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As past Vice President of Field Relations for Leaving Prints, a predominantly female MLM scrapbook company, I noticed that the negativity of husbands was a huge obstacle to many new distributors trying to start their businesses. These women had a hard time convincing their spouses to join the ranks of other husbands supporting a “sisterhood.”

I’m not an expert on marriage relationships nor am I qualified to give professional advice. However, I can provide you with a few suggestions based on observations I made as I worked with some wonderful women at Leaving Prints, which experienced tremendous growth in the first two years--5,000 distributors.

Start With the End in Mind

Keep in mind that your MLM business should have the purpose of building the lives of all those associated with it right from beginning. Prior to making the decision to become a distributor, educate your husband about the whole MLM experience—the company, the opportunity, the requirements, and the benefits, especially additional income. No surprises. Explaining your feelings about how MLM will fulfill your needs and what your goals are may help your husband understand where you’re coming from and will hopefully engender some empathy and even excitement.

From my observations at Leaving Prints, I believe there are three reasons women, who make up the vast majority of the global distributor force, become distributors:

· Feeling of Community

· Financial Opportunity

· Love of the Product

Points to Ponder

· Being a husband myself, I can relate to these reluctant husbands because I am naturally skeptical towards businesses that might have a poor stereotype associated with them. Calm your husband’s fears by addressing his concerns with specific answers and insight. If you don’t know all the answers, tell him you’ll find out what he wants to know and then report back.

· I heard one distributor say, “A real woman makes her man feel in control, yet always knows she’s in control.” I agree with the saying that naturally “men have power, but women have influence.” However, I have to add, I believe when the two work together, the roles can be mutually shared.

· Some husbands softened and supported their wives’ decision as a result of loving communication.

· Some husbands brightened up and changed their tunes after seeing their wives’ paychecks, which, by the way, were known to sometimes exceed their own (my personal favorite).

If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

Make sure your plan includes starting with the end in mind and discussing the MLM distributorship with your husband. If you do this, I think you will have a much better chance of winning him over to the cause. Think of him as your first prospective recruit. You have to sell him on the idea so he’ll support you in it.

Remember, it’s important to have your husband on your team as a support rather than a stumbling block during those tough first months of becoming a distributor. It’s definitely a worthwhile endeavor to take the time to get him on your side before you launch your distributorship if you are serious about wanting to succeed.

The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes.

Amy Grant