As the elections are over and the president elect is settling down, one of his main challenges will be job creation. First, because it is his mandate as president. But second, because it was a major campaign issue in election 2016. I dare say unemployment constituted about 50-60 percent why our new president was voted to office. I could even say his re-election in 2020 would greatly hinge on how he is able to create jobs for the youth of our country. But before the president starts the battle, let’s look at the real problem.

Ghana has 12 Public Universities, 64 Private Universities and 10 Polytechnic (Now Technical Universities). These sum up to 86 Universities, each of these 86 Universities are producing graduates each year; most of whom are expecting government to provide employment for them. Unfortunately, government and the private sector are only able to provide employment to about 10 percent of the graduates.

If each of these institutions produces an average of 2,000 graduates annually, we are going to have 172,000 graduates in the job market each year. Given that 90 percent will not get jobs, there is clearly an oversupply problem. This excludes the surpluses over the years (arrears). When supply exceeds demand, there is not only going to be unemployment, but even the few who get employed would have to contend with lower salaries.

This situation is aggravated by advancement in technology. In our world today, advancement in technology is a major cause of unemployment. It creates fewer jobs and eliminates a lot of them. Not too long ago, we used to write and post letters through the post office. Thanks to advancement in technology (mobile telephony), most of the post office jobs are gone. You don’t need to write a letter any longer. A text message on your phone, an email or even a simple phone call can solve the same problem easier, faster and cheaper.

Typist will soon lose their jobs. Because an average worker now is more computer literate than the typist. In my office, almost every staff has his own laptop or is supplied with one. These staff type their own reports because it is easier and faster.

Robots are now being used in car manufacturing, leading to loss of jobs. In some counties robots are used as chefs in restaurants. Libraries are now being automated and so on. All these will lead to lesser jobs in the job market. I dare say that once technology keeps advancing, we are yet to witness the worse form of unemployment.

Given what you have read so far, it appears the future is so bleak for our teeming youth. Isn’t it? Not really! There is a saying that, “If birds learn how to fly without perching, hunters must also learn how to shoot missing.” So there is a solution, and the solution is Multilevel Marketing (MLM) - ENTRENEURSHIP. Not the entrepreneurship taught in our tertiary institutions by those who are not entrepreneurs themselves. As Bob Proctor said; “Don’t go to a sick doctor for treatment:” I mean real, practical entrepreneurship taught by experienced entrepreneurs.

Anytime you mention entrepreneurship to a graduate, his/her first excuse is “No capital.” Meanwhile; capital is about the last issue when it comes to entrepreneurship. The actual problem is the MINDSET. We are trained in our schools to become employees, not employers/entrepreneurs. So we need a change in orientation. We are not trained to take risks. We are trained to be afraid.

Therefore, if we must be entrepreneurs, we must first change our mindset and orientation. We must take responsibility for our failures and successes in life. We must be ready to work and ask for more before we can get more. But if our minds are fixated on the JOB (Journey of the Broke) that is not even available, we are heading nowhere.

Out of the options available to you as an unemployed person, the easiest, cheapest, fastest and most rewarding way to become an entrepreneur is through Multi Level Marketing (MLM), otherwise known as Network Marketing. This business model is for those who want more out of life; those who want both money and time freedom; those who want to change the world and those who believe there is a better way to live not just survive. Steve Jobs said; “Those who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who change the world”.

If you are unemployed and has an open mind looking for an opportunity, MLM is for you. If you already have a job and find it difficult to balance your budget at the end of the month. MLM is for you. If you have lost hope in life and looking for an opportunity to restore your hope, MLM is meant for you. If you need both money and time freedom, MLM is for you. If you want to become an entrepreneur, and have a problem with raising the big capital, MLM is for you. And if you are crazy enough to want to change the world, MLM is for you.

Steven Covey (Author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”) said, “Before you climb the ladder, make sure it is leaning against the right building”. Similarly, if you are going to join an MLM Company, make sure you join the right company. Many Ghanaians are not so careful in this regard. People jump into businesses without doing any background checks. Yet they wonder why they lose money. Therefore, you need some amount of background checks. You need to research the company’s credibility, the products, how long they’ve been in business, the awards they have won; their management profile, their compensation plan and so on.

One way you can do this is to log on to businessforhome.org. This website ranks the best 200 MLM companies in the world. Remember that your company doesn’t become less credible if it is not part of the 200. However, it adds a lot if your company is one of the top 200.

So what is the concept of Network Marketing or MLM? Network Marketing is a business model which provides an opportunity for people to start and run a business with very little capital. You get training and support from the company system and structures, then work hard to earn REAL MONEY. When you sign up for a network marketing opportunity, you are required to build a team so you can leverage the effort of your team members.

