In the spirit of full transparency, know that this review revealing if It Works is a pyramid scheme contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
You have probably seen an advert for It Works! or maybe someone has introduced the program to you and said, “you are a good fit”.
Most people think starting a home business is really hard and will cost you lots of money. It Works promises to help you start making money from home, without spending a small fortune.
This It Works MLM review, with videos, will reveal the truth about the program and help you make an informed decision if it is right for you or not.
It Works! Review- The Overview and Rankings
- Name: It Works! Global
- Owners: Founded by Mark and Cindy Pentecost in 2001 (50 out of 100)
- Website URL: https://itworks.com
- Type: Nutrition, Skincare & Health MLM Company
- Success Stories: 10 out of 100
- Products: 20 out of 100
- Price: $99 to start + recurring monthly fees
- Maketimeonline.com Rating: 27 out of 100
It Works! Pros and Cons
Pros
- Helps you use the Internet to market the program
- There are some positive reviews about the company
- There’s a good range of products to promote (you’re not limited)
- Bonus promotions for you to offer in your first month
- It Works! Give back foundation
Cons
- Overpriced products & not proven to work
- The “Loyal Customer Program” scam
- Expensive costs to work in the MLM scheme
- 97% of MLM recruiters don’t make money
- It’s a pyramid scheme in disguise
- Negative reviews on Better Business Bureau expose the truth
- You are encouraged to use social media to sell to your friends & family
What Is It Works! MLM?
Multi-level marketing (MLM), network marketing, and direct marketing are all used to describe enterprises where people sell things to their friends and family and recruit others to do the same.
Certain multi-level marketing companies indeed operate as unlawful pyramid schemes. Some things to consider before signing up with a multi-level marketing company.
Many multi-level marketing businesses rely on individual salespeople to move their product lines. This means you bypass traditional retail outlets in favor of selling directly to consumers.
A multi-level marketing organization may refer to you as a “distributor,” “participant,” or “contractor” in their various communications with you. MLMs typically tout two techniques to earn money:
- by recruiting new distributors and receiving commissions depending on what they buy and their sales to retail customers;
- by selling the MLM’s products to your own customers- by y selling the MLM’s products to retail customers who are not associated with the MLM.
Your sales “downline” consists of you, your recruits, their recruits, and so on. If the MLM is legitimate, you will get paid for sales to retail customers rather than signing up new distributors
It Works Global is a health & wellness Multi-Level-Marketing company that focuses on selling a range of health products including their flagship product, the Wrap Body Applicator.
It’s a company that’s been going since 2001 and they are based in countries around the world including Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, UK, New Zealand and Canada.
The MLM program gives “everyday” people the chance to start a business from home by selling their products and recruiting more people into the company.
Anyone can become a “wrapreneur”!
Check out the 90-second video below to find out more.
So it sounds like an interesting opportunity right?
Well, let’s dig in a bit deeper into what the company sells.
It Works! Product Line
Here are the basic product categories that It Works Global MLM offers:
- Beauty – From $5- $232 there is something in here for anyone. From Facial cleanser, toner, lip & eye cream, anti-ageing cream to the fab wraps.
- Nutrition – From $33-$119, you can get a whole range of super greens probiotics, immunity tablets etc.
- Keto – From $30-$195 the keto diet product line with products like keto coffee, keto creamer, keto energy, etc.
- Weight control – $25-$195 there are different carb control tablets, cleanse, fat fighters and coffees etc.
- Energy & Endurance – $25-$142 there are coffee products, hydrate sachets, ketones etc.
- Vegan – $30-$65 range of coffee, energy sachets and immunity packs etc.
- Apparel & Accessories – $8-$46 range of products from pens to t-shirts to hats etc.
Check out the short videos (under 1 minute each) below to see more about the main products.
As you can see the company clearly markets the products pretty well!
By now you’re probably starting to wonder…
How Can You Make Money With It Works! MLM?
As with most MLM companies, there are 2 ways you can make money from It Works!:
- Sell their products and earn commission
- Recruit other people to join the MLM program (plus get commissions from their sales)
Check out some of the success stories in the 100-second video below from It Works to get a feel for it…
If you’re like me, then you may be sceptical and want to actually know more specifics. Such as…
How Much Does It Cost To Start With It Works!?
It will cost $99 to get the business builder kit.
You have to purchase this if you want to work with It Works!
This comes with a pack of wraps and tiny samples of the gel and catalogues.
This is not the only cost though!
Here are some of the extra costs that you may not always find out about until you jump in:
- $20 monthly website fee
- $35 annual renewal fee
Plus to qualify for a commission you need to either:
- Maintain a monthly auto-ship of 80 unit volume per month (~$80-$100)
- Or sell 400 unit volume of products every month (~$400)
So this adds up to $1,374 for year 1!
