So someone has probably introduced 4Life as a great way to "become your own boss" and work from home. But you're probably wondering... is 4Life a scam or a pyramid scheme?
First of all, I want to congratulate you on taking the time to research the company.
A big reason why up to 99% of MLM members lose money is because they dive into it without knowing what to do.
This honest 4Life MLM review, with videos, will explain the true pros and cons of joining the company. That way you'll be able to make an informed decision if it is for you or not.
4Life Review
The overview and rankings
Name: 4Life
Founder: David and Bianca Lisonbee in 1998
Type: Health and wellness MLM
Products (Including Pricing): 60 out of 100
Success Stories: 1 out of 100
Price To Join MLM: $25 enrollment kit
$146-$525 enrollment pack
100 LP a month to stay active = ~$120 a month (30 out of 100)
What to look for in a MLM:
Summary: 4Life is a health and wellness MLM that sells expensive nutritional supplements. There is a monthly sales quota for distributors to hit every month and therefore many members need to purchase products themselves to "remain active".
This means that most members lose money and the only way to make a good income is by recruiting more people into the MLM so that you can earn bonuses from the additional sales they make. This makes 4Life very similar to a "pyramid scheme in disguise".
Make Time Online Rating: 30 out of 100
Recommended: No
What is 4Life?
4Life is a Multi-Level-Marketing company that sells a range of nutritional supplements.
The company markets and sells its products through its network of independent sellers called 4Life distributors.
4Life’s product selection includes:
health supplements
essential oils
skincare products
energy drinks
personal care products
The company is currently based in Utah, United States.
4Life manufactures a variety of health and wellness products.
However, they get to cut many of their delivery methods and advertising costs every month by recruiting people to do it for them.
In exchange, these distributors could earn commissions and incentives from the products sold by their team
It was founded in 1998 by the husband and wife team "the Lisonbee's". David discovered these amazing pills called "Transfer Factors" that were believed to strengthen and support the body's immune system.
He managed to persuade his wife that there was something special about these pills and she believed him after taking them for a while. With help from their family and remortgaging their own home they started sharing the benefits of the pills to the public with meetings in their own home.
With the assistance of their family and the remortgage of their own house, they began spreading the news about these pills through gatherings in their own home.
They now have everyday people all over the world helping to spread the message of 4Life and the "Transfer Factors". And these people have the opportunity to "be their own" boss and work from home.
The 9 minute video below explains more about how 4Life started and the opportunity available to you...
You can probably tell that the Lisonbee's are great storytellers.
However, you're smart enough to know this is just a sales video.
So, you're probably still wondering... can you really make money selling 4Life or...
Is 4Life a pyramid scheme?
Technically no, 4Life is not a pyramid scheme.
Distributors can earn money by selling the products and earning a commission.
However, 4Life is more similar to a "pyramid scheme in disguise". Let me explain what I mean by this...
Some pyramid schemes have done their best to disguise themselves as legitimate businesses.
If you suspect that the business you are getting into is a pyramid scheme, avoid it immediately.
Make sure to do your research on the company first before diving in. Refrain from wasting your time, money, and effort on scams.
Since 4Life members earn money by selling products and recruiting new members, it is safe to say that 4Life is not a pyramid scheme.
However, just like all of the other health supplements MLM we have encountered, I do not advise joining 4Life.
A legitimate business must provide proper training and support to its members to properly sell and market its products.
Of course, the focus of 4Life is recruiting, which makes the company resemble a pyramid scheme.
4Life is just another one of those MLM (aka Network Marketing, aka Pyramid Scheme) Programs whose main purpose is to sign you up, buy a product kit, then get you to sign up your friends, family, and co-workers to do the same thing.
What is a pyramid scheme?
A company that promises payment for recruiting other members rather than selling a product or service.
These are illegal in most countires because it is impossible for everyone to earn money inside a company structure like this.
Just see the Wikipedia below to see why...
Most MLMs, like 4Life, do offer legit products.
However, 4Life has a monthly "sales quota" that distributors have to hit to remain active. This means that they often end up having to purchase the products themselves every month just to stay on as a distributor and have the chance of "being their own boss".
The only way they can cover their own expenses and make any real money is actually by recruiting other people to sell more products in their "team".
This makes 4Life very similar to a pyramid scheme in disguise.
Just watch the 5 minute video below to see why...
Success is rare with 4Life
In fact, success is hard to find inside any MLM company.
Did you know that between 73% and 99% of all MLM representatives lose money?
Just by looking at 4Life's previous income disclaimers you can see that 88.83% of distributors lose money.
We'll dig into this in more detail later in this 4Life review, but for now let's figure out...
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Hey, I'm Mike.
I created a passive income online within a year. I had no marketing skills or online experience when I started.
How does 4Life Work?
4Life produces a range of supplements and health products.
But rather than needing to spend a lot of money each month on advertisement and marketing they get everyday people to help sell these products.
In return, these distributors can receive commissions and bonuses from sales their team makes.
