Organo Gold: A Careful Review

Hi, this really helped. It sounded fishy, and this article just put things into perspective.

@readthisarticle: Thanks. Enjoy your entrepreurial journey, and keep getting educated!

I went to one of their meetings in Houston recently with about 3,000 people present. I was skeptical as I had been involved in another company before that. My reason for checking out these companies really is to be a Blessing to someone who is searching for legitimate work from home. I’ve started a blog and am gathering information. So, what is your suggestion to what you might call a legitimate work-from-home opportunity? I would honestly appreciate any helpful comment and thank you for it.

I’ll email you privately Heidi. This post is the place to talk about Organo Gold. I am happy that Organo Gold is legitimate from what I have seen, but like any company it won’t be for everyone (no matter what your upline says, sorry.)

I went to a meeting for Organo Gold last night with my friend who is very excited to get started. I too, was skeptical about joining this company and I am still mulling it over. I have tried other home based business oppty’s and they were not for me. They were legitimate companies but as you siad, we have to do all of the marketing ourselves. I am the type of person who loves to talk to people but if I am not passionate about the business I have gotten into and only go in with $ on my mind and not willing to put int the hard work then I will see not any income other than the $ I am spending on the product. Just wanted to put that out there for the other readers. Thank you again for the post, it really did help me toward making my decision.

Nice Gina. Another way to do this is to start learning marketing BEFORE you go into an MLM. Start somewhere and turn the ‘theory’ into daily actions. The learning will be much more powerful, and when you do join any company you will get to profit much, much sooner.

Hey doc,,,i really appreciate your review,,,,as for my self i was approach a month ago by a friend new to Organo gold,,i will be joinning at the next meeting next week,,,im a dj not working enough to provide for my family,,,,nothing to loose and the only thing i know beside music is coffee so im taking my chances ,,,and i will bust my arse to do this right.hope it works for me. PS i have downloaded the 17 scrolls of success by Mr Hill ,i plan to get the book “Think & grow rich……..PPS Life is a constant fight and im not knocked out yet ,,,tired of receiving punches though! Good day. Pjr

Hey Pierre – welcome to the self-development learning curve that is MLM!

Keep building your overall skills like with the books you mentioned, and with industry-specific skills like on this site, and your persistence will have the best chance of paying off.

Hi Dr Russell, well this is a nice comment block where anyone can get interesting information about MLM. In my personal case, I was like a year in another MlM, excellent products but kind of expensive, as you said, not for everyone. A friend just told me about the coffee, I love coffee, and I believe in Ganoderma, so, I will try this one. In the worst case, I will be happy with a tons of coffee.Lol. But in ths kind of business, besides to have a good base of marketing plan or know how to contact people, I think you have to be very positive, your mind has to be focuses in what do you want. Thanks for the info!!

Carolina – certainly need to be positive and focussed. No doubt about it. And hopefully the coffee will help with that too!

Great information, thanks for the fair call. The OG product line is nothing but a herd of good Trojan horses packed with redox to the max to fight dis-ease attested my millions of medical articles (Google PubMed) over its 7000 years of use. Results within minutes can be seen with live blood tests, redox readings in urine and ph levels, blood pressure and on and on.
How many people would chew on some ganoderma if you asked them? Now how many lives will benefit from the GD hidden (Trojan horses) in coffee, coco, toothpaste etc.
After 2 months of background checks of the owners & principles, AmeroBizOps with GlobusM (global container loads of commodities) plan to bring this to as many as we can
and welcome and will help others that want to do the same.
Bless
PastorG

You’re welcome. All the best with growing your business around OG.

i just joined the organogold coffee product retailing, i am not so sure yet if i will be sucessful in this business. my friend who is now a distributor in texas is helping me to start. i am now selling them to my friends and my doctors patients. i hope and pray that this will be a start of a huge sucess for me. i am soon to be 50 y.o.
mother of 4, i am wishing for sucess all my life…

I’m concerned about ingredients… Pentasodium Triphosphate and sodium, I’m not AT ALL excited about salt in my coffee… Sugar, Non Dairy creamer are the first two ingredients, tha suppose reason for this coffee being so good for you, the ganoderma extract, is last. That means it is the least abundant ingredient.
Longigolia Jack Powder… Really? An aphrodisiac? Possible side effects of this stuff include excess energy, restlessness, aggressiveness leading to arguments, increased body temperature, sweating, rapid heart rate, and insomnia. Not recommended for those with heart disease, moderate to severe blood pressure problems, or those taking heart medications.
I’d kinda rather NOT sell something that is pushed as “Organo” when it clearly is not. The company lost credibility, with me, when implying that this stuff is “organic” when it is clearly not. The Ganoderma might be, but the coffee is absolutely not. Seems a bit, well, less than honest to me.

