Sinking In Quixand

IBO Facts: Straight Answers To Tough Questions

2006-01-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

Whoa! Can this be right? Is "Sinking In Quixand" actually going to finish the series he began so long ago?

Well, not so fast.

Although I'm still an avid Quixtar 'critic', bent on one day bringing down the giant, I just don't have the time or desire to finish this, let alone continue posting regularly. As I said in this post, I've got three beautiful kids who are eager to spend time with their daddy, and time spent continually dumping on Quixtar can be just as bad as a Dad who neglects his kids while trying to build it. That said...Quixtar still sucks.

I'll still keep this site active, and even post from time to time when it suits me but hey, you are all big kids out there. If you haven't figured it out by now then you 'aint gonna. Good luck with your IBOship.

For those of you who are crying in your XS at the news of my not continuing the 'IBO Facts' series, I've got good news. 'Truth' is beginning his own 21 part series on this very thing. His first post on it is quite good.

So have fun. I'll check in again soon I hope. There may be some surprise good news happening in the near future. I'll let you know when it happens.

Peace.

On My Heart

2005-10-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I work for a church. A pretty large one here in the Pacific Northwest. We have an extremely thriving youth ministry. Just last week our Friday night youth 'hang-out' topped 200 kids! This is a great thing. God is certainly at work in powerful ways and I for one am grateful.

This kind of ministry takes a lot of work. Our youth leadership is top notch. It says a lot about their hard work and commitment when you see the continued growth in spiritual maturity and community that is taking place there.

Being a youth leader is a HUGE commitment. I've seen first hand the amount of time it takes to make it work. I've also seen the toll it can take on a person.

It's been said that the average youth pastor lasts approximately nine months at a church before they burn out. This is sad. Sad for the youth pastor, but even more sad for the kids that have invested their own growth in that persons leadership. I'll say it again, it's a HUGE commitment.

So perhaps this is why I've been thinking about Caleb and Sarah a lot these last few days.

Earlier this week, Qblog posted a link about Caleb and Sarah on his weekly 'Quixtar Chatter' column. Caleb and Sarah are youth pastors here in Washington who have recently celebrated their first anniversary as husband and wife. They have a link on their blog to another blog dedicated to their youth group. It too, looks to be an exciting time of spiritual enrichment for their church. A few days ago Sarah posted about her husband's recent venture into Quixtar IBOship.

She explained that she had reservations about the idea at first but now she thinks she's alright with it. She assured her readers that it wasn't an Amway or 'pyramid thingy', so not to worry. She went on to explain that she trusts her husband and her God and that she is sure that all will work out well. And I believe her.

I also believe that she's still concerned and unsure about all of this. I can tell this by what has happened over the course of time since the original post.

As critics, myself and others immediately commented on her blog to offer words of caution. The pro-camp countered accordingly. It soon got a little finger pointy and perhaps somewhat ugly. She has since deleted our comments and while we may not agree with it, I understand. I for one wish to apologize to both Caleb and Sarah for this as I'm sure that the intent of their blog was not to create a forum for their marital bumps but more, a place for family and friends to share in their life experiences with each other. I read through their entire blog last night and came to the realization that they are a Godly young couple who need the support and encouragement that any newlyweds do and that our bantering back and forth on their blog was neither polite or conducive to their relationship.

Do I still have concerns about their Quixtar involvement? Absolutely. I believe that this is a situation where they will need to take a close look at several issues in the coming months. They will need to decide whether or not making money (a little or a lot) at the expense and failure of others (including friends and family) is a Godly choice. They will need to be in full agreement on this endeavor as it will ultimately affect their marriage and their relationships. And I believe that they will ultimately need to decide on which is more important: their Quixtar business or their youth group. And this is a big deal. If they sincerely love the kids in their group and care about their spiritual growth, they need to be fair to them by deciding quickly which will be their focus. This may sound harsh but experience in both Quixtar and in youth leadership tells me that you cannot do both effectively.

I will continue to pray for Caleb and Sarah and I encourage you all to do the same. Critics or pros, it doesn't matter. Just pray for their discernment and wisdom to be defined by God so that they can decide what is their true calling. This is a big deal that will affect many kids' lives.

As a side note, I'd encourage us also to respect the spirit of their blog. It may seem to go against what we might consider to be a true blog but I really think their intent is to just communicate their lives to family and friends. I truly think they didn't expect this kind of reaction to simply typing the word 'Quixtar' on their blog. That's my opinion though, I could be wrong.

