Is CTFO a Scam or Another CBD Oil MLM Pyramid Scheme?

The overview and rankings

Name: Changing The Future Outcome (CTFO)

Founders: Stuart and Steve Finger in 2015

Website URL: ctfo101.myctfo.com

Type: Health and Wellness CBD Oil MLM

Products (Including Pricing): 20 out of 100

Success Stories: 10 out of 100

Price To Join MLM: Free to join

$19.95 a month for premium membership

$47.47 "autoship" of products each month (40 out of 100)

What To Look For In An MLM:

What is CTFO?

Changing The Future Outcome (CTFO) is a health and wellness Multi-Level-Marketing company.

It was founded in 2015 and their flagship product is their CBD oil. 

They also provide the opportunity for everyday people to promote their products and recruit more people into the company to earn an income. 

You can learn more about the company in the 90 second video below...

You're smart enough to know that is just a sales video from CTFO.

So you're probably still wondering...

Is CTFO a pyramid scheme?

No CTFO is not an outright pyramid scheme. 

It's possible for CTFO associates to earn an income from selling products and earning a commission. 

However, a better question for most MLM companies would be...

Is CTFO a "pyramid scheme in disguise?"

What is a pyramid scheme?

Any company that promises their members payment for recruiting more people into the company. 

Outright pyramid schemes do not sell any products or services and are illegal in most countries. 

That is because they are unsustainable as you can see in the diagram below...

This means that CTFO (and most MLM companies) are not pyramid schemes because they do promote legit products or services. 

The issue is that some MLM companies use their products to "hide the truth"... the only way to make a good income is by recruiting more people into the company. 

It's often the "associates" (sometimes called consultants or distributors) that end up losing money because of the monthly fees they need to spend to "stay active". 

We'll dig into CTFO in more detail later, but for now you can see what to watch out for in "pyramid schemes in disguise" in the 5 minute video below...

Success is rare with CTFO

CTFO doesn't provide an income disclosue to the public, like many MLM companies do.

This means it's very hard to tell if CTFO fits into these stats or is better (or even worse!)

But here's a little insight that you probably won't be told before you join...

You have to spend $47.47 a month to stay active. Just to break even you'd have to sell at least 2 very expensive CBD oils ($119+) every month. 

Now ask yourself... how many people do you know that would willingly spend $119 on CBD oil each month?

How does CTFO Work?

CTFO makes a range of health and wellness products. 

They also offer a "work from home opportunity" to everyday people so that they can make money by selling their products and recruiting more people. 

This means that CTFO saves monthly expenses on marketing or having physical stores with staff members all over the country. 

So it's kind of like a win-win business model in theory, right?

But before you decide to jump in, you must learn more about the...

CTFO products

CTFO offers a range of products under the following categories:

• Health - CBD oil, healing cream ($34.97-$210.97)
• Anti-aging - Sun cream, hair growth shampoo/ conditioner, CBD anti-aging serum, massage oil, mud mask, bath bombs etc. ($14.97-$80.97)
• Nutrition - protein shake, CBD gummies, pain relief oil etc. ($24.97-$85.97)
• Pets - hemp chews, CBD spray etc. ($24.97-$71.97)

So there is a lot on offer and you could probably sell something in that list to most people.

It is important to realise that the CBD MLM market is already very saturated. There are tons of companies that offer a very similar product line such as:

• HealX Nutrition
  
• My Daily Choice
• Touchstone Essentials
  
• Emris International
  
• Bocannaco
• Hempworx
• Kannaway
  
• Zilis
• hempSMART

This will make it harder to sell these products as there are a lot of companies trying to sell the same thing. 

But CTFO tries to stand out with their flagship product. 

CTFO CBD oil - Their flagship product

This is the part you really will need to understand to do well in as a CTFO associate.

First of all it's important to actually understand why anyone would want to buy CBD oil.

After all, it comes from the cannabis plant so there is still this grey area around the legality of the products in certain states and countries.

It's important to understand that CBD oil contains a tiny trace (less than 0.3%) of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the part of cannabis that gives people the high. Whereas, Marijuana contains around 20% THC. 

It's been proven that CBD oil has great benefits for certain illnesses and diseases such as:

• Relieving pain
• Reduce anxiety and depression
• Alleviate cancer symptoms
• Reduce acne
• Ease Parkinson's and epilepsy symptoms
• Reduce blood pressure
• Reduce diabetes

However, there is very little benefits for everyday people to take this regularly.

Plus, the evidence suggests more research needs to be done to prove any of this. 

You can see some guy reviewing the product in a quick 1 minute video below to see what it looks like and what he thinks (be warned he is likely an CTFO associate!)...

How to make money with CTFO

OK, so this is probably the part you've been waiting for!

So let's dive straight in.

There are 2 ways you can earn money as a CTFO associate:

1. Sell their products to make 30% commission
2. Recruit people into the company and earn bonuses from the sales they make

It's important to note that you do not make money directly from recruiting people into the company. You only get bonuses from the sales of your "downline". 

But since every "associate" needs to spend $47.47 a month, you can see that the more people you recruit the more income and bonuses you make. 

How much does it cost to join CTFO?

It's completely FREE!...

Or is it?...

It certainly seems that way and technically it is free... to start!

But realistically you will need to buy some products so that you can test them and market them to people you meet. 

So it's recommended that you buy a "business builder pack" when you join...

That costs between $299.97-$1,299.97 and comes with a range of products for you to try or sell on. 

CTFO monthly cost

The costs don't stop there either!

Check out the small print inside the compensation plan...

It actually also costs you at least $47.47 a month on products. Once you recruit 10 people into the company then you don't need to pay for this any more.

