Hey there! With so many work from home and side hustle opportunities out there, it can be downright confusing trying to figure out which ones are worth your time. I‘m sure you‘ve heard all the buzz around The Freedom Era lately.
Maybe someone even approached you about joining. I know you‘re searching for something legitimate that can provide the freedom and income you desire. But is The Freedom Era really all it‘s cracked up to be?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. I‘ve taken an in-depth look at The Freedom Era, the pros and cons, their compensation plan, what others are saying about them, and most importantly – whether this is truly a smart business for you to get involved in.
Let’s get started!
Contents
- What Exactly Is The Freedom Era?
- How The Freedom Era‘s Compensation Plan Works
- What Are The Freedom Era‘s Fees?
- Expert Opinions on MLMs Like The Freedom Era
- Questionable Practices Used By The Freedom Era
- Why Joining The Freedom Era Is Likely A Bad Idea
- What Are Some Smarter Options?
- The Bottom Line On The Freedom Era:
What Exactly Is The Freedom Era?
The Freedom Era is a multi-level marketing company that offers training courses focused on teaching people how to promote and sell products from Enagic, a company that sells expensive water filtration systems.
So in essence, you pay The Freedom Era for access to training that teaches you marketing tactics like social media marketing, paid ads, email marketing, etc. for the purpose of better promoting Enagic‘s physical products, namely their pricey Kangen Water systems.
Once you purchase their training, you are equipped with the techniques you need to market Enagic‘s products. The more customers you get to buy them, the more commission you receive. You also make money by recruiting others into The Freedom Era who go on to promote and sell the Enagic systems too.
It‘s another classic multi-level marketing arrangement where the product being sold is education and training on better selling someone else’s actual physical products, in this case water ionizers.
How The Freedom Era‘s Compensation Plan Works
The Freedom Era operates on a multi-level structure where you earn commissions not just from your own sales, but from people you recruit as well. Here is a quick breakdown of their compensation plan:
- To qualify to earn anything, you must purchase an Enagic water system yourself which can cost thousands. This makes you an “Independent Distributor”.
- You then earn commissions from any Enagic systems you sell personally. This ranges from $190 to $1,060 per sale depending on model.
- You also earn smaller commissions from sales made by people you recruited. This is known as “override” commissions.
- As you advance ranks by hitting certain sales quotas and recruiting goals, you unlock higher commissions and bonuses.
- The big money potential comes if you can continuously grow a large downline team below you. But this is very difficult for most people.
So in summary, the compensation is centered around selling overpriced Enagic water systems and building a large downline organization beneath you to collect overrides.
Next let’s look at some hard numbers on what The Freedom Era actually costs…
What Are The Freedom Era‘s Fees?
There are a few costs involved with The Freedom Era:
Freedom Era Membership Fee:
- $99 per month or $797 per year
Enagic Water System Purchase:
- Ranges from $4,000 to $12,000+
Miscellaneous Expenses:
- Paid ads, marketing tools, travel to conventions, etc.
So at minimum, you‘re looking at $5,000 or more in total expenses just to get started.
And keep in mind, The Freedom Era emphasizes purchasing the most expensive water systems to maximize commissions. Here is how the different system tiers break down:
System Tier | Price |
---|---|
Leveluk JR IV | $4,080 |
Leveluk K8 | $5,980 |
Leveluk SD501 | $6,380 |
Leveluk SD501 Platinum | $12,880 |
As you can see, buying into the top systems to unlock the maximum commissions involves a huge upfront investment.
This is very concerning, and a tactic many MLMs use to suck people in – requiring you to purchase expensive products before you can qualify for commissions.
Expert Opinions on MLMs Like The Freedom Era
Now that we’ve looked under the hood at The Freedom Era‘s business model and costs, let’s get perspective from experts.
Robert FitzPatrick of the consumer advocacy group Pyramid Scheme Alert had this to say about multilevel marketing programs:
”The incentive to focus on recruiting over actual sales rises exponentially. Ultimately, the marketplace becomes oversaturated as the public becomes desensitized from being so overly pitched.”
