Q Sciences has a pretty solid mission: to bring happiness to as many people as possible.
They hope to do that with yet another miracle pill.
Except this nutritional supplement doesn’t give you 6-pack abs or make you look 30 years younger. It cures mental illness.
Does this mean I’m involved?
This video explains everything:
Make sense? Either way, here’s the full review on Q Sciences.
Overview
Q Sciences was founded in 2012 in Pleasant Grove, Utah by Daren Hogge, an industry vet with over 30 years of history in direct sales.
He actually came out of retirement to start Q Sciences. He decided to work with Mark Wilson because he was so impressed by the results of a product Wilson was creating up in Canada. The product was alleviating stress in great numbers, especially in children, and had been doing well in Canada for 17 years.
After discussing, Wilson agreed to give Hogge exclusive rights to market the product through direct sales, and Q Sciences was born.
The company easily surpassed their first year growth projections by a huge margin, doubling their sales in their second quarter of 2013. They almost doubled their distributor numbers as well. [1]
They’ve continued to double their revenue every year they’ve been in business. Q Sciences also has a 4-to-1 customer to salesforce ratio. Their product sales speak for themselves, independent of their recruitment practices, which is rare in MLM.
Apart from that, customer retention at Q Sciences is 65% – almost unheard of in direct sales.
In just 6 short years, Q Sciences has already started going global. They now market their products in Canada, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. Wilson plans to open up in 20-25 countries in the next 5 years, and 50 within the next 10 years. Their first stop? Soon they’ll be expanding to Mexico as well as Central and South America. [2]
Right now their global revenue sits at a humble $5 million, and they have only 50 full-time employees. While they’re still small, their customer retention rate and strong product sales might be enough to help them grow.
However, bad press might put a stopper on that growth. A couple years ago, Salt Lake City Weekly released a story about Q Sciences that didn’t exactly show them in the best light.
In 2013, at an event held by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, distributors were present and telling any attendee they could get their hands on about a “miracle vitamin” that cures everything from schizophrenia and bipolar to ADHD, OCD, autism, and depression – in their words “any mental illness” can be treated with this all-natural vitamin.
Not only is this illegal (vitamins cannot be legally marketed as drugs that treat mental illness according to the FDA), but it’s also extremely dangerous. Convincing mentally ill people to abandon their medication can cause them to slip into crisis mode or even become suicidal.
Although this is actually against Q Sciences policy, and the CEO spoke out against her sales tactics, this is common behavior for distributors in these kinds of MLMs, and it’s a big reason why they’ve gotten such a bad name. [3]
Products
Their products are certainly well-researched…by MLM standards.
They’ve got over 20 studies backing the formula of their flagship product now, but not all studies are created equal. According to Ellois Bailey, a mental health nurse practitioner at University of Utah Health Care, the studies that Q Sciences uses aren’t randomized and controlled. Also, they aren’t exactly conclusive in supporting claims that the supplement can actually improve mental illness conditions, although she does believe nutrition is a huge part of mental health. [4]
Flagship product is EMPowerplus Q96, a micronutrient brain supplement that improves mental health. Wilson originally designed this product with his children in mind, both of whom were diagnosed with bipolar at a young age. He didn’t want them taking large quantities of pharmaceutical drugs, especially when those same drugs hadn’t helped their mother and Wilson’s wife, who had committed suicide because of her bipolar disorder. So, he developed an all-natural nutritional supplement that could improve his children’s condition.
The formula consists of 36 vitamins and minerals, and is backed by over $25 million in independent research and 25 published university studies. [5]
QBiotics came next and helped really push the company upward. This is a patent-protected probiotic with controlled release. It comes in a form suitable for pet consumption as well, called QPets. [6]
Their other products include Q Omegas, an essential omega-3 fatty acids supplement, Q Amino Acids, an amino acids supplement, Q Fiber, Q Cleanse, Q Repair Cream, and Q Spray, an oral spray that helps fight illness. They even sell a water filtration system and an exercise trampoline called the Cellerciser.
Opportunity
It only costs $49.95 to join as an Independent Business Owner, which is below average. However, this basic kit includes no full product, just some marketing materials, a back office, and a small sample box.
To start off with any product, you have to buy their business acceleration kit, which costs $484.95. Damn.
It does come with a ton of product, though, but that’s only useful if you can sell it.
According to their Qx eXponential Infinity Plan, there are tons of ways to earn. [7]
Retail Sales Profit
You get paid weekly on the difference between your wholesale cost and the retail price at which you sell your product. You need to sell 100 PV per month to qualify for any compensation though.
Team of 3 Bonus
If you can maintain at least 3 personally sponsored recruits whose monthly volume totals 500 PV or more, you get a $50 bonus each month.
Quick Start Bonus
You can qualify for this bonus within your first 30 days if you hit 40 PV or more.
Unilevel Commissions
You get a monthly commission on sales from your downline, as long as your recruits stay active. Commission is 5% on your first 5 levels and 1-4% on levels 5-10. You have to move up in rank to access higher levels.
Global Leadership Bonus
They also offer a Power 30 bonus pool, a customer sales bonus, an elite bonus, a bronze bonus, a car bonus, and a generational matching bonus.
Bonuses galore.
Recap
The compensation plan really isn’t bad. And although there are some shady issues and bad press surrounding the product, it seems to be mostly well-liked by customers, as long as it’s marketed ethically.
I’m actually concerned about the fact that they have 4 times more customers than they do IBOs. While you don’t want an MLM to focus so hard on recruitment that their product demand is completely inflated and made up solely by distributors, it looks like Q Sciences is having some serious trouble on the recruitment end of things.
Perhaps this product was better off when it was being marketed through regular sales methods.
—
As I’ve shown throughout this review, I’m far from a Q Sciences hater. But when it comes to building income streams, going the MLM route isn’t what it used to be.
You end up selling the opportunity to get rich, where 99% of the time it doesn’t happen. The MLM industry as a whole has flaws.
If you like automated ways to build passive income, there are better ways.
(and you can trash those old MLM habits, too)
from MLM Companies
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