Do You Have Divided Loyalties?

There are many opportunities in multi-level marketing. New companies start every day and you may be offered a chance to join companies virtually on a daily basis. You may even actually join one of these new companies, even if you are currently in another multi-level marketing company. You may even think that you can belong to more than one company and effectively work both companies and maybe you can.

Why did you add an additional company to your portfolio? Maybe this is new company and you wanted to get in on the "ground floor." You don't want to give up your other company or companies because you aren't sure this new one will last. In this case, you are just riding the wave. This is all well and good as long as you follow the rules. First, make sure there is no clause in the agreement with either company about working with another company while you are an active associate. Some companies require you to be exclusive only after you reach a certain level. Others require exclusivity from the start.

Almost all companies prohibit recruiting for the new company from your current downline. The penalties for this activity are pretty stiff and can get you kicked out of your first company, particularly if distributors start dropping out of the old company in favor of the new one. That is not to say that people won't figure out that you have a new opportunity and join you anyway. If anyone from your current downline does join you, it might be a good idea to protect yourself by having them sign a statement saying that you did not actively recruit them to this new business and they are signing up of their own accord. There are no guarantees that this will satisfy everyone, but it may help safeguard you if there are questions later.

The last question you have to ask yourself is if you can really be effective while working for two companies. Maybe you only intend to focus on the new company for a short period of time while stilling devoting enough time to the old company to at least maintain the status quo. It may also be important to consider what you want to do if the new company becomes much more lucrative than the old one. If the new company hasn't been around very long, that might indeed become the case, at least initially. Don't be in a big rush to dump the old company since new companies are notorious for failing and new multi-level marketing companies are no exception.

While it is important to capitalize on new opportunities when they come along, it is equally important not to burn your bridges. Make sure to take all the factors into consideration when branching out, including the risk that you may lose your position in your current company if you aren't careful. Make sure that is a risk you are willing to take.

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach." Tom Robbins quotes (American Novelist. b.1936)


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