Is CTFO a Scam OR the Best Home-Based Business Solution?

This post is targeted to open-minded people who are not prone to stereotypes, able to consider all the pros and cons and make own cliche-independent decisions. In this article, I will provide you with common statements about network marketing and facts about CTFO – so, that you could make your own conclusion.

Is CTFO a Scam?

I’ve joined CTFO a year ago. I had all the concerns that I assume you have too since you are reading this post. “Is CTFO a scam?” was the only question NOT on my mind. I knew that CTFO was utilizing the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), which is a legitimate business model. I’ve done previous research and learned the difference between legitimate MLM and fraudulent Pyramid and Ponzi Schemes. 

Another term for lawful Multi-Level Marketing is Network Marketing. Also, “Direct Sales” is often being used to represent an MLM business model because many (but not all!) Direct Sales companies utilize MLM structure.

So, is CTFO a scam? No, it is not a scam. CTFO is a legitimate network marketing company. 

And yet, there are still many concerns for people to join an MLM business because of the historically low success rate reputation created by many MLM businesses. Are you asking the same questions I’ve been asking:

• Will I lose money?
• Is it ethical to earn commissions from the work of other people?
• How high is the chance that I actually earn money?
• I am not a salesperson and don’t have a broad social circle (or “Warm Market” in MLMs terms) to sell to and recruit people from. Can I still be successful in this business?
• Will my business activities turn my friends away from me and ruin my relationships?
• How much money can I earn, and is it really possible, as they say, to make residual income with an MLM?
• Do I have to be at the top of the MLM structure (which is in a pyramid shape like any other business structure, including a Corporation) to make a living and provide for retirement?

Since it was (and still is) FREE to join CTFO with no obligations to buy any kits or products, I’ve decided to take this first step in order to try the products and observe the company’s operations. I learn better from hands-on experience. Now, I am going to share with you my findings and let you make your own decision before I reveal my opinion at the end of this post.

Will I Lose Money with CTFO?

CTFO is completely FREE to join. There is no obligation to buy any kits or products. 

Click Here to Learn More about the Company, its Products, and its Business Opportunity. 

The company sells the top-quality isolate and full-spectrum CBD oils, innovative unique and patented 10xPure CBD oils with rich amount of CBDa, other wellness, skincare, anti-aging, and luxury products with infused CBD extract, products for pets and non-CBD nutrition and also skin products. Overall, there are more than 75 titles in the CTFO product list at the time of this writing, and they are constantly adding more in-demand products to their assortment.

CTFO offers 2 types of membership: 

• Preferred Customer
• Associate

Both types of members receive deep discounts (averaged at 30% off) on products compared to the retail prices. Both receive free websites in their name: beautiful digital storefront and a back office. 

Associates, even if they don’t purchase anything for themselves, can share their websites with others and earn 20% commission of the Cash Value (CV) on the products their referrals buy.

Preferred Customers don’t earn any commissions.

Retail prices are for customers who want to order the products using a guest account. In other words, for those who don’t want to register their name and contact information in the CTFO database. 

An associate, who referred a guest customer not only earns 20% commission of the CV but also receives the difference between the retail and preferred price.

CTFO is confident in the quality and benefits of their products. In support of their confidence, they offer a 60-days money-back guarantee even if you used the product and return an empty container. 

The only money you can lose with CTFO is the shipping cost in case the product didn’t work for you. Everything else is FREE. I hope that you don’t consider the cost of your purchase a loss if the product was beneficial to you and worked as expected. ?

The company does not impose any risk of losing money on its members. Even if you start working on building your business with CTFO and later decide to quit, you won’t be left with any unsold goods as there is no obligation or need to buy products for resale. 

Having said that, I have to acknowledge that some people create their own risk by investing in marketing to attract the so-called “Cold Market”: buying leads, running paid ads, purchasing promotional materials, etc. CTFO offers its own Marketing System for $19 per month. It’s optional, and I don’t recommend opting-in as soon as you signed up with CTFO unless you’re experienced and know what you are doing. Start slowly. There is plenty of free graphics on Facebook for marketing that you can use. Once you see some money coming in, then you may consider investing all or some of it back into the business for better and faster growth.

Is It Ethical to Earn Commissions From the Work of Other People?