@Tina: Your review of the ingredients and your preferences shows that Organo isn’t something you can recommend. That makes your decision easy.

Hope you find a coffee, and a business, that fits you better. You have many to choose from.

@mari: Welcome to a huge learning experience then!

If you get retail sales you can get into sustainable profit. If you can teach others to do what you did, you will have a successful downline too. If you do both of these consistently over time, you will have proper MLM success. Keep doing the simple things, and learning as you go. And keep us informed!

It also shows that some of your representatives are VERY deceptive. I was told “Organic”. I was not told “only one ingredient” is organic. Deception is not a good way to start a relationship.

@Tina: I am not the company – they are not ‘MY’ reps. And I totally agree that deception is not a good way to start a relationship. Hasn’t helped anyone.

I went to a meeting on last Thursday, and joined at that meeting at the OG University in Houston and I am a believer, that your must believe in your product before you can make anyone else believe in it. I tried it myself for a week before I went to a meeting, I have had great results. It cut my hot flashes down (women over 40 know what hot flashes are). I also had a rash on my arm that looked like a ringworm or just dry skin that had been there for 1 month won’t go away with antibatitic cream, well since I started drinking the coffee the rash is gone. I feel Great every morning and I do stay focus on my daily task, I say do not rush, just try it yourself they make coco and tea if you re not a coffee drinker, If you believe in it you will do Great, My first client is a pharmacy I have a mixer this morning.

@Angela: Nice start, and all the best for the long-term. MLM really rewards those who keep learning and keep consistent.

Ok…THE COMPANY’S reps… However, YOU are representing the COMPANY… So You get credit for them too. Touchy about it when a lie is pointed out… LOL

@Tina: Um, no. I’m touchy because you have jumped to conclusions.

I’m not an Organo Gold rep. I am in MLM however, and I recognize that supporting the industry is helpful for everyone else’s company – but ONLY if it acknowledges the upsides AND downsides.

One of those inevitable downsides is that MLM is by definition an industry of amateurs learning to become professional. Even great companies will always have bad reps. Of course the scammers will always be around, and it’s a matter of being more aware of their tricks, like you point out. But the people who are simply clumsy amateurs, well, they can learn how to do things better. All this is what this post and site are about.

Hi there. Just attended a meeting tonight. I was told that a box of coffee is $30 and there are 30 in a box. That is $1 per pack or cup. That is less than the price of coffee I pay at DD or SB. Did I miss something? You mentioned it is more expensive than most pay for coffee. Secondly can you go into a bit more about the minimum purchase and what you mean by optional. I can ask an OG distributor but I rather hear it from a neutral party. Thanks much!!!

@Wil: Hi Wil – an apples with apples comparison is always tricky, but you can make a cup of coffee at home for much less than you pay at a shop. OG doesn’t provide the waiter, napkins or ambience

As to the minimum purchase, I’m not sure what else to add to what I wrote there, so please clarify what you need. Plan as if it is NOT optional and you should be right.

I didn’t hear about a minimum purchase at the seminar. Do you know what that looks like as far as the various minimums for the various levels? And understand your point about the comparison…in fact you will be drinking this coffee at home so the real competition is a jar of Maxwell House…got it! Thanks.

It’s a scam! How can you tell? Why don’t they
open up shops like Starbucks if it’s such
a great product ????

Scams always rely on you to sell your family
and friends!

@Wil: Well think about the minimum purchase this way – if everyone joined, but no one bought product, then the company dies. The point is to get regular product purchases, and if the distributors won’t purchase that’s a really bad sign

And the real competition may be with their vitamin supplements or other health products, not just Maxwell. Depends on how you market it and what the person’s needs are.

@Frac: Sorry – the distribution method doesn’t make something a scam. Maxwell House doesn’t have coffee stores, and Starbucks collapsed in Australia – so every method has it’s pros – & cons.

“Scams always rely on you to sell your family and friends!” – Actually I only feel comfortable telling my family and friends about GREAT products and services. I think you mean that scammers prey on people who only know how to market to their family and friends. Quick solution – focus on product first / money-making second, and educate yourself in proper marketing. My 2 cents.

Exactly! Why don’t they just sell it in stores
like Maxwell House AND Starbucks !

Answer: it’s a scam. They say it’s healthy
and it’s the best coffee, but they use religious
tactics to sell it! Also, religious tactis = scam
They lie and say it’s organic coffee when
they know it’s not. Hence the name Organo!
Putting mushrooms in coffee is like adding
mushrooms to coco cola- both are junk
food used for stimulative purposes and taste,
But NO food value.

This rule only applys to food products.

