Is Life Force International in Trouble?

Posted 07/22/15 in [Questions My Downline Ask (QMDA)] | Comments Off on Is Life Force International in Trouble?

This original post is from 2015, and kept in its entirety and has not been edited except where noted. I have kept this article live because I am still getting questions about the company, all these years later. Also, this gives you information in the interest of transparency, if you are thinking of joining the company.

Someone called me from another network marketing company and told me that they used to be in Life Force International but got out because Life Force was in trouble and was going downhill. You’ve been telling me great things about Life Force, but this person seemed to know what was going on. Is Life Force going bankrupt or something?

Ah, the joys of the MLM gossip chain. Here is the short answer: No, Life Force International is not in trouble. Life Force is not going bankrupt. Life Force is growing and manufacturing and shipping great products from El Cajon, CA. New distributors are joining, the top earners in the company are still there, and sales and growth are continuing each month.

Long answer: (Disclaimer: please know I am not certain of the timetable of these events, nor was I privy to details. I only know what was disclosed from the new CEO after the drama occurred. I am not trying to hide anything from anyone, I just honestly don’t know exact dates.) Around 2010(?), the founders of the company, Wayne and Gerri Hillman, decided to semi-retire and left the company in the hands of one of their daughters as CEO. Marjorie introduced the BENEW weight loss system, and made other product advancements. Around 2012(?), certain people on the executive team of the company decided to form a separate network marketing company, which could work in conjunction with the ideals of Life Force. Because Life Force is a privately owned company, assets from Life Force could be used along with private individuals’ investment money to start what was named #DitchTheCan. The concept was to compete with canned energy drinks sold in grocery and convenience stores. The thinking was: once the new company was sound and stable, it would pay back Life Force for its loan.

Unfortunately, the money loaned by Life Force meant the company could not improve its own product line, provide even better tools for the distributors, and create new products. This was not popular with many of the higher earners in Life Force. Plus, the executive team found its time divided between their own startup (in which they had personal financial stake) and Life Force. The new company targeted millennials, a demographic which is notoriously hard to get commitments from. Personally, I didn’t get involved because I have certain thoughts about the health value of energy drinks overall and the advertising for the company included the tag line “Get paid to party.” And, while I’m not a prude, it used sexually suggestive advertising which seemed to push the envelope more than most normal advertising.

This original post is from 2015, and kept in its entirety and has not been edited except where noted. I have kept this article live because I am still getting questions about the company, all these years later. Also, this gives you information in the interest of transparency, if you are thinking of joining the company.

This is when influential earners, with ranks like 3-star diamonds through platinums, decided to leave. Some found other companies to join. Some started new careers. And unfortunately, some people started rumors throughout their downlines and began to contact everyone in their downlines, asking people to join them in their new network marketing companies. (Life Force Policies and Procedures only allow for a member to recruit their first level.) By the end of 2013(?), Wayne and Gerri returned to Life Force to get the company back on track. Sadly, Wayne Hillman was stricken with cancer and needed to step back to continue his fight, which he lost later that year. However, after bringing in a high-level, experienced consultant who eliminated most of the executive team responsible for the unintentional downturn of Life Force which caused delay in commission payments, Life Force started to rebound.

Unfortunately, #DitchtheCan joined the ranks of most startups and had to fold. Life Force decided to incorporate #DitchTheCan’s one product, Kaos Gold, into its own product line. Ron Hillman, the man responsible for taking Life Force to a $50 million company and the son of Wayne and Gerri, came back to the company in 2015. Since Ron’s return, he has gone back to the basics of smart nutrition, wise spending, and focusing on what’s best for all distributors.

I’m sorry that certain individuals felt the need to unethically recruit people to their new network marketing home. I’m sorry that bad choices were made which forced good people in higher levels with the company to feel they needed to leave to preserve their livelihood. And I’m sorry that this 30-year old company’s founder had to leave the earth before seeing it rebound into the solid company it is today. If anyone ever contacts you again and identifies themselves as a former Life Force member and tells you some “fact” they know about the company, simply ask them for their name, email, and telephone number and ask if they would mind being contacted by someone at corporate about their concerns. I imagine they won’t stay on the line too long. And, please don’t fail to contact me if you have further questions about the stability of Life Force International.

UPDATE: As of Fall 2015, Kaos Gold has been discontinued by Life Force.

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