Who doesn’t want to work for the best companies, right?
If you’re looking to bet on yourself in the polarizing world of MLM you’ll want to make sure you pick a company that gives you the best chance to make money.
No judgment, if you’re tired of your current company and looking to jump ship to something new, your secret is safe with us.
Either way, check out our list below we created of the top 15 MLM companies with the best compensation plans in 2020.
1. DoTERRA
Combining essential oils and wellness products, doTERRA has a female-heavy base of customers and reps.
Their compensation plan delivers 3 primary ways you can generate income:
Retail Profit - 25% commission on all retail sales
Fast Start Bonuses - Paid weekly on new qualified downline reps. 20% on level 1, 10% on level 2, and 5% on level 3.
Power of 3 Bonus - Paid monthly and based on total team volume
12 Ranks round out the organizational structure, starting at the position of wellness advocate and presidential diamond being the highest position you can achieve.
It is worth noting that achieving rank position number 7, also know as “Silver”, unlocks all 7 levels of overriding bonus percentages:
If you gravitate toward this product category and are looking for a well rounded compensation structure that includes additional leadership pool bonuses for advanced ranks, doTERRA is worth checking out!
For a full corporate breakdown of their compensation plan, click HERE
2. Mary Kay
A company that has stood the test of time, the name Mary Kay is recognizable by just about anyone. Maybe you’re wondering how that person in town qualified for that pink Cadillac?
Due to the complex and VAST amount of ways you can get compensated, we’re going to hit you with some primary bullet points about their compensation. Below that we’ll drop a link to the (admittedly much harder to find than we expected) compensation plan for Mary Kay reps.
Mary Kay reps earn 50% on all retail sales. This is a very high percentage of commission in the MLM industry.
You are required to achieve a minimum of $225 in sales every quarter to maintain your distributor status.
Several overriding commissions, bonuses, and incentives are also available (pink caddy, anyone?).
In an industry where over 98% of new companies close up shop within the first two years, there is something to be said of the longevity and 3 billion in annual sales Mary Kay has experienced.
Full Mary Kay Compensation Plan HERE
3. Le-Vel (Thrive)
Offering health and wellness products for men and women, Le-Vel hits our list next.
Their product lineup consists of vitamins/supplements, protein, and even skin care “patches”.
Le-Vel offers what is commonly known as a unilevel compensation plan. Here are some key points of how reps make money:
20% commission on personal retail sales. 12% commission on level one retail sales and 4% commission on retail sales for levels 2 & 3.
Infinity Fast Start bonuses for new reps purchasing starter packs. Commission ranges from $5 to $140.
Team commissions ranging from 4-8%
Additional bonuses are available and can vary from an iPad to trips or even cars.
Le-Vel has been on the scene since 2013 and while every MLM company has their issues, if you like what Thrive has to offer we suggest taking a deeper dive into the entire Thrive compensation plan.
Full Thrive Compensation plan HERE
4. Rodan and Fields
Providing a myriad of premium skin, eye, and facial care, R + F has a foundation in dermatology and is well known for their quality (and results).
Inside the R + F compensation plan you’ll find 5 primary methods of making money:
Your commission on retail sales will come in at 33% for one-off sales and 16% for customers who sign up for reoccurring monthly products. Not bad considering they offer multiple product bundles that can cost several hundred dollars.
Consultant commissions on product purchases by yourself and your team as long as you remain eligible with a total of 100 QV (qualifying volume). You will earn 10% commissions on all purchases and sales by reps or customers of reps on your first level.
Once you achieve the rank of Executive Consultant, you will earn personal team commissions. This unlocks a 5% commission on every point that is earned by your team.
Promoting downline reps to executive ranks can earn you additional commissions all the way down to your 6th generation.
Additional incentives are on the table for reps based on hitting certain goals or promotions. These range from cash payouts to vehicles and more.
Commissions can be substantial if you develop a high producing team underneath you, but remember that a large reason for that is due to the prices of the R + F products. You will need a team who are all hitting their minimum volume requirements to see any real income.
For a deeper dive into the Rodan and Fields compensation, check out their full compensation plan HERE.
5. Kyani
The blueberry juice company Kyani is up next on our list of mlm companies with the best compensation plan.
Originally known for their product trio that relied heavily on the benefits of the superior wild alaskan blueberry, in recent years the company has expanded their product offerings into skincare and supplements.
Due to the founders owning a large potato farm, the company offers a philanthropic product called “potato paks” which are essentially bought by customers and reps and donated by the company to impoverished areas abroad.
