When I was younger, I got hooked into a pyramid scheme. I liked the sound of being my own boss. I liked the sound of being in control of my own income. I liked the rewards and trips I could win for being a great salesperson. I even liked the product I was selling. But the top selling point for me was when my recruiter talked about the inverted pyramid. (That’s right, folks. My recruiter actually used the word pyramid in his pitch and I still signed up!)

Anyway, the idea was that while everybody in the company started at the bottom, there was unlimited potential to be at the top. Unlike the corporate structure, which is also shaped like a pyramid, where there’s one guy at the top, a few guys at executive level, a few more at senior leadership, even more than that at management level, and then the rest of us.

The selling point was that my move up the corporate ladder was very much dependent on many factors outside of my control, while with this ‘business opportunity’ I would be largely in control of how far I could go in the company. That part was true, and I never made it from the bottom tier.

As it turns out, I’m a terrible salesperson. I have no problem talking to people I know, but am a tad anti-social, which means my network dried up pretty quickly. And in order to be a successful network marketer, you have to be able (and willing) to constantly renew and even recreate your network.

So multi-level marketing did not work out for me. I’m probably not going to reach the executive level at my job either. It’s fine. My desire to go higher may not manifest itself in my work life. But I have no doubt that my skills and talents will take me places beyond what I currently see.

My gifts will make room for me.

Mama Radford