Have you heard of the MLM company, Shaklee?
It is an MLM company that offers job opportunities as a distributor for eco-friendly products, by using and selling them.
It has a lot of options and benefits.
To learn further about this company, keep reading.
Chances are you heard about Shaklee because someone – a friend or family member – introduced you to the company. Maybe you attended an online workshop or webinar, or maybe an in-person information session.
Your head’s probably spinning. This might be the first time you’ve heard about a real way to make money outside of a typical job.
So first off, congratulations!
You’ve just entered a whole new world…the world of making money on your own terms.
However, you came in through the wrong door.
Because Shaklee is – plain and simple – an MLM. Throw whatever fancy name you want on it…multi-level marketing (MLM), network marketing (NWM), direct sales, or anything else, it’s the same concept:
You pay some money upfront for the “opportunity” to sell products.
The products are typically low-quality but with high price tags (because fancy labels and stuff).
You’re told that the key to building your own successful business is selling these products to friends and family, and getting them on a subscription (so you get “monthly recurring revenue”).
Unfortunately, like most people who get taken in by these types of schemes, you’ll quickly discover that the well runs dry faster than you imagined.
After all, they make it sound really simple. “Just get 5 people you know onto this magic widget, and things will just grow from there.”
And in your head, you think “How hard can it be? I know plenty of people, 5 will be easy.”
But then you do it, and you realize people look at you like you’ve joined a cult. You’ve become “that person”, who joined an MLM, and is now trying to sell questionable products or services to everyone they meet.
It puts a strain on your relationships, and you end up stuck between two worlds.
But it’s not your fault. These companies spend millions of dollars each year figuring out exactly how to brainwash and recruit people. And that’s why we’re here.
To help you find a better way before it’s too late.
So, what if there was a way you could build a passive income stream that’s actually passive?
An income stream that doesn’t require:
- Inventory
- Selling to friends and family
- Selling to strangers
- Recruiting people
- Dealing with questionable products that weigh on your conscience
An income stream that brings in consistent revenues every single month (from a couple thousand dollars to well over $10,000)?
An income stream you could actually build in your spare time, and grow as large or as small as you want to, without having to spend hours a day chasing, selling, or managing anything?
If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, check out Digital Leasing.
This is nothing like this MLM, and that’s probably a good thing.
However, if you’d still like to know more about Shaklee, keep reading.
What Is Shaklee?
Among MLM companies, Shaklee Corporation is a significant manufacturer and marketer of nutritional supplements, weight-loss products, cosmetic goods, and household items. Shaklee products are mainly created in-house and distributed through a multi-level marketing system by teams of independent distributors in the United States and worldwide.
Shaklee distributors have started to put up websites recently, allowing clients to purchase Shaklee items via the Internet.
Shaklee History
Forrest C. Shaklee (1894–1985), an American nutritionist first in Iowa and then Oakland, California, developed the first “Shaklee’s Vitalized Minerals” vitamin in the United States in 1915. The Shaklee Corporation was created in 1956 by Shaklee and his two sons, Forrest Jr. and Raleigh, to develop food supplements.
Forrest Jr. was in charge of the company’s accounting and day-to-day operations, while Raleigh, a former insurance salesman, was in charge of marketing. Their father was in charge of development and research.
The company’s first product was a protein-lecithin supplement called Pro-Lecin Nibblers, which Dr Shaklee himself created. Herb-lax, a herbal laxative, was added later in 1956. Vita Lea, a multivitamin, multimineral supplement in tablet form.
It was introduced the following year and quickly became their flagship product and one of the mainstays of the company.
Rather than hiring permanent salespeople, the company decided to hire independent contractors from the start and offer them lucrative incentives tied to the number of sales they generated. According to one loyal Shaklee saleswoman, it was an unstructured system that required highly self-motivated participants.
Shaklee experienced phenomenal growth in the 1970s. By the decade’s end, annual sales had risen from $20 million to more than $300 million. The Forrest C. Shaklee Research Center, which opened in Hayward, California, in 1971, was the first new research facility of the company.
In 1972, the multi-level marketing company adopted its current name, went public, and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange the following year.
The company moved its headquarters to a cutting-edge skyscraper in the San Francisco Financial District in 1980.
Shaklee was named to the Fortune 500 list in 1982.
The company began diversifying in November 1986, when it paid $123 million to RJR Nabisco for the Bear Creek Corporation, a direct marketing company best known for its Harry and David Fruit-of-the-Month Club operation.
