Amway was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and cofounder Richard DeVos. Van Andel and DeVos met while attending the Grand Rapids Christian School and found a similar fascination with business and sales.
Since 1995, Steve Van Andel, the oldest son of Jay Van Andel, and Doug DeVos, the son of Richard DeVos, co-chair Amway’s board of directors.Today, Amway is the most popular multi-level marketing (MLM) company in the world.
It is possible to make money from the Amway Business Model – ask the founders, who have made a literal fortune. However, it is very rare for regular Amway business owners even to break even.
Like its distributors, the company does not make a significant amount of money from selling cleaning supplies and eye shadow. Instead, it makes money from two primary sources:– Fees and products are sold when people sign up as independent business owners.– Business materials (which are the tapes, conferences, and other educational experiences) intended to turn you into a “direct sales powerhouse.”
In some ways, Amway is a legitimate business.Although the multilevel marketing plan Amway utilizes is not an illegal pyramid scheme, it comes dangerously close to the line.