Someone has probably sold you this idea of a great product to help stay in shape. Was the name AdvoCare? Did the friend tell you that you can make money from it? And you’re probably wondering, how? In this article, we review Advocare and answer questions like; can you make money with Advocare? Is it a legit business or a scam? What’s their product lines? What’s their compensation plan?
In this review, we present our in depth research about AdvoCare. And with hard facts and statistics, we present the pros and cons to help you make informed decision about the business.
So, let’s get into it.
What is AdvoCare?
As it is known, AdvoCare International is a direct marketing company that deals with weight loss products. Note, it is not an affiliate marketing company, in which you can use a duplicate website to make sales.
AdvoCare International has a multi-level marketing business model. It specializes in weight loss and health products. You might have heard of some of their products, including Spark, an AdvoCare 24-day challenge, or the AdvoCare Cleanse for purifying your body.
AdvoCare has been in business since its founding in 1992 by Charles Ragus. The business’s name drives inspiration from its goal, which was to help distributors build businesses and make a living for themselves.
In 2002, AdvoCare’s DebtBuster System got the Education for Life Award from the Direct Selling Association. AdvoCare wore the Dallas 100 Award as the fastest growing private business for the seventh consecutive year in the following year.
In 1999, AdvoCare established a hall of fame to celebrate the accomplishments of its distributors. The organization is also a member of the Direct Selling Association, with a large social media following and without a Better Business Bureau rating.
The AdvoCare Product Line
There are over 4,000 businesses in the health and wellness industry in the US alone. This makes it hard to contend and be successful in the industry unless you offer top-quality products. In this field, AdvoCare has made a name for itself. It is a common household name in the professional sporting and athletics sector.
Currently, AdvoCare sponsors hundreds of athletes. New Orleans Saints Drew Brees is a perfect representation of the brand in the NFL. This gives them a great deal of exposure, making their direct sales business competitive.
What are their products?
Currently, AdvoCare produces 5 product lines. Some are for skin treatment, performance, harmony, weight, and energy. These products include:
- WELL line
- AERFORMANCE ELITE Line
- Trim Line
- AActive Line
AdvoCare has proven and effective products for science and nutrition, approved by an 8-member board, all of which belong to scientific and medical advisory backgrounds. As per the Anti-doping group Informed Choice, AdvoCare products are certified banned-substance free.
Some other brand names you may know from the company include:
- Metabolic Nutrition System
- Performance optimizer system
- ‘A Perfect You’ weight management program
AdvoCare has over 70 exclusive skincare and nutritional products. The NIH even gave positive reviews for LeptiCore. LeptiCore is an AdvoCare ingredient in their LeptiLean supplements for weight loss and weight management.
AdvoCare Compensation Plan
AdvoCare International gives individuals the chance to be independent distributors of their products. With these products, you can earn money in one of the following ways:
Retail Commission
The retail commission is the part of the profit you earn as a distributor when customers buy products from you. Usually, you buy the products from AdvoCare at wholesale prices and sell them in retail. Distributors can earn up to 40% commission, depending on the discounts they get from the company.
You earn a 20% commission on sales when you join the AdvoCare team. However, this rate grows as your sales volume increases with time. Once you get to the advisor level or higher, you have the luxury of earning a 40% commission on your sales.
Wholesale Commission
Once you get to an advisor’s level, you can earn the wholesale commission. This commission is unique to wholesale customers or personal orders by leaders. You get the wholesale commission if you enroll a customer and buy wholesale from the company.
Products at AdvoCare have a 40% maximum profit margin. This amount, which is the difference between the retail and wholesale prices, is split between the distributors. The share for each distributor is according to their leadership and discount levels.
So, if the personal order gets a 20% discount, the advisor earns a 20% commission. If the company offers the wholesale buyer a 30% discount, the advisor receives a 10% commission.
Overrides
If you are a leader, you stand the opportunity to earn a commission percentage or override for every distributor you sponsor. The role of the leader, in this case, is to provide guidance and information to their downline members.
As the members’ ranks grow and their sales volume increases, the team leader can earn between 5% and 7% commission of the group sales.
Leadership Bonus
Being a leader at AdvoCare sure does has its perks. As a team leader, you earn the leadership bonus as you rise the ranks. You can move from the basic distributor level, become an advisor, and grow to the silver leader.
After silver, you can become gold, ruby, emerald, or diamond leader. The higher you rise, the larger the bonus you receive. You also earn a larger commission paid out every month.
AdvoCare Income Disclosure Statement
AdvoCare has a business structure that rewards members who build and maintain a large team. You have to make over $500 in sales per month at the distributor level. However, these distributors earn an average of $685 annually, which is nothing compared to their sales volume.
Advisors make an average of $2,149 yearly. They constitute 56% of their active distributors in the organization. Silver leaders bag $12,000 annually, while the gold leaders take home an average of $40,000 every year.
Members of the Emerald leadership group make close to $185,000. \Those in the diamond group pocket close to a million dollars, with an annual earning of $923,000. The only problem is that the members of the top league in the AdvoCare business make up less than 1% of the organization.