Shaklee sold 78 percent of its stake in Shaklee Japan to Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Company for $350 million in February 1989 while keeping its licensing agreement and collecting royalties from the Japanese operations.
Yamanouchi sold Shaklee Corporation for $310 million in April 2004 to American multi-millionaire Roger Barnett, managing partner of Activated Holdings LLC and a Wolfson family member. Bear Creek and the Harry and David line sell to Wasserstein Perella & Co. for $260 million.
Roger Barnett has remained Chairman and CEO of Shaklee Corporation to this day.
Are Shaklee Products Manufactured In The United States?
Shaklee produces all of its products in the United States of America.
What Are The Shaklee Products?
This company has a wide range of products that are classified into five categories:
Nutrition Products
- They have the following items in this category:
- Nutritional Programs
- Vitamins (Women’s vitamins, Men’s vitamins, Vita-Lea Vitamins, Life-strip, and so on)
- New Life Shake is a product range from New Life Shake.
- Shakes that are high in protein
- Supplements for prenatal nutrition.
Healthy Weight Products
Weight Reduction Kits (Plant Protein Weight Loss Shake, Soy Protein Weight Loss Shake, and Whey Smoothe), Meal In-A-Bar & Snacks, Energizing Tea, and Metabolic Boost are some of the weight loss items available in this area.
Beauty Products
Anti-Aging Collection, Hydrating Collection, Personalized Regimen, Perfecting Makeup, Accessories (BB Cream Applicator Brush, Mesh Carry-all Bag, Cosmetics Wedge, etc…) are all included in this category.
Sports Products
- Performance Bundles (Endurance Pack, Fitness Pack)
- Build and energize (Zero Calorie Energy Drink and Energy Chews)
- Drink plenty of water (Low-Calorie Electrolyte Drink, Endurance Electrolyte Drink)
- Recovery (Complex for PM Recovery)
Green Home Products
These are made up of everyday items such as (but not limited to):
- Concentrated Hand Dishwashing Liquid
- Concentrated Hand Wash
- Concentrate for Fresh Laundry
- Hand Sanitizer with Moisture
- H2 Biodegradable Cleaner (Basic)
What Health Issues Are Being Targeted By Shaklee Products?
Shaklee offers a wide range of nutritional supplements to help with various health problems. The following is a list of health conditions that their products are designed to address:
- Aging
- Sugar Levels
- Joint & Bone
- Detox & Cleanse
- Healthy Digestive System
- Energy
- Eye
- Fiber
- Greens
- Cardiovascular Health
- Immunity
- Men’s Wellness
- Mind
- Omega
- Probiotics
- Sleep
- Mood & Stress
- Turmeric
- Women’s Well-being
Shaklee Review: Are Shaklee Products Good?
Many people who have tested and evaluated Shaklee products believe they are effective and Eco-friendly.
Shaklee believes that their products will assist not just individuals but will also contribute to a better planet.
Their household cleaning products, for example, contain no chemicals and are therefore effective, gentle, and odorless. Many people who have tried Shaklee products have been so impressed with the results that they have entirely switched to Shaklee.
Can Customers Purchase Shaklee Products On Amazon?
You’d think that as a multilevel marketing organization, you’d only be able to buy things from their Partner Distributors or their own website. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many of their products are purchased on Amazon.
Their prices are substantially lower at this online retail site than if you bought them directly from the manufacturer or distributor, but the Shaklee Guarantee won’t cover you if you buy them here.
Shaklee will only issue refunds if the products are purchased directly from the company.
Shaklee Review: Is Shaklee An MLM Or A Pyramid Scheme?
Shaklee uses multilevel marketing, which comprises a network of independent salespeople selling directly to customers, typically in their homes. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to retail sites. On both their product sales and those made by salespeople they recruit, salespeople are paid commissions and individual and group bonuses.
Pyramid schemes are frequently a scam, promise payments solely for bringing in recruits rather than selling products. In this regard, Shaklee is not a pyramid scam.
According to analysts, multilevel marketing, is a legitimate strategy because it allows MLM companies to avoid the costs of storefronts, salaried salespeople, and advertising while leveraging the power of anecdotal testimonials and devoted distributors who work entirely on commission.
Are There Any Lawsuits Involving Shaklee?
This MLM company has been the subject of some lawsuits, which we consider a major red flag.
In response to a Federal Trade Commission injunction, Shaklee agreed in 1974 to stop selling its product “Instant Protein” as suitable for infants and stop misrepresenting the amount of protein in “Instant Protein.”
