What is the Body Shop at Home?
The Body Shop at Home is a multi-level marketing company that offers face, body, hair and fragrance products both for men and women. This company was founded by Anita Roddick in Brighton, England in 1976. Anita is a strong advocate on campaigning against cruel-free beauty by condemning and helping ban animal testing in the United Kingdom. This company operates in around 40 countries worldwide from The USA to Europe to Asia.
Enrich Not Exploit
The company’s goal is to be the world’s most ethical and sustainable global business. They promote diversity and say no to stereotypes by paying fair compensation to all their community trade partners. They also take pride in never testing their products on animals. Added to that, they also aim to enrich the planet through helping enrich biodiversity in locations where they grow their ingredients. With these goals in mind, the company gains favor among its proponents.
How It Works
It starts off by being invited to a Body Shop party. Once there, you will be encouraged to host a party for $50 voucher. They will give you products such as shampoos for everyone to try and enjoy during the party you hosted. They then encourage you to take this up as a career by lifting you up with words such as “You’re doing so good at this, you could do this full-time!”
Basically, when you do this full time, you’d have lots of TBS products and just chill in someone’s home and let them sample things. Seems like an ideal fun job to do. However, to do that, you’d have to shed $300 for the starter kit which some took out loans just to afford the pricey kit.
You’d say yes because they’d guarantee that you’d get your money back and even double that within a short span of time. However, it doesn’t just end there, added to the $300 kit are business cards you need to have, stocks, posters, catalogs, display items, name badge and uniform. Some uniforms, which are seasonal, you only get to wear them for a few weeks. They also have shirts, with promoted products, which you also get to wear for only some months until the promo ends.
You think that’s all? Not just yet. You get invited to training sessions which without you knowing until you get there is worth $70. The training involves ways to recruit people, including calling them during work hours, which seem to be annoying and testimonials on how some went big with their teams.
During your first party, you could earn more or less $20 easily, however, during the parties after that, you could go home with no sales at all. In a few months, you have invested around $700-$800 which will end in debt.
The Downside
Although not all consultants fare out badly, some get the hang of it and live off of its income. The few business-minded people who have good rapport with others, get things going for them. However, for others it would turn out a failed venture.
It may seem good when you earn a swooping amount from your first party, yet the expenses go up and without good strategy, the expenses would go over your income. Another factor to consider is the location, if you live in a place with a big superstore and only a few thousand people, it would be challenging to work out this business competing against the solid establishment.
Oversaturation would become a great concern. Also consider this – why would someone choose to buy from and MLM representative when you can just browse the website and buy directly from there?
Those who would like to avoid all the business talk and persuasion to register that comes along with it would always choose the other option, in this case, the website. Without considering vital factors, you would be on the losing end of this business, or any business for that matter.
Summary of the Body Shop at Home Business
It would seem enticing to earn so much on your first try. You could then start to imagine how much more you would earn during the succeeding parties. However, as you get more involved in it, you would notice how expenses would come little by little, from product rack, to uniforms, to paid training sessions.
From the initial $300 you shed out, you realize it will be a few hundreds more to keep the business going and the return of investment may seem elusive. Still, you go on with the assurance that as time goes by, you will get your money back as long as you just stick to it.
The Body Shop at Home seems a legitimate business venture. The legacy it aims to promote is for a very noble cause that many could support. However, without counting the cost and without planning on how to get that cost back, a substantial amount of funds would come dwindling out of your pocket.
The Body Shop at Home could exploit you, if you let it to. For instance, in order to avoid hidden costs like that one from trainings, you could inquire in advance what joining the training would entail, a little online research would also help.
For the uniforms, why not opt for the general use ones instead of the seasonal shirts. With a little extra effort in selling, networking of acquaintances, and strategy, you get things on track for you. This doesn’t just go for this MLM company, it’s for any venture actually.
Knowing what you’ve put yourself into, putting extra effort to have the needed knowledge and planning it through could bring you in the needed advantage you have to make a success out of your venture.
If you see that it’s really not for you, don’t be ever be afraid to say no. Just decline an offer. In the end, you will reap the results of your decision. When counting the cost and seeing it’s not in your favor, it’s never wrong to say no early on.