Good luck Caleb and Sarah. God bless.

A Fun Game: Extreme Linking!

2005-10-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun site. All you IBOs, head over to the Extreme Freedom Team Website to check out what retailing XS and Artistry can achieve.

Retailing...wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.

Sinking In Quixand: One Year Report Card

2005-09-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

So yesterday marked the one year anniversary of 'Sinking In Quixand'. I didn't even realize it until this morning when I rolled out of bed around 10am (see yesterdays post). Man, time flies. So I got to thinking, was it worth it? Has this blog accomplished anything for the better? Should it? Am I making a difference? Am I supposed to make a difference? So many questions. So off the cuff, heres the short list of my one year thoughts.

I still don't like Quixtar.

I still think that certain members of my family are being deceived by Quixtar.

I still feel that blogging about the perils of Quixtar is a worthy cause.

I think that I spent more time dwelling on all of the above in the last year than I should have.

Woah, now! Hold up there all you fellow Quixtar critics. I know what your thinking, but hang on. I'm gonna take you into Mordor for a minute but I'll lead you right back into the Shire, I promise.

First, I have a family who deserves the attention of a loving dad and husband. I can recall a few instances over the past year where I was concentrating more time into what my next post was going to be rather than playing on the Xbox with my boy. That's my biggest concern.

It's been said that if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all. Well, Looking back on the last years worth of stuff that I've posted, I'd say that even though I had some pretty good offerings, there were times when my posts were mediocre at best.

So for this year, I think I'm going to take a different approach. It's nothing revolutionary. I just feel that I should post when I have something worthy of my time, and yours.

All that said, I want to thank everyone who's stopped by this last year. I've enjoyed helping those I've helped, annoying those I've annoyed, and most of all, being a part of an ever growing voice against the Quixtar "opportunity".

Has it been this long?

2005-09-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Wow!

I hadn't realized it had been this long without a post. I'm sorry to anyone who's been wondering. I just got back in today from a little camping trip and the month of August was spent in the recording studio producing a CD project for my church. I'll post something tomorrow maybe. For now I need to unpack and get some rest in a real bed (nothing beats your own bed now, does it?).

Take care,

Jason

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

2005-07-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

I don't subscribe to a newspaper (not because of the inherent evils of the media as those crossing the stage for Quixtar would have you believe) but instead read the headlines online at MSN, CNN, and ESPN. I ran across something quite interesting at MSN Money this morning that I thought was worthy of sharing.

The article, "How to Make a Million Dollars" details nine different ways in which various people have made their fortunes. These are common folks like you and me. A couple of key points jump out in this article that are valuable pieces of information for anyone but especially important I think if you are one of the struggling masses in the IBO community who is beginning to see that something isn't quite right with your business opportunity.

First, the numbers that are provided in the beginning of the article as they pertain to growth in the millionaire population seem to contradict the statistics thrown out by the Quixtar 'brass'. According to the survey by TNS financial services the number of U.S. Millionaires is at an all-time high and a 33% increase over the previous year. Not exactly the horror stories I've heard in the BSMs.

Also interesting to note is that the last of the nine examples of producing a million dollars comes from an MLM (the lady who started Pampered Chef). I think that what separates this type of MLM from the Quixtar 'opportunity' is that it is a true product-based opportunity. They have found a true product and have stuck to it, their consultants adhere to a strict ethics policy, and most importantly, are true to themselves by staying forthcoming with their customer base as to who they are and what they are about.

As a musician, I was somewhat inspired by the story of the guy who wrote the song 'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." I can totally write a better song than that!

Pull Your Head Out of Your Assets!

2005-07-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Having several family and friends involved in the Quixtar 'Opportunity' has given me lots to absorb over the years. I can pick out the familiar 'tapespeak' in a second. One of the classic nuggets of financial wisdom regurgitated by the Quixtar loyal is that our homes are not an asset which of course comes from the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki.

In his book, Kiyosaki clearly defines an Asset as something that puts money in your pocket while a liability is something that takes money out of your pocket. This fascinates me, and here's why. Every time I've applied for a loan, the bank never lists my house as a liability. But I also like to look at things in reverse.