In 1976, the FTC fined Shaklee for “requiring, coercing, threatening, or otherwise exerting pressure” on its distributors to keep or advertise suggested retail prices.
After signing on with a rival company in 1978, former distributors were sued by Shaklee for defaming their products and interfering with business relationships. Shaklee won the lawsuit in 1981, but the judgment was inadequate to pay the legal fees of the MLM company.
Shaklee was discovered to have learned that their alfalfa tablets were tainted with salmonella bacteria in 1973 but didn’t stop selling them until 1977, after trying to treat the alfalfa with a fumigant that was suspected of being carcinogenic.
Although this was years ago, look into Shaklee now and their current reviews.
How Can I Join Shaklee?
You can take advantage of Shaklee’s benefits in a variety of ways. You can either buy their items as a consumer or set up your own home office and become a Distributor. You decide what level of participation you want to engage in.
Become A Member
You have access to Loyalty Rewards as a Member. Loyalty Rewards allow you to earn free products and other benefits.
Perks Of The Loyalty Rewards
- First, look at new products and exclusive offers.
- Referral bonuses are available. When you share with a friend, you’ll get $10 off any order of $100 or more.
- Orders of $150 or more qualify for free delivery.
- Order flexibility is important. You can edit, cancel, or add to your order at any time.
How To Be A Member
- Spend $150 on any product(s), and you’ll get a free membership immediately.
- The membership price is $19.95.
- Purchase a $60 tailored supplement plan and immediately become a member with a free membership.
Become A Distributor
Shaklee Distributors can sell Shaklee goods, earn bonuses, and attract others to join the company.
Steps To Become A Distributor
It is the easiest way to get your Shaklee business up and going quickly with a Starter Kit. Every Shaklee starter kit is meant to teach you how to make money, learn about the products, and start your own business. As a first step, choose the best choice for your health, goals, and budget.
Starter Kit Options
- Meology Prove It Starter Kit – $159 + $49.95 Starter Kit ($365 Value)
It Includes a Meology personalized supplement plan created specifically for you, 2 Life Shake canisters of your choice, a free 7-Day Healthy Cleanse, and key business tools.
- Prove It Starter Kit – $159 + $49.85 Starter Kit ($340 Value)
Included are a Vitalizer vitamin strip, two Life Shake canisters of your choosing, a free 7-Day Healthy Cleanse, and all of our essential business tools.
- Starter Kit – $49.95 ($82 Value)
The key business tools are included, such as a Personal Website (PWS) to start selling, mobile apps to manage your business, samples to share with family, and assistance and training to get you started quickly.
Can I Make Money With The Shaklee Compensation Plan?
Yes, the Company Compensation Plan allows you to earn money. Distributors receive anywhere from 16 percent to 36 percent of product sales.
The downline commission rate varies between 12 and 20%. It is much more than the compensation programs offered by many other MLM companies.
Shaklee offers additional incentives, such as a $100 bonus for selling a specific weekly package.
Additional benefits are available based on the company’s point system for ranking its distributors.
But there’s a lot that comes along with Network that many people struggle with.
Check out our Top 5 Reason Why Network Marketers Fail.
Now, don’t get me wrong.
You can certainly make money with MLM, but if you’re going to put in the amount of grueling work to become a Shaklee distributor (which, trust me, isn’t easy), you might as well bring in some REAL money.
The program that helped skyrocket my online business to $40,000+ per month teaches some of the same direct selling skills but shows you how to monetize them in a much more profitable way.
Is Shaklee A Scam?
So, is Shaklee a scam?
Not technically. You can make money with this program, but it’s definitely not as easy as the company makes it sound.
There’s a ton of work to be done upfront, no real guarantee of success, and – most importantly – the actual commissions are pretty small.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with front-loading the work and making the money later.
But if you’re grinding it out for 3 months and then your reward is a $50 commission, it’s not really worth it.
What if, instead, you could do that same 3 months of work (in your spare time), and your reward was a $500 to $2,000 payment that came in every single month?
And what if you actually didn’t need to wait 3 months? What if you could get started today and have your first payment in a week?
And what if you could double it next week?
Well, that’s the power of Digital Leasing.
And, unlike an MLM, you can legitimately do this from anywhere. It’s a true lifestyle business.
Your laptop and an internet connection is all you need.
Some of the most successful students in this program run their entire 6-figure businesses from:
- A camper in the middle of the woods
- A beach chair on the water in Mexico
- A small villa in Greece
They’re able to travel around, living their lives first, and focusing on their income second.
