This was the personal motto of research chemist Dr. Forrest Shaklee of the well known MLM (multi-level marketing) company Shaklee Products. Back in the 60s he blazed a trail with Basic-H, the first mass-marketed biodegradable household cleaning product.

Many new MLM companies are starting to appear on the scene today taking advantage of renewed interest in environmental issues. These companies sell everything from herbal remedies to products that will help you get more fuel efficiency from your car.

But how do you know which ones are legitimate and which ones are pyramd schemes?

According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the key difference between legitimate MLM companies and so-called “pyramid” scams is on what basis distributors are compensated. Legitimate MLM companies pay based on the volume of products an individual distributor sells directly and through his or her network of sub-distributors. Meanwhile, illegal pyramid schemes compensate distributors merely for recruiting others into the company’s fold, and also tend to charge new recruits high fees just to join.

Greening Up the Downline, Multi-Level Marketing Comes of Age – emagazine.com