Kyani MLM Review: 2022 Pyramid Scheme or Easy Money?

The overview and rankings

Name: Kyani

Founders: Kirk Hansen, Dick Powell & Carl Taylor in 2005

Website URL: kyani.com

Type: Health and Wellness MLM

Products (Including Pricing): 40 out of 100

Success Stories: 10 out of 100

Price To Join MLM: $89 for the welcome kit

$399-$1,199 for business packs 

~ $100 monthly autoship (60 out of 100)

What To Look For In An MLM:

What is Kyani?

Over a decade, biochemist/physiologist Dr. McKenzie spent significant research on traditional Eskimo diets. She was curious about the Eskimos' unusually high rate of health and the fact that some never fall ill.

After learning that wild Alaskan sockeye salmon and wild blueberries are staples in the Eskimo diet, she became intrigued.

It showed that Alaskan blueberries were hardier and 48 times more antioxidant-rich than domestically farmed blueberries. This is because of the wide variety of temperatures and the length of the bright days in Alaska.

Although each of the three families had already built a profitable business, they needed to take advantage of the chance to distribute healthy items that helped their own families and offered others an opportunity to develop their own.

Therefore, in 2005, a network marketing company specializing in health supplements was established; the name "Kyani" was selected after its founders learned that the word means "powerful medicine" in native Alaskan.

There are published posts on the Kyani website revealing their study findings and links to publications written by independent researchers.

Kyani products are currently accessible in over 60 countries, making good on the Powells' goal to globalize their goods so that everyone can enjoy their health advantages.

And today, Kyani is a health and wellness Multi-Level-Marketing company, which focuses on providing supplements to improve people's energy levels and nutrition. 

The MLM was founded by a few guys in 2005. 

It offers everyday people the opportunity to work from home by promoting the products and recruiting more people into the MLM business. 

The 1-minute video below helps to explain a bit more about Kyani...

So it seems like it could be a legit opportunity. 

But you're probably still wondering...

Is Kyani a pyramid scheme?

Technically no, Kyani is not a pyramid scheme.

It's possible for distributors to sell products and make money from commissions. 

However, a more appropriate question for MLM companies would be...

Is Kyani a "pyramid scheme in disguise"?

What is a pyramid scheme?

A company that promises payment to its members for recruiting more people into the company.

Outright pyramid schemes do not provide any products or services. 

They are illegal in most countries because it's impossible for every member to earn money as you can see in the diagram below...

Most MLM companies do provide legit products or services. 

However, some of them "hide behind" their products. This is because sometimes the only way members can make good money ($1,000+ a month) is by recruiting more people into the business. 

This review will dig into the truth about Kyani later, but this short video explains how to spot these "pyramid schemes in disguise"...

Success is rare with Kyani

In fact, success is rare with any MLM business. 

Did you know that between 73% and 99% of all MLM representatives lose money?

The reason for this is that many MLM companies sell very expensive products when compared to the market. They also have a monthly "sales quota" for their distributors to hit. 

This means if they do not sell a lot of products each month, they have to buy the products themself.

Many people are not able to sell enough products when they start so they end up a few thousand dollars out of pocket because they didn't understand this part of the business before they join. 

Kyani produces income disclosures each year, but often only include members once they achieve a certain rank. 

I did some digging to find the true income earnings, as you will see later in this review. 

But for now, let's figure out...

How does Kyani Work?

Kyani produces different supplements and health products. 

They save on marketing expenses because they recruit "distributors" (also called consultants, members, ambassadors etc.) to help sell the products for them. 

These distributors are everyday people who can earn an income by promoting Kyani's products by working from home. 

It's sort of like a win-win!

Kyani products

If you are considering joining any MLM company it's so important to understand the products on offer.

Kyani has dozens of products that fall under one of the following categories:

• Triangle of health - vitamins
• Protein nutritionals - FIT20 (quicker recovery & build lean muscle), HL5 (protein perfect for middle aged and beyond)
• Fleuresse- skin care products
• Potato Pak- calorie rich food to donate to disaster stricken communities or their own charity, Caring Hands.

You can find the whole range of Kyani products here. 

