Hey there sea changers, and welcome back to my series of MLM reviews. Usually when we think of online fashion, especially in the MLM space, we tend to think of women’s lines – well at least I did. Today however we are going to take a gander at the more masculine side of fashion with my J. Hilburn MLM Review. The online sale of clothing is an extremely lucrative one with many making a good living selling new and used clothing via online stores, affiliate marketing and, more and more within the MLM space. My research also shows that this popularity does transfer to men’s fashion so then is J. Hilburn a MLM worth checking out? Let’s have a look and see…

What is MLM?

Multi-level marketing (MLM) programs are the traditional mainstay of the ‘party plan’ world of products such as Tupperware, Mary Kay and Amway etc. and, of course within the beauty/cosmetics, supplements and essential oils markets. It is not as prevalent within the clothing industry but as MLMs have become more popular in recent times – mainly due to the fact that much of the sales and marketing is now being managed online – companies in other niches are starting to get in on the action.

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:

1. You join the program, either via referral from another person (known as your up line) or directly through their website.
2. You promote the products of the company via parties, workshops or online.
3. 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).
4. That new member is then placed ‘underneath’ you in a hierarchical arrangement (known as your down line).
5. You, and a number of levels of your up line, then gain extra commissions for everything they sell as well.
6. 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 J. Hilburn?

J.Hilburn was founded in 2007 by Hil Davis and Veeral Rathod who have built a company that “obsessively re-engineered menswear to provide men with a custom-made wardrobe that fits”.

They work to core values of:

• Teamwork
• Integrity
• Trust
• Responsibility
• Communication
• Love Life

J. Hilburn is based in Dallas/Fort Worth in the United States.

What do they Sell?

Ok, so we can keep this simple – J.Hilburn sell high end, luxury custom-made men’s fashion. Their product range can be purchased under two brands (J. Hilburn and Hilburn) and includes:

• Suits
• Sportcoats
• Trousers
• Shirts
• Knits
• Casual Pants
• Outerwear
• Sweaters
• Accessories
• Shoes
• Belts
• Bags
• Leather Goods
• Formal Wear

Item costs are definitely within the high end range of the price scale with suits starting at around $600 for Hilburn and $900 for J. Hilburn lines.

MLM Program outline

The J. Hilburn MLM program calls their members ‘Stylists’ who are part of what appears to be a fairly standard program with a basic retail and downline commission structure as well as a couple of bonus options. Here are the basics as I have found them …

Base Commission rate: 10% to 25% (Tiered based on sales volume)

Down line commission rates: 2 – 4.5% to eight levels (level 1 down line is 2.5%)

Minimum monthly spend to qualify for commissions

Monthly sales bonus threshold are as follows:

• $500 – $3000 dependent upon rank

Stylists must also complete training tasks to rise to the first commission qualifying rank.

Payment terms: Monthly.

Application required?: Yes, Application form on website.

Purchase requirements to join: Yes

New stylists are required to purchase one of two starter kits

• The Standard Tool Kit ($500) includes Essential Shirting Books & Suiting Binder, Measuring Tools, Accessories, Limited Edition Stylist Lookbook and Limited Edition Fabrics.
• The Digital Tool Kit ($199) includes Measuring Tools, Limited Edition Stylist Lookbook and access to all of the same fabrics, but through digital medium (Electronic devices not included).

There is no mention of ongoing seasonal collection purchases which is common with clothing MLMs so I would suggest checking into that further before signing up.

Marketing materials provided: Proprietary back office business tools, formalised training platform with personal mentoring.

As with the most MLM programs, downline commissions are determined by the total personal qualifying volume (PV-Q) generated by the Stylist and their down line within a calendar month. Most MLM programs manage it this way in that commissions are paid on the points assigned to a product rather than the entire sales total. One advantage of this program is that commissions are calculated on the actual sales totals generated by the stylist (after discount, taxes and shipping costs). Third party Brands and sales items however are calculated at 50% of the sales total.