If an associate becomes active, meaning that he or she makes a monthly order of any product(s) for a minimum of $47.47 (on auto-ship), he or she qualifies for additional commissions on sales made by people in his/her “downline”. All people with whom an associate shared his/her website and who enrolled under this associate’s name are considered his/her “downline” – that’s a general MLM term.  Click this link to watch the video explaining the CTFO compensation plan in detail.

Once you have a good working team, you’ll be earning a small percentage of all purchases made in your downline even if you stop working yourself. These small amounts add up and create a residual income for you.  

Is it ethical to make money from the efforts of other people?

I don’t know the right answer, but that’s how our economy works in general. Isn’t it the same in the Corporate World? The production of any business is operated by the people at the bottom of the business pyramid. These employees receive the most modest salaries, while managers and CEOs get the highest pay.

At least in the MLM model, the earnings distribution is laid out in the Compensation Plan. We know how much money of our personal contribution is going to other team members in the upline, and how much we are getting from our downline. In Corporate Pyramids, we usually have no idea how much profit higher ranks in the hierarchy are making from the bottom line workers. Transparency in the pay plan seems to me being a little more ethical than obscurity. 

How High Is the Chance that I Actually Earn Some Money?

I wasn’t yet committed to developing this opportunity into a full-scale business when I earned my first commissions. It was small, and yet it was a few extra dollars in my pocket without much effort from me.

I joined CTFO as an associate because a year ago, there was no “Preferred Customer” option. I wanted to try CBD oil and see if it helps with my terrifying symptoms caused by Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease. In order to get discounted prices, I had to sign up as an associate.  The full-spectrum CBD oil did its magic and I felt much better within a couple of months. I decided to try other products and fell in love with them all. Of course, I couldn’t stay away from sharing my excitement with my friends, especially when they complained of their own health issues, which I knew could be taken care of by CBD oil. Thus, just by sharing my personal story and my CTFO website with some of my friends, I earned my first commissions.

My friends also wanted a discounted price – so, they too registered as associates.  A few of them ordered only one time, others became regular customers and a couple of them occasionally share their site with their friends – thus, I am receiving a small percentage from their orders as well.

If you join CTFO, get to know and love their products, and share your replicated website with people you care about, the chance of earning a little bit of money with low effort is very high. I’d say that if you don’t do anything at all, your chance to make money is 0%, but if you work even a little, the chance is 99% that you will earn some money. That’s because more and more people discover the benefits of CBD oil every day, CTFO can be trusted on the quality of its products and their discounted prices are well below average.

Will My Business Activities Turn My Friends Away From Me and Ruin My Relationships?

If you start talking about your business all the time, constantly trying to sell something to everyone around you, recruit them, and stop being a fun person with a wide range of interests, then yes, you’ll turn everybody away from you. While with many other MLMs such behavior is expected for success, you don’t have to do this with CTFO. Don’t do that!

At CTFO, we don’t sell anything. Actually, we don’t have anything to sell. All we can do is share our websites with those who might benefit from the products and/or from the business opportunity. By joining CTFO you shouldn’t become a hustler. Instead, you would become an even more caring person because you’ll be paying closer attention to the problems your friends are sharing with you.

If someone tells you about their pain, anxiety, or sleep issues – you gift them the site (it’s free!) and suggest a product that may help. Then, they will decide what to do with it and whether to buy the product you suggested or not.

If someone needs an extra income stream, share your site with them and explain the business opportunity.

If someone is concerned about not having enough savings for retirement, give them the link to your site and explain residual income.

Don’t push your business onto your friends, wait for them to give you a reason and bless them with it. 

Here is an internal training video where Joe Malooley, an Executive Vice President, explains how to keep your friends and family happy and like you even more when you start running your CTFO business.

I am NOT a Salesperson and My Social Circle is Narrow. Can I Be Successful in This Business?