This product also provides a unique way for reps to bump up their sales volume.
Ok, let’s talk compensation. Kyani has evolved their compensation over the last few years and with those changes brings much more complexity.
We’ll hit you with the main points and give you resources to dig deeper into their comp plan below that.
There are 14 gem-inspired ranks available in the Kyani compensation plan. Rank 1 (Garnet) earns an average monthly income of $74. The highest attainable rank (double black diamond) enjoys a monthly average income of $1,000,000. What a difference 13 promotions can make, right?
You have monthly minimum volume requirements you must hit to retain your rank position (150QV).
Higher personal customer volume unlocks additional bonus income.
Fast start bonuses are available for new reps that hit the 2nd or 3rd rank in the first 31 days at $200 and $500 respectively
Total downline volume combined with your QV determines your rank and revenue.
Generational bonuses and one time rank bonuses are on the table as well as you advance in positions.
Hopefully this overview gives you a glimpse into the vast and complex compensation available as a rep for Kyani. Those looking for a more detailed corporate breakdown can check the full compensation plan out HERE.
6. Monat Global
Monat is a company that offers haircare, skincare, and pet hygiene products. The large bulk of their product lineup, however is in the haircare category.
A robust variety of shampoos, conditioners, and hydrating serums ensures that just about every female hair maintenance need is addressed.
If this lineup is your flavor of MLM, here are some of the key points of their unilevel compensation package:
The commission on retail sales ranges from 33% to 40% based on the PV you carry in a given month
One time fast start bonuses ranging from $100 to $220 are available based on the package that new reps purchase.
Residual commissions on downline sales pay out up to 12% on the first level and 3% on level 4.
One time rank advancement bonuses, smart start bonuses, and generation matching bonuses are all additional income opportunities with Monat.
For the sake of not creating all out confusion on the Monat compensation plan, we’re gonna go ahead and include access to the full Monat compensation plan HERE.
7. Legal Shield
Our first service-based entry on our list, Legalshield is a company that offers affordable legal care for individuals and small businesses.
This company has been around for about half a century and has proven capable of evolving with the times.
7 ranks round out the Legalshield compensation plan. Perhaps it’s due to the legal nature of this MLM, but the compensation plan details available to the public are a bit more vague in nature.
Nevertheless, here are our big takeaways on why Legalshield makes our list:
This is one of the few MLM’s that can allow you to build a large residual customer base by yourself - although recruiting a team under you certainly can make you more money and in a shorter timeframe.
Consumer packages start an a relatively affordable $24.95/mo. Not a bad price point considering the bevy of legal help at your disposal.
While not the most attractive fast start bonuses on our list, Legal Shield offers some additional commission incentives for those that get to work right away.
Check out the nitty gritty of Legal Shield’s compensation plan HERE.
8. LifeVantage
The MLM company LifeVantage is one of those one stop shops for everything health and wellness.
They offer supplements, skincare products, and even vitamins for your dog.
Does the compensation options offer just as much variety? Let's check them out.
Our review of the LifeVantage compensation plan does in fact show us up to 8 different ways you can make money:
Retail sales either through you or your online portal generate a commission on every transaction.
Smart Start bonuses are paid out when enrolling new customers or reps to your business. How much PV you have will determine your pay out on these sales ranging from 30-40%.
Also known as a “trickle bonus” the Launch Bonus is available up to 6 levels below you and are released when new customers and recruits are signed up in your lower legs of business.
Royalty commissions are your monthly commissions paid out on all sales in your organization. The amount of royalty commissions you are eligible for is based on your rank. The higher your level, the deeper (and larger) your monthly royalty commission will be.
Achieving the rank of Pro 3 or higher will unlock income stream number 5, generational matching. Your total royalty commissions factor into how big the generational matching will be and is paid on up to 5 levels deep.
At rank Pro 7 or higher you quality for the elite bonus pool. This bonus pool is made up of 4% of total sales made company-wide every month. With every rank past Pro 7 you become eligible for a larger elite bonus.
The achievement bonus is a one time payout for anyone holding the rank of Pro 10 or higher. Based on your rank this payday comes in at $100,000 all the way up to $500,000.
Once you hit the rank of Premier Pro 5, you become eligible to start an additional “Business Center”. A business center is essentially starting another downline position in your business and in your name that allows you to make money off that position as well. Depending on your rank, you will be eligible to open up to 4 additional Business Center positions in your downline.
While LifeVantage tends to fall into the category of complex compensation plans that can lead to confusion, you can’t deny the myriad of opportunities they give you to make money.
To scope out their full compensation, click HERE.
