July 23rd, 2008
(FranchisePick.Com) Over at b5’s Talk Stock Trading blog, Profsilver is lovin’ that McDonald’s:
McDonald’s reported profits of $1.19 billion on revenue of $6.08 billion, both figures well above the consensus of analyst expectations of $985 million and $5.92 billion, respectively.
Domestically speaking, the fast-food giant has benefited from new menu items and longer hours, as well as tough economic conditions. McDonald’s provides a relatively cheap alternative to other dining out options.
On the international scene, McDonald’s execs reported ”double digit operating income growth” in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Everybody loves to bash McDonald’s, but they keep pulling in the drive thru, don’t they?
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW.
_________________________
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities.
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Share This
By sean -- 2 comments
July 22nd, 2008
(FranchisePick.Com) Remember “Cousin Vinny” Agnello: Subway Franchisee From Hell?
Cousin Vinny’s the notorious strip club owner, convicted pimp and Bronx franchisee of Subway who got kicked out of the system for promoting X-rated products and services in his franchise location. He retaliated by opening a strip club/sub shop using the same phone number as his former franchise, and making sure he used the Subway name anyway he could.
(Read the story of Subway franchise owner Cousin Vinny at Franchise dispute site FranWorst.com.)
Once again, the NY legal system wasn’t amused by Uncle Vinny’s antics. According to Gothamist,
…when the local community board, police and Subway came down on Agnello (who has run a notorious stripper agency for years), he quickly backpedaled and apologized, claiming it was all just a publicity stunt. The judge didn’t buy it, and, according to the Post, Agnello now has to pay Subway’s legal fees and stop using their trademarked goods, which he took with him after being evicted from the old Subway shop he subleased.
I guess Cousin Vinny shoulda kept his little secret under wraps… just not Subway’s.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW.
_________________________
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities.
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Share This
By sean -- 1 comment
July 22nd, 2008
Great news for all of you who still love the idea of owning an eBay drop-off store like iSOLD iT, Snappy Auctions, AuctionMeElmo or others, but just don’t have half a million dollars to lose:
Beloved millionaire Richard Quick, Esq. has announce the latest FranWorst franchise opportunity: iSTOLE It!
According to the iSOLD IT press release, “iSTOLE It combines the selling power of eBay auctions with our unique, no-cost inventory acquisition system to unlock multiple window(s) of opportunity for YOU!”
Best yet, the iSTOLE It conversion program is available to failing franchisees and independents that can’t survive on the
cumbersome revenue-share model.
Get in on the ground floor and move up! iSTOLE It is a great entry level opportunity. Many of our ISI franchisees from living in small apartments to The Big House in no time! And many who started with iSTOLE It now also own such franchises as Pruno Prison Wine and H&R Cell BLOCK.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW.
_________________________
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities.
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Share This
By sean -- 4 comments
July 22nd, 2008
According to a story on Unhappy Franchisee, the Toronto based direct sales apparel company Weekenders closed shop abruptly, abandoning its distributors with little regard for orders that had been placed or commissions and payments due.
According to the Unhappy Franchisee story: “The company, its direct marketing association, the blogosphere and especially the major media have been oddly and curiously mum on the event. In fact, direct sales clothing company Weekenders, which had been in business since 1984, thanked its many loyal distributors by letting them know they were getting screwed over by a form letter after the fact.”
The article quotes the form letter from Lia Keeping, Weekenders Canada President, as saying: and sales spin artist to the end, wrote:
Dear Managers and Coordinators,
It
is with much sadness that I tell you effective immediately, Weekenders Global has declared bankruptcy. Our owners have ceased all operations in all countries effective immediately. We all know that our company has been struggling for the past few years. Unfortunately, the end has come, faster than anyone could have predicted and I still find it hard to believe, as I was informed at 11:30 this morning. This is not the way I wanted to tell you, unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, I did not find out in time to set up a call or to call you directly as I would have wished, please understand that.
Of course, Lia Keeping is only the company President. She was just as surprised as anyone!
Yet it is her closing of the letter that puts her up there with the greats of self importance, egocentricity and insensitivity:
I want each and every one of you to know how much the past 23 years have meant to me, how much YOU have meant to me. You have helped me grow both personally and professionally and in so many ways. The opportunity that Weekenders provided has been the best thing that ever happened to me and to you too!