Also, if ” you ONLY feel comfortable
about telling family and friends about
GREAT products”, then by definition, the
product cannot be “great”.

If the product is GREAT, you will tell
everybody!!!!

Example: Apple computers,
phone ect… Why would I NOT feel
comfortable telling a total stranger
about my GREAT Apple product? AND
I don’t work for Apple!

@Frac: You are mixing up issues – and using lots of ! marks.

Selling without stores doesn’t make it a scam – it just makes it less visible.

The company says “100% Certified Organic Ganoderma Lucidum Red Mushrooms” – it does not say 100% Organic ingredients. If you find a Distributor who misrepresents this then you can certainly set them straight.

The product and the method of marketing are obviously not what you like (“religious tactics”) but that’s different from saying it’s a scam, ie somehow not ethical, honest or legal.

@Frac: You have taken my ‘only’ and ‘great’ words and found your own meaning in them. In the context of replying to your comments it was clear.

And no product is for ‘everybody’ – that’s an MLM myth. I was on Apple and moved to PC and am happy with my decision.

You might feel comfortable telling a complete stranger about Apple, but you probably wouldn’t go too far out of your way to do so, so Apple has to pay advertisers multi-millions for Super Bowl ads, media events, newspaper ads, etc etc. MLMs pay Distributors instead. Someone has to do the marketing, because this ain’t a ‘build a better mousetrap’ world.

I am very familiar with MLM and have been VERY successful in a few. A few years back, Donald Trump was asked advice on what to do if a person went broke and wanted to get back on their feet. His reply was that he would find the best MLM offerred and get to work selling a great product. The key is to research and try the product before trying to sell it to others….it makes for a very successful financial experience. MLM is definitely not for everyone, BUT IT IS FOR THIS STAY AT HOME RANCH WIFE AND MOTHER OF 4!! I haven’t signed up, yet, I am still trying the product. I opened a box today that was given to me as a gift and got right on the computer to research the product….next, I will find more information on the extract…..then and only then, will I make a decision. People need to educate themselves on any product before making a financial decision. ~Tina….As far as the list of ingredients…..I wonder what the first ingredients listed in a Starbucks coffee with sweetner and cream added would be……..hmmmmmm…..

I talked to the distributor, seen the
Houston meeting and it’s a scam for poor
people with no skills or low self- esteem.

MLM ,i.e., pyramid schemes , are for those
who don’t value their time.

Google pimpimg and pandering – same
concept…

@Frac: Wow. Do you have your own blog about this because this is obviously pretty serious for you? If you do please link to it because the short bits you are commenting really deserve more details for me to be able to reply properly.

What do you suggest “poor people with no skills or low self esteem” do? Suck it up in a job that may be gone next month? Go back to college? Give up? What?

I’d say learn to be self-reliant, and entrepreneurial. MLM is just one option, and it’s not for everyone.

[Note: I'm adding an editorial change to this post as per Tim Ferris' comment protocol at his http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog site.

"Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be -- cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!"]

I’ll let you have the last word Frac.

Apple’s business IS building better
Mouse Traps, i.e., pc’s and the iPod which
they did not invent but they built better ones !

Mushrooms with cheap generic coffee beans
is not an improvement which is why
Safeway won’t touch it.

Hi I don’t know much about MLM but I have a friend that’s very excited about OG. I am no a coffee drinker but do see potential in this product as most of the world is. Do you have any advice.

@catherine: It’s hard to promote a coffee product if you’re not a coffee drinker. It’s possible, but you won’t be able to consume your monthly order.

If you want to learn marketing and entrepreneurship then MLM is an excellent way to do it. And if OG has gotten you thinking then it has already helped.

just listeing to all the negativity that is being spilled about organo gold is just a proving fact , that many will come forth and try to tarnish something that is healthy, plus good in business

organo gold is the best thing that God has put here to help His people through times of no jobs hardships and layoffs. so mr doctor and all your scrutiny about organo gold is crazy cuz organo gold is a family and everyone helps each other so i rebuke u satan in the name of Jesus

To me here is where the sell goes all wrong for MLM in general. The heart of the salesperson seems to be after one thing…getting the customer or more pointedly getting you to buy the product and buy into the job. There is no interview for the job. No one is there to say you can’t do it…but if you are a warm body and you can follow the program they laid out for you then you will be successful, right? The truth of the matter is you got to be good at marketing person. You are paying for them to teach you to market the product. But not everyone is cut out to be a marketeer…or more correctly stated a salesperson. It seems to me that most who are successful are proven marketing people. I have talked to some of them and they not only sell OG but other stuff as well. They are professionals, they jump from one product to another, depending on what stage in the MLM life they can get into, which is really important. And many of these professional marketeers no each other and prey (maybe to strong a word) on people who is just a warm body. Why? because the success is in the numbers. Since there is no interview, statiscs suggest they have to bring in maybe 7 people to find 1 good person who is going to move the business..and that one has to get 7 to find one and so on..and so on. Just beware folks. Really understand what your getting into because times are tough to be spending your dollars foolishly.