So in reality the total cost for 1 year:

• $299.97-$1,299.97
• $47.47 x 12

Total cost for a year = $869.61 - $1,869.91

Whilst this is far less than starting a normal bricks and mortar business, it is certainly NOT free to become a CTFO associate. 

CTFO compensation plan

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

CTFO is no different. I mean, just look at this diagram inside the compensation plan...

It really doesn't need to be this complicated though. 

Here are the only 5 ways you will get paid as a CTFO associate...

1. Retail Income (30% commission)
2. Unilevel Commissions - bonus for your downline sales (5 levels deep - 20% or 4% depending on your downline positions)
3. Matrix Commissions - more bonuses from downline sales (21 levels deep 1% bonus)
4. Profit Sharing Positions In The Matrix (PSP’s) - only 3 people below you in the matrix 
5. Infinity pay bonus and the Top Gun bonus - more bonuses from your downline

But that still is pretty confusing, right?

It's OK, I'm here to make it simple...

You don't need to know any of this! The only thing you need to know when you start is that you make money in 2 ways:

1. Sell products
2. Recruit people

And you can only sell so many overpriced products to your friends and family, so the reality is you will need to recruit a lot of people to make any decent money. 

If you'd like to try and get your head around the plan a bit more then check out the 15 minute video below...

Is CTFO a scam?

No CTFO is not a scam. 

They sell legit products and pay their associates like they say they will. 

However, is it the right opportunity for you to make money from home?

Only you can decide. And the rest of this CTFO 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 CTFO 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.

What I like about CTFO

I always look into any "work from home" opportunity with an open mind. 

CTFO was no different but it really is hard to find things I liked about this MLM. 

There was one though...

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 Positive CTFO product reviews

To be totally honest, even this one was a bit biased...

Independent review websites such as BBB or Consumer reports these reviews were lacking in any depth or detail. 

I found a few on individual review sites but anyone can leave a review here (such as CTFO associates). 

The screenshot about seemed to be a pretty legit one so it's good to hear that the products have helped some people.

But do you see that CBD oil isn't really needed for most people without "inflammation" or some kind of illness or disease?

What I don't like about CTFO

OK, here are some of the hidden truths I uncovered from researching CTFO.

I think everyone should be aware of these before joining and then that way at least your eyes are "wide open"...

#1 Expensive products

This is always the first thing I check when I research MLM companies. It's the BIGGEST red flag for any MLM company. 

First of all just ask yourself this...

Why would anyone pay 100% or more for a very similar product? (or even arguably worse product)

The reason is simple... 

They wouldn't... 

Unless they have to (aka CTFO associates... they need to buy $47.47 of products every month).

• CTFO CBD oil = $119.97 per oz
• Highly rated Amazon CBD oil = $5-$20 per oz

CTFO CBD oil is 500%-2,000% more expensive than highly rated CBD oil on Amazon.

I know it's not all the same, but it just goes to show that good quality CBD oil can be picked up for a fraction of the price elsewhere. 

I don't know about you, but my conscience wouldn't let me sell 1,000% more expensive products to my own Mom or best friend! 

#2 Monthly sales quota

When you combine this with the above point it really raises concerns. 

This is the exact reason why up to 99% of MLM recruits lose money. 

The monthly sales quota combined with ludicrous prices means that most associates are hundreds of dollars out of pocket before they even make one sale. 

This also leads onto...

#3 Is CTFO a pyramid scheme in disguise?

When your sales pitch to people becomes...

"You may as well join the company because you get 30% discount on the products AND you could make some pocket money"

instead of...

"This is genuinely the best CBD oil I have tried and you'll find it hard to find anything for a better price"

You have to admit that alarm bells are ring-ding-a-linging!

I mean just check out this screenshot from the compensation plan video above...

Does that shape look familiar?

If this isn't enough add in these factors:

• 4 out of 5 ways you can make money requires you to recruit people
• You keep paying $47.47 a month... until you recruit 10 people
• The only way to make passive income is if you recruit people that can sell more products

Now don't get me wrong, CTFO is NOT A PYRAMID SCHEME!

They have worked very hard to make sure they used the correct wording and loopholes to make that happen. 

But I think anyone would find it hard to disagree that CTFO is very similar to a "pyramid scheme in disguise".

#4 Not transparent- no income disclosure

Most MLM companies openly disclose how much their associates make. 

For some reason CTFO doesn't...

There are also some interesting reviews on review sites like BBB...

Any business targeting disabled people on social media and not open and transparent about their methods is a company that I want to avoid.

#5 Downward trend

This is the final nail in the coffin for me. 

You probably know that the most successful MLM recruits are the ones that "get in early" whilst the company is in a "momentum phase". 

It's safe to say CTFO is not in this phase any more...

You can see some MLMs such as Farmasi are still in this early momentum phase. 

Google trends also reveals that CBD oil is being searched for less and less each month...

So not only is CTFO out of fashion, but the whole CBD industry is!

My opinion - CTFO MLM

OK, here's my honest opinion...

If you know a lot of people that have any of the illnesses or diseases listed in the products section above, then maybe you've found a way to help them and earn money at the same time. 

Although if you really wanted to help them you'd find a better priced alternative and show that to them!

Funny enough, there are actually people that do earn money by doing exactly that...

How I make passive income online

So MLM's are not all scams or pyramid schemes. I know some people that do very well from them. 

However, once I learnt more about affiliate marketing, I realised it's a far superior business model because:

• You can promote anything you want (like great and affordable CBD oil) and use proven long term strategies to build a business over time
• You never need to sell anything to your friends and family
• It's completely free to start

I had no marketing experience or any idea how to build an online business in 2018.