Liv launched in mid 2017 and describes itself as an ‘invite-only, international life-style group for passionate individuals‘.
The corporate is headed up by Visalus co-founders, Nick Sanicola (CEO), Blake Mallen (President) and Ryan Blair.
Curiously, Visalus will not be talked about in any company bios or the “about us” part of Liv’s web site.
Though they’re offered as separate firms, there does appear to be important overlap between Visalus and Liv.
Over the previous few years Visalus has been embroiled in a single controversy after one other.
We’re speaking hacking and espionage, mass layoffs, an Amazon racket lawsuit and securities fraud class-action simply to call a couple of.
Exterior of Visalus associates feeling coerced into becoming a member of Liv to obtain bonuses nevertheless, the 2 firms seem to function independently of one another.
Learn on for a full assessment of the Liv MLM alternative.
Liv Merchandise
Liv sells memberships, which the corporate claims
provides you entry to member-only restricted time provides on NEW, distinctive & innovated merchandise most related to Liv members.
Experiences supplied to Liv members are grouped as international and native.
These are offered as a “Liv Listing”, which is pitched as a bucket record Liv members can expertise now versus “sometime”.
There may be additionally a members solely discussion board the place Liv members can submit, fee and vote for Liv Listing concepts.
Different companies detailed on the Liv web site are:
- Liv Journey – entry to a reduction journey reserving engine
- Liv Offers – entry to an ecommerce platform
- Liv Photobook – photobook printing service
- Liv Market – one other ecommerce platform
Liv provides three retail membership tiers:
- Entry – 9$ a month plus $30 activation price, gives entry to Liv Listing international and native, Liv Offers (5 a month), Dwell Journey (inns solely), Liv Market and $40 in “lodge credit score”
- Premier – $49 a month plus $50 activation price, provides all Liv Journey companies, Liv Photobook and will increase lodge credit score to $100 on signup after which $50 a month
- VIP – $99 a month plus $100 activation price, provides Liv Photobook for Liv Listing moments, “VIP-Solely upgrades” (not specified) and will increase lodge credit score to $200 on signup after which $100 a month
The Liv Compensation Plan
Liv’s compensation plan revolves across the sale of memberships to retail clients and recruited associates.
Gross sales quantity is generated on retail membership gross sales as follows:
- Entry membership = 39 PV after which 9 PV a month
- Premier membership = 99 PV after which 49 PV a month
- VIP = 199 PV after which 99 PV a month
PV stands for “Private Quantity” and is gross sales quantity generated by way of gross sales to retail clients and a Liv affiliate’s personal orders (notice autoship is the latter).
Notice that regardless of being midway by means of 2019, a variety of bonuses on Liv’s present compensation plan are marked “2018 Particular Promotion”.
I’ve purposefully left these bonuses out of the evaluation under.
Dwell Affiliate Ranks
There are fifteen affiliate ranks inside Liv’s compensation plan.
Together with their respective qualification standards, they’re as follows:
- Energetic Promoter – enroll as a Liv affiliate and generate 125 PV a with a standing month-to-month autoship order or 200 PV a month in retail membership quantity
- Bronze – recruit and keep three Energetic Promoters and generate 2000 GV a month
- Bronze Elite – keep three Energetic Promoters and generate 6000 GV a month
- Silver – keep three Energetic Promoters and generate 12,500 GV a month
- Silver Elite – keep three Energetic Promoters and generate 25,000 GV a month
- Gold – keep three Energetic Promoters and generate 50,000 GV a month
- Gold Elite – keep three Energetic Promoters and generate 100,000 GV a month
- Platinum – keep three Energetic Promoters and generate 150,000 GV a month
- 1-Star Platinum – recruit and keep at the least one Liv Platinum ranked affiliate
- 2-Star Platinum – recruit and keep at the least two Liv Platinum ranked associates
- 3-Star Platinum – recruit and keep at the least three Liv Platinum ranked associates
- Diamond – recruit and keep one 1-Star Platinum, 2-Star Platinum and 3-Star Platinum affiliate
- Diamond Elite – recruit and keep three 3-Star Platinum ranked associates
- Diamond Govt – recruit and keep one 3-Star Platinum, Diamond, Diamond Elite affiliate
- Diamond World – recruit and keep three Dwell Diamond Elite ranked associates
GV stands for “Group Quantity” and is PV generated by a Liv affiliate and their downline.
Notice that from Bronze Elite, as much as 60% of required GV is counted from anyone unilevel workforce leg.
Retail Commissions
Liv associates are paid after they promote memberships to retail clients.
- promote an Entry membership and obtain $15
- promote a Premier membership and obtain $25
- promote a VIP membership and obtain $50
Residual retail commissions are paid based mostly on month-to-month generated retail membership quantity.
- generate 0 to 200 retail PV a month = no residual retail fee
- generate 201 to 500 retail PV a month = 10% retail residual fee fee
- generate 501 to 1000 retail PV a month = 15% retail residual fee fee
- generate 1001 to 2500 retail PV a month = 20% retail residual fee fee
- generate over 2500 retail PV a month = 25% retail residual fee fee on the primary 2500 PV and 30% on any extra PV
Notice that this quantity is calculated on the continued month-to-month PV generated by retail membership gross sales, not the preliminary PV worth.