The first part of this concern is addressed in Joe’s presentation above. Joe says:  

“Get the sales mentality out of your head! … You can’t sell them anything – all you can do is share it with them. Bless them, give them a free website, so they could get the most powerful CBD… Whether they order or not – that’s up to them, but get them a free website, give them an option to get the best products at a better price…”

CTFO is an International business. You don’t have to rely only on your “Warm Market” in running your branch. You may not know anyone overseas, but many CTFO associates successfully share their websites with people in other countries by making connections via Facebook messenger, LinkedIn, and other social networks. That’s called “Organic Market”. Once again, you don’t connect with people just to “spam” them with your links. You make remote friends, get to know each other and if they reveal their health-related or financial problems, you share your knowledge and website with them.

In the video below, Nicole Robinson explains how she successfully runs her business fully from her mobile phone using Facebook.

And, of course, there is also a “Cold Market”, which is not as effective as personal connections, but can also be useful to some degree. I still don’t spend money on it. My only experience with the “Cold Market” is through this website. And yet, my new “cold” connections usually become “organic” and personal through the comments and emails before someone who encountered CTFO via my blog decides to join our CTFO team.

How Much Money Can I Earn? Is It Really Possible to Make a Residual Income with an MLM?

According to one research, published at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by Jon M. Taylor, MBA, Ph.D., Consumer Awareness Institute “…less than 1% of MLM participants profit. MLM makes even gambling look like a safe bet in comparison.” 

As I said at the very beginning of this article, I knew the statistics and was very skeptical about joining CTFO as an associate. I had the same concerns as most people have. I listed them at the top of this article and shared above my findings on those, which I was able to resolve during this past year in relation to CTFO.

The publication of the FTC research strengthened the stereotype and bad taste for MLM companies. 

I believe that the data gathered in this research is accurate. However, it looks like out of 350 MLM companies included in the research, only 30 average earnings reports were available for analysis: “These conclusions were confirmed in the average earnings reports of all 30 MLMs for which we were able to obtain data published by the companies themselves.”

Based on this publication, many people dismiss any MLM opportunity without even trying to assess any particulars of the company, such as ethics, compensation plan, and risk of losing money.

I didn’t want to blindly say “No” to an opportunity only because it utilizes the MLM model. I was observing and learning the business for many months while being its loyal customer. Based on my findings, I recently decided to become more serious about building my own branch in CTFO business and commit to it for the next 3 years.

This same report says: “…the vast majority of commissions paid by MLM companies go to a tiny percentage of TOPPs (top-of-the-pyramid promoters) at the expense of a revolving door of recruits, 99% of whom lose money. This is after subtracting purchases they must make to qualify for commissions and advancement in the scheme…”

Obviously, CTFO was not among 350 companies included in this research.

As I explained above, there is no way of losing money with CTFO, unless someone becomes really creative in that aspect and focuses all personal efforts on losing rather than earning. Who would want to do that? It’s silly!

A purchase of $47.47 per month is a very small amount, and if you truly like the products and depend on CBD oils to feel well, you’d probably spend more at your own will than the minimum requirement for the “active” status. This amount stays the same for everybody and does not change as you advance in your ranking.

I don’t know how much money I can earn and whether it will be possible for me to make a residual income. I am not there yet. I’ll update you in 3 years. But if you wait that long, it will definitely be too late for you to jump onto this opportunity because the CBD is booming now. Hemp-derived CBD became legal across the United States less than a year ago. If you want to take advantage of this new man-made “Gold Rush”, the time is NOW. The healing properties of cannabis were known to people 5 thousand years ago. It’s nothing new. The CBD trend became skyrocketing now not because of the plant, but because of people and their politics. Since this is the way it is, why let others take advantage of the situation, watch how they become healthier and wealthier, and keep yourself behind not even trying?

Click Here to Learn More about the Company, its Products, and its Business Opportunity. 

In response to the question in the header of this chapter, I can only tell you that I’ve read and watched many video-recording where other CTFO associates shared their success stories. Based on these stories, it sounds like it is very possible to make a living and earn residual income for retirement with CTFO. Whether you choose to trust these stories or not is up to you. Here is one of them for your own judgment.

In any case, why not try it yourself if there is no financial risk involved? Failures are a part of success. If you never try, you definitely won’t succeed.

Can Associates Who’ve Joined Later and Are Not Close to the Top Row Make a Living and Provide for Retirement?

