Is TVI A Ponzi Scheme?

There is a new player on the MLM scene. TVI Express, a UK based company doing business in more than 50 countries has now come to the United States. TVI or Travel Ventures International, deals in travel and tourism, offering significant discounts on travel packages to exotic locations around the world. In addition, they offer a profitable business opportunity with a very lucrative compensation plan and other incentives. The cries of "Ponzi Scheme" and "Illegal Pyramid Scheme" are already being heard. But is TVI Express a Ponzi scheme or a Pyramid? Let's take a look and see. In this discussion I will deal with the Ponzi allegations and leave the accusations of Pyramid for another time.

To determine the truth of these accusations, we must first know what a Ponzi Scheme is. After researching several dictionaries online and off, this is what I found. The name Ponzi comes from Charles Ponzi, an American swindler who made millions of dollars in a 1920 postal scam selling phony discounted International Postal Reply Coupons. A Ponzi is an investment scam in which early investors as well as the perpetrators of the fraud are paid unrealistically high returns out of funds put up by later investors rather than from any actual profit earned on product sales. In fact there is no real product, at all. Often these scam artists will go back to earlier investors and convince them to reinvest both the original sum plus any profits earned. The system is destined to collapse because the earnings, if any, are less than what has been invested.

Now let's look at TVI Express. When someone joins, for a one time fee of $250 they have purchased a product consisting of some very nice travel benefits; a 6 Nights/7 Days Vacation in a 3-5 Star Property, a free flight ticket offer as well as lifetime access to TVI promotional deals, a VIP Members only forum and discounted travel packages. Plus, as a distributor they have the ability to earn thousands of dollars a month in commissions and additional travel benefits by introducing this membership opportunity to others. This is no different than any other MLM. What has people crying Ponzi regarding TVI is the Travel and Executive boards, a revolving matrix that pays the distributor a return of $15,000 ($10,000 in cash and $5,000 in travel) on their $250 investment once the they have cycled all the way through the boards. On the surface, this could seem like an illegal Ponzi scheme.

However a detailed explanation of the boards will prove this is not a Ponzi, where no product is sold and payout exceeds the amount invested. The product as we have seen already is travel. The boards work this way. In order for someone to cycle all the way through, they have to do two things, sponsor two new members who receive the travel packages above and build a team based upon two sponsoring two sponsoring two, etc. It takes 80 new members to cycle just one person all the way through both boards where they receive their $15,000 in cash and travel. Let's do the math. 80 x $250 = $20,000. So, for every $15,000 payout the company has taken in $20,000. Investments exceed payout, the company makes money and members receive some great products. In no way is this a Ponzi Scheme. It's a legitimate business model, just one that is very profitable.

A Window Of Opportunity

Windows of opportunity are few and far between, rare occurrences that when capitalized on can make a person wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. For example, if you'd bought stock in Apple computers in the late 70's or in Nike when it went public in 1980, you would have made a fortune! Then there was Amway in the 60's. Those who who were foresighted enough to take advantage of these opportunities when they first presented themselves are now very wealthy people. When a window of opportunity opens, those Entrepreneurs intuitive enough to recognize it and get in early are the ones who make the most money.

We have recently become aware of one such window of opportunity, TVI Express. TVI stands for Travel Ventures International. Headquartered in the UK, TVI Express does business in over 50 countries world-wide. Their product is travel and tourism and they are partnered with industry leaders such as Disney, Hilton, Sheraton, British Airways, Virgin Airways, Hertz and Avis to name a few. Because of these partnerships they are able to offer offer amazing discounted vacation and travel packages to exotic locations both at home and abroad as well as a highly profitable business opportunity. The entry fee is low, a one time out of pocket investment of $250 USD for which one receives a one week vacation in addition to the opportunity to become a paid distributor. This one is the real deal, folks.

And now TVI Express has come to the USA! This is a window of opportunity the likes of which we have never seen and may never see again! Think about it, it's a ground-floor opportunity with an established multi-national, multi-million dollar business. Like it was with Amway, Nike or Apple Computers, those who see this for what it is and are willing to take advantage of the opportunity before them, are going to become very wealthy people. They will be in on the leading edge of a wave that is going to sweep this country, bringing in thousands of distributors and millions of dollars in business volume. There are millions to be made and these people are going to do that.