If you can sell $400 worth of products in a month then you can take the ~$100 off for the auto-ship each month you achieve that.
However, you will learn more about how easy that is to do later in this It Works review…
It Works! Compensation Plan
There are 7 ways you can earn money from It Works:
- Retail commission
- Loyal customer commission- 45% of all their orders
- Fast start bonus- $100 when you enrol a new distributor that completes the fast track program (they need to enrol 2 members to the MLM program)
- Uni-Level management bonus – you can earn a commission when people in your downline make sales
- Diamond generation bonus –
- Diamond leadership bonus – you get $80-$150 when anyone in your downline enrols someone on the fast track program.
- Leadership bonuses – incentive trips
You can get all the details about the compensation plan in the 16-minute video below…
Check out It Works compensation plan if you want to see this all written down (it’s pretty confusing though!… you have been warned)
Now I can almost hear your mind starting to think…
Is It Works! a Scam?
No, It Works is not a scam.
There are two main ways an online course can be a scam:
- Take your money and run off into the sunset, never to be heard from again
- Provide some information but it doesn’t live up to their promises
It Works does deliver some products that people enjoy and it has a legit opportunity for people to make money from home.
However, are the products as good as they claim?
Is it likely that people can make a full-time income from the MLM program?
Keep reading this It Works MLM review to find out…
Even MLMs that aren’t pyramid schemes may not be good investments if you consider joining one. Other MLMs may not align with your hobbies and way of life. Here are some precautions you should take to avoid a negative MLM experience.
Ask yourself the following:
Do you wish to work in sales? If you join an MLM, you’ll be a salesperson. Your responsibilities will include selling the company’s goods and, in many instances, convincing others to join, invest, and sell.
If you dislike selling or are uncomfortable asking friends and family to invest in a business venture, joining an MLM is not a good option.
Is there a strategy in place for making sales? Consider whether you have friends and family who repeatedly purchase this product from you. Consider how you would acquire and retain additional repeat consumers.
Can a comparable product be purchased elsewhere, perhaps for less?
What are your revenue objectives? You may believe that your work ethic will enable you to generate a big salary through the MLM. Regarding multi-level marketing (MLM), most participants make no money, and some even incur losses.
Can you afford the financial and time commitment? Every commercial endeavor has risks. MLMs are no different. Even though the startup costs appear reasonable, additional charges might quickly accumulate.
Expenses may include training and travel expenditures, website fees, promotional materials, party hosting, and product purchase costs. If you must borrow money or use a credit card to finance your expenses, you may be subject to significant interest fees.
Consider the business’s time obligations, such as attending training, hiring new distributors, maintaining paperwork, keeping an inventory, and distributing products.
Just to be fully transparent with you, I have not purchased this program myself and I do not endorse it 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 more “Ways to Spot an Online Marketing Scam” then click the highlighted text.
Is It Works A Pyramid Scheme?
Technically no, It Works is not a pyramid scheme.
You can make money by getting a commission from selling the products. However, just like so many MLM programs the big money is made by recruiting more people to sell It Works products.
If you can start recruiting more people to the program then you advance up the ranks and this is where the big money is made…
Ah yeah, we should probably work out…
What Is A Pyramid Scheme?
A pyramid scheme is a promise to pay its members by recruiting more people into the company.
Technically speaking, pyramid schemes do not promote any other service or product other than the marketing tools to recruit more people.
Eventually, these schemes will require more people than exist in the whole world to become part of the program for the new recruits to make any money.
This quick 5-minute video explains this really well.
Related content:
- How to Make Money Blogging Quickly
- Affiliate Marketing Online: The Secrets Revealed
- How to Build a Website the Easy Way… in Under 30 Seconds
Common positive reviews
Here are some of the common positive reviews that we have found in Indeed where people are talking about its job opportunity…
- “Company is good so far I joined as a distributor and have had success in two weeks so far . I have been doing this only two weeks part time and I’ve already made two cash bonuses and commissions it’s great so far and has a lot of opportunity for growth if you put the work in.”
- “I worked for It Works for 3 years and the culture is great! The work schedule is flexible and you can work from anywhere. The people are positive and caring. The owners are great people. They really care about you.”
Common negative reviews
And here are some of the common negative reviews we also have found in Indeed…
- “They don’t care about new distributors coming in. They care about the top 1%, but again as you reach the top they are going to start pushing those out too. They will make up reason to terminate your account. The culture is very cliquey.”
- “This job is horrible. I don’t recommend it. Find something that will compensate you for the work you put in. It’s just not good. They prey on people. It’s just not good.”