Because even if they stop working for an extended period of time, the money keeps coming in.
So adventure, memories, and experience are the top priority.
And they never have to worry about how to pay for the next trip, or consider asking for time off.
If this sounds more like the type of life you want to lead, just click here to find out more about Digital Leasing.
Are There Alternatives To Shaklee?
Yes, there are plenty of other business models to choose from if you want to pursue making money online. Here are just a few:
What Is My Top Recommendation In Making Money Online In 2024?
Our review team has spent months researching, reviewing, and vetting dozens of business models and thousands of programs.
While there may be no “perfect business”, the research IS conclusive:
Digital Leasing is the #1 online business model for those just starting out.
Whether you’ve never made a dollar online, or you’ve been in this space for a while but never really “made it,” Digital Leasing is for you.
Why?
1) It’s Flexible: got an hour a day? You can do this. Ready to drop everything else and dive in full time? You can do this. Yes, the more time you put in, the faster you see results. But even with a little time each day, you can move the needle in a Digital Leasing business.
And because this system is so flexible, you don’t have to constantly be working to make more money. It’s called PASSIVE INCOME because if you stop working, the money doesn’t.
Imagine taking 3 months off to just tour around Europe, rent a cabin in the woods to write a book, hike the Appalachian Trail, or live on the beach and surf all day.
This is only possible if you have an income stream that’s not tied to your time.
2) You Own & Control EVERYTHING: With MLMs and Network Marketing, you don’t really own anything. You have no control over the quality of products. You don’t even own your “team”.
Look at the fine print for most of the agreements folks sign when they join one of these companies. At any point, the company can change your commission structure, reduce your profit margins, or kick you out entirely.
With Digital Leasing, you own the assets, which means you have all the power and all the control.
3) Little To No Startup Costs: It’s possible to get into Digital Leasing with zero dollars upfront. Because, using the strategies outlined in this program, you can get a client to pay you BEFORE spending a penny out of your own pocket…even before you do any work.
Even without getting paid in advance, you can have your first Digital Rental Property up, running, and generating profits for less than $100.
4) No Inventory: Alright, so most MLMs don’t make you buy the products and fill your garage with them anymore (unlike the good ol’ days), but you’re still in a physical products business.
And physical products always have physical limitations. Even if you don’t have to manage the inventory, you still have to deal with supply chain shortages that cause major delays.
Imagine finally landing your first customer, and then losing them after one sale because they had to wait 6 weeks to get their order.
With Digital Leasing, a 100% online business, you never even have to think about that risk.
5) Easy To Duplicate: Ok, here’s the best part: once you have your first Digital Rental Property up and running, you can literally DOUBLE your income with a few clicks, a couple keystrokes, and a single phone call (and you don’t actually need the phone call).
Remember: each Digital Rental Property is worth $500 to $2,000 a month in semi-passive income (over 95% profit). Every time you decide to create another one and increase your income, it gets easier.
Because you have more knowledge, more experience, more results, and more momentum.
If you wanted to double your income with an MLM, you’d have to double your customers OR double the average order size of your existing customers. And, guaranteed that’s a lot harder than a few clicks and a few minutes of your life.
6) Make Money Helping Real People: This part is what makes it all worth it. In an MLM, your “upline” might convince you that what you’re selling improves people’s lives, but deep down, you likely know that’s not true.
Most of the time, you’re either selling a dream or a poor-quality, overpriced product with a fancy label.
And that makes it pretty hard to sleep at night.
But with Digital Leasing, you’re actually helping people by solving your clients’ biggest problem:
Small, local businesses need more customers, and with Digital Leasing, you are unleashing a flood of happy, paying customers for these businesses.
You make money by helping them make money.
Not a big, faceless corporation either…a small business owner who’s using that money to put food on the table for their family, start a college fund for their kids, or take care of a sick parent.
Once you see how Digital Leasing makes a real impact in the lives of real people, you’ll sleep like a baby with a big smile on your face.
Now, the choice is yours.
You could continue browsing, looking at opportunities like Shaklee which could one day make you money.
You could continue researching, never making a decision.
OR, you could take a look inside, consider what you really want, and join a program that makes your dreams a reality. At the same time, joining a community of over 2,000 successful students that are living life on their own terms thanks to Digital Leasing.
A consistent, reliable, semi-passive stream of income that doesn’t depend on you or your time to keep producing profits.
All while genuinely helping real people who are grateful and happy to pay for it.
If this sounds more like what you want out of life (or if you just want some nice side income), click here to learn more about Digital Leasing.