However, it's important to be aware that there are other MLM companies that sell similar products such as:

• Bemer Group
• Bonvera
• Globallee
• Liv International
• Enzacta
  
• Stemtech
• Tranont
• LifeWave
• Nikken
• Amare

This is really only a few others as there are thousands of MLMs out there.

As you can see, there are a lot of products on offer here but the main ones to understand fully are the...

Kyani Triangle of Health- flagship product

So Kyani's flagship product is their "triangle of health" with 3 supplements:

1. Kyani Sunrise: Vitamin C, B6, B12
2. Kyani Sunset: Vitamin A, D & E, Omega 3
3. Nitro- provides nitrates to help the body make Nitric Oxide

Some of the health benefits of consuming these supplements are:

• Contributes to a normal functioning immune system
• Contributes to normal muscle function
• Protection of cells from "oxidative stress"
• Normal digestion
• Proper blood circulation

There are many other products available that are very similar to these supplements, which we will look into further later in this review.

But more alarming than this, there are scientifically proven studies that suggest mineral supplements are unnecessary for the general population. 

For now you can learn more about the "triangle of health" in the promotional video below...

How to make money with Kyani

Ah... the moment you have been waiting for!

How can you make money with Kyani?

Well it's quite simple like most MLM companies. When you become a distributor you can get paid in 2 ways:

• Selling the products and making a commission
• Recruiting more people into your downline to earn bonuses from the sales they make

It's important to note that you do not make money from recruiting people into the company! 

You make money from the sales these recruits make. 

However, if you are going to work as a distributor in the Kyani Compensation plan, you will earn through the following ways:

Ranking System

As a distributor for Kyani, you can advance through a 15-level ranking system, thereby increasing your earnings.

You should remember that you need to keep your customer volume (QV) at 150 or higher to keep your current rank and that to move up in position, you need to grow your group volume (QV) by recruiting new members and selling more of your own products.

Sponsoring Tree

The Sponsor Tree functions similarly to a family relationship tracker. Everyone you individually enroll on your first level is placed right beneath you.

When you directly enroll team members and they, in turn, enlist a new Independent Partner, the new Partners are put beneath your team members on your second level.

Location Tree

In contrast to the Sponsor Tree, you have total control over where your personally sponsored Partners are placed in your downline.

Leaders may assign newly-enrolled Partners to different positions on the Placement Tree for various reasons.

Examples include the following:

A) team development synergy;

B) geological factors;

C) individual relationship concerns; or

D) being promoted to the next level.

Because they contribute to the growth of a larger, more successful business, new Partners' placement in your Placement Tree is crucial.

This is another reason that Kyani is not an outright pyramid scheme.  

How much does it cost to join Kyani?

To get started you need to pay $89 for the annual "business license". 

This comes with the distributor folder (with some marketing materials) and the "duplicate website" that you can use to sell Kyani's products. 

However, this doesn't come with any products and you don't qualify for openline bonuses or other advances. 

So if you really want to promote the products you will likely need to test them out yourself and buy an "enrollment pack". 

These range in value with a range of products from $399-$1,999 (see all the packs on offer here or the most expensive one below)

If you can’t make an initial investment, you’ll struggle to build your business.

Kyani monthly cost

Kyani doesn't make this clear at any time on their website or when you are starting out. 

But to "remain active" and claim your bonuses from any sales you make, you will need to to hit a "monthly MQV" aka monthly qualifying volume.

This means you need to sell around $100 to $150 worth of Kyani products every month just to stay "active". 

If you cannot sell this amount (which most people can't for at least the first few months... or more), you will need to purchase $100 worth of products yourself every month.  

You can also set up an "autoship" to make sure you always stay active.

Total cost for year one:

• $89
• $399-$1,999
• $100 x 12

One year expenses = $1,688 - $3,288

This is obviously nowhere near as much as starting a bricks and mortar business would cost... but it is more than $89!

Kyani compensation plan

For some reason most MLM companies make their compensation plan harder to understand than solving a rubik's cube blindfolded. 

And Kyani is no different. I mean just look at this diagram inside the full compensation plan...

Eurgh!! Seriously?!

So I will do my best to keep this simple for you.