It Works!: The Good Parts
Here are some of the things I like about It Works…
Key Terms:
- Black Hat Methods – Using lies and unethical methods to make someone buy something
- White Hat Methods – Being honest and genuine to help people make informed decisions about purchases
- 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 Uses The Power Of The Internet aka Social Media
Many MLM programs still use old school techniques such as “home parties” to demonstrate the products and try to recruit new members.
This type of marketing has become very ineffective with people being sceptical about these things (I remember my wife going to one a few years ago).
It Works does put a focus on the new members using social media and utilising their ready made website.
Just think about how many people you know that you can invite to your home. Then think about how many people there are online that are looking to be healthier.
Online marketing is one of the skills that all successful businesses use.
#2 Positive Reviews
If you check out Glassdoor you will find real people’s experience and opinions about It Works.
This is a great way to get an insight into what it’s actually like in the company.
However, you are about to find out that not everyone is happy with their experience at It Works!
#3 Range of Products to Promote
Chances are everyone you meet would benefit or want some of the products from It Works.
The broad range means you’re not pinned to one thing to sell.
Many MLM companies really only have one product and makes it hard to find appropriate people that could benefit from the product.
#4 Promotions For You To Offer In The First Month
In the first month that you join the MLM program, you will get some special discounts you can offer other people to join too.
This means you can kick start your home business quickly.
It’s important to be aware that the first month is actually the hardest time to encourage others to join as you won’t have any track record yourself!
#5 It Works! Gives Back Foundation
It Works makes a difference.
It provides money for various charities to help many of the world’s problems.
It is so important that businesses have a bigger reason for why they do something than “to make money”.
It Works!: The Hidden Truths
Every business opportunity has pros and cons.
If you don’t find out the cons before getting started then it’s important to research them and figure out what they are.
Here are some of the bad parts of It Works that you should be aware of…
#1 Overpriced Products- Do They Even Work?
Some scientists claim the wraps don’t even work!
Elizabeth Tanzi, MD, dermatologist claims there’s never been any real scientific evidence that backs up body wraps pulling toxins out of your body in any way.
Even if they do work, look at what I found on Amazon!
The same kind of product for a fraction of the price and rated higher (this was a quick search without me spending ages shopping around! Imagine what else is out there!)
#2 The “Loyal Customer Program” Scam
It’s never good when a company lies or is deceitful.
This is one of the most common complaints about the whole company…
The Loyal Customer Program makes it sound like there is no “membership fee”. However, they charge you a certain amount for products for 3 months.
If you try to cancel your program before 3 months they will charge you $50.
I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t work that out from the advert above? You can see why there are so many complaints about it.
#3 Expensive Start-Up Costs
You’re probably thinking $99 to start a business is not expensive!
You’re right it isn’t!
But when you add the $20 per month for your website and the extra $100 a month you’ll have to spend on products to stay active, it becomes pretty steep very quickly.
All of a sudden you will become desperate to sell anything just to get some of your money back, let alone work from home full time!
#4 90% Of Recruiters Make No Money
Check out the It Works income disclosure statement 2018.
90% of all distributors make under $250 a month.
Now, remember if you’re selling ~$400 of products a month you won’t need to pay your $100 a month standing order to stay active.
Anyone earning under $250 a month (around 90%) will be losing money from It Works every month.
As you can see the average total monthly income is $208. So when you take into account some people are being paid $115,473 a month, the vast majority are going to be earning next to nothing.
If you don’t want to hear it from me then hear it from a “Double Diamond” leader (less than 2% of people make it this far)
#5 It’s a Pyramid Scheme in Disguise
Yes, there are lots of legit products that It Works sells.
So technically, It Works is not a pyramid scheme (as you’ve already found out in this It Works review).
However, the only way people can make a serious income from home is IF they recruit a LOT of people.
There is no other way to make a good income from it.
Nada. Nil. Zilch.
You can’t decide “ah I want to promote football snack helmets and make $2,000+ a month”
You either promote people into It Works or you don’t make money.
Aka a pyramid scheme… in disguise.
#6 Negative Reviews on BBB – Keto Coffee Pyramid Scheme
So you may have heard of Better Business Bureau (BBB) before as it’s a website that all major companies are on record and anyone can leave complaints or reviews on it.
It has received 484 complaints in the last 3 years and has a 2.2 rating out of 5 or a C+ score.
That is not good!
One of the problems is that the website has more misleading information regarding the returns policy.
They say it’s 100% guaranteed but there are so many people complaining they can’t get a refund!
It’s also common for people to complain “it’s just a keto coffee pyramid scheme.”
#7 Using Social Media- Selling to Your Friends and Family
So it’s great that It Works will show you how to use social media and the internet to promote the MLM business opportunity.