If we take Kiyosaki's logic that a liability is something that takes money out of your pocket than it's safe to assume the following:

Your Children are a liability
Your Church is a liability
Your local Charity is a liability
The food you eat is a liability
Your Husband/Wife is a liability
Your dog is a liability
Your hobbies are a liability

Is this correct? Does anyone out there feel that their church is a liability? Hopefully you can see the flaws in this line of thinking.

But which category does Quixtar fall into? I suppose if your one of the extremely few making money in Quixtar then it's an asset but for most it certainly falls into the liability category. Isn't it weird that the masses that are loosing great sums of money in Quixtar don't see this?

The 'Truth' About Quixtar

2005-06-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

I like to go back to the archives of this blog now and again to see if there are any new comments. Well, to my delight I found something today that I thought I'd share. It's a comment from a January post by an IBO who wishes to shed some light on what he/she feels are obvious lies about his business 'opportunity'.

His/her comments are anonymous so I cannot thank him/her by name but I believe that both critics and pros alike will find what he/she has to say interesting (I especially enjoyed point 'E').

You guys are nuts. You are more fanatical about your own mindset than you claim others to be. The truth about Quixtar:

a) yes, not everyone makes it, but build a group and you will

b) no one loses their house/ spouse or whatever

c) you cannot lose by associating with positive-minded folks and reading self-development books

d) if it was really built on fraud, don't you think someone would have proved that by now?

e) it's a simple premise: buy better products for yourself and teach others to do the same. I've talked to plenty of people and no one has ever said that I would need to sell anything if I got involved

f) yes, you do make money on the tapes and books and functions. I believe this kicks in at Emerald

g) the amazing people in this business are the reason to join - find me better leaders anywhere

Do forward this on to other anti-quixtar fanatics so that you can all stew in your fury together! :0)

Talk Is Cheap...Do something.

2005-06-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

"You know, the FTC has said before that Quixtar is perfectly legal. So I don't get what you have against it."

Sound familiar? Of course it does. I can't remember how many times I've read this statement in some form or another. There are three problems with it though.

The first is that the ruling IBOs speak about was made in 1979. Quixtar wasn't even in existence then. The ruling had centered around Amway. This of course brings up a whole bunch of other arguments. But we'll save this for another post.

The second thing is that this ruling is twisted by the IBO to make us think that the FTC has nothing but praise for Amway/Quixtar. Actually what the FTC said was that Amway/Quixtar was found to be "not illegal". While some may say that this is getting a bit nit-picky, I would contend that it makes a world of difference. Why would the FTC have to even address the issue of legal vs illegal if it weren't investigating Amway/Quixtar in the first place? Are we to believe that they simply pulled this ruling out of their butts one day out of boredom? After numerous complaints and subsequent investigation, they decided that because of adherence to some basic rules that they were 'not illegal'. Not quite a hearty endorsement if you ask me.

Finally, I have to wonder if the FTC has really checked up on their ruling. Does anyone think as I do that if the FTC were to revisit and reinvestigate Amway/Quixtar that they'd find anything different? We may never know unless they receive enough complaints to warrant a new investigation.

Which makes me wonder about something else. We certainly talk a lot about this. We gripe about how we were deceived, how much money we spent, what we signed and how it was explained to us, what we were promised, etc. But have any of us done anything about it? The FTC investigated Amway/Quixtar because of complaints sent to them by average Joe's like you and me. They have a very simple form on their site that takes just a few minutes to fill out. Has anyone filled it out?

Talk is cheap. If you want to make a difference you gotta do something.

IBO Facts: Straight Answers to Tough Questions

2005-06-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a closer look at the IBOAI's list of 21 questions and their 'straight' answers. So over the next few weeks, let's see what we can glean from the infinite wisdom of the elected board that makes up the IBOAI.

The fourteenth question on the list is this:

Do higher pins make money from the sales of tapes, books, & tickets?

Ahh, the crux of the entire Amway/Quixtar debate for many people. But not really a tough question. I mean everyone knows that money is made so what's the big deal? Well, let's see what the IBOAI says about it.

Yes, Independent Business Owners (IBOs) can earn money from the sale of tapes, books, and tickets.

I find it interesting that the IBOAI uses the word 'can' here and not the word 'does'. Are we to believe then that an IBO 'cant' earn money as well?

These IBO leaders pay for the production facilities, equipment, technicians, accountants, assistants, and other employees necessary to produce such training and motivational materials.

