Well.

This is awkward.

For decades, Amway has been one of the Mount Rushmore names of network marketing.

Then September 17, 2026 arrived.

The FTC and State of Washington filed a federal complaint against Amway, World Wide Group and Leadership Team Development alleging unfair and deceptive practices.

And alongside the lawsuit came a proposed settlement:

$225 million.

Not $225,000.

Not $2.25 million.

Two hundred and twenty-five million dollars.

The FTC says it’s the largest monetary recovery it has ever obtained in an enforcement action against an MLM company.

Somewhere, an Excel spreadsheet just started sweating.

Welcome to Amway: Would You Like Some Training With Your Training?

Amway distributors are called Independent Business Owners, or IBOs.

Then we have organizations like World Wide Group and Leadership Team Development, which provide Amway-related training.

And apparently training isn’t exactly a “watch three YouTube videos and you’re good” situation.

According to the government’s complaint, training expenses could run into the thousands of dollars annually.

But don’t worry.

Surely those expenses are tiny compared with what the average IBO makes.

Right?

Right?

Median 2023 Bonus: $139

According to the complaint, the median total Amway bonus before expenses in 2023 was $139.

Meanwhile, major annual training expenses associated with WWG and LTD could run approximately $1,600 to $3,600.

That creates a financial strategy I like to call:

“Wait… which direction is the money supposed to be going?”

The government further alleges that fewer than 1,600 of more than 241,000 IBOs earned at least $40,000 in bonuses in 2023.

That works out to roughly 0.66%.

So if somebody is presenting “$40,000 a year” as the normal destination, you might want to bring a calculator to the presentation.

Preferably one with very large buttons.

Apparently The Products Really Were Popular

And by “popular,” I mean popular with Amway distributors.

The complaint alleges that in recent years more than three-quarters of Amway’s U.S. product sales went to its own IBOs.

One frequently purchased product mentioned by regulators was bottled water.

Amway water.

Because apparently regular water wasn’t entrepreneurial enough.

The complaint describes a case of water costing IBOs more than $45 and discusses Amway’s premium pricing more broadly.

Imagine explaining that purchase at home.

“What did you buy?”

“Water.”

“How much?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Is this water from the Jordan River?”

“No.”

“Did Jesus turn it into wine?”

“No.”

“Then why did it cost that much?”

Fair question.

Day 1 DITTO

Then we arrive at something called DITTO scheduled ordering.

According to the complaint, leaders encouraged IBOs to place recurring product orders, including what was known as a “Day 1 DITTO.”

And the FTC alleges participants were encouraged to purchase products to generate points connected to bonuses, even when they didn’t necessarily want or need those products.

Nothing says “independent business owner” quite like somebody else telling you what you need to buy on the first day of every month.

But things get even more interesting.

Houston, We Need More Retail Customers

Amway apparently had a retail-customer problem.

So what’s the solution?

Better pricing?

Better retail demand?

Better products?

According to the government’s allegations, some leaders found another solution:

Create the appearance of more customer sales.

The complaint alleges that leaders taught participants methods of falsely reporting customer sales. One cited example describes instructions for creating a separate business identity as a “customer” and using it to make personal purchases appear to be customer purchases.

That’s one way to increase your customer base.

Your best customer?

You.

Your second-best customer?

Also you, but with another email address.

That’s not exactly what I imagine when Jesus tells us:

“Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” — Matthew 5:37

Truth shouldn’t require burner phones, creative paperwork or imaginary customers.

Then Comes “The Process”

Now we enter one of my favorite parts of this complaint.

“The Process.”

Apparently prospects weren’t always immediately told:

“Hello. Would you like to join Amway?”

That would be far too simple.

Instead, regulators allege prospects could hear about an exclusive mentorship opportunity involving successful people who had supposedly escaped their jobs at a young age.

Very mysterious.

Very exclusive.

Very “I can’t tell you what it is until you meet my mentor.”

According to the FTC, however, the opportunity wasn’t actually exclusive.

Plot twist:

It’s Amway.

Imagine sitting through multiple mysterious conversations only to finally discover the secret business opportunity is a company founded in 1959.

That’s a long build-up.

FTC: Let’s Try Something Radical — Actual Customers

The proposed settlement introduces a revolutionary business concept.

Brace yourself.

Retail customers.

Under the proposed order, IBOs must sell at least 70% of the products they purchase monthly to actual outside customers to qualify fully under the compensation rules.

Participants can’t simply manufacture customer data.

Amway must send receipts to customers.

People caught falsifying sales or teaching others how to falsify sales must be terminated.

And independent auditors will examine Amway’s customer-sales records.

Imagine that.

A retail business where products need to be sold to retail customers.

What will regulators think of next?

The $225 Million Question

Then there’s the money.

The overall announced settlement is $225 million, with nearly all of it intended for consumer redress, according to the FTC.

Amway, WWG and LTD did not admit or deny the allegations.

That’s important.

This isn’t me declaring every allegation proven in court. These are allegations made by the FTC and Washington, resolved through a stipulated settlement that imposes substantial monetary and operational requirements.

Facts matter.

Even when we’re having a little fun with the story, truth matters more.

What Happens to Amway Now?

This might actually be the most interesting question.

If Amway’s U.S. operation previously depended heavily on IBO purchases, what happens when distributors must demonstrate genuine retail sales?

We’re about to find out.

For years MLM critics have been asking a very simple question:

Who is actually buying the products because they want the products?

The proposed settlement essentially puts that question front and center.

No motivational speech required.

No Diamond testimonial required.

No mysterious mentor couple required.

Just customers.

Real ones.

Final Thoughts: This Is Bigger Than Amway

It’s easy to laugh at some of the details in this complaint.

But I don’t want the humor to distract from something serious.

There are people behind these numbers.

Young people wanting financial freedom.

Parents wanting more time with their children.

People struggling financially who thought a business opportunity might finally change their circumstances.

Those people aren’t punchlines.

And I don’t celebrate anybody losing money.

That’s why I believe we need more truth in this industry, not less.

As followers of Jesus Christ, integrity shouldn’t be something we practice only when a regulator is watching.

Integrity is who we should be when nobody is watching.

Proverbs 11:1 says:

“The LORD detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.”

I want my business conducted in a way that honors Jesus.

If something is good, tell the truth about it.

If something has risks, disclose them.

If most people don’t make substantial money, don’t pretend they do.

And never value a commission more than another person’s financial well-being.

But before I finish, there is something infinitely more important than Amway, MLM, money, entrepreneurship or financial freedom.

You need Jesus Christ.

I do too.

Every person reading this does.

The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But God didn’t abandon us in our sin. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world, died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead.

That is the Good News.

Your greatest debt isn’t financial.

It’s the debt of sin that you could never pay yourself.

And Jesus paid it.

No monthly subscription.

No autoship.

No recruitment requirement.

No Diamond rank.

Salvation is a gift of God’s grace received through faith in Jesus Christ.

If you’ve spent years chasing money thinking the next promotion, investment, business or rank will finally give you peace, I encourage you to stop looking for something money was never capable of giving you.

Seek Jesus.

Read the Gospel of John. Ask Jesus to reveal the truth to you. Turn from sin and place your faith in Him.

You can build the biggest business in the world and still leave every dollar behind.

But what Jesus offers is eternal.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

And that is infinitely better news than any business opportunity I could ever write about.

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See you at the top,

-Jesse Singh

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