…Take pride in who you are, always remember how proud and privileged I am to have been your friend, your colleague, your coach and your President. I hope you remember all the fun we had together and I am sure our paths will cross again.
Please know, I am ok and I want you to be to. I love you.
Weekenders is a direct sales / multi-level marketing clothing company founded in 1984 and has distributors in the US, Canada, The Netherlands and the UK. The company recently launched its spring/summer line… perhaps as a way to draw in orders it would never have to fill… Perhaps as a way to make sure Lia Keeping and the other top execs didn’t miss their final paydays, with vacation pay and bonuses.
Weekenders distributors: Please know that Lia Keeping is OK and she loves you.
As the Unhappy Franchisee article says: “It’s always good to hear “I love you” after getting you-know-whated, isn’t it?”
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW.
_________________________
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities.
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Tags: direct sales, lia keeping, MLM, multilevel marketing, WEEKENDERS, weekenders bankruptcy, weekenders canadaShare This
By sean -- 1 comment
July 20th, 2008
Unhappy Franchisee reader and ex-Dream Dinners customer Jennifer recounts the reason she no longer goes to Dream Dinners, but goes to a non-franchised meal prep kitchen instead. In complaining about the shrinking portion size, she sparks the idea that could save the meal assembly concept: Perhaps meal assembly places like Dream Dinners should become weight loss concepts! After all, no one has stepped up to replace Pure Weight Loss, or to pick up the customers the ailing L.A. Weight Loss is alienating.
I used to go to Dream Dinners in 2005. Back then you did save money. The meals were large. When they said they fed 6 they always did, and then some. Not anymore, the serving size is the size of your palm. I eat like that when I am on a diet. Not my husband and growing kids. The owner of our local Dream Dinners said that she did not have the power to change it, I would have to write the corporate office. I did. To no prevail, I was told they were partnering with weight watchers and potions were important to the founders. That this was thier FIRST complaint!
Needless to say, we go to a similar place that is non- franchised. They serve organic ingredients, the portions are normal, and I know I am helping the community because the local store gets all her main ingredients at the farmer market. The average cost for 12 meals is $199.00 I pick half of them up the first of the month, then the other half around the 15th of each month.
I think this concept will be around, just not Dream Dinners. There food is marginal and very inflexible. They do not receive criticisms well either….
Well, I guess Dream Dinners will get a chance to show their graciousness to criticism right here and now.
What do you think? Should Dream Dinners market itself as a diet concept? Or should they add plastic cosmetic enhancement services like Make & Fake Gourmet Meal Assembly & Botox Kitchen?
WHAT DO YOU THINK? LEAVE A COMMENT.
_________________________
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities..
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Tags: DREAM DINNERS, franchise, franchises, franchising, meal assembly kitchen, meal prepShare This
By sean -- 0 comments
July 20th, 2008
(FranchisePick.Com) This is the latest in a series of guest posts on the Mary Kay cosmetics business opportunity.
This post is from SCAM, who blogs at Scam Types.
Are you a Mary Kay consultant? Ex-consultant? Customer? Ex-customer?
Please share you experience and opinion with a comment at the bottom of this post.
__________________________
Is Mary Kay Cosmetics a Scam Club for Girls? by Scam
‘You may think I’m foolish
For the foolish things I do..’
“Pink Cadillac” - Bruce Springsteen
Was the Boss singing about Mary Kay, a multi level marketing cosmetics organisation?
Of course not, but his lyrics may have some meaning to their business… let’s find out..
Mary Kay Ash
Mary Kay Ash was a mother of three in the 1930s. Her and her then husband often found it hard to make ends meet and so Mary began selling books to supplement the household income. During her first 6 months, she sold a remarkable $25,000 worth of books!
In 1938 she divorced her cheating husband and joined Stanley Home Products, selling via home parties. She was successful for 25 years and enjoy selling. However, she felt that women were underpaid compared with their male counterparts. She also felt that her good ideas for the company were ignored and rebuked, purely because she was a woman.
After retiring, she began to write books for women, designed to aid them with the challenges they faced in the workplace. Compiling 2 lists, one detailing the positives about companies and the other detailing the negatives, Mary Kay Ash began to realise that she was listing the qualities that could be used to form what she thought would be the perfect company.
