Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Little Bosses Everywhere:
Pyramid, meet scheme.
Quick synopsis:
The long history of multi-level marketing in America.
Fact for Non-History People:
Of the 6.7 million Americans in MLMs, 75% are women.
Fact for History Nerds:
Avon, one of the original direct sellers, made profits even during the Great Depression.
My Take on Little Bosses Everywhere:
Hey hun, I just finished Little Bosses Everywhere by Bridget Read. Let’s talk about how this book can give you the lifestyle you deserve and you can be your own boss.
Doesn’t all that sound so weird and culty? I make no bones about it. I am a multi-level marketing (MLM) hater. These businesses target people who are usually in desperate straits, and if they aren’t, they will be by the time they are done.
Read goes back to the very beginning to tell the whole story of where these parasites come from. No, Amway was not the first, but kudos to you for knowing one of the worst offenders that STILL exists somehow. Seriously. I just went to the website. It looks exactly like you expect, and now I bet I am on a list.
Read does some wonderful work here and it is in-depth. In fact, I’d venture to say it is a little bit too in-depth. The middle of the book drags a little only because MLMs just kept growing by calling in some political favors. The author also strays at times from truly hitting on how much MLMs infected American life. She certainly does that, but there are a few places where a stronger correlation needed to be made.
That said, the strongest part of the book is Monique. She is a woman who was pulled into Mary Kay and it went as well as you would think. Read starts each major portion of the book with another step in Monique’s descent into debt as she chases her dream. There is not stronger story than that one.
(This book was provided as a review copy by the Crown.)
Verdict:
Eye-opening and enraging. Buy it here!
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