9. ACN
Founded in 1993, ACN (formerly known as American Communication Network) is a well known name in the telecom and energy sector of MLM.
Their product lineup even includes wireless cell phone options, home and business security, and TV.
The overall appeal of a company like ACN is that you are not trying to sell a product or auto ship to people every month. Instead, you are merely trying to convert the existing bills of customers into your system. You then earn a small residual off of their bill every month they pay it.
Here’s some big things that stick out about the ACN compensation plan:
Residual Commission on personally acquired customers can range anywhere from 1%-10% of the billing based on your total amount of customer points you have.
Overriding residual commissions on your downline billing can range from 1/4% to 3% depending on your rank in the company.
If you can help get new members in your downline to acquire customers quickly and thus get promoted in their first 30 days, you can also qualify for Customer Acquisition Bonuses (also commonly referred to as a fast start bonus).
Weekly overriding CAB’s are also available up to 7 levels deep in your downline depending on your rank in the company.
ACN uses a point value system for each service a customer gets signed up for. To understand how you qualify for new ranks and CAB bonuses, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with this structure.
Click below to check out the full and up to date comp plan for ACN:
ACN comp plan HERE.
10. Forever Living
With a product base rooted in Aloe Vera, Forever Living offers a typical healthcare/skincare/essential oils line up you would come to expect.
As a billion dollar MLM, Forever Living spans over 150 countries. We identified 2 primary methods of compensation in their plan, but each method comes with its own series of bonuses, commissions, and incentives.
Commissions off of your own retail sales. You purchase the products wholesale and earn a commission on the 43% retail markup.
Commission off of your downline’s retail sales are the second primary vein of compensation with Forever Living.
Forever Living utilizes a “differential commission” structure, meaning if your downline does not have rank or qualification eligibility to receive the full commission, that differential rolls up to you!
Company car incentives, paid vacations, profit sharing, and more promotional items are also wrapped up inside the Forever Living compensation structure.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, go ahead and take a look at the full compensation package offered by Forever Living HERE:
11. Tupperware
The company Tupperware has been one of those rare examples that most people identify as a retail sales product and not an MLM company.
Launched by Earl Tupper in 1946, it took just a few short years for the durable kitchen product to find a distribution channel through suburban moms.
With such a strong focus on retail sales, their compensation plan is on the easier side to interpret.
Key points that stuck out to us are:
A 35% commission is paid out on personal sales.
Royalty bonuses are paid out on sales made in your downline.
Bonuses and commissions off of your organization range from 4-12% depending on the rank you hold with the company.
While no one can argue the quality of the Tupperware product or it’s brand recognition, selling it in volume consistently has its own caveats.
If you want to take a deeper dive into the compensation plan, we dropped it RIGHT HERE for you.
12. Nu Skin
Nu Skin is another company offering a product lineup consisting of facial care, anti-aging products, body care, and weight management.
Launched out of the pertetual MLM base of Utah in the mid-80’s, Nu Skin has expanded into over 50 markets worldwide.
Enough history, let’s jump into compensation.
Nu Skin has branded their compensation structure under the tag line “Share, Build, Lead”.
What that essentially means is what you would expect from about any other MLM company.
Share the product, build a team, lead your organization.
Below are main takeaways from the Share, Build, Lead compensation philosophy:
Share: This compensation method primarily covers your personal retail sales as a rep for Nu Skin. Your retail commission ranges from 5 to 25%.
Build: Nu Skin uses a compensation structure for downline growth with “blocks” (closely resembling volume). Each “block” unlocked by total sales volume triggers a bonus ranging anywhere from 5 to 40% of your CSV (commissionable sales volume).
Lead: As your downline grows, “leading bonus” incentives ranging from 2.5-10% of downline CSV based on your active rank and position.
Given that the Nu Skin compensation plan does take a bit of a confusing approach to categorizing and calculating sales volume on a monthly basis, we’d recommend checking out their compensation plan before for a better understanding:
NuSkin Comp Plan HERE
13. Avon
The first company on our list to be headquartered outside the US, Avon is a multi-billion dollar MLM company from London.
Brand recognition for Avon is among the most notable, and the company is even publicly traded (AVN).
If you’ve lived under an MLM rock most of your life, Avon offers makeup, skin care, and fragrances/perfume as their heavy hitters.
Let’s talk money. Here are our big takeaways for Avon’s compensation plan:
The retail commission on product sales are generous at a range of 20 to 50% based on the order size.
Downline commissions ranging from 1 to 11% and are based on sales volume in 2 week increments.
