Wow it's been a long time since I've been in here! Almost forgot my login id and password...

Strange that I decided to visit sgForums on a whim almost exactly 2 years after my very first post
http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=59932&page=19.
Having not visited this thread for almost two years, let me just say that I actually quit NTI in June 2004, 3 months after I posted the messages in this thread (see link above). Oh the irony! I laughed when I revisited my posts earlier on.
I left NTI jaded and mentally drained. To me, it seemed as though I wasted a good one year there (not to mention a few thousand dollars on their products which until today still sits in my cupboards at home

).
Did I earn much during my one year there? No. In fact, I managed to earn back only 10% of what I had put in when I joined them. When I left that place I carried with me a loss of $1000+.
Did I slog like an animal? Yes I did, often getting less than 5 hours sleep a night because I had appointments until 2am and another appointment at 8am. I had my very own network of about 30 downlines. At that point in time, I was considered rather successful in NTI. In the end, my entire network collapsed within a space of 2 weeks.
Was I a bad leader for allowing my network to collapse? I didn't think so. I put in more hours than they did, I was more articulate, I was proficient in both Mandarin and English and even conversational dialect. I have been in leadership positions since secondary school. I read more books than they did. Did these count for anything? No, not at all.
Did I learn anything about how to do a business? No. Zilch. To all of you who joined MLM because someone told you "it's a good way to learn how to do your own business and be your own boss (BYOB)", you've been sadly lied to.
I attended 80% of James Phang's lectures, attended BIP and even paid $100 through my nose to attend PSC (the infamous Philosophy of Success Course). I was personally coached by the tier-3 network marketers, my so-called up-up-uplines, if I may use that term. Yet today I have nothing much to offer whenever friends come to me for advice on their business plans.
Ask successful entrepreneurs out there who made it on their own and they will tell you that you can learn how to set up your own business by yourself. Definitely not through MLM.
I left NTI just before I entered university for my undergaduate studies. Most guys my age entered university with a bank account chock full of savings from their NS allowance. I went in penniless. I see my friends going out and having fun during Freshmen Orientation and my heart ached because I didn't possess the spending power they did.
Two years down the road and I've never regretted leaving NTI. The way the top brass conducted themselves over at the office leaves one to wonder whether they are really as brilliant as they claim themselves to be.
One might say, "Hey, NTI Paris is still around after so many years. Doesn't that mean something?"
Yes, it does. It just means that youngsters nowadays are increasingly impressionable and easily swayed by marketing tactics. Many of the network marketers in NTI were bordering on illegal working age when I left, though I hope that the situation has changed by now.
For those of you proficient in English, take a look at their website. Look at the sheer number of spelling and grammatical mistakes within it.
Totally unprofessional. And this is a company which claims that it can compete with MNCs in terms of professionalism, work ethics and economies of scale.
All this being said, I have a friend who joined NTI with me 3 years back (we were crosslines) and has worked hard enough to make BDM in NTI. I'm happy for him, seeing how he enjoys network marketing and how well he has performed in it.
Still, he is but one success story. For every person like him, there are probably 100 others who have failed to achieve the MLM dream.
Hopefully, my personal experience will discourage those of you who come across this from taking this big gamble (even soccer betting has a higher chance of generating profits). If you haven't joined, that is.
For those of you who are currently in MLM but have doubts about the industry, maybe this post will help you reach a decision.
For those of you in MLM, strongly believe in it, believe that you will do well and drive a big car within one year, I wish you all the best.
Cheers all.