With her life savings of a few thousand dollars, she began Mary Kay Cosmetics 13th September, 1963. With the help of one of her children, Richard Rogers, she was able to build the company up to the point of having over half a million independent beauty consultants who host parties and give demonstrations as they sell the company’s perfumes and cosmetics. In 1996 retail sales hit the $2 billion mark.
MLM
Mary Kay Cosmetics sells it’s products through multi level marketing, much like Arbonne, for example. As I looked for figures to determine how much product is sold by each consultant on average I discovered that Mary Kay Cosmetics is extremely secretive about such information. I would have to wonder why.
Multi level marketing involves selling products primarily, often with bonuses or commissions for recruiting new distributors, or consultants. On the other hand, a pyramid scheme, which is illegal, puts most or all of it’s emphasis on earning through recruitment, with any product sales being very much secondary to that cause.
Which category does Mary Kay Cosmetics fall into?
If you check out their website then you will see that the company is most definitely selling products, but are they viable?
The detractors of Mary Kay will highlight that they are not very competitvely priced. Not being the type of man who wears cosmetics, I couldn’t possibly have an opinion on that - perhaps some of the ladies could comment on price competitiveness? If products really are overpriced then that may push people into having to recruit to make any money, whether by accident or by design.
The majority of comments I found across the internet suggest that most Mary Kay consultants are not making much money - in fact several have lost money and those in profit are making only a couple of hundred dollars per year. Of course, these figures are subjective and open to interpretation - low earnings could be deliberately misquoted by those who are anti-MLM or disgruntled ex-consultants. Likewise, business takes hard work and it could, perhaps, be argued that the low earners don’t have what it takes.
Other criticisms include the fact that Mary Kay pushes an almost cult like belief that negativity has no place in their organisation. This means that only positive comments are given any credence and any consultant who highlights their failings risks being ostracised.
Also, at the time of recruitment, there are many stories of new consultants being required to but inventory. Of course, this sounds perfectly legitimate - how else do you sell cosmetics if you don’t have any stock? However, there are a lot of reports of pushy directors who try and get their new recruits to but the largest package of stock ($4,800 worth) rather than the minimum $600 package. Presumably, this is because they then earn a much bigger commission cheque?
There are also comments about how moving up the ladder within Mary Kay is dependent upon sales volumes. Again, this isn’t strange - the more successful people always rise to the top in any business venture. However, there are reports about people buying huge amounts of inventory, solely to gain promotion. Doesn’t sound quite right does it??
Pink Cadillacs
Some time ago, Mary Kay hit upon the idea of leasing cars to it’s consultants and directors. A great piece of marketing for the company.. who does it really benefit?
From what I can make out the consultant, who is at the low end of the scale, receives a car as long as they continue to generate $4,500 per month in revenue. Should they ever fall below this level then they will suddenly start getting billed $375 per month until they get their revenue back up to the prescribed level again.
Considering all the conditions, qualifying amounts and provisos of first obtaining the car, it can be said that a mere consultant will need to have generated $130,000 in revenue before being able to drive their red Pontiac Vibe.
That figure increases to $576,000 for a director who wishes to have the pink Cadillac.
I guess that means you have to work pretty damn hard to get to lease a car for ‘nothing’.
Conclusion
As with most of these MLM companies that I look into, nothing is ever crystal clear (in most cases).
I expect any comments below to be split between those who have been burned by Mary Kay and those who are reputedly making a good income from it.
It would be fair to say that those pushing recruitment ahead of retail sales may be individuals looking to make money rather then people following any company guidelines.
I personally would stop short of calling Mary Kay Cosmetics an illegal pyramid scheme, however, I believe they are an MLM through which hard working women are likely to see very little return on their investment.
That’s my opinion… what do you think?
Verdict : Probably not a scam, but probably not a winner either.
_________________________
Scam is a retail manager from London. England. After a good friend of his fell prey to an email scam he decided to write about internet safety and security on his blog, Scam Types.
If anyone would like to print a rebuttal or offer an alternative article, please email Sean at info[at]ideafarm.net
_________________________
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities..
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Tags: biz opp fraud, business opportunities, direct sales, mary kay cosmetics, MLM, multi-level marketing, multilevel marketing, Pink Truth, scamShare This
By sean -- 42 comments
July 19th, 2008
(Unhappy Franchisee) Comments are pouring in in response to reports on franchise watchdog site Unhappy Franchisee that Creative Concepts of America and Red Bull North America defrauded investors through an alleged vending scam.