Wow! I also run a duplication facility for a very large church. I can duplicate hundreds of CDs, tapes, VHS, and DVDs by myself. I just insert a master and a stack of 150 blanks and go home. They're done when I come in the next morning. It makes me wonder about the 'facilities, equipment, technicians, etc. that these leaders actually utilize to justify their need (not to mention the tax write-offs that could be associated to such 'need').

They incur the expenses and, of course, realize profits or losses from their efforts as with any other business.

Profits or losses? My CDs cost me $.34, DVDs cost $.75, Tapes cost $.51, and VHS cost $1.13. The average price of the average motivational tape is what? $6.00? What kind of losses should we think the IBO is realizing?

IBO leaders are successful managers of large businesses. Some leaders have thousands of other IBOs in their organization, spread across North America. As business leaders and managers, they have the responsibility to educate and motivate these other Independent Business Owners.

And this is the only way to do it? By reproducing their own pointless ramblings on their rags to riches testimonials with no actual instruction on business building?

It is important to note that professional development and education is an international multibillion-dollar business. Authors such as Dr. Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) earn incomes from the sale of books and other materials. Bookstores everywhere offer hundreds of "how-to" books, tapes, and videos on a variety of topics.

I think that the key word here is 'how-to'. Any of the Amway/Quixtar tapes and books I've listened to or read never had any real instruction on anything. As I said above, they were all regurgitated stories of failure to success with a religious agenda salted in for good measure. But no instruction on building a legitimate business.

Thus, what these IBO leaders are offering are professional development materials focused specifically on their business.

Actually, what they're offering is an overpriced fairy tale, masked as business training. Telling you that they are taking a loss even though they are adding an astronomical mark up to it when most legitimate business offer training specific to their business at no charge.

But that's just my opinion.

Kudos to Jonas' Dad

2005-06-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Here's to Jonas' Dad over at Quixtar Criminals, who is celebrating a hard fought victory in his case to win his son back from his IBO ex-wife and the Quixtar machine. I'm sure he'll fill us in on the details soon enough but for now let's all raise a glass and give him a 'cyber' pat on the back.

Here's to you buddy!

What's Going on with Quixtar blogs?

2005-05-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

I have a daily routine with surfing the blogosphere lately since I'm pretty busy trying to get a jump on my summer projects. I start by visiting the links on my blogroll which are admittedly all Quixtar critical. I then head on over to the pro-Quixtar sites. Here's where it gets curious.

I've noticed that as of May 26th, Quixtatic is not found any longer on Blogger's servers, Quixtar and Beyond (who usually posts quite regularly) hasn't posted anything since May 26th, and the Inside Quixtar Success blog who also posts fairly regularly) hasn't posted since May 23rd. The Quixtar Opportunity blog hasn't posted since the 24th. Kia's 'Real' Quixtar blog hasn't posted since the 24th.

What does this mean?

Maybe nothing. I mean look a me. I've been pretty in-frequent here lately. These other bloggers must also lead a life outside of Quixtar (is that possible?). I did notice that 'On the Road With Dave' is still going strong, but that site is not a Quixtar-run blog as many of the ones I listed above are. I guess I'm wondering if there is some sort of connection with all of this. I'm sure it's nothing but I can have a conspiracy theory once in a while too, can't I?

Anyone have any inside info they want to share?

IBO Facts: Straight Answers to Tough Questions

2005-05-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a closer look at the IBOAI's list of 21 questions and their 'straight' answers. So over the next few weeks, let's see what we can glean from the infinite wisdom of the elected board that makes up the IBOAI.

The thirteenth question on the list is this:

How much money can I really earn? How fast?

This is a great question because it assumes a business sense about the inquirer. This is bottom line, no B.S., and straight forward. It deserves an answer in kind. So what's the IBOAI's response?

This business offers the potential of free enterprise with income potential determined by individual desire. How fast and how far an IBO builds his or her business is dependent largely on that person's personal effort and the entrepreneurial nature of the business.

Well, it would appear that the IBOAI has once again failed to give us a straight answer to a not so tough question. Rather they've provided an ambiguous 'safe' response to cover their butts.

If we take the information provided to prospects and read it thoroughly (something many of us no longer in the business neglected to do when we signed up), we can see that although it is numerically possible to achieve millions, it cannot be done in 2-5 years working the business 10 hours a week. We can also discern from the numbers given on the average income of a typical IBO that the per hour wage you can likely expect to earn is less than minimum wage.