@jamul champion: Be very careful with becoming religious about ANY MLM. That way lies the ‘cult’ problems that have plagued network marketing.

Realize that 90+% of people in Organo Gold, as in any MLM, will not make a profit. Hopefully they will enjoy some great coffee instead.

Times of hardship is not an excuse for throwing aside common sense and due diligence. It IS a time to learn solid marketing skills and become more self-sufficient and entrepreneurial so you can stand out from the 6000+ other reps in the room at just one event. All the best for your own business success Jamul.

@Wil: Sensible words there.

I have 3 additional points:
– I hope to say that the heart of a TRUE salesperson is to find great products or services that are WORTH marketing and selling. And I’ll keep pushing that angle in my work.
– Sales and marketing skills can be learned. It’s not that long ago that MOST people were small business owners rather than employees. And MLM is a powerful, results-based, and relatively cheap training for entrepreneurship.
– And my sense of the numbers is that it is closer to 40 rather than 7, but the same concept applies.

I understand that angle and it is noble of you to do so. However, we can not overlook the fact that so many of these TRUE salespeople bring others in the organization of a MLM just to fill the 7 or 40 bodies needed to survive. Their presentations are not for the product but focused more so on the opportunity that a lay person who is not a marketing person, may find attractive. Majority I venture to speculate do not tell the whole story. I have been inticed many times on the potential. The fact that you say 90+% fail speaks volumes into the practice of instructing, supporting and sustaining people in a MLM business. In fact, it is because of their failures that so many prosper. If more where successful within a given area of town the more aggressive is the sales or lack of sales. The company does well but the people selling do not. 90+% who fail also paid to join. The MLM company can only receive that money once so who cares if they quit….maybe they’ll be a customer. The practice seems a bit dishonest from a moral standpoint.

@Wil: Your comments are worth commenting in more detail about:

> … many of these TRUE salespeople bring others in the organization of a MLM just to fill the 7 or 40 bodies needed to survive…

Actually I would say that is exactly what they DON’T do. People don’t build successful solid, lasting downlines if they ‘fill bodies’. They build organizations that have big numbers, or that seem impressive, but their success is either much less than they claim or very quick to evaporate.

> Their presentations are not for the product but focused more so on the opportunity

That is indeed dangerous. See my post on What is MLM?

> The fact that you say 90+% fail speaks volumes into the practice of instructing, supporting and sustaining people in a MLM business.

Companies with great training have the same numbers as bad ones. It is inherent in all business that customers must outnumber true distributors. Most distributors are in fact just customers with a commission option, and if sold that way that can be fine.

> The practice seems a bit dishonest from a moral standpoint.

The ethics of MLM are all important. There are companies that I think can not be done ethically. However even in a fine company, you can be an unethical rep and cause the problems you mention. MLM’s attract their fair share of the greedy, but also the amateur – who will both make bad sales mistakes.

Personally I can’t market the hard-sell way – I was lucky enough to end up in a company with one of the lowest attrition rates in the industry, and were it not for that my MLM business would have decayed away years ago.

Honesty will sell to less people than hype, but when a sale is done honestly there is much less buyer’s remorse and the retention and word of mouth rate is far, far higher. This is a true business.

Now what you said I can build a company on…Honesty. And perhaps that is the lens through which to look at these MLM opportunities. Can I sell OG being honest? The presentation I received showed a DVD of various ‘successful’ people who stated they don’t drink coffee. This told me they were selling the opportunity not the product. This appeared to be a corporate developed DVD but not sure. So bottom-line, the emphasis for a successful MLM business (like any other business) should be on selling the product or coffee in this biz. The people I keep running into just totally miss this point. Wow.

@Wil: “Now what you said I can build a company on” – and if you build it that way you will have a stable business that lasts.

Even better, if the company does disappear for any reason (MLMs are just like any other business, the failure rate in the first few years is high) you will walk away with a bunch of people who respect you and will look to you for the next thing you do. That is leadership, and it is where the biggest success in MLM is really made.

When a company grows fast like OG is, it will consist of alot of ‘fast’ people often called ‘jumpers’ who go from one bright shiny thing to the next.

All these issues are exactly why I am passionate about teaching marketing that truly understands MLM.

@Tina: Hi I am looking at a coffee bag now, and all it has on it is:Ingredients: Coffee, Organic Ganoderma Extract.” Maybe you were looking at the creamer/sugar bag?