Unhappy franchisees of the Red Bull vending franchise claim that the business opportunity in which they invested induced them to invest an average of $25,000, then set them up to fail.
Red Bull North America then purportedly bought back their machines at 30% of the original investment, then resold or placed them themselves.
However, they may have made a critical mistake in their choice of victims. Jesus himself left an angry message on Unhappy Franchisee.
Wrote Jesus:
I too, was looking for way to make extra money. I came across an ad for Red Bull vending franchises from Creative Concepts of America.I contacted the company and they {Paul}sent me information.
They guaranteed high traffic locations and that the average machine in service were vending 20-30 cans a day.Also I was told I would have protected territory.
A rep at creative concept{Paul} gave me references of people that were already making a lot of money with these machines.They told us that everything was safe and that we would even get a theft and vandalism warranty on our machines.Everything they told me sounded reallygood so gave it a try.
Before sending any money,I called red bull.They told me that creative concept was legitimate and that were the only company authorized to sell red bull vending machines.I was told not to hesitate to do business with them because they were a very reputable company.
So after hearing this I decided to buy 5 machines for close to $25,000.I took out a second mortgage on my home to do so. I sent my money to Creative Concepts and received my machines a couple months later.
After receiving my machines CCA connected me with a locating service as promise.The service was not able to find me ANY high traffic locations.I was then told that all high traffic locations already had exclusive contracts with Coke and Pepsi and would therefore be impossible to get in to. The locating service finally secured 3 locations for me .These locations averaged 2 cans per week.
I called Creative Concepts to complain about the location and request that new locations be found for me.The number was disconnected.In talking to other Red Bull vendors online, found out that creative concepts had just disappeared overnight.I didnt have the help I was promised.
I ended up looking for my own locations which weren’t any better. Each time I moved a machine it would cost me $125.00.Then I after talking to a local vender all the machines had the same keys. This after having a couple times robbed of the little money inside.
I was unable to recover to recover any money using my warranty since Creative Concepts was gone. Red Bull said there was nothing they can do because Creative Concepts was their own company and was not affiliated with Red Bull in any way.
Red Bull finally offered to buy back my machines for pennies on the dollar. I have lost lots of money in not the machines, transportation and general business costs.
This was in no way the business that both CCA and Red Bull promised. All across America similar situations happened and Red Bull did nothing to help, only offer pennies on the dollars for there machines. Shame on Red Bull because they wanted the machines for their distributors.
Bottom line: hard working people were swindled out of a lot of money.
Jesus
Homestead, Florida
Read more about the Red Bull investment controversy at Unhappy Franchisee.
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH RED BULL OR CREATIVE CONCEPTS OF AMERICA (CCA)? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW.
_________________________
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities..Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Tags: , biz opp scam, cca scam, creative concepts of america, Red bull vending, vending franchise, vending scamShare This
By sean -- 2 comments
July 19th, 2008
You may think of your Mary Kay, Pampered Chef or Avon business as a, well, business… but does the IRS?
Tax Resolutionaries reports on an important tax ruling that could affect you and your business. Or hobby:
Ladies, this is one that you need to take great heed from. Before you invest in all those Pampered Chef, cosmetic sales and even “pleasure toy” shows, you might want to talk with Brenda Konchar, a Mary Kay Cosmetics representative who took her case before the Tax Court in Ralph D. Konchar, et ux. V. Commissioner, Tax Court Summary Opinion 2004-59.
Brenda Konchar reported net losses on Schedule C for her Mary Kay activity in 1996, 1997, and 1998. The IRS disallowed the business losses, since the activity was not a trade or business entered into for profit. It was a hobby. Furthermore, even if the activity had been conducted with a profit motive, most of her business expenses could not be substantiated.
Under §183(b), if an activity is not engaged in for profit, expenses are generally only deductible to the extent of the gross income from the activity. The deductions that exceed gross income cannot create a business loss.
An activity is conducted for profit if deductions are allowable under
1. §162 as ordinary and necessary trade or business expenses; or
2. §212 as expenses for the production or collection of income.
Under either section, the taxpayer must intend to make a profit. Whether an activity is conducted with a profit motive is based upon all relevant facts and circumstances.
Under §1.183-2(b), the Courts consider nine nonexclusive factors to determine whether an activity is engaged in for profit:
CONTINUE READING
ALSO READ:
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 1 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 2 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 3 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 4 of 4)
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE A COMMENT.
