Comment Number: 522418-10729
Received: 7/16/2006 9:31:35 PM
Organization:
Commenter: Richard Davis
State: OH
Subject: Business Opportunity Rule
Title: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
CFR Citation: 16 CFR Part 437
No Attachments

Comments:

My wife and I have been Independent Business Owners(IBOs) since November 2003. When we were shown this opportunity we were provided with more than enough information to make an informed decision. We were informed of the income opportunities as well as the work that was required to achieve those opportunities. Our success in this business has been commensurate with the work we have done, just as we were told it would be. At no time have we ever felt that we were mislead or deceived. We have always maintained same level of openness when presenting the business to new prospects. The very nature of our business requires openness and honesty. We teach teamwork as the basic building block of our organization. If we do not maintain a culture of absolute integrity our business will not flourish. We have been given a fine example of this by our upline and the corporation itself. The proposed changes would be devastating to our organization and are totally unnecessary. We provide the average monthly income in our business presentation. We stress that this is not a get-rich-quick scheme and requires hard work to achieve success. We already provide names and phone numbers of IBOs that a new prospect will be able to contact and work with. They may not be in the immediate area due to the nature of our business, a fact that your proposal does not take into account. When a new prospect registers the initial investment is about $200 in product and fees, all of which is completely refundable. A seven day waiting period would severely handicap this business and would be more detrimental to a new prospect than anyone else. This waiting period would deprive that person of an opportunity to quickly build momentum in their new venture and would in fact actually prevent them from building a business of any significant size or income. To require an IBO to provide a prospect with financial information on each income level as well as a list of all lawsuits within the last ten years is a ridiculous requirement. It would be similar to requiring Walmart to provide a new stockboy with salary information on every level of their corporate structure up to the Walton families income. As for lawsuits I always recommend to a new prospect that they check with the State Attorney General and the local, State, and US Chambers of Commerce. Besides, it is good advertising for our business when a new prospect sees that Alticor's CEO, Steve Van Andel, is an Immediate Past Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. We agree that there are many individuals and companies in the industry that may not uphold the high standards if integrity and honesty that Alticor and Quixtar demonstrate. We also agree that further rules may be necessary to protect the public from those that would take advantage. However, these rules should not hinder those that seek to exercise their right of free enterprise and to make a better life for themselves and their families. The current proposals would not serve to regulate our industry but would strangle it. Please review your proposed changes and work closely with the leaders in our industry to make it better.