There are numerous ways to get paid from commissions and bonuses, including:

• Retail profit bonus (around 20% commission)
• Team bonus
• Fast start bonus
• Customer builder bonus
• Prime bonus
• Power play
• Accumulator

But you honestly don't need to understand all of this before you join. 

The only thing you need to know is that you must do 2 things to get paid:

• Sell Kyani's products
• Recruit more people into the business

If you're interested in making some good money ($1,000+ a month) then you will have to recruit people into the business. 

If you'd like to understand the compensation plan a bit more then feel free to watch this 3-minute video that shows more details about this company...

And you can find the full Kyani compensation plan here. 

Is Kyani a scam?

No Kyani is not a scam.

They offer legit products and pay their distributors just like they claim they will. 

However, is it the best work from home opportunity for you to get into?

Only you can answer that, and the rest of this Kyani review will help you make an informed decision.

Just to be fully transparent with you, I am not a distributor myself and I do not endorse Kyani in any way.

I have researched the website, testimonials and information on the Internet to get to the bottom of what this program genuinely does. This is because I have been burnt from programs just like this in the past and I want to prevent others from making the same mistakes. If you’d like to learn how to “Spot an Online Marketing Scam” then click the highlighted text.

Common positive reviews

Here are some of the best common positive reviews about its job opportunity that we have found in Indeed...

• "The company culture is very comfortable, open, and friendly. Today we enjoyed a lunch as a company and celebrated the monthly birthday and recognized those who had a Kyani anniversary this month. The management team is great to work with. In accounting we have is a solid team where I am comfortable talking with any member or management level. I also trust everyone and can bounce ideas off them to help me do a better job."
• "Great pay and benefits. If you're happy kicking out reports and sitting in a cubicle this is the place to be. Co workers were top shelf."
  

Common negative reviews

And here are the common negative reviews people are saying about its job opportunity in Indeed...

• "There is no communication from their executive management team to everyone else. There is no communication between departments. There will be things you will prepare and then last minute after you've spent hours on a task, they tell you "oh you weren't aware that this was cancelled" Their management team constantly tells you to submit ideas, proposals, and ideas for improving the company. Do you know how many emails have been sent to get a response of "this is really great" but there is absolutely no follow through. They have great ideas but zero execution or absolute trash execution."
  
• "Work that was meant to be left at work would often find its way into my personal life by no doing of myself. This would happen especially because the supervisors on the job could not keep their own responsibilities together, meaning everyone else under them picked up the slack."
  

What I like about Kyani

There are some things about Kyani that are pretty good and make it better than some other MLM opportunities out there. 

Key Terms:

• Pyramid Scheme – recruits members via a promise for payment from referring others to the service rather than providing a product
• Affiliate Marketing- Connecting a customer to a product they are looking for and receiving a commission for doing so
• Red Flag - A warning sign

#1 Established company

Did you know that 50% of MLM companies disappear before they are 5 years old? And 2 out of 3 MLM companies don't make it to their 10th year?

Well Kyani was founded in 2005.

This is a great sign that the company has been through a lot already and has a wealth of experience in the founders and managing team. 

It shows that Kyani is not a scam and is not likely to disappear tomorrow.

#2 Sales focused bonuses

One of the main things I look for in any MLM business is whether there is a focus on recruitment or sales.

If the company is recruitment focussed it usually suggests that it will be hard for distributors to make money (as the pyramid scheme diagram above shows). 

However, Kyani has a "customer builder bonus". 

This means you can earn up to a $1,200 bonus every month just from selling products (mind you $5,000 worth of product sales in a month is quite a lot unless you use online marketing skills).

This is another great sign that Kyani is not a pyramid scheme.

#3 Wide selection of products

Some MLM companies only offer supplements, or candles, or protein shakes or books (you get the point).

But Kyani offers skin care products and supplements. 

This means your potential customers are likely to be almost anyone you come into contact with. 

Again this gives you more opportunities to sell their products. 

What I don't like about Kyani

There are some serious red flags and hidden truths that I believe every distributor needs to be aware of before joining. 

#1 Expensive products

This is the biggest red flag for me in any MLM company. 