_________________________
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities..
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Tags: home business deductions, IRS, mary kay cosmetics, MLM, multi-level marketing, Pampered chef, small business deductions, tax deductionsShare This
By sean -- 1 comment
July 17th, 2008
(FranchisePick.Com) This is the fourth of a series of guest posts on the Mary Kay cosmetics business opportunity by David Shepherd, publisher of the Balanced Mary Kay blog. Thanks to David for taking me up on the invite to guest post.
Are you a Mary Kay consultant? Ex-consultant? Customer? Ex-customer? Please share you experience and opinion with a comment at the bottom of this post.
__________________________
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 1 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 2 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 3 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 4 of 4)
Mary Kay Cosmetics: Hot or Not? (Part 4) by David Shepherd
Pink Truth “sample.”
For instance on July 10, some evidence was presented that implicated that Mary Kay had hired a private investigator to keep tabs on one of their directors. A few of the reasons for this are listed and then the comments start.
“macuser” says:
“Gayle wanted to be on a talk show as a host and Mary Kay Corporate said no way you have a contact with us and if you want your NSD retirement you can’t do it. Gayle is a drug addict and an alcoholic hence her extreme behavior over the years.”
“magenta” says:
“gayle is a friends national…. we saw her dragging on cigarettes in wrinkled linen and looking rather unprofessional..at seminar…….that is what i was asking…why hasn’t she retired yet?? isnt she old enuff?? or is something in those formerly pink jars keeping her young?”
Then they post a picture of her and start speculating about how many plastic surgeries she has had while simultaneously describing how unattractive they feel she looks.
In the first place, posting information about an investigation that a corporation conducted (without having all the details) is fairly pointless. Unless you consider stirring up needless controversy to be a point. This is the kind of brash, trite drivel that one must sort through in order to find advice about what to avoid (and why).
Pink Truth (for the most part) asserts that you should avoid Mary Kay completely. And if we are too take this July 10 post as the rationale, it is because they may spy on you and (at best) you can look forward to being an overly airbrushed woman that they all feel is ugly anyway (despite having wasted your hard earned money on plastic surgery). Seems asinine to me.
There are other sites, Pink Lighthouse and The Pinking Shears (to name a few) that abstain from the absurd and ridiculous while accurately laying out the problems and frustrations they have had with Mary Kay. If you want to find out what the pitfalls of Mary Kay are but don’t feel like wading through the (fecal matter of a bull), I recommend finding an alternative to Pink Truth.
The Truth.
The truth is, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.
If you are being offered the Mary Kay opportunity and it sounds too good to be true, you should run away… it is probably not the “real” Mary Kay. If someone is telling you that once you sign up, buy inventory or reach a certain level, you will be “set for life” don’t even ask them questions, just say, “no thank you.”
If someone is telling you that the answer to your problems is to spend more money, raise your eyebrows (if you have glasses or sunglasses on look at them over those) look them right in the eyes, pause for a good 30 seconds to allow them to feel a little more self-conscious, and then say, “are you serious.” Try to keep a straight face. When they start trying to redirect the conversation, cut them off and say something along the lines of you would be better off investing your money in the lottery and politely dismiss yourself from the conversation.
But if you are being given the truth straight up, you will probably recognize it because there is no suggestion of you getting something for nothing. Free handouts don’t really exist in abundance in this world. If there are all pros and no cons, someone is not telling you all the truth.
With any opportunity that someone presents to you, they will tell you what is good about it and why you should consider it. It is then up to you to find out what the potential pitfalls may be. If they are being intentionally vague, you may need to come right out and say, “What is the catch?” If they tell you there is no catch, you should be very suspicious (at best).
Another good question is, “What is in it for you?” followed by, “If this is so lucrative, why are you offering it to me?” A genuine opportunity (i.e. not a hoax or scam) will have good answers to these questions and should reveal any potential downsides. If you can’t see anything “bad” or potentially negative about the opportunity, it probably is too good to be true and should be left alone. If, by contrast, you can plainly see what is good and bad and are willing to deal with the bad (in this case, “bad” could mean lots of phone work, finding and following up on leads) to get the good, than give it a shot. If someone is not willing to be truthful enough with you to let you know the “cons” of the situation, you should not trust them to be the ones to lead you through the process!
Let me break it down for you.
