Hey there sea changers, and welcome back to my series of MLM reviews. Today I am going to check out a company that covers two of the largest growing online markets in the one spot with my First Fitness Nutrition MLM review. Their products? CBD Oils and Supplements. They actually started as a health and weight loss supplement company which, on its own has the ability to earn those willing to do the work some decent income. The addition of CBD Oils – a booming industry as well – makes them an attractive proposition at first glance.
Ok, can we earn a fortune with this one? Let's have a look…
What is MLM?
Multi-level marketing (MLM) programs are the mainstay of the ‘party plan' world of products such as Tupperware, Mary Kay and Amway etc. and, recently, becoming more and more prevalent within the Supplements and CBD oils markets. One of the reasons for this is that much of the sales and marketing for MLMs is now being managed online – alleviating the need to run parties – and, more importantly, not hassle everybody you know to join (you can of course, but you don't have to).
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The ‘multi level' aspects of MLM come from its hierarchical nature in which you make commissions based not only on those that you sell to, but also the sales of those whom you ‘sign' into membership arrangements as well.
In short, the process works as follows:
- You join the program, either via referral from another person (known as your up line) or directly through their website.
- You promote the products of the company via parties, workshops or online.
- As you make sales, you offer incentives to your customers to sign up as a member of the program (there are different names for this but they all mean the same thing).
- That new member is then placed ‘underneath' you in a hierarchical arrangement (known as your down line).
- You, and a number of levels of your up line, then gain extra commissions for everything they sell as well.
- If they manage to refer their customers into memberships, they also become a member of your down line allowing you to make up line commissions as well.
The number of levels of your up and down lines will vary depending on the program you have joined. Commission rates will also change as your down line grows or contracts and many will also offer other incentives such as total company sales percentages and/or access to membership prizes as your own business grows.
Who are First Fitness Nutrition?
Based in Texas in the United States, First Fitness Nutrition (FFN) was founded in 1989 by Nigel Branson and Lee Causey – who incidentally is credited on the site as being the inventor of the world’s first diet shake. Their products are backed by scientific research and are guided by the following 10 principles:
- God
- Family
- Teamwork
- Integrity
- Leadership
- Making a difference
- Equal opportunity
- Trust
- Excellence
- Innovation
Like many other companies of this type, the site is built around its MLM program with most non products specific information aimed at its program and opportunity to earn as a distributor.
What do they Sell?
FFN offers a large range of supplements, weightloss and CBD Oil based products as well as a smaller range of skin and body care creams etc. There is way too much to list them all but here are the basics:
- CBD Rich Hemp Oil
- Weightloss Supplements
- Capsules
- Drinks
- Meal Replacement Shakes
- Packs
- Health and Wellness Supplements
- Multi Vitamins
- Dietary/Health Supplements
- Superfood capsules
- Antioxidant drinks
- Herbal Cleansing
- Probiotics
- Liver and Colon cleansers
- Detoxifying Tea
- Sports Nutrition
- Protein Shakes
- Protein Bars
- Hydration and Energy drinks
- Body Products
- Cleansers
- Exfoliants
- Moisturisers
- Energisers
- Aloe Vera Creams and gels
Who knows, a clever marketer could attack this program with a “let's look after you inside and out” approach….
MLM Program outline
The FFN MLM program calls their members Distributors and from first look, appears to be a fairly stock standard program and commission structure. As mentioned earlier, as with many companies that offer MLM opportunities their website and processes appear to set it up as a network marketing company first, and a marketplace second. Information in regards to the program, whilst not as comprehensive as others, is available so let's check out the basics.
Base Commission rate: 20 – 40%
Down line commission rates: 6 – 8% to 5 levels (1st generation (down line level 1) rates 6%).
Minimum monthly spend to qualify for commissions
- Distributors are required to maintain $100 Autoship PV or $150 other PV per month.
Payment terms: Weekly and monthly.
Application required?: Yes, personal and payment information at time of first purchase
Purchase requirements to join: Yes
- Membership joining cost $29 which includes a distributor kit
- New members can then also choose a Join pak as follows – the purchase of these paks then determines the amount of commission/discount that can be earned moving forward:
- No Pak purchased – 20% discount/commission
- Business Pak – $279 – 25% discount/commission
- Executive Pak – $549 – 30% discount/commission
- Director Pak – $999 – 40% discount/commission
These paks are not mandatory however many of the bonuses and commissions outlined below are reliant upon ‘encouraging' your newly referred down line members to purchase one at time of enrolment.
Marketing materials provided: Personal website, marketing materials, back office
As with the bigger programs, downline commissions and rankings are determined by the total Personal volume (PV) that you and Team Bonus Volume that your downline generate in a calendar month. This program is quite a good one in regards to the calculation of PV points as from what I can tell, most products are assigned points on a 1 to 1 basis (or very close to it). This means that distributors can earn commissions and bonuses in actual dollars spent and not a percentage as per many other programs. To qualify for downline commissions within FFN, you will need to generate a minimum 150PV points worth of product monthly (roughly USD$150).
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How can I get paid?
The compensation plan promotes 8 ways in which distributors can make money when they promote and sell products. These are quite standard for a MLM program with commissions on par with many others I have seen. Let's check them out…
Daily Retail Profit
Daily Retail Profit is the base profit earned by the general day to day retail sales that distributors make either in person or via their website. There are two main ways here:
- Earn a commission of up to 40% of the purchase PV if done so at retail prices (basically the difference between the distributor discount and the retail price).
- Purchase products and on sell them at retail prices within a shop front, market stall or kiosk – the traditional method.
