as viable as she says she is.

Sad. She looks pretty too but let me say this, anyone, yes anyone, can write an empowering book, make empowering speeches, say they are an expert at something to make themselves sound good or use these words to elevate themselves to the world.

As a business person, I tread carefully at all times in my business decision makings because everything I do must be to perfection.  As a consumer, I want to make sure I’m spending my money on something that is worth it.

Pyramid scams have been going on for years. Yes I have been caught up in these meetings, not knowing what I was attending. The person that invited you most times don’t even know it’s a scam but they ask you to accompany them, so you go. Maybe the first time I almost fell for it but when you share with people that are street smart, will tell you outright it’s a scam.

After that in the mid 90s, it seemed it was one after the other. They would get you when you post your resume in the job banks. That call you get when they tell you how they found your resume and they want to schedule an “interview” and give you an address and you hang up the phone feeling like wow that was easy.

staples-easy-buttonWhile life is not a staples button, I found myself in that same position, receiving that call and the next day taking three buses to the destination. I arrived and see an area where there are a bunch of seats and a screen that’s on standby with over the top classical music. The guy leading me to sit down where I sat for like ten seconds (okay maybe a minute) and I got up and told the guy forget it.

He had a look of, “yeah I think she was not buying into this shit”

Another time I attended with an invite from a friend that didn’t want to go to a meeting alone.

The minute I get there  we were waiting in the reception area for quite sometime, and finally when we finally get in the room and the man starts talking about how he and wife left jobs in the scientific field to pursue this, I knew I was stuck listening to the BS for the next hour or so.

In my observance, the man talking about the millions he’s making…WITH his wife, his suit is rather big on him, there’s no wedding ring, the suit looks dingy.

After the nightmare was over, I looked at my friend and asked her if she buying all of this.

To my amazement she said yes.

bs buttonAfter bringing up the points on his suit, etc. – she still was reluctant to believe me (a friend) and was ready to buy into a stranger and give up $600 to buy this gimmick.

I’m not sure why people continue to buy into scams. If you are desperate for money, because you’re broke and having trouble meeting your debt, where the hell does anyone get hundreds of dollars to spend on something that you will be struggling to gain back. While coffee may be a popular drink, do you think anyone will stop in the morning to make coffee for themselves when they know they can get it at their local coffee shop, the truck in the street, Dukin Donuts, Starbucks, etc.

$1200 for a starter kit is my rent.

In the bigger picture of life, what is more important?

If you’re smart the answer is not one to think about.

Until then.

Loves and Hugs,