We’ve been assured many times that CTFO co-founders are paid by the same compensation plan as all other associates. Per their own words, there are people in their downline who earn more money from this business than the owners do. If you carefully review the compensation plan you’ll see that it seems to be possible for someone in the middle rows to make more commissions than someone at the top makes if they are more active in promoting their business than their upline.

Some adjustments to the compensation plan will be released in a month. The details are kept a secret until then, but it was said that without taking anything away from the existing plan, there will be some additional bonuses for people who are just starting their business and haven’t built a strong downline yet.

In conclusion…

What I can confidently say today is that CTFO is not your common MLM. There is no risk involved in losing money with this business opportunity. 

Pros:

• It’s free to join.
• No obligation to buy anything, stock products in your garage or closet, and thus no risk to be left with unsold items.
• No credit card, bank account, Social Security Number or any other sensitive information is required at registration (until you order a product or want to receive earned commissions)
• CTFO offers a wide variety of top-grade products in the skyrocketing industries such as CBD oil and Pain and Inflammation relief.

• Products are priced cheaper than the similar of other brands without any compromise in quality
• Fair and lucrative Compensation Plan
• Free personal digital storefront and back office
• Innovation. Using 10xPure technology, CTFO has developed and patented an exclusive  10xPure CBD oil that preserves CBDa and is hydrophilic and more potent than any other CBD oil on the market. 

Cons:

• It’s FREE. Yes, free enrollment is both a positive and negative side of this opportunity. Unfortunately, “FREE” is often not taken seriously: people join in and forget about it. There is no chance to earn any income without commitment and focused work.
• Overflown positivity, hype, and over-the-edge agitation for attending regional events and Corporate conventions.
  This is my personal opinion. I know that many people benefit from continuing verbal encouragement.  I don’t need any other motivation than information, logic, and reasoning. I am a positive person, but I don’t take hype well. I prefer an easily accessible resource for asking questions and addressing issues when they arise. CTFO has such a place: its Support Team provides an excellent service. Therefore, I chose to ignore most of the other motivational speeches unless they are also informative.

In my opinion, CTFO is unique and the best home-based business solution among all MLMs.

I see 5 possible scenarios for people joining CTFO:

1. You join and do nothing else – you don’t lose anything; you don’t earn anything.
   
2. You join as a Preferred Customer and enjoy awesome products at deeply discounted prices.
   If a product you purchased did not convince you in its awesomeness, you return an empty bottle or a jar, receive the full price refund, but lose shipping cost.
   By definition, you don’t earn any money at all if you choose to sign up as a Preferred Customer. If you decide to become an associate later, it’s very easy to switch your account type.
   
3. You join as an associate, but don’t order monthly for at least $47.47 on auto-ship, or $49 without an auto-ship – you lose nothing and earn small commissions (20% of CV) when sharing your site with others who place orders.
   
4. You join as an associate, become active by placing monthly orders for the minimum of $47.47 and share your website with as many people as possible – you lose nothing (you can still return products if they didn’t meet your expectations), you earn more money by taking advantage of 2 out of 3 layers in the compensation plan.
   That’s where I am at the time of this writing.
   
5. In addition to #4, Ms. Fortune smiles in your direction or you’ve reached a critical mass in your sharing and growing your team and found at least 4 people who’ve also committed to building their business with CTFO and became successful leaders – that opens a door for high earnings, and eventually unlocking the 3rd layer of the Compensation Plan, which provides for a financially worry-free retirement.

CTFO is not a scam. CTFO is FREE to join and it’s the best home-based business opportunity. But opportunity does not become a lucrative business on its own. It has to be worked on and takes time to unroll. If CTFO were included in FTC research, it would make the success rate statistics even lower because too many people join CTFO and do nothing. Then, of course, the success rate falls below 1%. However, this number does not speak of the fairness and legitimacy of the company. That’s why if you decide to take this business opportunity and build your business out of it, you should share your website as much as possible and not be discouraged by the fact that lots of the people in your downline are inactive. Go wide and find your few leaders!!!

Please click here to visit my 3-page website dedicated to CTFO. 

You’ll find there a quick summary of the company, an overview of its products and details regarding its business opportunity.
From there, you’d be able to join in and/or enter the online store if you wish.

I welcome your comments and questions. Please leave them in the comment field below. I usually reply within 24 hours unless something special is going on in my family.