Weekly Fast Start Bonus
The Weekly Fast Start Bonus is a set payment amount paid to Active Distributors every time they enrol a new customer who purchases a starter pack. Payments are as follows:
To qualify for this bonus you must be an Active Distributor within the period in which the new enrolment occurs. Active is defined as having $100 Autoship PV or $150 other PV in the current or previous monthly period. This payment runs for your first 26 weeks only.
Super Star Bonus
The Super Star Bonus is a one-time $800 bonus that is paid if a distributor can achieve 3,000 Team Bonus Volume within their down line in their first month.
The achievement of the Super Star Bonus also elevates the distributor to a rank of Director where they will earn 40% retail commissions and personal purchase discount – regardless of the pak purchased at enrolment.
Team Bonuses
The Team Bonus is a bonus paid on the number of new distributors that are added to the sponsor's downline with the purchase of a join pak. Each time the tally of Team Bonus Value on Join Pak purchases reaches 3000, then a $400 Team Bonus is paid.
Team bonuses are paid up to $3,200 per week depending on Rank Status.
Wholesale Commissions
Distributors who reach a rank of Director or above via the purchase of a Director Pak achievement of the Super Star bonus can qualify for Wholesale commissions of up to 20% based on the sales and rank of their down line members. For example, if their down line distributor qualifies for a 30% commission on a sale, then the extra 10% is paid to their up line sponsor to make up the 40% for the sale.
Residual Income
Residual Income is FFN's version of the stock standard Unilevel commission arrangements common to most MLM programs. Commissions are paid down to 5 levels on all generated volume of all Directors and above within the downline of the Distributor. Rates are as follows:
Rank Advancement Bonus
As Distributors transgress to the higher ranks, they then become eligible for the Rank Advancement Bonus. This is a flat rate payment once the new rank is achieved. Payments are as follows:
Mercedes-Benz Car Bonus
The Mercedes-Benz Car Bonus pays $600-$1,200 towards a Mercedes-Benz of choice.
Distributors who do not wish to partake ion this bonus can choose a $300 monthly cash bonus instead.
Ranking structure
As you have probably noticed, the commissions and bonuses paid out above are reliant upon the ‘rank' that distributors are assigned within the FFN MLM program. I was however unable to locate any tables or outlines on this site as to how a distributor can rise above the rank of Director. I am guessing therefor that as with most programs, rankings are determined by the total Teas Salem Volume generated by the distributor and their downline in a calendar month.
What is good about it?
So, after a good look around the site and looking at all the options I could find, I do like the following:
- Commission rates for entry level sales are much higher than most other programs.
- PV point calculations are 1 to 1 (or close enough to).
- There are three solid product streams to focus on.
- Most Information in regards to their MLM program is easy to find.
- They have a large range of commission and bonus earning options.
What is no so good about it?
There are also some things to be aware of including:
- There is a strong emphasis on recruitment rather that ongoing sales.
- Whilst not mandatory, entry level product pak purchase is expected and needed to earn better commissions.
How much can you make?
Can you earn a fortune as described? Well unfortunately FFN does not provide any income average income tables for its program. As with most MLM programs however, the percentage of members making the upper rank levels – and hence earning a fortune – is very low.
My final thoughts
Look, MLM is not an easy platform to make money in. That said, the FFN program does seems to be on par with most others within this niche (such as Zillis and Isagenix) with ample opportunity to earn if you can attract and nurture a down line. There is plenty of information available in regards to the commission and bonus structure so if you are passionate about Supplements or CBD oils and like this brand, then to be honest I cannot see much in there that would cause me to warn you off.
There are however a couple of red flags here. The first is that the program seems to be heavily geared towards the recruitment of new distributors purchasing Join Paks. The more of these a person can recruit, the higher the bonus they will initially receive. The second is the inability to locate accurate information in regards to rank movements and income forecasts – hence I would suggest some more research being undertaken here – even if you just ask your sponsor at time of sign up.
The joining process is quite simple however there are some immediate financial requirements via a membership joining fee and joining Paks – which whilst not mandatory are sort of expected. Distributors are then expected to spend at least $100 per month to maintain eligibility for commissions which can certainly place a strain on the finances as you start out in the business – especially if recruitment is slow. Although to be honest, I think if you are going to succeed in any MLM program, you will need to be intricately aware of the products you are promoting – meaning I think some purchases are always necessary.
I was unable to locate any negative reviews in terms of non-payment etc. however there was some negative comments about the quality of products and the MLM program itself – although it was not really anything that is uncommon in regards to MLM programs or products within this niche.
CBD oil legalities
Finally, before you rush of into this program, I would advise that you do some solid research into the market in which you plan to promote these products if you plan to focus on the CBD Oil side of things. For example, where I live in Australia, the sale of CBD oil is still under debate with no clear guidelines (at time of writing). I can however promote into the U.S. (some states) via online methods. For this reason, you may even want to start by looking into affiliate marketing rather than committing to an MLM program in short term.
Conclusion
So there you have it, my honest review and appraisal of the First Fitness Nutrition MLM program. I hope it has been of assistance but as usual, if you have any questions or experience with this program please do not hesitate to reach out by commenting below – especially if any of my information is inaccurate.
Are there any other programs you have been looking at but want to know more about? If so, please comment below and I will do my best to get some details for you.
Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own Supplements, CBD oils or MLM based website?
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Until next time
Have fun
Paul
Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price.
First Fitness Nutrition MLM
$29.00 +Pros
- Commission rates for entry level sales are much higher than most other programs.
- PV point calculations are 1 to 1.
- There are three solid product streams to focus on.
- Most Information in regards to their MLM program is easy to find.
- They have a large range of commission and bonus earning options.
Cons
- There is a strong emphasis on recruitment rather that ongoing sales.
- Whilst not mandatory, entry level product pak purchase is expected and needed to earn better commissions.