Introducing The TVI Express Super Team, a group made up of highly skilled entrepreneurs, business minded men and women as committed to the success of the individual as we are to the success of the team. Join Us Now and you will be working with the best of the best. Many of the brightest and most talented network marketers in the US and abroad have already joined us. We recognize the opportunity before us and are poised and ready to take full advantage of it. We have structured our organization in such a way as to guarantee the success of each and every team member, whether they are an experienced network marketer or a complete novice. Our goal is to create a team of Millionaires and with our dedicated team, strong teamwork and resolve, we will accomplish this goal.

Teamwork Makes The Dream Work!

Get Paid To Save Money

If you're like me, you've probably heard it said more times than you even care to remember, "a penny saved is a penny earned." Never has this saying been more true than in today's rocky economy. People are pinching those pennies and trying to stretch their dollar more than ever. So yes, it pays to save money. But what if you could save money on all of your every day expenses and activities, without changing where you shop, where you buy groceries, where you get your oil changed, where you buy tires, go to the movies, eat out, and so forth? Would that be of interest to you? If you're like most people these days, of course it would.

What if you could find a home business opportunity that offered discounts at hundreds of stores and buisinesses in your area as well as online, to help you save money and even paid you to do so? If saving money is like making money, then getting paid to do it is like being paid double! How cool is that? Even better, what if this same business opportunity paid you to help others do the very same thing? How hard do you think it would be to sell that to people? Not very. In my opinion, this is the next great trend in MLM and the Home Business Industry, a product that everyone wants and needs and no one in their right mind would say "no" to.

Who does not need to save money? No one I know. It doesn't matter whether they make a gazillion dollars a year or live paycheck to paycheck. No one will argue with the idea of saving money. It's a true "No-Brainer." If you want to cash in on the home business industry, get into a business with a product that makes a difference in people's lives, a product or products that no one can say "no" to. The best business deal is always the one where both buyer and seller walk away with a smile. Get paid to save money and to help everyone you know to do the same and you will never run out of customers. Everyone walks away, a winner! Everyone walks away with a smile.

A New Turn, A New Business, A New Adventure

I have not posted much in the last month or so. First, there was a two week vacation with my family and extended family. Then there was the return home to a full garden needing to be picked, weeded, watered, etc. Then there was the need to get some rest and recover from my vacation! In the midst of all this, a new business venture made itself available to me, one which after much study and research I decided to take advantage of. I am still a distributor with Nutronix and The Berry Tree. This new venture is one I am doing "on the side," so to speak. It is pretty much a "No-Brainer." Let me explain by copying and pasting an email I sent out to my Nutronix and Berry Tree team. Here goes.

Hello Everyone,

I hope all is well with you and yours. I have some very exciting news that I want to share with everyone. I have been waiting for the right time to do this and I feel that time has come. Let me say up front, I AM NOT GETTING OUT OF NUTRONIX & THE BERRY TREE. I am 100% sold on the products I am using, they truly have changed my life. Also, I am doing well with both businesses, making money with them. However, I am aware that a number of you are struggling and not making any money. I feel partially responsible, having introduced many of you personally, to the business.

Most of you are doing everything Chris, Thora and I have taught you to do but it just isn't working for you. I believe that the current economy has a lot to do with this. People these days are hesitant to buy into something, good as it may be for them health-wise, when they need that money just to get by, pay bills, put food on the table, etc. Recruiting, even from high quality sources like "Home Business Connection Magazine," has become increasingly more difficult. I have been reading up on this a good bit and it seems to be a trend in the home business industry, in general. Companies selling what people deem to be luxuries, even though we know them to be more than that, are struggling.

Another problem is the fact that the Nutronix and Berry Tree opportunity, though still a very good one, is one that grows slowly, therefore taking awhile for the average distributor to begin making money. In today's economy people tend to have less patience with this and are looking for other options, things that will bring in a profit, more quickly. This is completely understandable. The problem is, there are very few options (legitimate ones, that is) for people to chose from. Many have fallen prey to disreputable business opportunities, some of them outright scams!

