| Comment Number: | 522418-08369 |
| Received: | 7/12/2006 5:25:22 PM |
| Organization: | lia sophia |
| Commenter: | Cassandra Fudge |
| State: | AZ |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| Attachment: | 522418-08369.pdf Download Adobe Reader |
Comments:
20 years ago when I started with lia sophia (Lady Remington) I was uneducated (no money for college in my family) and unemployed. I would have been unnecessarily leery about doing something like this on my own had these rules been in place at that time. Other jobs held previously were dead-ended for advancement without the degree. Having earned travel incentives with this company I experienced travel I would not have, even if the money had been available because as a single woman, without the camaraderie of the others I would not have traveled alone. I met my husband of 15 years on one of those trips. He was not from this country so marrying him meant leaving the U. S. and Lady Remington (now lia sophia). Along with my husband and our two children I moved back to the U.S. My husband was very well employed in the technology field and I, a stay-at-home mom, in the state worst for education, home-schooling both children. Lucent Technologies laid-off thousands of employees, including my husband. There have been no opportunities for my "over qualified" husband in this field for several years. He has had to start over and re-train in a new field rendering our income to one fourth of what it was. Home-schooling, limits the jobs that are available to me. I tried working midnights and home-schooling during the day. Can you imagine that? I don't know why I didn't originally think of doing this again, but I didn't at first. As would be expected that grew old and I looked for other options to make enough money to help support our family. We have been stuck unable to downsize our home for the last six years because we have a construction defect no one will buy and have to wait for a resolution through the courts. The only choice we had/have is to do whatever is necessary to continue paying the mortgage until this is resolved, or lose everything. I decided to go back into this company because in less hours away from home, (5, four-hour shows) for the first month I was able to replace the income I made by working 160 hours and only getting 4 hours of sleep a day. In six months I have been able to double that income and we are just barely making ends meet. I am confident that I will be able to continue to grow with lia sophia and provide a better life for my family. If these requirements are put in place my job will become more difficult. As I stated at the beginning, I would have been unlikely to have given this a try had this been required when I started as it would have given me UN-NECESSARY alarm. We have invested 700 times the money in a franchise at a loss and that company would move ahead without this warning but, this company which only requires a $149.00 investment would be restricted in its ability to operate freely. This makes absolutely NO SENSE. A great many things in our society today are taking place to put women back in the 1800's and this would be another one. I am not the only woman this would have a detrimental effect on. There are over 10,000 in this company alone not to mention other direct selling companies that also employ predominately, WOMEN! I AM AGAINST THIS! PLEASE, do not allow these restrictions to become law. They would put a cloud of doubt around a business that is run ETHICALLY and close doors of opportunity for a great many women who will otherwise be stuck in depend, unhappy situations along with their children or unable to effectively help support their families or themselves. I have recently promoted to a manager level. In any other company/job available to me in my situation, in a right to work state, I would be lucky to be able to continue working the required hours and would have absolutely no hope of advancement and the money available would not provide enough to help support my family and if I had to support my children alone, it would not be possible. On another note, I have NEVER misled anyone in order to share this opportunity, nor have I ever known of anyone else to do so. Continued in attachment.