How can I get paid?

The Career Plan promotes 7 ways in which Stylists can make money when they promote and sell products. These are fairly straight forward with much of the same commissions and bonus options found in many other MLM arrangements. The 7 payment options for the J. Hilburn MLM program are outlined as follows:

1. Five First Look Promotions

The Five First Look Promotions is designed to assist New Stylists with growing their J. Hilburn business and establishing a loyal Client base. First Look Promotions of $100 are paid for each five New Purchasing Clients generated by the stylists during the Fundamentals Phase.

2. Personal Commissions

Personal Commissions are the base commissions earned by the general day to day retail sales that Stylists can generate. These are tiered based on the total sales for the month and are paid as follows:

3. Selling Tools Rewards Plan

The Selling Rewards Plan is not a cash rewards systems as such however does allow stylists to earn access to extra Swatches and sales products that they would normally be required to purchase as part of an upgrade pack. These bonus options are as below:

4. Team Sales Commissions

Team sales commissions are the basic unilevel commissions that are prevalent within most MLM programs. Within the J. Hilburn MLM program, commissions are paid to 3 levels and 4 generations based on the number of downline sales and PV-Q reached. Commission payments are as follows:

A Generation begins at the rank of Managing Partner or higher and includes all the Stylists in their downline, down to but excluding the next Managing Partner or higher (see Ranking Structure section below)

Qualification

Commissions are earned when the Stylist and team members within their legs reach their respective monthly sales bonus thresholds.

5. Title Achievement

The Title Achievement Bonus is a once off payment paid to Stylists as a reward for reaching a new rank starting at Associate Partner and above.

Qualification

To receive any Title Achievement Bonus, a Stylist must have reached and maintained their new title for 3 consecutive

months.

6. Wellness

The Wellness payment is a monthly payment made to Stylists who maintain their rank for the previous month. Payment amounts are as follows:

7. Luxury Car

The Luxury Car bonus is a common rewards option within MLM programs paid to the higher ranks. Within the J. Hilburn program, the luxury car bonus is paid from the rank of Senior Managing Partner and above with payments as follows:

Qualification

To qualify for the Luxury Car bonus, A Stylist must achieve and maintain their title for 3 consecutive months. Luxury Car Leader Program paperwork and vehicle documentation (up to two years old from the current year) must also be submitted to the company as well.

Ranking structure

Like most MLM programs, J. Hilburn uses ranking structures on which to base commission payments and other bonuses upon. Within this program, rankings are awarded as follows:

Again, as is common with almost all MLM programs, rank progression is determined by both the number of members within down line legs, and the total sales made by those legs per month. Ranks can rise and fall based on the ability (or dis-ability) to reach the required member and sales targets

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/discount rates for entry level sales are good.
• Program is simple and easy to follow.
• Good amount of information available online.
• Good training structure.

What is no so good about it?

There are also some things to be aware of including:

• Joining and ongoing costs are a little high.
• Products are in luxury price range which may reduce customer base.

How much can you make?

I was unable to locate projected income figures on the J. Hilburn website however as with most MLM programs, the percentage of members making the upper rank levels – and hence earning a living – is usually very low.

My final thoughts

Look, MLM is not an easy platform to make money in and there is not much that I have seen here to put this program above the many others I have seen.

There are no real red flags with this one in terms of the actual program and to be honest, it is one of the more straight forward programs I have seen. My only real concern with this one is that I would probably look to avoid it if you were new to the whole MLM caper simply due to the high cost of items. That said, if you are an absolute fashion nut with a large customer list at your disposal with the skill to support those interested in luxury men’s apparel, then the commissions rates on base sales might just appeal here.

I was unable to locate any negative reviews in terms of non-payment etc. however there was some negative comments about the quality of the 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.

Conclusion

So there you have it, my honest review and appraisal of the J. Hilburn 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 fashion 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. This may include sale made via Wealthy Affiliate.