Chapter 1: A Curious Beginning

It all started when I decided to take a life drawing class, despite my lack of artistic talent. I thought it would be a fun way to explore a new hobby. Little did I know, alongside honing my skills, I would also be approached with an "exciting business opportunity."

In the class, a group of us sketched a young woman as she struck various poses. Afterward, we enjoyed some wine and snacks, and our model, now dressed, mingled with us.

Let's refer to her as Ada, a fitting name since it connects to the headquarters of a well-known MLM company. Ada was warm and sociable, collecting contact numbers from several attendees, mine included, without a second thought.

A few days later, I received a text from her.

"Hi Nichola, I thought you might be interested in my business. Would you like to meet up to learn more?"

During our chat, I had mentioned my dissatisfaction with my current job, so I was curious if her company offered something more appealing.

"That sounds intriguing," I replied. "Could you share the name of your company? I'd like to do a little research beforehand."

I prefer to know a bit about a company before attending interviews to understand their culture and to come off as knowledgeable.

"Let’s discuss that at our meeting. What I can share is that it’s a robust and profitable company. I’m doing really well there."

Ada proposed a time and location for our meeting—a bar in a hotel. That raised a few red flags for me: an unnamed company, a meeting outside of their office, and the claim of doing "really well" while working a second job.

My instincts kicked in, reminding me of those situations where someone tries to entice you with vague promises about a company they refuse to name. This felt suspiciously like a scam.

I chose to ignore her follow-up message, but she was relentless. A few hours later, another text arrived.

"I'm thinking of you since you mentioned seeking new opportunities. This is something I know you’d find interesting. Can we meet?"

I was tempted to press Ada for her company's name.

"Who do you work for?" I texted.

"It's better if I explain the opportunity in person," she replied.

In my jaded view, anything labeled an "opportunity" usually isn't what it seems.

Another text pinged on my phone.

"Can you come meet me?"

This time, I responded. "Maybe... But if this is MLM, network marketing, or anything resembling a pyramid scheme, I’m not interested."

Ada fell silent for over a day, but eventually, she replied.

"No, it isn’t. It’s a reputable company."

"So reputable you can’t tell me its name?" I thought. I considered stringing Ada along a bit longer, but I remembered her friendly demeanor during our art class. She was likely just following the script provided by her employer.

I texted back, "Thanks for thinking of me, but I don’t feel comfortable attending a meeting without knowing the company name."

"Oh, okay. I thought you were interested in new opportunities, but I guess not," she responded.

That was the last I heard from Ada. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the last encounter I’d have with MLMs. Occasionally, acquaintances still reach out to me with vague, enticing business opportunities. I always kindly decline.

Have you experienced something similar? Feel free to share your story in the comments!

Chapter 2: The Videos That Echo My Experience

The first video, Am I The A**hole? 4 - SimplyPodLogical #67, dives into the complexities of social interactions and judgments that mirror my own experiences with MLMs.

The second video, Toxic Friendships | Reading Reddit Stories, further explores the nuances of friendship and the challenges of navigating relationships that involve MLM pitches.