We all know that the health and wellness market is saturated with nutritional supplements, vitamins, energy drinks, sprays, and weight loss pills.

Yet, the industry has created more wealth for more people than any other type of network marketing. So while the market offers thousands of products, people are still managing to create wealth and grow their businesses.

But how long can this last? Who are the front-running companies, and what truth is behind the “MonaVie scam?”

Today we’re deconstructing the MonaVie scam.

The Story of MonaVie

MonaVie is a health and wellness company founded in 2005. In the last six years, it has won several awards, like inclusion in Inc. 500’s “Fastest Growing Company” list in 2009, recognition for “#1 Growth in Food & Beverage” (also by Inc. 500), and the CEO of the Year award, as given by Utah Business Magazine.

While a six-year-old business would seem quite new by any other industry’s standards, MonaVie is practically a seasoned organization in this era of health and wellness. New products crop up all the time, remain for a year or two, and make their exit. MonaVie is proving staying power with its growth and future plans.

MonaVie has enjoyed a lot of good PR in the media recently, including “appearances” on MTV Cribs and Rachael Ray, and in Vogue and People.com. With all the other products on the market, it’s interesting to see how MonaVie has made an impression in popular media.

Products

MonaVie’s primary products range from energy blends, to fruit juices, to weight solutions. They use the popular acai berry as a prime ingredient, and have patented AcaVie, an organic chemical complex meant to provide more “punch” to their products.

The Opportunity

Although MonaVie stands out with their product offerings, their compensation program seems fairly standard. Like others in the industry, they rely on up- and downline sales, with profits and commissions made from personal sales and team sales.

The most interesting part of their compensation plan (for most) is the Mercedez, up for grabs for top-ranking sellers. Along with the “flash life” that MonaVie promises is a series of films created and posted on the MonaVie website, called the Black Diamond Documentaries.

In these, success stories are told. But not your typical success story. Todd and Angelique Hartog’s film starts off with Todd and a few other MonaVie reps riding their  motorcycles down a sunny street, and chugging bottles of MonaVie because they have “nothing better to do on a Wednesday afternoon.”

It’s clearly possible to achieve great success with MonaVie. But is all the glitz and glam getting in the way of the real success story?

Things To Look Out For

The company obviously has a strong product offering, and via the Black Diamond Documentaries, we can see that there are people who have truly succeeded in selling their products.

But what does that mean for you? How will you be able to tap into the market and create your own version of success (that may or may not require riding a motorcycle and chugging energy drinks on a Wednesday afternoon).

There’s a lot of promise here, but it’s really a matter of harnessing the know-how before you begin with an opportunity like MonaVie.

Success means that you have to learn. You have to learn about properly using the web to target customers and team members. You have to learn about SEO, positioning your website, gaining a community and a following. You’ve got to build credibility for yourself, and the product. You have to understand buying patterns and consumer psychology. And more.

To take the first step towards MonaVie success, you have to invest time in learning the appropriate techniques to reach your goal: be it a Mercedez, or a stay-at-home career, or a Black Diamond Documentary of your own.

It’s all about applying what you know. MonaVie might be a great opportunity for those interested in breaking into the industry, but the thing is, you’ve got to know the market first.