Is MLM a Good Business for Me?
MLM might work for some people, but not for everyone. It’s becoming harder and harder to do well in MLM. More and more people prefer buying on the internet, and they don’t want to buy from someone who tries to convince them to buy from them.
People prefer to choose and check the product on the internet before they buy anything. That’s why websites with product reviews are so popular nowadays.
MLM or Affiliate Marketing?
Instead of getting involved in MLM and worry how to make enough money to get your investment back, you could learn affiliate marketing for free.
Instead of reporting to your boss or uplines, you could be your own boss.
Instead of trying to convince people to buy from you, you could have a website where you express your honest opinion about different products. If people buy the products you recommend, you’ll make money without the financial risks and stress.
How to do it? Click here to learn about affiliate marketing and become your own boss.
Henderson says
Affiliate marketing will always beat mlm anytime any day. I don’t like mlm programmes and I can never recommend it to anyone because I’ve seen what it does and how it can even spoil family relationships. I am a big fan of affiliate marketing and I have started as well. Like other mlm schemes. The body shop at home is another game of upsells where the company makes a lot and the distributor makes little or nothing. We can go round and round talking about compensation but at the end, the distributors don’t make much. Like you said, mlm is only for a fee people. Awesome review.
Chris says
Thank you for the comment.
Barbara says
Hi Chris and thank you for your review on the Body Shop at home. I couldn’t agree with you more MLM might work for some people but has never worked for me and I have tried a few ventures in my life. So interesting to see you are mentioning Affiliate marketing because I have about a year ago joined Wealthy Affiliate myself and I could not be happier. Best thing I have ever done for myself and my family
Chris says
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for the comment. For me joining the Wealthy Affiliate has been also very good experience.
jessetoikkanen says
Good and informative stuff, I would say! I have personal experience about multi-level marketing but personally, I see its good only for very few people, for those who get a good reputation and maintains or grows it eventually better. I found my online businesses dream to come true when I found Wealthy Affiliate, its very starter friendly from my view and people make everything that everyone (starters included) would have the best possible opportunities to grow their businesses and skills by time.
Kind regards -Jesse
Chris says
Thank you for the comment.
C says
Thank you for this article. When I saw the title I thought it was going to be about like a body shop for cars that you can open at your home. But this is very interesting too. It sounds like those Tupperware parties that I heard about when I was young. It seems like some people could do well with it but other people end up maybe even getting taken advantage of by social pressure.
I really like the part where you said, don’t be afraid to say no. Sometimes they pressure you into trying it but you can always say no.
Right now I’m doing well for you affiliate and I think it sounds much better than this body shop thing. There are a lot less hidden costs and it doesn’t cost nearly as much to get started.
Chris says
Thank you for the comment.
RoDarrick says
I have learnt my lessons well than not to make a research before getting involved in any business. Actually, my wife got invited to this body shop at home business and I must say, she was ranting about her success with the first party and I’m glad I carried out this research before she made any investments into this. I will definitely share this with her so she can know what she’s getting involved with from the onset.
Also, I wouldn’t want her to get engaged with MLM business due to my past failures with them. Thanks
Chris says
Thank you for sharing your experience.
water life says
Αfter reading about this MLM business I think it’s not worth it, especially if the costs exceed the revenue. Certainly, there is damage and that is not good. I agree absolutely with your place that Wealthy Affiliate Marketing can make you the boss of yourself. It needs discipline and time because money won’t come immediately but it’s worth the effort. Your opinion is important. Thank you for that.
Chris says
Thank you for the comment.
Monalisha says
Hi Chris.
Thank you for your review of Body Shop at Home Business, a multi-level marketing company that offers face, body, hair and fragrance products both for men and women. It was really nice to read your review. You have nicely discussed about what the Body Shop at Home is, what is it’s history, how it works, about the downsides, an overview of MLM vs Affiliate Marketing and so on. You have also suggested to make a website to express honest review so that people could know about the product. I have really learned a lot from your post.
Thank you so much for sharing such an honest review. I will definitely share this post to others.
Chris says
Hi Monalisha,
Thank you for your kind comment.