Hopefully at this point the answer is a bit more clear. After signing up to be an IBO, getting on standing order tape, book of the month, and attending the meetings and seminars one needs to attend in order to be serious, you could expect to in fact, lose a lot of money immediately.

By a show of hands....

2005-05-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

Ran into an all too familiar Quixtar statistic that made me wonder about somthing.

I'm sure we've all heard the line from IBOs and others showing the plan that those who choose to stick with their J.O.B. will end up broke and still working when they are well beyond retirement age.

So my question is this:

How many people do you personally know who are beyond retirement age that are broke and still working?

I'm sure you can think of a few. But are the numbers as astronomically high as what was presented to you in the fear tactics of the speaker du jour?

I can think of two people off the top of my head who are still working beyond retirement age but neither one of them is by any means broke.

What've I missed?

2005-05-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems I've been gone for a while. The weather here in the Pacific Nortwest has been particularly inviting and I've spent the last couple of weeks getting started on what looks like a pretty extensive 'Honey do' list.

So what have I missed? Well, it appears that since my last post Ken McDonald has 'retired' and there's a new big-wig in charge at the big 'Q'. Here's to a new 'Payne' in our butts.

I'm beginning to realize that as the Summer gets closer and closer that I may be a little less frequent here. I'll do my best to to at least comment on other blogs if I'm not posting here. Don't worry though. I still think Quixtar sucks and all. I just have a lot of projects and Coronas to drink as the sun gets hotter and the days get longer.

Spring Break and Annoyances

2005-04-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! I've been away for a little while. I didn't even realize it until I looked at my last post date. I don't know if I've ever gone this long without posting something. There is a good reason though.

It's spring break for the kids so we've been busy with other stuff. My daughter is playing softball, my son and I have been hitting the links, and I've been working on some home improvement projects even though the April showers here in the Pacific Northwest are a little showery than normal.

Anyway, I'll try to post at least once a week if I can but hey, the Summer's coming. So cut me some slack.

Here's something to chew on though. There's something that annoys me even more than the misuse of the word edify. It's the misuse of the words their and there. IBOs aren't the only ones guilty of this one. I've seen people on both sides of the Quixtar fence guilty of this one. Just read comments here or at any other blog and you'll see what I'm talking about.

A quick English lesson:

The word their is used to describe personal ownership. For example:

"Their Quixtar business is failing due to their over-spending on motivational tools."

A good example of how to use the word there would be to describe placement of a noun. For instance:

"Oh yes, the business meeting at the Jones' house. I was there for a few minutes before I realized what it was. Then I got my butt out of there."

You see? With a little practice, even the most ignorant Americans can give the illusion of intelligence.

IBO Facts: Straight Answers to Tough Questions

2005-04-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a closer look at the IBOAI's list of 21 questions and their 'straight' answers. So over the next few weeks, let's see what we can glean from the infinite wisdom of the elected board that makes up the IBOAI.

The twelfth question on the list is this:

Is one IBO organization or group better than another?

To which the IBOAI answers:

This business is comprised of numerous IBO organizations who sometimes differ on the approach to building an independent business. However, while groups and organizations may be somewhat different, none are considered to be “better” than another. All IBOs and their respective organizations operate under the Independent Business Ownership Plan and Rules of Conduct.

I couldn't agree more.

April Fools!

2005-03-31T22:38:00.000-08:00

Man that was funny! You had me going at first. I thought my links were screwed up.

You da man, Eric.

Easter wishes

2005-03-27T15:28:00.000-08:00

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Hope you have a great Easter Celebration.

IBO Facts: Straight Answers to Tough Questions

2005-03-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

I'd like to take a closer look at the IBOAI's list of 21 questions and their 'straight' answers. So over the next few weeks, let's see what we can glean from the infinite wisdom of the elected board that makes up the IBOAI.

The eleventh question on the list is this:

What is the difference between "the system" and "the business"?

I'm not sure that this is a very tough question. I mean the difference between the system and the business is pretty much known by everyone at this point. But let's see what they have to say.

“The business” is the opportunity offered individuals to start their own independent business by contractual affiliation with Quixtar Inc. This includes participation in the Independent Business Ownership Plan to receive bonuses and a comprehensive line of products and services to market. “The System” offers turnkey, duplicable business-building and motivation techniques through Personal Development Programs tailored to help support Independent Business Owners' businesses.