You are paid for your individual efforts and the effort of your team members. So as your team grows so does your income. With time you don’t need to work again. You would only work when you want to; not because you have to. Of course, it is always difficult at the beginning. This is because just like a building, a lot of work gets into the foundation, but no one sees anything at that stage. They only begin to see when you start erecting the walls. So is Network marketing, you do a lot of things from the beginning that you don’t get paid for; but in the latter years as your team grows, you get paid for a lot of things you don’t do. Therefore, network marketing is one of the best ways to build a stream of passive income. All the hard work you do in network marketing is for you. You are building an empire for yourself. And even when you die, your family can inherit it.
I recommend MLM because it has some advantages over as job and they are as follows:-

1. You don’t need qualification or experience to start an MLM business. But you need a good qualification plus 3-5 years experience in order to get employed.

2. In the MLM business, you earn according to your performance. There is no limit to what you can earn. On the job however, you are paid according to your rank. If you are a junior officer who can perform better than your superior just because you are a junior you would be paid less.

3. On your job, your employer (Boss) determines (through your salary), when you should eat your lunch, what you should wear, the car you should drive, the schools your children should go and so on. In sharp contrast, you are your own boss. So you determine (because your income is unlimited) what you want to eat when, the school your children should attend, when you sleep and make up etc.

4. Most MLM companies offer all expense paid trips (through promotions) including, pocket money to various locations in the world. If you travel at all on your job, you are going to perform an assignment with little or no time for sightseeing.

The MLM business also has some advantages over traditional business. These are as follows :

1. To establish a traditional business, you need to register it, find office space, and pay utilities and so on. In MLM business, all these are taken care of by your company. You don’t need to register your business, you don’t need office space and you don’t need to employ people.
2. The capital required to start a traditional business is so high. However, in MLM you can start your business with as low as GH¢777.00. Indeed, some are even much lower.
3. You don’t need to employ people and pay them salary to work for you in MLM as it is in traditional business. All you do is recruit people into your business to work for themselves (You don’t pay them), but as and when they make money you also make money; even if you don’t want to.
It is therefore not for nothing that prominent people such as:

1. Bill Clinton-Former US President (1992-200)
2. Donald Trupm –US President elect
3. Bill Gates –One of the 5 Richest people in the world
4. Warren Buffect-One of the riches people in the world
5. Robert T. Kiyosaki-Author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad.
All these people cannot be wrong about the MLM Industry.

What I personally like about network marketing is its vast possibilities and scalability. For instance, in my particular company, you can sign up in 3 different ways. Thus the single header (GH¢777.00); the triple header (GH¢2,331.00) and the Seven header (GH¢5,439.00) depending on your level of believe and affordability. The very ambitious people go in for the seven headers. The possible returns for the 3 options are as follows:

Daily Weekly Monthly Annually
Single Header 1,920 13,440 53,760 491,000
Triple Header 5,760 40,320 161,280 1,473,000
Seven Header 13,440 94,080 376,320 3,437,000

Remember, that this figures become real when the team grows. Not when you sign up immediately. Note also that the daily income of the least option (which is GH¢1,920.00) is more than the average monthly salary of a Ghanaian. Also, the monthly income of GH¢53,760 is more than the retirement benefit of an average Ghanaian who has worked for 30 years. This is what MLM is all about. It performs the magic of turning your monthly income into daily income and a whole retirement package into a monthly income. Hence, MLM companies turn ordinary people into extra ordinary millionaires. Every day, MLM companies pay out $200 million to their distributors around the world. It is up to you to decide if you will take a part of the $200 million daily.

My very objective of writing this article is to inform you, especially the unemployed, that there are MLM opportunity available. That it can change your life in ways you could not even imagine. I would be glad to help you further in deciding which company you want to join. I would also be glad to share with you the learning materials when you finally decide to sign up for any MLM Company. I am an MLM practitioner myself, but my primary focus is not necessary to sign you up in my company. No! My objective is to educate you and give you hope. That is not to say that I wouldn’t like to work with you. It will be my pleasure to work with you.

In Conclusion, I would like to assure the teeming unemployed youth in particular that there is an opportunity in Network marketing for all the unemployed and even more; if only they will open their eyes and seize the opportunity.

I wish to assure the many employees whose budgets hardly balance at the end of the month that there is an opportunity capable of giving them supplementary/ back up income. I wish to call on pensioners that God didn’t create them just to cope with the meager pensions and that even on pensions, they can still achieve their dreams.

I wish to call on mothers who hardly see their children because of their jobs that they can work less, earn more and still make time for their children, if only they will embrace Network marketing. I wish to call on students to grab this opportunity whilst on campus so they can graduate as millionaires, not prospective job seekers. You have been praying to God for an opportunity, don’t play with it. Grab the opportunity now, start living and stop existing.

For more information and education on how to start the MLM business, contact me on iddresu67@yahoo.com or 0268-363341. Iddrisu Abdulai is my name. I am a Chartered Accountant and a Network Marketing Practitioner. I wish you well and thank you for reading this piece.