One time bonuses are paid out at certain rank advancement positions as long as you maintain rank eligibility during the entirety of a campaign period.
For a company the size of Avon, it is a bit surprising that we had to work as hard as we did to find the compensation plan. If you want to check it out you can see it HERE.
14. Plexus Worldwide
Weight loss, nutrition/supplements, and skin care are the name of the game for MLM company Plexus Worldwide.
One of the most notable (and compensation point number 1) incentives you’ll see about earning income with Plexus is the fact that they pay out a guaranteed 50% of the their commissionable volume every single month.
Some other key compensation items from Plexus are:
Compensation is available up to 7 levels deep into your business.
Retail commissions range from 15 to 25%.
Preferred customer bonuses are an incentive for sales made to monthly customers. These bonuses vary by product and range from $4 all the way up to $32 per sale.
Since this list of preferred customer bonus varies so much due to the volume of products Plexus offers, we’ll drop the link to their compensation plan HERE.
15. Melaleuca
Our last company on this is another billion dollar big hitter. Melaleuca is best known for their high quality cleaning products made from natural ingredients that are eco-friendly.
With a heavy focus on retail sales to customers, here are the reasons we included them on this list:
Commission on retail sales range from 7-20%.
“Advancement Bonuses” are paid out when you achieve a new rank in the company. If you achieve these advancements fast enough they are also paid out alongside “pacesetter” bonuses.
A “Mentoring “Bonus” is available when you help others in your organization achieve the Advancement Bonus for themselves. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Once you achieve the rank of Senior Director or higher, a “Leadership Growth Bonus” is paid out based on leadership points (reference full comp plan details below for more insight on these).
Also available to Senior Directors and higher, a Monthly Car Bonus is up for grabs to have a vehicle lease payment paid by the company every month (as long as you maintain your rank!).
While the commissions can be quite generous as a Melaleuca rep, the other side of that coin is that the products carry a premium price tag for what they are.
Be prepared to convey the value as you encounter price objections from your potential customer base.
If you want to to see the Melaleuca plan in its entirety, check out the plan HERE.
What I’ve been doing in 2020 since I quit MLM….
If you're anything like me, your desire to actually build a legitimate business (from home/flexible/all the great perks) has probably never been higher.
MLM just happens to be the easiest and most affordable opportunity (trap?) for most any average Joe Blow out there.
I was no different. Years of grinding. Conventions. Building teams. Ghosted by family and friends. I was done.
I'd elaborate on all the details of my journey to enlightenment, but you probably just want me to cut to the chase.
What am I talking about, right?
I'm talking about how I stopped trying to recruit people to an MLM company that paid me slivers on my sales.
I said goodbye to MLM rat race the INSTANT I discovered local lead generation.
I'm talking about using the internet to generate local leads for small businesses. Things you don't need to do this:
Recruit People
Pay For Autoships Month After Month
Spend Your Nights And Weekends At Meetings
I'll show you how this works real quick...
Take this little lead generatin' website I own for tree removal that pays me $2000 per month every month:
But HOW do I make $2000 every month off it is the question, right?
It's actually pretty simple.
See, most local tree removal companies (or carpet cleaning companies, or roofing companies, or about a few 100 other service-based industries) don't really understand how organic local lead generation works in their market.
I honestly didn't have a clue either until I found this...
I take my little easily-built websites into markets (you can do this literally anywhere, not just your city) and I rank them organically on Google for people looking for these services. The end result is something like this:
Which translates into my website producing tons of hot leads like this....
As I'm sure you can imagine, theres more than a few local tree removal guys in Michigan that would fight each other cage-match style to get an extra 12 leads per day.
I simply picked the one I decided to work with and offered all my website leads to him exclusively for $2000/mo.
I've been cashing that check every month for years now....
THIS IS LITERALLY THE BEST PART THOUGH...
I did the exact same thing in another city for another tree removal company. And then again in another state...
I'll remind you...
There is literally 100s of industries you can do this in.
Maybe you're concerned about the fact that you don't know anything about building websites or doing stuff on Google.
No worries, that was me before I saw this. (so embarrassing how bad I was)
And it's why if you decide you want to create true passive income for you you'll want to see the exact coaching program that taught me how to QUICKLY build these simple websites. No coding or high level knowledge needed.
They also taught me how to recognize how much nonsense exists on the internet as it pertains to making websites visible (using SEO). They showed me how to focus on what matters and what doesn't. Again, beginner friendly.
Enough about me, though. If you want to learn a Corona Virus-proof skillset, I'd take a peek at this.
