Within a few years I took everything he taught me and was making 150k a year (Even though it wasn't MLM producing that income it was from what I had learnt in the business that gave me the skills to land a better job and entrepreneurial spirit to move up quickly) so whilst I was living the good life and my friends were still studying at Uni or in dead end jobs I had already bought my first property. I am absolutely certain that if I didn't get into MLM I would still be living in housing commission struggling to get into the property market and on a low unskilled salary.
I'd be interested to know how you made your $150k pa.
I also was making big bucks and having success when mates were still at uni. I did it through associating with highly ethical successful professionals with a positive can do spirit. They steered me towards personal development, self respect, positive mental attitude stuff, affirmations, and spiritual development, without having to sell anything.
The biggest lesson I learned from them was the more valuable your product or service to mankind, the less time and energy you have to spend marketing it, and the more success you create.
I'd be more impressed with Amway etc if their primary reputation was for true medical, scientific, and technological innovation, rather than 'marketing' high margin stuff that relies on highly subjective customer satisfaction criteria, like health and beauty products, and overpriced second rate household cleaners.
But profit margins are high when marketing the 'perception' of greater value for products with low input costs. And it is such products that are the mainstays of Amway.
More importantly, true innovation requires true inspiration. When MLMs move from getting wealthy by marketing the perception of value, and actually discover/invent truly innovative products or services, then I'll be more inclined to have a closer look at their life philosophy.