Organo Gold has not launched in South Africa. I have tasted the latte, it’s really good.

@Frac:

I am guessing you got burned by some MLM in the past, but just take this into consideration. AVON and Mary Kay are both MLM. Do you consider these 2 companies to be rip off and only good for people with low self esteem? Neither of them are sold in stores either, but most of their products are rated above what you can buy at the store.

@Lee: Frac said “MLM ,i.e., pyramid schemes” so yes Avon and Mary Kay are rip offs in her view. I prefer a more common sense analysis – What is MLM Really”

I read all of the comments and it makes me sad when someone bashes what grown folk have decided to do for themselves. I am a representative with Organo Gold and I am very proud of it. I understand the products (great coffees, teas, and hot chocolate for consumers who like products like these but want a healthier alternative) and I also understand the need to offer nutraceuticals for those who are not coffee, tea, or hot chocolate consumers. The key is the Ganoderma. Period dot.

Some of the comments on here are mean and very ignorant. MLM is endorsed by several well known people in the industry. I won’t name drop because you can’t say the right thing to the wrong person and you can’t say the wrong thing to the right person so I will just make my point and move on.

Every profession has scam artists, people that just won’t do right but to lump everyone and every company into that category is just not right. I am glad that poor people have an alternative. Everyone can’t afford college. Everyone wasn’t born with many privileges that many of us take for granted so I am thankful for companies like Organo Gold that gives everyone a fair shake.

Is this an easy business? No it isn’t but it is very doable. Learning basic marketing skills will put many ahead of the masses who feel because they join a company that riches will mysteriously appear. No it takes a plan. It takes support and it takes dedication.

As an owners of both online and offline businesses, I didn’t have anyone “rooting” for me per se. I had the headache of making it happen regardless, so MLM is a welcome addition to my life because of the sense of team that many small business owners miss out on.

Pertaining to the Organo Gold opportunity, I always make sure that I let people know what their costs are when I do a presentation or sit down with them. If they are business minded, they understand. If they are “job” minded they usually don’t. Statements like, “I HAVE to buy $50 per month” let me know their mindset.

Each company has rules. Learn them and play by them and win. It’s as simple as that.

I owned an insurance agency for 5 years and my overhead was over $4000 per month. When I signed with that company I didn’t say, ” What? I have to pay for phones every month, I have to buy leads every month (thank God I learned to get my own), etc. You MEAN insurance people.” LOL I knew that was a part of it.

Anyone that is looking at Organo Gold or any other MLM, network marketing company, (whatever you choose to call them) needs to know to run your business you need product and you need customers. If you are on autoship ($50 or $100) you get a discount because you are letting the company know what revenues they can count on) If you don’t choose autoship you can still meet commission requirements. Everything is clearly stated if you read the application.

To have residual income you need to sponsor other people so that you can build an organization and receive a percentage of their sales. Same way insurance brokers, mortgage brokers, and real estate brokers do. If you don’t like it or if it didn’t work for you, move on. This is still a free country. But please stop spewing such nasty venom towards the decisions people have made to change their lives.

Lastly pertaining to the guys in the video that was referenced, they drink coffee now or they use the neutraceuticals which is what we are really about anyway. Bringing Ganoderma and all of its benefits to the people of the world. Watch us do it or join us.

P.S. We do have Organic coffee- King of Coffee and we do have brewed coffee Jamaican Blue Mountain. Both contain the Ganoderma spores. Delish! I’m excited and very grateful!!

P.S.S. I am not ignorant or poor. I am very educated (a dissertation from my PHD)thank you very much. AND my sponsor only has a GED. She is a multi-millionaire in only 2 short years. . So this works if YOU work it! Chow!

@G.I. Hopkins: I love the Trojan horse example. That is exactly right! Very Good!

@Tracie Davis: I think the comparison with small business is a great one. Compare the costs, flexibility, and learning advantages for small business, a franchise, going back to study at college, and proper MLM education.

I am wondering about the possibility of side effects from the herb? Anyone had any?

I like the idea of ​​working with gold organ. I have read a lot of information about the company and testimonies, I have also discussed these testimonies in Depth I am now studying in detail its compensation plan. And I think that is what everyone should do before starting an MLM business

@Melo: Beware of overanalyzing a situation. You get paid to market a company, and you only get paid for results. I look forward to hearing when you get started Melo.

