“It’s okay to live a life that others do not understand.”
The biggest fear I hear when talking with people about coaching is not what we DO, it's HOW WE EARN. They've heard all the stories about pyramid schemes, they've been told to stay away from "online scams," & get rich quick schemes. I'm here to tell you, GOOD -- all that advice was valid and came from a place of love.
What it didn't come from, was a place of understanding that not ALL online businesses or income plans were created equal. That just because you earn differently or non-traditionally doesn't make it wrong, bad, or illegal.
Pyramid schemes are illegal, as are Ponzi schemes. They essentially take money from new members and redistribute the money to those at the top, without actually exchanging any product or value in return.
As coaches, we exchange products (nutrition, fitness, equipment, support) in exchange for people's hard earned cash. They get results, we get 25% income in commission, just like a sales person. Or in my line of work, just like the % of money I receive from my employer for billing medicaid or insurance companies for the services I provide. While in NC at my first job as a Physical Therapist, I would bill approximately $114/hour for a patient in therapy codes, of which I was paid $28/hr salary, which was essentially a 24% commission on the services I provided for the clinic.
The best part though, is by helping others learn skills that will allow them to be successful, we are rewarded via compensation in terms of "team cycle bonsuses." We're paid, depending on rank, a percentage of the sales of anyone that joins our team. Which means, that by investing in those that came after you, you can put forth the same amount of effort year after year and get paid MORE each year. This is what is considered "passive income," and is a second stream of income from the same coaching gig.
You will face others who do not understand this way of earning money, but that does not mean that it is anything less than awesome. In fact, 90% of American's don't even have $1,000 in their savings account, so the fact that they don't understand this style of earning money should not worry you.
Here's an awesome videos that involve superheros, action figures, and our VP of Operations, Michael Neimond talking about how we earn as coaches!