4Life products
There are now dozens of products on offer at 4Life that fall under one of the following categories:
- Transfer Factor (immune support and targeted)
- Skincare (moisturiser, eye cream etc.)
- Transform (protein, healthy aging formula etc.)
- Essential oils (
- Digest4Life (detox pills, aloe vera etc.)
- Energy ("go stix" aka drinks)
- ShapeRite (meal replacement weight loss drinks)
- Personal care (shampoo, toothpaste, conditioner etc.)
- Basic wellness (vitamin supplements)
Now, it's important to be aware that there are thousands of companies that offer a very similar range of products. There are even hundreds of MLMs that offer a similar product range such as:
- Total Life Changes
- Zurvita
- Vemma
- Usana
- Anovite
- CorVive
- QuiAri
- Nature's Sunshine
- Juice Plus
- Immunotec
- Juuva
- Carelumina
So what makes 4Life stand out?...
4Life Transfer Factor- flagship product
4Life's main product is still the Transfer Factor pills...
These patent protected products help your immune system to prepare and fight off all types of illnesses and diseases.
Some of the key benefits include:
- Educates, enhances and balances the immune system
- Boosts natural killer cell activity (up to 437%)
There is a special ingredient called Colostrum, which is extracted from cows that are feeding their calves. However, Healthline suggests there are benefits and potential downsides to this supposed super ingredient and more research on human beings needs to be conducted.
It's also important to be aware that the research that suggests the 437% increase in "natural killer cell" activity needs to be taken with caution.
There are numerous studies that prove many MLM companies conduct their own research and any results produced from these studies may not be totally transparent.
In all honesty any health supplement needs to look into what real people say about the products such as...
So there are many GLOWING reviews for Transfer Factor out there.
And to be honest most of the negative ones were to do with the price rather than the products themselves.
To give 4Life credit they also do not make any bold claims such as "cancer preventative", but I did find numerous people that claimed this online.
Watch the 4 minute video below to understand more about the Transfer Factor pills...
Can you make money with 4Life MLM?
It's very unlikely that you will make good money from 4Life.
The very few people that do make over $33k a year (only 1 out of 149 distributors) will have recruited a lot of people. They are more like a "sales manager" than a business owner.
Typically, they will be extroverted people that are good at "selling the dream" for people to "be their own boss".
The best ones will then actually help their downline to sell the products and often have to constantly nag their downline to get out there and sell!
Simple put, it is possible to make money with 4Life, but it may not be what you think!
How to make money with 4Life MLM
There are 2 ways that you can make money as a distributor inside 4Life:
- Sell products and earn a commission
- Recruit people and earn bonuses from anything they buy or sell
Some people get confused here and claim that 4Life is a pyramid scheme. However, they avoid being an outright scam or getting shut down by the FTC because distributors technically don't earn money directly by recruiting people.
They only get "bonuses" from the sales their downline make!
How much does it cost to join 4Life MLM?
It costs $25 to start with the enrollment kit...
You will then be encouraged to purchase an "enrollment pack", which comes with a bunch of discounted products:
- Immune IQ Starter Pack: $146
- Preferred Customer Basic Enrollment Pack: $250
- Preferred Customer Premium Enrollment Pack: $525
But the costs do not stop there amigo...
4Life monthly cost
There are technically not any "monthly costs" to remain active. However there is a "monthly sales quota" to hit to remain active...
You would need to sell 100 PV each month, which is the equivalent of around $120 worth of products. If you cannot sell that amount then you will need to purchase the products yourself.
This catches a lot of people by surprise and you'll be advised to set up a standing order or get into the habit of buying the products every month so that you don't get suspended.
You really need to allow these expenses for your first year:
- $25
- $146- $525
- $120 x 12
Total cost for 1 year = $1,611- $1,990
And this is before considering any marketing, packaging, or additional training costs.
4Life compensation plan
MLM companies like to make it seem like there are tons of ways for you to get paid, so it seems exciting. This usually means they make their compensation plan harder to understand than solving a Rubik's cube blindfolded.
4Life is no different. So I will try to keep this simple...
There are 7 ways you can get paid from 4Life as a distributor:
- Retail profit (around 33.3% commission)
- Rapid rewards (5-25% commission on the first order from your "preferred customers" up to 3 levels deep)
- My4Life Profit (25% commission of orders on your "replica website")
- Builder bonus ($50-$800 monthly bonus for having multiple "teams of 3")
- Team commission (2-25% commission of your downline sales)
- Infinity payout (payout past your "3rd generation" when you reach Diamond or above rank)
- Incentive trips (for certain members with a lot of team sales)
If you read that and got confused from the table above, then they have done their job well!
All you need to know is WHAT you actually have to do to make money. And remember all that is:
- Sell 4Life products
- Recruit people
If you really want to get your head around it a bit more you can watch the 30 minute presentation below (it starts after 9 minutes, the first part just explains more of the random terminology used).
I've been through it though and the keys points are summarised above...
Or you can find the full 16 page 4Life compensation plan here.
Is 4Life a scam?
No, 4Life is not a scam technically.
They offer legit products and pay their distributors exactly like they claim they will.
