Escape the Rat Race or become a Rat-Faced Amway IBO?

Want to start the New Year by finding a new career and becoming your own boss? That goal could be on some people’s New Year’s resolutions. Whatever you do don’t get involved in a scam like Amway or another MLM where less than 1% of the victims make money. And the only way they make money is by taking advantage and scamming money from their downline. There are other careers to consider, many that have smaller expenses than Amway. In the Amway scam it costs an average of $700/month to buy Amway products to reach minimum PV, buy monthly CD’s and books, attend functions, and travel expenses.

I read an article on Yahoo called 8 jobs to escape the rat race.

Many of these jobs listed can be done from your own home and seeing as how most people already own computers and cars they can get started fairly cheaply. Or at least the same cost as spending a year in the Amway hell hole throwing money at the great Amway gods who sit on top of the pyramid. I’ll do a quick comparison. After a year most people quit Amway and leave with nothing to show for it except debt, a deflated bank account, unhappiness, and emotional scars. Investing in yourself in a legitimate business opportunity can bring happiness, a new career, and possibly financial independence.

So here are the 8 jobs to escape the rat race that I read on Yahoo. I know people who do some of these jobs. I’ll list them off in the same order they’re in the Yahoo article:

1. Yoga teacher - I’ve done a lot of yoga classes and know several teachers. I know one teacher who rents a hall to hold classes several times a week and who also travels to her clients who don’t want a classroom experience. Some like to do yoga in their back yard or at the beach or other location to get in touch with nature. The person in the Yahoo article sells yoga videos. I’m not sure what kind of training is required to teach yoga. Most teachers I know have been yoga students for a long time and then just moved into teaching as a way of keeping themselves fit. Perhaps yoga studios and gyms require their teachers to have some sort of accreditation which can cost a few hundred dollars but teaching yoga independently may not require anything more than years of studying and sharing that knowledge. Drop in yoga classes cost about $10. Coincidentally the same amount as paying to go to an Amway meeting. The benefit is a yoga class lasts an hour opposed to Amway meetings that drag on for hours. Yoga classes are very quiet with soft background music and only the instructor speaking quietly helping the students through the poses. Unlike Amway meetings where the attendees are screaming “Yeah!” “Freedom!” “Hallelujah!” etc.

2. Massage therapist - There’s nothing like a good massage and I know several masseuses. Some have a mobile business and will come to your house with a folding massage table. Others work out of spas. And another has a home based business so people come to her house for various massages. They all charge about the same, about $100/hour once tax and tip is included so its pretty good money. They’ve all taken training to become massage therapists and learn various types of massages and dealing with injuries and the courses cost in the $5000 to $10,000 range to become a masseuse. So I would say for about the same amount of money most IBO’s waste in a year in Amway they could take classes to become a masseuse and have a lifetime career earning around $100/hour, choosing their hours, and possibly fairly little overhead once they’ve bought their equipment.

3. Technical writer - I don’t know anyone in this field. Expanding it out further there are all kinds of writers and most people can do this kind of business out of their house. There might be some classes to take, cost unknown, probably varies depending on what kind of writing but probably no overly formal, expensive training if one already has a talent for writing.

4. Make up artist - again this seems to be the kind of career that one could take training at or just years of experience and having a knack for this kind of work. I do not know anyone who is a make up artist but expanding it further I do know of a hair stylist who has a business set up in her basement. She went to hair cutting school years ago and I think its just a knack for styling hair, kind of like other artists. Years ago another friend of mine went to hair dressing school but had to drop out because she was allergic to coloring treatments so its not for everyone. Here I want to add that being an Amway IBO selling overpriced, low quality, lousy selection Artistry cosmetics and calling yourself a make up artist does not count!

5. Internet tutor - Not an occupation I know of anyone who does. Branching out I know someone who runs a home based computer repair business. He offers pick up and drop off service. I don’t know if he took any training or if he’s just one of these natural computer geeks who’s good at taking things apart and fixing them. Makes pretty good money doing this.

6. Social media consultant - Ah, now this is the kind of work that IBOFB does. Companies hire people like him to give them an Internet presence mostly hitting social media sites like blogging, commenting on other blogs, Twitter, Facebook and make them look good. Most companies want a positive image out on the world wide web and I see company consultants trying to solve customer service problems, offering giveaways, running contests, making apologies and trying to fix problems, that kind of thing. IBOFB has an uphill battle trying to take a company with a tarnished reputation and in trying to turn the image around has only succeeded in making himself and the Amway corporation look like a bunch of assholes. Those assholes have not made any attempt to do the right thing and refund people’s money and apologize for upline abuse. Their strategy is to lie, deny, and point fingers. But what else do you expect from scammers? Other social media consultants do a much better job but that comes from dealing with reputable companies who care about people and doing the right thing. No special training required, just have to be good at social media and good at dealing with people. Or suck at dealing with people and trying to straighten out problems as in Amway and IBOFB’s case! But then Amway is one of those rare companies who doesn’t give a shit that their victims are sharing their stories on the Internet and has no interest in talking to dissatisfied customers, fixing the problem, and refunding their money.

7. Private chef - A friend of mine runs a catering business mostly she can handle on her own or sometimes she has one or two people she brings in for larger events. She does this either in her own kitchen or if a hall is booked and has a kitchen there she might do some of the cooking on site. She also provides meals that can be frozen and then taken out and thawed, baked for people who have busy lives. She didn’t take any chef classes, just has a knack for cooking good meals.

8. Personal trainer - I know someone who is a personal trainer and runs a mobile business going to client’s homes or gyms. As weather permits she also runs fitness classes in local parks. Again low overhead but she did take classes and get accredited as a fitness instructor. Not sure how much those classes cost her to take, lets say around $5000. This is less than what some people waste a year chasing the Amway dream.

So I conclude that for about the same amount of money that people throw at the great Amway god in a year, they can start up their own business, often running it right out of their own home or going to client’s homes. And have a lifetime, or at least many years, worth of income generated from doing this business. Most IBO’s quit Amway in less than a year with losses of $5000 to $10,000.

New Year’s resolution? Stay the hell away from Amway and try one of the above careers. Your sanity and your bank account will thank you!