MLMs are often seen as a great money-making opportunity. For this mum, the reality was anything but - ABC News
It was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Instead, it ended up costing Brisbane mum Suzie McDarra thousands — and almost ruined her relationship with her son. For those who haven't had a friend invite them to a Tupperware party, who haven't been asked whether they want to "invest in an exciting business opportunity", multi-level marketing companies (or MLMs) might seem a bit foreign. But worldwide, they're part of a multi-billion-dollar industry. Some of the bigger brands in Australia you may have heard of include DoTERRA, Arbonne, Rodan and Fields and Herbalife. Given 49-year-old Suzie had been running her own successful small business as a massage therapist for a decade, she wasn't new to the idea of building a client base or taking risks. Far from it, in fact. Living week to week, Suzie thought that selling a product that she already used, from a multi-level marketing (MLM) company that promised her a "passive income", wo