I decided to become a distributor for Organo Gold about two months ago. I first tried the product. I am not a coffee drinker but have come to apprciate and love this product. I can also attest to the medicinal benefits the Ganoderma ingredient has due to two severe disabilities. I strongly feel that you have to be able to honestly endorse any product you become involved with. I worked for a large telecommunications company for years. When new products were introduced I tested them first, then and only then could I comfortably sell to others. I can talk to anyone about something I truly believe in but your first line will probably always be family and friends. What can be wrong with that? You must also be realistic and patient about how fast your business will grow. It will require knowledge about your product and determination to succeed. You can be successful if you are an educated person or not. It really is up to you and the amount of time and energy you decide to put into your business to make it a go. I have come to learn in life that no matter what it is you do there will always be someone that will react negatively. You should never let that deter you if you truly believe in something be it a new business,religion, politics, whatever. I simply say, thank-you for your viewpoint and continue doing what I have decided is in my best interest. If you try it and find out it is not the business for you then move on, find something that is. You can at least say YOU tried it and made your decision on those merits. I wish all of you success in your endeavors be it Organo Gold or some other MLM business.

Great spirit you have there! All the best with learning both personally and professionally along the way Dee.

@Dee: Dee I am thinking about possibly selling Organo Gold. I have rheumatoid Arthritis and some other autoimmune things going on. I was drinking this tea with no prior knowledge of its benefits. I drank it for about 10 day and realized it seemed to be helping with my symptoms. This is when I decided to see what was in the tea. My problem with this product is I can seem to find enough information about how much gandoderma is in each product. I also want to know if their products contain steroids or mercury. I can tell you I have been showing improvement but I want to know more before selling to others. I already have 6 people that want to try the products. Can you help me out? I appreciate your help. Thanks, Tammy

@Tammy: The amount of ganoderma in the tea seems to be ‘enough’. If you go into those questions then you also need to discuss topics like ‘bioavailability’ etc, or run the risk of crossing legal boundaries of what you are allowed to say.

Certainly reassure yourself they don’t have steroids or mercury, but remember that every person is different, and in the end being honest and saying, “It helped me, try it for yourself and see what it does” is all you are ever asked to do.

@Tina: Tina, I too read the ingredients and see their are some components that are not clear. I have tried the product and I like it, my wife does not. It does make me feel like there are some drug interactions as I take BP medication. Three things to consider here, 1. It’s designed to go after the Baby Boomers who are all on medications (side-effects) 2. It’s Instant Coffee with Sugar and Creamer and Preservatives from China. 3. There is a huge wave of single serve coffee machines flooding the market this Christmas (competition).

Can you please send me more information about how this business really works

@mark: Not sure about the competition being coffee machines, but glad you at least like it.

Dr- Maybe a refresher course on the fact that many things are structured like MLM. The player on the court, his sponsor his coach on the sideline then the team owner the company. MLM/ pyramid is not bad. You don’t have to eat dog food to sell dog food! You can sell coffee if you don’t like it. With Mcdonalds revamping their business structure to offer mochas coffee ect, then subway didnt just want to start breakfast..they did it because they know they can get the coffee business! Coffee is big business. Look at dunkin donuts the donut has been replaced with coffee! Organo Gold has found a new niche in coffee and thats offering health to your habit.

Thanks Michelle

I had a successful MLM business years ago but became unhappy with the in-home-party type of sales. My daughter attended an OG meeting recently and was very impressed. We are considering this opportunity to become self-employed (we live in different states). Your comments have been quite helpful but I, like Heidi Schell, would like your opinion/suggestion on legitimate home-based businesses. Thank you very much..

I went to one of their meetings in Houston recently with about 3,000 people present. I was skeptical as I had been involved in another company before that. My reason for checking out these companies really is to be a Blessing to someone who is searching for legitimate work from home. I’ve started a blog and am gathering information. So, what is your suggestion to what you might call a legitimate work-from-home opportunity? I would honestly appreciate any helpful comment and thank you for it.

@Jan Gibbs: As I did with Heidi I will drop you a note Jan, but lots of people have been impressed with OG, and for good reason. If you can find a way to address your previous unhappiness with in-home-party type of sales, then I’d encourage you to go for it.

@orange gold coffe: Glad you have the helping mindset in this business. And some extra online marketing skills I see there too. I’ll drop you a note too. (Update: Your email address bounced.)

I have read many opinions about Organo Gold but I have not seen any success stories. Is there anyone out there making money with Organo Gold? Someone who has been in the OG business for more than a year, please share your experience.

@Betsy: Good question Betsy, and keep in mind two things.

1. 98% of Organo Gold reps will not be ‘success stories’. It is just how the numbers roll and although OG haven’t published their numbers that I know of you can get the idea from other MLM companies. This is why I recommend getting proper training.

2. Successful people are probably actively growing their business rather than coming to this blog post. Someone leaving a comment here about their ‘success’ may in fact be trying to recruit people. Be sceptical. I’d suggest gettiing to personally know the proven leaders in OG, and you will find them at the events, on the company calls, and in your upline/contacts.