General
Generally, working with AdvoCare is not a bad idea. You, however, need to work, sell and sell some more to rise the ranks. That is the only way you can increase your earnings in the organization. That was in 2011.
In 2017, more than 67% of the distributors got no income from AdvoCare. These distributors purchased AdvoCare products and resold them for a profit. They also have the chance to save up to $249.58.
For the paid distributors at AdvoCare, 50% earned an average of $125($1,402 annually), while the top 1% earned an average of $17,826. Those who reached more than $10,000 yearly made up less than 1% of the distributors with the AdvoCare society.
You can check out the AdvoCare income disclosure statement for more information.
How do you join AdvoCare?
Joining the AdvoCare distribution team is relatively cheap and affordable. You do not need to buy particular products or keep inventory. With an initial cost of $59 only, you can become a member with a distributor’s starter pack.
The starter kit includes training tools and resources, the online ADVO Store, and three packs of the AdvoCare Spark to get you on track. This fee does not include the tax and shipping fee for your kit. You also need to pay $50 annually to renew your membership with the organization.
You join the company through an AdvoCare distributor sponsor or ask the company to assign you one. Note that you will need to involve a third-party insurance company to protect your business as a distributor.
Once you are part of the AdvoCare team, you can create your website to sell your products. However, you will need to consult with an SEO expert to help increase traffic through your website.
AdvoCare Leaves the MLM Business Model
AdvoCare International offers an unlimited opportunity to its distributors to grow and make money. More effort means more income. Previously, you could enroll more distributors into your team, but that business model is no longer viable at AdvoCare.
In May 2019, AdvoCare upended its MLM business model in a press release. The organization revised its business model from multi-level marketing to a single-level and direct-to-consumer marketing compensation plan.
AdvoCare stated that this resolve was their only option after talks with the Federal Trade Commission on compensating their distributors. This step raised confusion and doubt in the $30 billion industry. Having such a revolutionary member of the direct selling industry leave the field worrying.
AdvoCare’s action also left many of their distributors feeling betrayed because they had spent a lot of resources building a team under them. However, the FTC has a lot of leverage and power over direct sales companies. So, if leaving the MLM model was the solution, it must have been the best solution to their case.
Lawsuits against AdvoCare
According to Informed Choice, AdvoCare sells products that are banned-substance free. However, Jessica hardy, a US Olympic trials athlete, tested positive for banned substances and got a 2-year suspension from the games.
According to Jessica, the tests came back positive for clenbuterol. The doping incident deprived Hardy of a lifetime opportunity and dented her reputation. In their defense, AdvoCare asked the judge to rule against the claim, stating that none of the AdvoCare products contain clenbuterol.
The company had selected Jessica to endorse their Arginine Extreme and Nighttime Recovery. Therefore, the lawsuit alleged that the positive test for banned substances was due to these supplements.
Test
One test performed by the NFS International certified that the supplements were free of clenbuterol. However, another test done by the Anti-Doping Research lab in Los Angeles found traces of clenbuterol in the Nighttime Recovery and Arginine Extreme samples from the products that Hardey had from the US Olympic trials in 2008.
In response to her claim, AdvoCare denied it, stating they strictly adhere to the highest principles of integrity and quality. They include all of their ingredients in the product label, which aligns with the FDA’s Good manufacturing practices.
In later days, Jessica’s suspension dropped to one year by the AAA. Even after the AdvoCare assurance, the American Arbitration Association found that she took contaminated AdvoCare Arginine Extreme supplements.
Now, is AdvoCare a scam?
So far, we have seen signs that all point to the legitimacy of the business. They have been in business for over 25 years now, with over 70 products to offer in the market. AdvoCare also has some famous brand ambassadors, some in the NFL.
The company has bagged several awards and received recognition from national institutions like the NIH, if that is not enough. AdvoCare has had no problems with the FDA, and even after some trouble with the FTC, they adopted a workable resolution.
The downside to the business might be an abandoned MLM business model, which guaranteed more income. However, the guidelines for earning money and income disclosure are pretty straightforward. So, if you plan to invest in the health and wellness industry, AdvoCare might be the company to go with.
The AdvoCare scam scandal is because of the people who failed to climb the ranks and remain distributors. However, AdvoCare has a smooth pull-out option. The company offers to buy your inventory and refunds the cost of the distribution kit.
That is legit business 101.
Our recommendation
With over 4000 businesses, the health and wellness industry can be very challenging. Finding one with a competitive edge could be your key to making some money. Once you become a distributor, you can sell more to earn more.
AdvoCare has proven to be a reliable business, with a significant representation in the market. Thanks to their renowned brand ambassadors, the products use quality ingredients, and marketing is a little easier. We consider it a good investment opportunity. You can try it. And besides, the cost of joining is relatively cheap, and if you no longer feel like it, you can resell your inventory and starter kit to the company.
Be sure to catch all top rated business opportunies that come your way.
