Planting trees in Africa = profit?


Higher Globe offers two company entities tied to the corporate, Higher Globe AS (Norway) and Higher Globe Forestry Ltd. (Kenya).

Each entities seem like shell corporations working out of PO Packing containers.

On its web site Rino Solberg is cited as Higher Globe’s Chairman of the Board, founder and principal proprietor. I’ve additionally seen Solberg credited as Higher Globe’s CEO.

On LinkedIn Solberg cites his location because the “better Oslo area”. This implies Solberg operates Higher Globe out of Norway.

Higher Globe started as Inexperienced Planet in 2003. The corporate was based by Helge Normann, integrated within the UK however run out of Norway.

Previous to Inexperienced Planet, Normann was a promoter of the GreenStar pyramid scheme.

Normann had joined GreenStar in October 2000, and greater than 2,000 Nordic members had been shortly recruited to the corporate.

When GreenStar collapsed because of prosecution in Australia, Normann noticed his transfer to carry each the enterprise idea and the membership base into a brand new firm he himself managed.

Inexperienced Planet’s enterprise mannequin centered on charitable causes in Africa.

Underneath the slogan Making Cash Doing Good , members had been recruited with guarantees to contribute to the discount of deforestation in Africa in parallel with the chance to earn cash by recruiting new members.

In 2005 the Norwegian Gaming Board investigated Inexperienced Planet and located it to be a pyramid scheme.

That call was later amended ‘it was discovered possible {that a} important a part of the corporate’s actions had been primarily based on gross sales of products or companies.’

This sounds just like the previous “now we have merchandise, we are able to’t be a pyramid scheme!” protection, which doesn’t maintain up right this moment.

Inexperienced Planet collapsed in 2006, purportedly leading to thousands and thousands in losses.

In the direction of the top of Inexperienced Planet’s run the corporate partnered up with Rino Solberg’s firm Baby Africa.

Solberg was appointed Inexperienced Planet’s Chairman of the Board.

Following Inexperienced Planet’s collapse, victims had been ‘supplied membership in Solberg’s new firm Higher Globe.’

Higher Globe launched in 2006. It has not been the topic of a regulatory investigation to this point.

Solberg himself has been concerned in community advertising and marketing for the reason that Seventies with the Vacation Magic pyramid scheme.

On account of his involvement in Vacation Magic, Solberg was charged with fraud and violations of the Norwegian Lottery Act.

Though Vacation Magic was a pyramid scheme, resulted in widespread losses and at the very least one Norwegian sufferer dedicated suicide because of mentioned losses, Solberg would go on to be acquitted.

You may learn extra about Vacation Magic, Inexperienced Planet and Higher Globe on their respective Norwegian Wikipedia pages.

Learn on for a full evaluation of Higher Globe’s MLM alternative.

Higher Globe’s Merchandise

Higher Globe has no retailable merchandise of companies.

Associates are solely in a position to market funding in Higher Globe as detailed within the compensation part beneath.

Higher Globe’s Compensation Plan

Higher Globe associates and non-affiliate traders put money into €17 EUR tree positions.

Every tree place pays a €208.25 ROI over twenty years.

Higher Globe associates can even put money into €59 EUR “donation packages”, which include two tree positions.

Donation packages are costlier. Higher Globe claims it’s because leftover funds are put in the direction of water-related tasks, the development and renovation of faculties and micro loans.

Associates and traders who put money into one donation bundle and at the very least twenty tree positions in a single yr are rewarded with twenty bonus tree positions.

The MLM aspect of Higher Globe pays on funding by recruited traders.

Qualifying for MLM Commissions

Along with being updated with required charges and purchases (see “Becoming a member of Higher Globe” beneath), to qualify for MLM commissions Higher Globe associates should additionally recruit or enroll two associates and/or or non-affiliate traders who put money into at the very least one donation bundle.

That is an ongoing annual requirement.

Residual Commissions

Higher Globe pays residual commissions by way of a binary compensation construction.

A binary compensation construction locations an affiliate on the prime of a binary group, break up into two sides (left and proper):

The primary stage of the binary group homes two positions. The second stage of the binary group is generated by splitting these first two positions into one other two positions every (4 positions).

Subsequent ranges of the binary group are generated as required, with every new stage housing twice as many positions because the earlier stage.

Positions within the binary group are crammed by way of direct and oblique recruitment of associates. Notice there isn’t a restrict to how deep a binary group can develop.

Higher Globe splits residual commissions between tree place and donation bundle funding.

