Utah in the USA and its capital Salt Lake City is famous for its world-class ski resorts, nature and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Beyond that, however, Utah has a lesser-known claim to fame: It is the unofficial world capital of multi-level marketing and direct sales companies.
There are at least 100 Network Marketing companies in Utah alone, generating est $8.5 + Billion in annual revenue and making direct sales the second-biggest industry in Utah behind tourism, according to Loren Israelsen, executive director of the Utah-based United Natural Products Alliance.
Under corporate executives there is a strong “Old Boys network culture” many executives have worked with each other in different companies, helping each other to success.
Top earners such as Ken and Carol Porter with life time earnings of $28 million, Steve and Melyn Campbell $26 Million, Nathan Ricks $50 million and Mark Comer $17 Million are Utah based residents.
Per capita, Utah has more MLMs than any other state.“It must have something to do with the way LDS culture works in the valley,” said Ann Dalton, CEO of the beauty product direct-seller Perfectly Posh, from her Salt Lake City office.
Connections fostered in LDS communities, said Dalton, create a hotbed