Ahh, I see. The 'System' is merely the training and motivation. Maybe I'm confused. Maybe the question wasn't specific enough (of course it was asked by the IBOA to be answered by the IBOAI so I guess we have to give them some latitude here). I think the question could be presented in a slightly different way. Let me try.

'What is the difference between the 'system' and the 'business' from an income potential standpoint? If I want to make the big bucks like Britt, Yeager, and Harteis then where should I concentrate my efforts?'

'Hello? ..... Hello? ..... Where'd they go?

That's okay. This one was pretty much a no-brainer anyway.

Inside Quixtar: The whole story

2005-03-21T22:43:00.000-08:00

I posted a comment (actually a few of them) over at a pro-Quixtar site a couple of days ago (I should mention here that this is one of the few 'pro' sites that is courageous enough to allow comments, which I applaud). Myself and an IBO were debating the significance of the statistical fact that IBOs, based on Quixtar's own numbers make considerably less than minimum wage.

In a nutshell his argument (as well as the blog's author), was that despite the accuracy of this statistic, it doesn't 'tell the whole story' when it comes to the advantages of the Quixtar 'opportunity'.

So I commented. Another reader there said that my comment deserved it's own web page, to say the least. So instead of starting another web page, I think I'll just re-post my comment here at Sinking In Quixand.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the comment (the blog authors quote is in blue):

What I'm saying is that looking at average income doesn't tell the whole story....just like one piece of information doesn't always give you all you need to understand something or make a decision.

You are correct. Looking at just one piece of information doesn't tell the whole story. But it tells us something. So what do we do? We look at other pieces of information.

We can take the Dateline story but then again that alone doesn't give us all we need to know (besides, even I thought it was a bit one-sided and poorly done). So then we can look at the fact that Amway/Quixtar's distributor/Ibo numbers haven't really grown in 30+ years. But once again: not the whole story. We can take a close look at the fine print on documents like the BSMAA and see that people are carelessly pressured into unknowingly waiving their right to a trial by jury but that is just one fact and not all of them. Finally we can look at the testimonials of people like Eric Scheibeler, Jeff Probant, and Bo Short (to name a few) along with the Lawsuits filed against Amway/Quixtar over the last few decades. But then we'd have to say 'Wait, every company goes through change and legal hassles. That can't tell the whole story. But then we look further and see that the majority of these lawsuits and 'defections' relate to the same thing: Tools.

We are then encouraged to try to see things in a positive light, discounting all of this information as negative, biased, and not the whole story. But we see our own loved ones change right before our eyes in a matter of months as they get 'plugged in' to the business. We visit their homes and see hundreds of motivational books. We begin to listen to them quote from business 'minds' that no one at Forbes has ever heard of, while we wonder why they are no longer the free-thinking person we once knew. We watch them spend thousands of dollars on product, tools, airfare and hotels to be rewarded with a $40 'bonus' check after six years in the business. We see the hard work they are doing, the birthdays of grandchildren missed, the old hobbies forfeited for the sake of the business and are supposed to discount all of the things we hear about this business being cultish? Of course it's not a cult. It must be an isolated situation. But then we read other testimonials from people all over the world going through identical situations. What then?

But they're meeting great people. Their coming to know Jesus (which I think is fabulous, although I wonder what the repercussions will be if and when they realize that the upline who lead them to Christ is the same one who has been lying to them for years. But that's a different story too). They have a great community of positive thinking friends. They're hanging out with other people who all believe in themselves. That sounds more like group therapy than it does a business. Again, we're crazy to consider this weird?

Tell me how we're supposed to be supportive of this? How we're supposed to ignore this when the only response we get from those on the 'inside' or 'beyond' are references to Achieve magazine, sports analogies, and deleted comments (I'm not talking about the now infamous deleted post here either) instead of a direct response? How are we supposed to believe that this 'opportunity' was 'divined by God himself'? Would God really want a few people to become millionaires at the expense and failure of hundreds of thousands of hard-working individuals?

If you can't provide us with substance and facts then how are we supposed to assume anything else?

Me and the Mrs.

2005-03-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Warning: This could get mushy.

My wife has known about this blog since it's inception back in September, yet she's never visited. Not until a few days ago. I've mentioned to her before about the virtual company I keep (she calls you my fanclub) and she has been for the most part indifferent about it.