Hi,

If you are bright enough to know that Organo Gold is not for you why not make your own product. Find a coffee supplier where you can buy a small amount of good coffee. Source some suitable bags and make a few labels for your own brand. Then start selling something you believe in. If its good quality at the right price then people will buy. Once you are ready to up-size a bit to get a better discount from the source then recruit a few people to sell for you.

If you have a skill but its not in use then find a suitable free forum and contribute. That is how I met Martin and he used his skills coupled with mine to generate an opportunity for both of us. Its a slow start but with some marketing effort this year I hope to make it into a good source of income.

If you have some practical skill then get the good tools you need and either take a small advert out in your local paper or get some business cards and small leaflets printed and distribute them in a suitable area where your skills are needed. I had some lodgers who were capable of doing cleaning so I used my contacts and card to get them a first newspaper advert which got them started on some steady cleaning jobs. It helped them to pay my rent!

Work hard, do a good job and be reliable, always get up every morning on time and even if not working enhance your skills or just go door to door marketing yourself, be it in the real world or on the internet in a forum or your own Blog.

Good luck. Andrew.

@Andrew Huskinson: Thanks for the input Andrew!

As you can see, Andrew is already very entrepreneurial. He is also willing to put in the effort, has skills, and loves what he does (www.AndrewHuskinson.com).

There are ALWAYS opportunities around.

Follow what Andrew suggests for setting up your own business, and you will realize what an incredible deal an MLM gives you. You get all those business steps in a completed package for FAR less than it would cost you to set it all up yourself. And unlike every other small business owner, your only task is to market it!

But for all this advantage you still need to work, commit, persist, and learn heaps to get the passive FREEDOM income that MLM offers.

@Heidi Schell:
I actually bought in the business and it turned out a disaster. I jumped in the business with a family. Lesson #1 never go into business with a family. It seemed like they were self only. The whole they will help you grow the business, maybe if you are under the right people. My uplines in my opinion were selfish. I am stuck with a boat load of coffee they nobody wants (just like the og scam website said) Now we have jumped in and bought coffee to help someone else, but when I inquired about someone reaching out for me, my upline would said “oh, let me make a few phone calls.” But of course never heard a word!!! In my personal opinion I could have kept my money. The only positive is I did enjoy the Mocha coffee. Be careful if you get into this business is all I have to say!

@charmaine brewer: Sorry to hear that story.

You can’t build a business on disgruntled customers/distributors – it’s short-term sales for long-term failure. Bad all around, and only join people who understand this danger, sure.

Zuko, it’s a year and 6 months later is OG in South Africa yet? If not, you can be the first to have it. Just let me know and we can work on the particulars of shipping and you can get the products at wholesale from me as long as you buy in volume. Is that fair enough?

My wife and I are members of OG at the Gold Distributor level. We like the products, taste and how it makes one feel etc. We researched the company for several months before joining. We thought that we were giving our due diligence to know what we were getting ourselves into.

Then recently we (about a month or so after joining OG) heard that there is a Federal Investigation against Organo Gold.

Here are two links to this investigation:

http://www.krgv.com/news/channel-5-news-investigation-trouble-brewing/

http://www.krgv.com/news/special-investigation-organo-gold-federal-investigations/

Here are our concerns:

#1: INTEGRITY! OG talks a lot about integrity and I believe in this 1000%, we are born-again Christians, and integrity to us is EVERYTHING.

However, OG has been saying in the presentations that we are USDA Certified Organic Ganoderma. We believed that…until this Channel 5 News Investigation out of TX. If one claims to be USDA Certified Organic and one is NOT, then one is not doing business with integrity. That is our #1 issue with OG

#2: The price of the products. Most people are willing to pay for Starbucks coffee because it is made with freshly ground coffee beans at the store. OG is instant coffee!

Yes, we understand that in order to “infuse” the coffee with Ganoderma it has to be ground first. However, many feel that instant coffee is like freeze dried food, not of the same quality as the freshly ground beans. That makes it a hard sell. We believe that is why we are all encouraged to give away samples cause the big wigs in OG know the resistance many would have with paying $30+ for a box of instant coffee. We also realize that one is NOT truly paying for the coffee, but rather for the benefits of the Ganoderma (although OG is quick to emphasize that we cannot make claims of disease curative properties – that part of the investigative report is inaccurate). In our experience, we have had to emphasize (one is paying for the benefits of the Ganoderma rather than the coffee) to almost everyone we have talked to about OG because they are resistant to the price and that it is instant coffee (we were too before we joined).

#3: We recently tried to speak with a Blue Diamond member, whom I have met and spoken with several times at meetings, in our area, and our sponsor told me that I had to go up the chain of command rather than allow us to speak or email this blue diamond directly.