FitzPatrick highlights a major issue – with so many people using the same sales methods and pitches, you’ll quickly see diminishing returns.
And according to a report by the FTC, 99% of participants in multi-level marketing programs end up losing money:
This alarming failure rate should make you think twice before joining a program like The Freedom Era.
Questionable Practices Used By The Freedom Era
Beyond just the overall business model, there are also some very concerning tactics and practices used by The Freedom Era that raise some big red flags:
- Exaggerated Income Claims: The Freedom Era touts examples of top earners making 5-6 figures per month. But this is far from typical.
- Recruiting Over Product Sales: While The Freedom Era emphasizes the opportunity to simply sell Enagic water systems, the big commissions come from building a team. This incentivizes aggressive recruiting tactics.
- Mindset Coaching: The Freedom Era uses mindset training to tell you to ignore any negative feedback and focus only on positive people. This keeps members trapped in the mindset The Freedom Era wants and serves as a red flag.
- Overpriced Products: Enagic’s water systems are priced exponentially higher than comparable systems on the market. Pricing is set to maximize commissions rather than provide value.
- Lack of Transparency: Details on average earnings, costs, and the income disclaimer are buried in small text instead of presented upfront. This is common among shady MLMs.
- Difficulty Getting Refunds: Despite claims of a 30-day refund policy, many report The Freedom Era stalls, gives excuses, and makes refunds nearly impossible to get.
These types of practices are big red flags when evaluating a potential business opportunity.
Why Joining The Freedom Era Is Likely A Bad Idea
While multi-level marketing companies like The Freedom Era may pitch lofty ideas of getting rich quick and owning your own business, the reality rarely reflects this.
Here are three big reasons joining The Freedom Era is likely a bad idea:
1. Over-saturation
With so many people using the same sales funnels and tactics, you will quickly see diminishing returns. The market becomes flooded with the same messages.
2. Limited Ownership
You don‘t actually own a business. You are just selling someone else‘s product entirely on their terms for commissions. Enagic and The Freedom Era own and control everything.
3. Poor Risk-Reward
With failure rates above 99% for most that join MLMs, the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you. When considering the high costs to participate, the risk-reward is out of balance.
The income potential being advertised relies on continuous aggressive recruitment. And the business model limits what you can truly control.
What Are Some Smarter Options?
Rather than pour your precious time and money into The Freedom Era where the deck is stacked against you, here are some much better options to create sustainable income online:
Start Your Own Online Business
Using training platforms like Building Your Empire, learn proven strategies for starting an online business in a niche you‘re passionate about. Build real assets you own.
Develop In-Demand Skills
Take courses on high income skills like copywriting, graphic design and digital marketing. Then sell your services to clients either locally or remotely.
Invest In Real Estate
Programs like Roofstock allow you to buy and own investment properties digitally. Build assets that generate cash flow.
Build Passive Income Streams
Invest in assets like dividend stocks that pay you regularly without needing to actively work for the income.
The key is picking proven business models that put you in control and provide actual ownership instead of overpriced products and aggressive recruiting requirements.
The Bottom Line On The Freedom Era:
So in closing, let‘s summarize my stance on The Freedom Era as a business opportunity:
While The Freedom Era does provide marketing training, the business model contains many characteristics of a pyramid scheme. Lack of ownership, overpriced products with large minimum purchases, exaggerated income claims, and too much reliance on aggressive recruiting make this an opportunity with huge risks.
With failure rates over 99% for participants, the odds are clearly against you generating any significant income with The Freedom Era. You are far better off avoiding this MLM completely.
There are much better alternatives to generate income if you take the time to gain skills and build legitimate businesses with real assets. Don‘t buy into the false promises and hype MLMs like The Freedom Era use to prey on unsuspecting people desperate for change.
I sincerely hope this thorough review and analysis helps you make the best decision possible. Please feel free to reach out with any other questions! I‘m always happy to help anyway I can.
Wishing you nothing but success!