So, what's the exciting news I spoke of at the outset of this email? I want to introduce all of you to something that Chris Aitken, Thora Sullivan and I have started doing on the side, along with our Nutronix & Berry Tree business. This opportunity is on the up and up and is making money for people much more quickly. It certainly has for me. How would you like to be able to save money on your every day expenses; groceries, shopping, dining out, movie tickets, new tires, oil changes and the like? And if that is not enough, how would you like to make money by sharing the opportunity to save, with other people? This is what Chris, Thora and I have become involved in.

I want to introduce you to My World Plus, a discount membership that will allow you to save on all your daily shopping needs and make money doing so. Some of you are already aware of this and have joined us. I have hesitated to share this opportunity en masse, because I didn't want to start a panic, people fearing that I am going to get out of Nutronix and The Berry Tree, leaving everyone else to struggle. I am not. I will continue to support and help everyone on my team. I have never, nor will I ever lie to any of you. I believe in being honest and straight-forward in all my business dealings and that standard I will never lower.

What we are finding is that the average person can get into MWP and make money right away, within their first month, even their first week! This is because there is a single leg powerline with 5 levels in the compensation plan (1 Star - 5 Star) that allows you to be paid on the efforts of every member who has joined after you, even if you did not bring them in! The first two levels are very easy to hit, no more waiting for multiple legs to grow in order to profit from a compensation plan. You can make money right away. I made 1 Star my first week, Thora and Amy are at 2 Star after one month, and Chris is already at 3 Star, all by using the "3 get 3 method," explained further, in the last paragraph.

Better yet, the buy in is very low, a one-time $50 enrollment. The monthly membership is only $19.95 and once we help you get 3 people under you ( which you have my word, we will do) you get your initial investment back, your monthly membership is covered and now you are in business FOR FREE! And as I said, you are making money right away. I invite all of you go to my personal website and take the the free tour. Now, if you like what you see, please don't click to join while on my site. Here's why.

We have solved the other problem we found with Nutroinx and The Berry Tree, the tendency of some people to grow very fast and make a lot of money, while the people underneath them struggle. We have a plan to fix this, the "3 get 3 method," I mentioned above. We help the new person sponsor 3 and then we help those people sponsor their 3. When people come in, rather than sponsor them ourselves, we will place them underneath people in our downline so that everyone grows and advances together and everyone makes money, everyone shares the wealth. We want to create loyalty and excitement in those whom we bring in, making this business much more successful and profitable for everyone. So, please take the time to look and see if you think this could be right for you. If so, either call or email me and let me know.

To our Mutual Success,

Mitch

MLM Success and The Power of Two

MLM Success is contingent upon many factors, not the least of which is the ability to build a large and successful downline. Most MLM practitioners are unable to recruit enough people to sustain their business long enough for it to succeed. The industry average is something like 2.7, meaning that the average person can recruit 2.7 people. Sure, there are gifted men and women who seem to be able to recruit at will but they are the exception, not the rule. So, if a large and thriving downline is critical to Network Marketing success and the average network marketer can only bring in 2.7 people, how can anyone succeed in this industry? The answer lies in a very simple concept, "The Power of Two."

Simply put, recruit two people and help each of those recruit two people. Then teach the first two to help their people recruit two and so forth. This strategy sets the average MLM distributor up for success instead of failure. There are some very good reasons for this. First, you have simplified the whole recruiting process. All they have to do is recruit two. Second, it creates the momentum necessary to achieve sustained growth. And as the team grows, your support system grows along with it because now everyone is helping everyone below them to get their two. Building with The Power of Two enables your team to work together to grow a solid downline that will make the business profitable for everyone.

The numbers are truly staggering! They may seem small at first but watch what happens as The Power of Two takes over and the business begins to grow. If you start with one person recruiting two people in their first month and each person thereafter recruits just two in their first month and if everyone on the team follows through with the plan, in four months there will be 63 people on the team. In Six months it will grow to 127, in eight months it will be 511 and in one year, with everyone only expected to recruit two and help their two recruit two, your organization would grow to 8,191 distributors. Now, in any MLM compensation plan I know of, that translates to success and a boat load of cash! And it was accomplished in just one year.

Of course it's a given that no system is perfect and there will always be folks who drop out or who refuse to do their part, that's MLM. It doesn't matter. You simply bypass those weak spots by recruiting another distributor and help them get their two. Problem solved. MLM Success is not always easy but it is incredibly simple. Achieve success by helping others succeed. Help others succeed by building with The Power of Two.