Scam artists and conmen (and women) exist in every walk of life. Mary Kay is not exempt from the trouble they cause. Much discussion has taken place (and is taking place) over the best way to deal with these leeches of society. Some advocate tighter restrictions while others recommend better consumer education. But to the ones reading this article, the best advice I can give you is to arm yourself with common sense and don’t let yourself get greedy when you see something that looks too good to be true. After all, “they” also say, “You can’t con an honest man”.
Is Mary Kay hot or not? That is yet to be determined because it has to be asked in the context of YOU. Is Mary Kay hot or not – for YOU. For some people reading this, the answer will be “HOT!!!” while others will definitively choose “NOT!!!!” And some of you reading this will just have to try it and find out.
Are the denizens of Pink Truth “lazy losers”? Not necessarily.
Is there a grain of truth to some of the things they say? Perhaps. After all, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Are there better places to “arm yourself” with information about Mary Kay? Absolutely.
If you like one-sided, tabloid-esque, vitriolic, gossip about how terrible Mary Kay is, visit Pink Truth. It has all the entertainment value and journalistic integrity of The National Enquirer. (The Sun if you happen to live in Britain.)
If you want diverse discussion about the many issues I have brought up here (and many more that I simply did not have the space to discuss), come visit us at Balanced Mary Kay. I make it an aim to allow all perspectives and points of view. We are looking for people that have had bad experiences, good experiences and everything in between to share, so that everyone can genuinely benefit from a more detailed picture of what Mary Kay is really like. If you would like to help us do that, or just want to read along and get a front row seat to all the action, come on by. We would love to see you over there.
Conclusion – You want the truth? Think you can handle the truth? Here it is:
Mary Kay is just a company. Get involved at your own risk.
What do you think? Share a comment below.
David Shepherd is an account executive at a multicultural marketing and advertising agency in LA. His wife sells Mary Kay and he blogs about it at Balanced Mary Kay.
Read David Shepard’s series Mary Kay: Hot or NOT? (Or, as I lovingly call it, The Kaybot Manifesto)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 1 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 2 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 3 of 4)
MARY KAY: Hot or NOT? (Part 4 of 4)
If anyone would like to print a rebuttal or offer an alternative article, please email Sean at info[at]ideafarm.net
_________________________
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities..
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Tags: home business opportunities, kaybots, mary kay cosmetics, MLM, multi-level marketing, Pink Truth, tracy coenenShare This
By sean -- 66 comments
July 17th, 2008
Unhappy Franchisee: Franchising rumors, rants, controversies, issues, complaints & insider information you’re not supposed to know.
__________________________
Allegedly, Pamplona isn’t the only home to the running of the bulls. Those who invested with Creative Concepts of America (CCA) for the aggressively advertised Red Bull vending opportunity claim they had a scam run on them by the powerhouse company the trusted.
Over at Unhappy Franchisee, reports from gored investors are pouring in. Here are a few excerpts:
Read Mallory’s Red Bull story:
…Many have already lost their homes, retirements, savings, inheritances, and some divorces due to this scam. We estimated a total loss to all victims of approximately 25 million dollars. How can a billion-dollar company like Red Bull allow this to happen?
Read Michael Turko’s Red Bull story:
…basically, an agent of RBNA, CCA, stole my property and sold it to some other poor schmuck. Not only was I now out $44K plus all the other expenses, but the machines were gone as well.
Read the Michele and Vincent Wallace’s Red Bull vending story:
…My husband and I have two little girls… now ages 4 and 6. When we bought the machines, we were hoping they would help fund their college savings. We used $15,000 of our savings… and lost it all. I know that $15,000 may not seem like much, but it is a huge hit for us…
Read Jennifer’s Red Bull vending story:
My thoughts were this would be a great way to pay for the rest of my college expenses…. Who would ever think such a well-known company would ever allow this to happen?
Read Nic Bernard’s Red Bull vending story:
…this turned into the biggest nightmare of my life and and I will continue to pay off a debt for many years to come due to the lies and misrepresentation of this multi-billion dollar corporation….I’m amazed that people like this can continue to live and function knowing how many people’s lives have been destroyed due to their actions.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOU HAD ANY DEALINGS WITH RED BULL NORTH AMERICA OR CCA CREATIVE CONCEPTS OF AMERICA? PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES - GOOD OR BAD - BELOW.
Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities..
Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.
Share This
By sean -- 4 comments
RECENT COMMENTS