We've argued about the Quixtar 'opportunity in the past. It got pretty heated for a while at first. But over time I think that some of the things I was able to convey to her, along with the start of this blog helped to reestablish an intelligent dialogue in our marriage concerning this subject.

And so she decided to stop by.

It wasn't by accident. She happened on some email correspondence from one of my 'fanclub'. It concerned her that people were actually coming to me for personal advice on their own 'Quixtarguments' with family and friends. So she felt that maybe she should check out what I was doing here at 'Sinking in Quixand' to see what I was up to.

She ended up reading almost the entire blog in one sitting!

She told me about this a few days later and we had one of the best discussions about Quixtar that we've ever had. We agreed and disagreed. We joked and she got teary-eyed (I think she is beginning to become concerned about her father's Quixtar involvement as I am). It was a great talk. We're still careful about how we talk about this but it's become much easier.

I want to thank Eric over at QuixtarBlog for inspiring me to do this. If it were not for his blog, I wouldn't have worked up the courage to start journaling my own thoughts on this, and who knows where my wife and I would be. If there's any advice I could give to those in a similar situation it would be to write.

Writing eliminates the awkward silence that cuts deeper than harsh words spoken in anger or frustration. It puts yourself and your thoughts into perspective. Words on paper (or screen) organize what you cannot say in the passion of turmoil. I can't remember if it was Qblog who said it or not but through writing, you may find out you have a talent you didn't know you had (or at least discover you are really self-congratulatory :o) ).

Finally I want to let everyone out there: my 'fanclub', my critics, even Qrush (if he even still exists) that I love my wife. She is my best friend and although she may not ever read this, my blog was not started out of anger or spite, or malicious intent. But rather out of my love for her. She is my true friend and the love of my life.

I love you, honey. I couldn't say what I needed to say. So I wrote what I needed to write.

IBO Facts: Straight Answers to Tough Questions

2005-03-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

I'd like to take a closer look at the IBOAI's list of 21 questions and their 'straight' answers. So over the next few weeks, let's see what we can glean from the infinite wisdom of the elected board that makes up the IBOAI.

The tenth question on the list is this:

What about Quixtar lawsuits and legal disputes?

Well, what about them? I mean we all know that they exist, right? But what large company doesn't have it's fair share of legal messes to contend with. Well, let's see what the IBOAI says:

In today’s highly litigious society, lawsuits are not uncommon in business. Companies and organizations are continually involved in legal disputes. In fact, the larger and higher profile a business, like Quixtar the larger target it provides for attracting lawsuits, no matter how unjustified the lawsuit is.

Whoa! That sounds pretty much like what I said. So does this mean that Sinking In Quixand and the IBOAI have found some common ground? Perhaps, but let's look at this from a different angle before we jump to such a hasty conclusion.

I'll agree that the larger a company, the more legal hassles one would have to contend with. But the thing that strikes me is that when I think about a similar company like a Wal-Mart, or a K-Mart, or even a McDonald's (I use them for comparison because Amway/Quixtar loves comparing their business model to that of Ray Kroc's), there is one glaring difference in the lawsuits filed against them.

They don't center around the same thing.

With companies like the ones I mention above you will hear about any number of things that the general public sues them over. Slippery floors, scalding beverages, discrimination, health issues, and the list goes on.

With Amway/Quixtar the lawsuits all seem to come back to two things: Tools and corruption.

Scott Larsen keeps a pretty decent archived history of lawsuits filed against Amway Quixtar. You can see it here. You will notice that almost ALL of the suits filed on this list have something to do with the tools business or corrupt business practices. This is very different than the type of litigation against other companies.

Class action lawsuits dealing with corrupt corporations happen now and then and we hear about them and the companies usually clean up their act (though they are left with scars for a while). Amway/Quixtar has dealt with the SAME allegations for DECADES and for some reason hasn't felt the need to address them AND at the same time is dumbfounded as to why they have such a blemished name.

So they then choose to sweep it under the carpet with an answer like the one we read above.

"Everybody's doin' it."

Let's Play a Guessing Game!

2005-03-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hey, the guy over at "Quixtar and Beyond" is having a little Guessing Game.

Check it out. I did. It's a lot of fun.

IBO Facts: Straight Answers to Tough Questions

2005-02-28T18:19:00.000-08:00