I get “Chain of Command” I am former military. However, with the significance of this News investigation, we wanted to speak directly to the horses mouth (so to speak).

See, we don’t expect our Sapphire sponsor to know the answers to our concerns, [cause most likely, he has no clue that OG is being investigated by the USDA, and FDA, for claiming to be USDA Certified Organic etc., when they in fact are not according to the USDA]. On the other hand, our blue diamond friend, who is making well over $100,000 a month in OG should know what is going on within our own company.

The bottom line for us is that we feel lied to by OG. They are making claims that are not true and we were not able to verify any of these claims prior to joining. If we had known this information prior to joining, chances are we would not have joined.

Gregg & Emily Huestis
Colorado

@Gregg Huestis: First of all I’m sorry this comment got caught in my spam filters – it’s good information and I’m glad to be able to reply in context.

First of all, I can only comment in a general way. I have no specific ‘insider’ information.

Second, any MLM that has health claims will fight an ongoing battle with the various authorities especially as they get big. So the comment that an authority “has a file” or has a stack of “complaints on file” on OG is almost a given.

Third, as a distributor in particular, you have restrictions on what you can say, and basically it boils down to getting people to judge for themselves. It seems that some of the comments come from distributors who have over-stepped their legal limits.

Fourlhly, the details about whether the USDA does indeed certify that OG is organic are a little bit unclear in the TV report. Reading it carefully leaves questions unanswered.

And finally, the TV report is biased from the start. If you listen to the video, twice they use the word ‘peddling’ to describe selling OG ie they already have their position on MLM decided. Notice even more so that the text below the video which is a rough transcript does NOT use the word peddling. Hmm.

Anyway, hope this puts this in perspective for others. Personally, even being a medical doctor I’m glad my MLM is not a health one, because of exactly these issues. All the best Gregg & Emily, and thanks for your comment.

Dr. Martin, thank you for your reply. I can understand your arguments.

I’m not saying that the OG products are bad, cause in fact, they are very good! My wife and I have been using them for over a month now, and we love them. Ganoderma is an awesome product. We are still drinking OG products cause they work and cause we paid for them. We are currently looking into another company who also offers Ganoderma products but seem to be much more integral than OG.

The issue that we have encountered is the lack of integrity with the companies claims of being “Certified” by the USDA, when in fact it seems as though they are not. We have no issue what so ever with the products regarding them “working”. We KNOW that they do.

I agree with your analysis of the report being biased. I could plainly see that. We realize that because it has health properties it will be fought by the FDA cause they are in bed with Big Pharm.

That being said, OG doesn’t make actual health claims. As, I pointed out in my original post. It shares testimonies from the experiences of those who have tried the products.

My wife as experienced relief of GERD. We are both nurses, she an LPN, myself an RN. I have met several people who have had awesome relief of pain, MS symptoms etc. from its use. So we believe in its benefits completely!

Our problem is their claims of being Certified by the USDA when they are not. That for us is the issue. Integrity is for us the most important issue…We took them at their word, and yet they have been lying. That is the most disturbing issue we are having to face.

Gregg Huestis

@Gregg Huestis: To that specific Certified issue, I only have the info from those 2 links you put here. This is from the text beneath that video:

> “We have certificates from the USDA. It’s patented,” said one of the company’s representatives.
>
>We learned the U.S. Department of Agriculture has an open case against Organo Gold, which is headquartered in Canada.
>
>The USDA issued a civil penalty against the three-year-old company in 2010. The federal government wants Organo Gold to stop using its USDA organic seal.”

So is OG USDA certified as organic? To me this report says that yes it is, but that an unspecified government department doesn’t like it. It is actually unclear, so is there another source to help us clear up these nuances?

If you can find one I would be glad to see it. I have not seen it as of yet. As I said I love OG products. They work…hands down.

I am far from anti-OG!

@Gregg Huestis: Okay, well I hope the company or someone who reads this can clear it up. USDA Certified currently, or not – where is the evidence?

That for us is the issue. Integrity is for us the most important issue…We took them at their word, and yet they have been lying. That is the most disturbing issue we are having to face.

@Stanchion Plastic Chain: If you are talking about being USDA Certified, I am still waiting for proper documentation. If you have any let us know.

I disagree with one of the cons, that is being that it is more expensive than what people already spend on coffee already. I worked for a world wide coffee company before hearing about organo gold. How much do people spend each day for just one cup of coffee? and they at least would come more than one time a day to any fast food or restaurant to obtain it. I completely disagree with the con of more expensive.

@Melissa: It depends how you compare like for like – eg a shop-bought cup v a cup you make at home. Either way I’m glad you see the value.