E.g. Entry memberships generate 9 PV in direction of residual retail commissions, no matter whether or not they’re new memberships or not.
Recruitment Commissions
Liv associates are paid as much as $160 on recruitment of latest associates.
Recruitment commissions are coded, based mostly on rank:
- Energetic Promoters can earn as much as $75
- Bronzes can earn as much as $100
- Bronze Elites can earn as much as 110
- Silvers can earn as much as $120
- Silver Elites can earn as much as $130
- Golds can earn as much as $140
- Gold Elites can earn as much as $150
- Platinums and better earn the complete obtainable $160
The coded nature of the enterprise signifies that $160 is paid out on every newly recruited Liv affiliate.
The recruiting affiliate receives the recruitment fee fee for his or her rank.
If the recruiting affiliate is decrease than Platinum, the distinction between what they’re paid and $160 is paid upline to greater ranked associates.
E.g. A Silver Elite recruits a brand new affiliate and is paid $130, leaving $30 to roll upline.
Liv searches upline for a Gold or greater ranked affiliate to pay the remaining $30 to.
- if a Gold is discovered first, they obtain $10 ($140-$130), leaving $10 to be paid to a Gold Elite or $20 to a Platinum or greater ranked affiliate
- if a Gold Elite is discovered first, they obtain $20 ($150-$130), leaving $10 to be paid to the primary upline Platinum or greater ranked affiliate
- if a Platinum affiliate is discovered first, they obtain the remaining $30
A residual recruitment fee of as much as $40 is paid on first-level recruitment exercise.
That’s associates recruited by these you’ve personally recruited.
- Silvers obtain as much as $10 in residual recruitment commissions
- Silver Elites obtain as much as $20 in residual recruitment commissions
- Golds obtain as much as $30 in residual recruitment commissions
- Gold Elites obtain as much as $35 in residual recruitment commissions
- Platinums obtain the complete obtainable $40
Residual recruitment commissions are coded in the identical method normal recruitment commissions are.
Notice that residual recruitment commissions generated by Energetic Promoter to Bronze Elite associates are routinely handed as much as the primary Silver or greater ranked upline affiliate.
Rising Star Recruitment Bonus
To qualify as a Rising Star, a Liv affiliate should
- qualify at Bronze inside thirty days of signing up; or
- enroll three retail membership clients and generate 2000 GV inside thirty days of signing up; or
- fulfill both of the above qualification standards for 2 consecutive months.
Liv associates who’re Rising Star certified obtain double recruitment commissions (excludes first three recruited associates).
Residual Commissions
Liv pays residual commissions by way of a unilevel compensation construction.
A unilevel compensation construction locations an affiliate on the high of a unilevel workforce, with each personally recruited affiliate positioned instantly underneath them (stage 1):
If any stage 1 associates recruit new associates, they’re positioned on stage 2 of the unique affiliate’s unilevel workforce.
If any stage 2 associates recruit new associates, they’re positioned on stage 3 and so forth and so forth down a theoretical infinite variety of ranges.
Residual commissions are paid on membership gross sales quantity generated throughout the unilevel workforce as follows:
- Energetic Promoters earn 5% on ranges 1 and a pair of
- Bronze and Bronze Elite ranked associates earn 5% on ranges 1 to 4
- Silver ranked associates earn 5% on ranges 1 to six
- Silver Elite and Gold ranked associates earn 5% on ranges 1 to 7
- Gold Elite and better ranked associates earn 5% on ranges 1 to eight
Management Depth Bonus
Platinum and better ranked Liv associates are capable of earn past the primary eight ranges of their unilevel workforce.
The Management Depth Bonus begins off by paying a 2% residual fee from stage 9 of an affiliate’s unilevel workforce.
When a Platinum or greater ranked affiliate is present in stage 9 or deeper in a unilevel workforce leg, they cap off the primary era of that leg eight ranges under them.
4% is paid on gross sales quantity generated on this primary era (stage 9 of the unilevel workforce leg down previous eight ranges under the primary discovered Platinum affiliate).
From there 2% is paid all the way down to infinity.
If a second Platinum or greater ranked affiliate exists deeper within the leg, 2% is paid down on eight ranges under them, after which the Management Depth Bonus stops paying out on that leg.
Notice that the Management Depth Bonus is calculated independently for every unilevel workforce leg.
Star Bonus
Liv associates are charged an possibility $29 a month for advertising instruments.
Liv takes this price and makes use of it to pay the Star Bonus.
The Star Bonus pays as much as $8 a month on charges paid by recruited associates. A $6 second-level residual Star Bonus can also be obtainable.
- Platinum associates earn a $2 Star Bonus and $1 residual
- 1-Star Platinums earn a $4 Star Bonus and $2 residual
- 2-Star Platinums earn a $6 Star Bonus and $4 residual
- 3-Star Platinums and better earn an $8 Star Bonus and $6 residual
Becoming a member of Liv
Liv affiliate membership is $399 and contains one month (30 days) of VIP membership.
