From Doris’ Desk!

For those of you who may not be familiar with the history of MLMIA, please indulge me while I enlighten you. The MLMIA begins its 15th year in January 1999. Starting in California, MLMIA has grown to a substantial membership and has had affiliate chapters in 7 countries. MLMIA was the first to represent the total Network Marketing industry including Companies, Suppliers and Distributors, with equal representation from each on its Board of Directors.

As the premier information source on MLM/Network Marketing, we field all types of calls. From the very beginning all areas of the media have contacted us for information. We feel we have been able to stop more than a few negative approaches and turn them into positive ones. When a call is for a positive media interview, we recommend they talk to some of our members. Many calls come from people new to the industry looking for an opportunity or checking out a company. More and more Distributors who have seen many companies come and go are doing their due diligence. If they ask about a company that is a MLMIA member we provide them information in the company’s own words from our Corporate Directory. We normally do not give out information on, or recommend, nonmembers unless they have filed a Corporate Profile with us.

It appears our industry will continue to be somewhat pressured in the legal arena. In the past, the MLMIA, thanks to our Legal Council, has been at the forefront of helping our members in this area and we will continue to work hard on behalf of our industry when these concerns arise.

The future looks bright for MLMIA. Seems our biggest problem (besides never having enough time or money) has been the industry publications keeping their commitment to send publications promised as a benefit to Distributor members.

As you’ll read elsewhere in this Connecting Point, our 4 new Benefits Packages are the absolute best at the lowest cost from any association that we surveyed. Our new web site, mlmia.com is nearing completion. It should be spectacular and one you’ll all want to be part of. All members will/can be listed and can have an email address with us at mlmia.net. Corporate and Supplier members can establish a presence within the mlmia.com site. Companies can become their own private label ISP supported by the backbone of the Internet. New board members, (click here for more board member info), will take their seats at our 15th Annual Corporate Conference & Expo in Newport Beach, CA on March 18th - March 21st (mark your calendars please). Also change your records to reflect our new phone and fax numbers – listed here.

To those of you who are long time members and that have been through all the trials and tribulations that accompany any growing concern and to those that are new over the past two years… thanks for the warm welcome back. And... I continuously need and want your support.

I’d hope each of you and our industry had Happy Holidays and I wish you a most wondrous New Year. I’m planning to see you at your respective conference!

Bless each of you.
Doris
Doris Wood, President Emeritus

PS - I hope you like the icon at the beginning of this letter. A special business associate had it created for me as a Christmas present 13 years ago to use on a set of tapes I did for his company. I love it and have used it on many publications since. I’ve decided it fits here as well. Let me know what you think. Appreciate your feed back. Lots of people we recognize use a caricature, should I?


	1st Quarter 1999