However, in reality, this means you are going to have to do something…
Sell to your friends and family!
If you’re like me, then you probably HATE it when a random person messages you on Facebook about some new amazing opportunity. So when it’s a friend or relative you often end up resenting them.
You don’t have to do this to make money at home!
If you join It Works… you do!
Related content:
- Discover the Perfect Part Time Job Online
- How to Make Money at Home
- Why You Should Make Money Online Part Time
My Opinion – It [Doesn’t] Works!…
See what I did there?! (I am smug as a pug right now!)
Unless you are willing to quit your job and go all in and commit 110% on this right away, It Works just won’t cut it.
The products are nothing special.
It’s debatable if the cling film around your belly actually does anything.
But the worst thing is you will have to go around selling this stuff like it’s the best thing since sliced bacon. It will never become passive income like MLM companies make it seem.
As soon as you stop putting in the work, your income will stop.
Is There An Alternative?
It wasn’t that long ago that I was still trying to figure out how it’s possible for people to make money online.
I wanted to find a passive income system that ticked a few boxes:
- I could work on part-time when I wanted (I was still in a full-time job)
- Therefore I needed it to not cost a fortune to start and maintain
- Didn’t need me to sell stuff to my friends and family
It was in September 2018 that I found Wealthy Affiliate.
In September 2019 I quit my full-time job.
The best thing about it is:
- It’s free to start
- Qualified traffic is brought to you for free (just think about how you found this review… there was no money or time spent from me promoting this!)
- You get me as a personal coach to help you on your journey & access to a community of 1.5 million like-minded people
- You don’t need ANY technical skills to start
Oh and you can promote ANYTHING you want. There are no restrictions you truly create your own personal online business.
This time 14 months ago, I never thought I would be saying those words (I’m terrible with technology!)
When you try out this program you will see why so many people recommend it.
No credit card details required– check out the bonus at the bottom of this page
It Works! Review: The “MakeTimeOnline” Final Word
So is It Works a pyramid scheme?
No. But it is a pyramid scheme in disguise. If you want to make decent money, you will have to recruit people into it.
The products are average at best and it doesn’t really have a unique selling point to stand out in the crowded health market.
If you have any questions and I mean any questions about It Works, please leave them below. If you have used or currently are a member please also add your opinions below.
Keep changing for the better,
Mike
P.S. Since you’re still here, I’m going to assume that you are interested in making money online to free up your time. So check out my review of my #1 recommended program and join the form below to get $450+ worth of freebies…
It is just so obvious and glaring that the cons of it works is below the pros and if I would be honest, I cannot go by a company with something like that. Thanks for taking your time to review this here. Thank you! I feel that people should get sensitized about this here. So, I’d share to my social media platforms
Thanks for sharing Rodarrick, I’m glad it helped
I think Pyramid schemes are illegal, but multi-level marketing technically isn’t. Also called pyramid selling, network marketing, and referral marketing, participants typically buy product in bulk and then sell it individually to customers. As with most MLM companies, one way you can make money from It Works is by Selling their products and earn commission thanks for the review.
Yep very true Benny! It’s certainly not an outright pyramid scheme as it’s possible to earn money from selling the products
If you are Considering a multilevel marketing opportunity (MLM)? Be careful. It may well be a legitimate multilevel marketing business. Or it may be a pyramid scheme – an illegal scam designed to steal your money. Your article has explained the difference between MLM and pyramid schemes so we can distinguish between them. You have done a good job by posting this review thanks alot
Thanks Jennifer, you’re so right. It can be really hard to tell a legit MLM and a well disguised pyramid scheme. For me it always comes down to the products. Do people buy them even if they are not a distributor? Are they affordable and comparable to others on the market.
If they are then it’s possible to make an income without recruiting, therefore it’s more legit
I wanted to try the products from it Work. I like the products I purchase but to continue to get the products at a lower price I had to join as either a distributor or loyal customer. I said I would be a distributor and I had a friend become a loyal customer. It was at that point I received 2 email. The first was a charge to have a website to sell from and the second email was charging me an even larger amount for a auto ship I had to receive. I was not told any of this. I was total mislead. I like my Keto Coffee and my supplements as I am having some success. I sure as heck don’t like all the extra charges. I thought it was like many other direct sales company, if I don’t sell anything this month then ok. I can sell something if I want or just use it for myself when I want. That is not how “it Works” works.
Thanks so much for your personal insight Terry-Ann.
Unfortunately this is becoming more and more common in MLM companies. Direct sales companies that do not have a monthly quota and they sell affordable products in line with the market are a rare find unfortunately.
I hope it works out for you (excuse the pun) and please do let us know what you decide to do in the future.