By Kenzie Grace of Eggy and the Jet
Dear Multi-Level Marketing Rep,
I recently saw you post a meme that read, “When you buy from a small business, you are not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home, you are helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy get his team jersey, a mom or dad put food on the table, a family pay a mortgage, or a student pay for college.” While I absolutely support shopping at local small businesses, you are not one of them.
I appreciate that you are trying to earn some extra money for your family, but the company you are representing is neither small nor local. Now, you may be trying to support a family, but that does not make you any different than millions of other people working for large corporations who are trying to do the same.
I also don’t appreciate that the picture you posted gives the idea that big companies are bad and CEOs are greedy. You see, I grew up in a family business. My great-grandfather started a wonderful company that my mom, her siblings, and her cousins run today. It has since become one of the largest in its industry.
I spent my childhood watching my mom run her plant with an open door policy. She was, and still is, the standard to which I think all employers should be held. Employees still come to her, not only with business problems, but also with personal and family questions. My mom is loved by her employees, and the business that my family built has created thousands of jobs over the years and has always paid a fair and honest wage.
Due to the size and influence of our family company, we are able to help support our suppliers in third world countries and have worked with various large organizations on sustainability and fair trade. People who are much worse off than you, who are not blessed with the resources of this country, are now able to put food on their table. Our company has set an impressive example in its trade and continues to seek ways to improve overall in the industry.
My mom started out in the family business 20 years ago trying to support three young kids. She sacrificed a lot so that she could make a great life for us, and the monetary compensation is nothing compared to the work that she does to ensure that she is representing a company that betters our world.
Now, while I don’t particularly love the company that you represent, I don’t have an issue with you trying to make some extra money. I applaud your efforts to make something more of yourself. But the next time you post a meme or picture on Facebook trying to promote your business by tearing down countless others, please educate yourself. And please stop pretending to be a small business owner.
A small business owner is the woman who owns the coffee shop down the street from my house, the man who owns the pizzeria downtown, or the real estate agent who opened a fabulous local bar in our growing city. But the bottom line is that you are NOT a small business owner.
You are misrepresenting yourself and the product that you are selling by claiming to be one. So please stop and embrace what you are: a sales representative for a large corporation.
Signed,
A supporter of all businesses, big or small, that treat their employees with fairness and respect and try to better the world as well as their product
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About the Author
Kenzie Grace is a stay at home mom to three crazies and wife to a hard-working, God-loving man. She hopes that her imperfect journey, as chronicled in her new blog Eggy and the Jet, is relatable to other moms and dads who may be going through similar triumphs and struggles. Born in Arizona and raised in California, she now lives with her beautiful family in Texas. Follow Kenzie on Eggy and the Jet and on Facebook.