After a Liv affiliate’s first month, “non-compulsory” advertising instruments (replicated web site, backoffice instruments and a cellular app) are billed at $29 a month.
Conclusion
Having an energetic life-style kind of matches into Visalus’ weight reduction theme, so I kind of get the concept behind Liv.
Admittedly the cynic in me initially noticed Liv because the monetization of Visalus affiliate incentive journeys.
It appears nevertheless that important effort has been put into fleshing Liv out as a standalone alternative, so I’ll give Visalus a go on that.
What you’re principally taking a look at is a journey portal with journey concepts. The Photobook service compliments the journey concept, with all the things else supplied just about being secondary.
That is mirrored in Liv’s compensation plan, which completely focuses on membership gross sales, versus precise use of supplied companies (together with journey).
I did come throughout Liv Cash, which seems to be an try to supply one thing on use of Liv’s companies.
Liv Cash are an inner foreign money generated on the sale of Premier and VIP memberships, in addition to use of Liv companies.
Each Liv retail clients and associates can earn Liv Cash, which as soon as acquired could be put in direction of purchases inside Liv’s supplied companies.
This doubles as an incentive for Liv retail clients to refer new clients.
Notice that generated quantity on these referred clients (excluding Liv Cash) rolls as much as the unique referring affiliate.
General although I feel Liv may wrestle to promote the higher tier memberships to retail clients.
Between the $9 a month Entry and $49 a month Premier memberships, Photobook and elevated journey reserving choices are supplied.
That interprets to a $480 distinction in charges paid yearly, so retail clients are going to should ceaselessly guide companies to recoup that outlay.
The Photobook service is a pleasant concept, however with everybody carrying a sensible telephone round today is likely to be outdated.
There’s lots of picture binding companies obtainable today, so I’m not likely seeing that justifying a $480 enhance.
VIP membership provides “VIP-only promotions”, which aren’t explicitly specified on Liv’s web site.
The closest Liv will get to disclosing what VIP-only promotions are:
-Liv Listing VIP Upgrades
-Personal VIP-Solely occasions
-Liv Mysteriously, obtain first complimentary cargo of Liv Launch merchandise
-Liv Media (2 TB storage)
Past that nothing particular is disclosed, which makes asking $600 extra yearly a tall order.
Getting again to Liv’s compensation plan, the energetic requirement of 125 PV autoship appears a bit unusual. I say this as a result of one VIP membership solely generates 99 PV after the primary month.
This suggests a Liv affiliate goes to should take out two VIP memberships on autoship to qualify for commissions (or much more cheaper memberships), which is not sensible.
And it’s definitely disheartening to see retail PV qualification at 200 PV. Why is that this greater than self-funded qualification?
As soon as certified Liv’s compensation is fairly balanced however there’s no requirement to give attention to retail gross sales.
Notice that I say moderately balanced, on the belief all of the 2018 Particular Promotion provides aren’t nonetheless energetic.
Apart from the automobile bonus, the 2018 Particular Promotion provides are vastly recruitment based mostly and principally flip Liv’s compensation plan into pyramid territory.
With out them the compensation paid out is extra balanced, however the give attention to recruitment (every affiliate on 125 PV or extra autoship), continues to be doable.
The easy answer to that is abolish self-funded fee qualification. Both maintain the 200 PV retail requirement or scale back it to 99 PV (one retail VIP membership).
Whereas that is one thing Liv company wants to deal with, the excellent news is you possibly can nonetheless verify how your potential upline is working their enterprise.
All you could ask them is what number of energetic retail memberships they’ve underneath them, and weigh that towards their personally recruited associates.
If retail memberships don’t at the least match recruited associates (or worse the Liv affiliate refuses to share this info with you), there’s a very good probability that affiliate is targeted on recruitment over retail.
This interprets to their Liv enterprise being run as a pyramid scheme.
Once more, Liv company can tackle this by adjusting fee qualification as detailed above. However till that occurs, your individual due-diligence is the perfect took you’ve got.
One final situation I wish to notice is the ridiculous $29 a month advertising instruments price.
Having backoffice reporting, a replicated gross sales web site and no matter Liv provides by means of its app isn’t “non-compulsory”, it’s normal in any MLM providing.
Charging associates $29 a month for entry appears farsical, particularly when $14 of the $29 is paid out in commissions.
If it’s important to cost a month-to-month price, eliminate the Star Bonus and scale back the month-to-month affiliate value nearer to no matter it prices to supply the advertising instruments (nowhere close to $29 per affiliate).
Liv associates are the corporate’s sales-force and nickel-and-diming them isn’t productive.
Past that, should you’re on board with Liv’s “bucket record now” message and might see your self making use of the supplied companies (keep in mind it’s important to recoup your charges at a minimal to make it worthwhile), it is likely to be value evaluating Liv for a couple of months as a retail buyer.
See how that goes as a result of signing up as an affiliate helps you to recoup that outlay by means of recruitment, which is one thing retail clients aren’t going to be doing.
Should you personally can’t justify the price of Liv as a retail buyer, signing up as an affiliate to attempt to promote the memberships to retail clients is not sensible.
Good luck!