The people that call 4Life a scam are those that join the company without understanding everything and then moan when they have to pay $120 a month to "remain active".
It doesn't mean this is the best opportunity for you though. The rest of this 4Life review will help you to make an informed decision...
Just to be fully transparent with you, I am not a distributor myself and I do not endorse 4Life 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
Common negative reviews
Tired of MLMs? Check out how I make money online here!
What I like about 4Life
There are a few things that I genuinely like about 4Life and think it makes it stand out compared to other MLMs 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 Proven company
Direct Selling News shows that 4Life had the 43rd top revenue for direct sales companies in 2019.
It's been around since 1998, and only 1 out of 3 MLMs survive past 10 years. This is a great sign that 4Life is not a scam and hopefully won't just disappear tomorrow.
#2 Positive product reviews
There are tons of positive 4Life product reviews online...
You know they must have a pretty great product when you see so many positives from different sources.
#3 Keeping an upwards trend
This is rare to see in MLMs...
Typically MLMs get this "early momentum phase" then drift off just as quickly. After all, it's much easier to sell something that more and more people search for every month.
But when you compare it to newer MLMs like Farmasi you can see they are not rising as quick as everything out there.
What I don't like about 4Life
There are also some hidden truths that most people find out the hard way and a few thousand dollars out of pocket.
Lucky for you, you can learn them right now...
#1 Expensive products
This is always a huge red flag for me in any MLM. If the products are overpriced compared to alternatives then it's the first sign the MLM may be a pyramid scheme in disguise rather than a sales focused company...
4Life = $2.53 per month
Anovite = $0.83 per month
Another MLM, Anovite, also sells similar pills with Colostrum in. And just look at the difference in price!
But it doesn't stop there...
4Life moisture cream = $16 per oz
Highly rated Amazon moisture cream = $0.91 per oz
Seriously just ask yourself this...
Why would anyone pay 3-16 times more for something very similar?
#2 Hidden monthly expenses
The answer to that question above comes from the hidden monthly expenses...
Every month you need to sell 100 LP (or PV or whatever other weird pointless acronym they use). If you cannot sell around $120 worth of products EVERY month, then you will need to stump up the cost or you "lose your rights to sell the products".
In reality, this means that 4Life distributors become the companies biggest customers!
4Life knows they can charge such a huge fee for the products because they know their distributors have to buy them if they can't sell them!
And this is why...
#3 4Life is a pyramid scheme in disguise
Does this diagram on 4Life's compensation plan look similar to the one below to you?...
The fact is that to avoid losing money EVERY month you HAVE to recruit people. And a company structure that requires you to recruit people to avoid losing money is a pyramid scheme in disguise.
And it's impossible for everyone to earn money inside this system.
Don't believe me? Well this may help...
#4 Only 1 in 149 earn over $33k a year- Can you really make money with 4Life?
The 4Life 2019 income disclosure has already proved that at least 88% of members lost money due to the monthly sales quota to stay active...
But when you read the small print and get your head around the table you can see that 16% of distributors earnt nothing in 2019. Then 99.2% of distributors who did earn something earnt less than $33k on average.
That means that 0.67% of distributors earnt over $33k in 2019.
In real English that means only 1 out of 149 distributors earnt $33k (before expenses) in 2019!
Is that even enough money for you and your family to "be your own boss" and work from home?
Ready to make passive income online?
I've created a growing passive income online with no previous marketing skills or online experience...
I've made a special video for you to explain exactly how I did this.
My opinion - 4Life MLM
I think the Transfer Factor pills seem to be a pretty great pill to boost your immune system. However, there is a lot of research that suggests a normal multivitamin can be just as good as fancy MLM pills.
But what do I think about your chances to make good money from the MLM opportunity?...
The truth is that you can make money inside this MLM. However, you will need to do it by recruiting people into the business. And you already know that over 88% of distributors lose money.
So how do you feel about making money by encouraging others to join a business that they will likely lose money inside?
Yeah, I don't feel warm and fuzzy about that either!
How I make passive income online
MLMs are not all scams or illegal. However, I'm not a fan of them because of the restrictions to the expensive products you have to promote.
Once I learnt about affiliate marketing, I realised it's a far superior business model because:
- You can promote anything you want and truly own the business
- You never need to sell to friends and family
- It's completely free to start
In 2018 I had no idea what affiliate marketing was.
But I went from a full time PE teacher to making a passive income online within one year...
If you want to discover how I did it then check out this special video I created which explains exactly how. You can also get your free 7-day bootcamp to get started.
Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing review about 4Life. Even though MLM is legal, and is a great way to make money, affiliate marketing will always be the method by which I choose to make money online. Reading your post i realized that 4Life is not for me.
A great advantage is that the products I promote on my sites are not expensive and this helps to have more results. The secret is to have good content, high traffic and many posts. All these 3 things you can learn for free on Wealthy Affiliate and you have the chance to create your first website and online business.
I recommend to everyone this platform especially as your number one recommendation is Wealthy Affiliate….
I totally agree! Thanks for stopping by and adding your opinions 🙂