Rodan + Fields

To allow for close analysis of how language policies are variably enacted in one site, we focused on one particular MLM company, Rodan + Fields (R + F). According to R + F’s website, the company’s “life-changing skincare and business model” have received praise from Beauty Editors, Influencers and business reporters across the country. The company was named the #1 skincare brand in North America in 2019 by the global market research company, Euromonitor International (Rodan + Fields 2021a). R + F contractors are known as “Independent Consultants”—who the company claims to “empower to become entrepreneurs” (Rodan + Fields 2021b).

According to their Consultant Policies and Procedures, at the time this research was conducted (2020a), to become a U.S. Consultant, one must be 18 years old, submit a Consultant Application, be authorized to run a business, and have an address to which products can be sent. Once approved, individuals must purchase a “Business Building Kit” (ranging in price from $45 to $995). The basic business kit ($45) contains information about the company, but no products (Rodan + Fields 2020b). More expensive kits, in turn, include full-sized R + F products and “multiple shareable tools to help you to immediately begin prospecting Customers and Consultants” (Rodan + Fields 2017). These tools include samples for enrollment incentives, printed materials such as the First Steps Business Guide, Product Guide, and the company’s “Before and Afters” flip book (Rodan + Fields 2020b).

New consultants can then begin “building their business” through product sales on their personalized R + F websites. R + F Consultants are responsible for generating new customer accounts, implementing networking and content marketing strategies, planning strategic brand-building events, participating in client relationship-building activities (e.g., hosting Zoom events, product webinars, product giveaways), and answering customer questions regarding products. R + F Consultants often use social media platforms to promote their sales, posting about the products and “business opportunities” on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

R + F Consultants vary in their engagement in these activities; however, few earn anything close to a livable wage or a “life-changing” salary. According to R + F’s 2019 Income Disclosure Statement, only 55% of its 362,300 consultants were paid a commission in at least one month for sales that occurred during 2019. Of those who earned compensation, 67.1% earned less than $1000 annually, and 32.9% earned over $1000 (with 24.6% of those consultants earning between $1000 and $5000 annually). Put differently, only 8.3% of R + F consultants earned more than $5000 in income from R + F sales in 2019. Although consultants earn commission on personal sales, the more they grow their downline team, the greater their total paycheck. Within R + F, consultants are designated titles based on their ‘Levels’, ranging from Level 1 to Level 5, and ‘Executive Consultant’, depending on monthly sales volume and number of downline consultants.