Tree place and donation bundle funding is individually tracked on each side of the binary group.

Commissions on tree place funding is calculated utilizing a 2:1 ratio.

As long as this ratio is preserved, which aspect of the binary group has twice as many tree place or donation bundle investments as the opposite aspect doesn’t matter.

Per 2:1 match of tree positions and donation packages:

  • a €1 EUR fee is paid per 2:1 tree place match
  • a €2 EUR fee is paid per 2:1 donation bundle match

Unmatched tree positions and donation bundle investments carry over for twelve months.

If they continue to be unmatched to generate a fee for twelve months, they’re flushed from the binary group.

Becoming a member of Higher Globe

Higher Globe affiliate membership is tied to an annual €50 EUR affiliate membership plus obligatory funding and purchases:

  • funding in at the very least ten tree positions in a single yr (€170 EUR)
  • upkeep of annual subscription to 2 magazines (€50 EUR)
  • obligatory month-to-month donation bundle funding (€59 EUR a month)

Whole prices are €978 EUR for the primary yr and, assuming no additional funding in particular person tree positions, €808 EUR annually thereafter.

Notice that I’ve seen a €65 EUR annual affiliate price additionally quoted, in addition to the ten tree place funding counting because the affiliate price for the primary yr.

The journal subscriptions might also not be in play nevertheless it’s troublesome to be exact.

Higher Globe fail to reveal present affiliate membership prices on their web site.

Higher Globe Conclusion

Higher Globe is likely one of the stranger MLM corporations I’ve reviewed.

Twenty years is a hell of a very long time to position belief in any firm, not to mention an MLM firm born from the ashes of a collapsed pyramid scheme.

That mentioned from 2006, right here we’re fifteen years later and Higher Globe are nonetheless round.

Higher Globe’s twenty-year return income supplied appears cheap on the floor. €208.25 off of a €17 euro funding over twenty years is definitely doable.

The place issues crumble nonetheless is Higher Globe’s regulatory compliance and compelled funding.

There needs to be no disputing Higher Globe’s passive funding alternative constitutes a securities providing.

Securities in Norway are regulated by the Monetary Supervisory Authority.

Higher Globe offers no indication it has registered with the FSA, or some other monetary regulator. Because of this at a minimal, Higher Globe is committing securities fraud.

This issues as a result of a part of regulatory registration is submitting of audited monetary studies. That is the one method customers can confirm ROI income is paid from exterior income.

Higher Globe represents it generated income from planted timber, that’s supposedly what every €17 EUR funding represents. There may be some social media advertising and marketing (pictures/movies of timber supposedly in Africa), however that’s not proof of exterior income getting used to pay returns.

One different issue to contemplate concerning funding is the bonus positions awarded to traders. If Higher Globe is used as a “financial savings plan” as advisable by the corporate, over time these bonus positions add up.

The place’s that cash coming from?

Transferring onto compelled funding, this virtually ensures Higher Globe is working as a pyramid scheme.

Apart from to generate commissions for recruiters, there’s completely no purpose for drive associates to take a position every month.

Pressured funding by associates is virtually assured to dwarf non-affiliate funding. That’s if there’s any retail funding in any respect.

I wish to stress two issues right here, an funding alternative isn’t a retail product with respect to regulatory compliance and pyramid schemes. And forcing associates to take a position is “pay to play”, one of many hallmarks of an MLM pyramid scheme.

If Higher Globe’s enterprise mannequin hasn’t modified considerably over the previous sixteen years, it boggles the thoughts they haven’t been investigated by the Lottery Board but (previously the Norwegian Gaming Board).

The one factor I can consider to clarify that is Higher Globe isn’t sufficiently big to be of concern. Because it stands Alexa ranks Higher Globe’s web site at over 5 million – for an MLM firm that’s pretty much as good as useless.

For an investment-based MLM firm, that’s a one-way avenue to break down.

Shopping for a tree poses a threat, and we cannot assure a return. We will assure that we’re doing every part in our energy to maintain all our guarantees and agreements in the identical method that we’ve stored them for the reason that begin of 2006.

Along with Higher Globe Forestry Ltd. (BGF), we’re actively monitoring, minimizing, and eliminating potential dangers. Up to now, all clients have been paid as promised, and on time. We intend to maintain it that method.

Longtime BehindMLM readers will know that I’m not a fan of charity + MLM. It’s slimy and lends itself to guilt-trip advertising and marketing.

Throw in securities fraud and the chance of a pyramid scheme, pending regulatory compliance Higher Globe is a tough cross.