Maggie Rants [and Raves]

The Scam

by Maggie Franklin | October 7, 2011 | Bookmark +

So, we (the BF and I) cook. I mean, neither of us are in danger of any Iron Chef titles mind you, but we are constantly reminded by the people we are surrounded by that we use our kitchen far more often than the average person.

 

So we have committed a decent portion of our income to stocking our kitchen with high-quality cookware and utensils — you know, just like we nail tech-types usually find the justification for investing in the highest-quality equipment for our businesses too, right?

 

Our interest in building a kitchen filled with pots, pans, and knives that will still be useful in 40 years — combined with the BF's family roots in a tiny, northern Pennsylvania town — have led us to choose a line of American-crafted cutlery that will probably take us several years to collect and will eventually set us back more than my first car. We’re buying Cutco.

 

After a recent visit from a friendly representative — because the company sells direct like Tupperware and Avon — I found myself wondering just what the commission scale is for their sales reps. I mean, the knives are pricey and we're committed to purchasing one to three a year, I was hoping the sale was worth it to the rep and he didn't travel the 60 miles to sharpen our current knives and sell three more only to look forward to a measly $20 commission check.

 

So today I find myself Googling the company and trying to see how it pays.

 

Oh my. But aren't there pages upon pages of search results filled with forums and review sites from people who swear the company is a scam! And yes, I've read several pages by now and mostly the impression I'm left with is:

 

First and foremost, I'm still a big fan of the knives and continue to bear no particular ill will toward the company that produces them.

 

Second, people are whiners.

 

And that brings me to us: because we, as an industry made up of diverse individual personalities, aren't much different.

 

Guess what? Self-employment is hard work. And when you look at the stats, I don't understand why people continue to try it. The whole point of self-employment is that it's up to you to succeed. And there is a very high risk of failure. The statistics bear this out — in our industry as well as others. The vast majority of people in our culture need a boss. And a schedule, and a paycheck, and a safety net.

 

And I don't blame them. But I do have issues with the mind-boggling number of whiners out there who fall on their faces and can't just shrug it off and say, "Oops, guess I wasn't cut out for this."

 

Suck it up and move on, but don't cry to me about how it was “the economy,” or your landlord, or your salon owner, or that people just "didn't want nails." Not that there aren't a lot of contributing factors to success and failure — but don't tell me you started a business without being aware of the obstacles you had to overcome in order to succeed?

 

But whatever you do, don't say something asinine like, "It's a scam. There are people who are making great money at this, but they're part of the scam."

 

Because seriously — that's a real review I read about the knife company. And it's the funniest thing I've come across today.

 

But it's also so strikingly similar to some of the things I hear from people who didn't make it in our industry.  No one can make a living doing nails and anyone who does is part of a conspiracy to make you think it's possible!

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