If they sell expensive products in comparison to what is out there already and they have a monthly "sales quota" (remember the 100 MQV) this is a signal that the company may be a pyramid scheme in disguise. 

Seriously just think about it...

Why would anyone choose to buy Kyani's products if they cost over 100% more than other similar products?

The reason is because...

Distributors have to!

If they don't sell $100 worth of products they have to buy them themselves.

This means you'll find it hard to sell the products to anyone that understands simple maths!

So you'll be encouraged to make people join the company so that they can "get a discount" and have the "opportunity to make money!"

• Kyani -  Sunrise = $1.40 per day Sunset = $1.60 per day Nitro = $1.60 per day
• Total Kyani = $4.60 per day
• Amazon - $0.72 per day

Kyani's supplements cost over 500% more than the Amazon supplement. 

It costs $1,656 for Kyani's supplements for a year or $262.80 for the Amazon supplement!

Now, I  can almost hear your mind thinking... well surely Kyani is better than this one multivitamin (that has a rating of over 4.5 stars from 3,250 reviews!)

That's what I thought, so I checked the labels...

The supplement facts for Kyani are above.

And the multivitamin on Amazon is below...

As you can see for yourself... the multivitamin also includes all of:

• Vitamin A, C, D, E, B6, B12 and much more

In fact, it covers more vitamins than the Kyani products, such as potassium and Riboflavin. 

The only thing it misses is the "noni concentrate", which healthine suggests needs more research to prove the benefits (and is mainly only good for increasing Vitamin C, which is included).

And just remember there is a lot of research that questions whether you should be buying multivitamins at all.

#2 Expensive monthly sales quota

So when you combine the red flag above with this one, you really do get into trouble with an MLM company.

This is the main reason why so many people lose money as a distributor for MLM's. 

It may not seem like much to sell $100 worth of products each month. But after you ask your 10 close friends, brothers, sisters and parents, you'll find that it's hard to sell anything to anyone else at first.

And chances are your friends and family won't be that supportive about you getting involved in something that they don't really understand. 

This means that as you're figuring out how to use Facebook to find other people to sell to, you're credit card is taking a battering and your home is filling up with so many supplements that you need to upgrade to a bigger house!

#3 Low income potential

So Kyani is a bit sneaky here.

Their income disclosure suggests that 50% of recruits make over $233 a month on average.

That's not bad, right?

You just need to be "better than average" to make a steady side income stream!

Well the keyword above is "Active". 

They actually only included anyone that is at a "Jade rank" or higher. 

After some digging I found a video with the true stats...

So in fact, only 5% of distributors earn more than $298 per month...

And only 0.88% of distributors earn over $1,561 per month on average!

You actually only have a 1 in 113 chance of making any good money from the MLM program. 

#4 Kyani lawsuits & complaints

Some of the most common complaints online about Kyani are to do with customer support and finding it hard to cancel their "autoship" monthly payments...

But there have also been numerous lawsuits against the company:

• Sued by the head of their Scientific Advisory Board in 2018
• Accused of Kyani being a pyramid scheme in 2017
• Investigated by the FDA and FTC in 2016 for improper health & income claims

These are not the concerns and complaints of a totally honest and legit company.

#5 Downward trend

This is always my second thing I check out for any MLM company. 

You probably know that the most successful distributors in any MLM company "get in early" whilst there is momentum. 

It's because they can help to grow the company and hardly anyone has been "recruited" into the business yet. 

However, Kyani is not in this "early momentum phase" any more...

Google trends shows that fewer and fewer people search for Kyani every month.

Other MLM companies such as Farmasi are still in that early momentum phase and show there are better opportunities out there.

My opinion - Kyani

If you try the products out yourself and like them, then it probably makes sense to become a distributor for the company. 

It will give you a monthly discount if nothing else. 

But if you are interested in making a full time income from home, here's what I think...

The only way this will work is if you can recruit a lot of people into the business model. 

And more and more people are becoming sceptical of MLM companies.

Personally, I can only see successful distributors being the ones that can use online marketing to help them grow their own business and use the MLM company as one of the multiple income streams.

How I make passive income online

Not all MLM companies are bad. It's genuinely possible for people to make good money from them.