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Before I get into this Finish Line Network review, let me just say that if you’re a newbie and you’ve never made money online or don’t yet have an internet business, then this is not for you.
I’m making it easy for you because if you get into this then you’re going to have a lot of regrets and you’re most certainly not going to make any money. Finish Line Network is not your starting point for making money online.
Instead, you’ll need to learn the basics of marketing and how to run an online business by starting with the simplest, most straightforward and structured training available online.
Check this page for something that works. It’s my top recommended program that I have on this site.
If you do have an online business and have made money online or in network marketing, then read on because you’re a more likely candidate to get involved with Finish Line Network. I spent the past two days researching this and my findings are below.
Is Finish Line Network a scam or something you should get involved with? Is this really the answer to building your online business bigger?
This Finish Line Network review will answer all your questions and if they aren’t then be sure to scroll right down to the discussion area below and let me know what’s on your mind.
My Introduction to Finish Line Network
My first impression of Finish Line Network wasn’t great at all.
I’m always skeptical of new programs especially in the direct selling or MLM space that get launched online. I missed the pre-launch of this program but got an email from Matthew Neer about it which instantly threw up some red flags.
Matthew Neer isn’t someone I trust because he is always sending emails about scam or low quality programs. I stay on his list because then I get alerted to new programs that I can warn my readers about and this is one of them.
In the past, I’ve warned about Kindle Sniper, CB Cash Code and Viral Cash App, all of which I heard about through Neer.
From my observation, I found that people who are involved with scams and refer low quality programs rarely ever refer good, helpful programs. It’s always about the quick buck and referring programs that promise you overnight riches.
You’ll find that this is a trend with programs like these – the leader board for Finish Line Network when it was in pre-launch had names like Mack Mills, Ankur Agarwal, Alex Zubarev, Mack Zidan and so on and none of these guys have a good reputation as they’re always involved with the latest shiny objects including programs like Digital Altitude and Empower Network , two online MLM programs which has since been shut down.
If people like this are involved then that is not a good sign at all. But maybe the products and the business model are good and I’m mistaken?
Let’s look at this Finish Line Network program and see what it is all about then you can decide for yourself.
What Is Finish Line Network All About?
“Our concept is simple: Gain the knowledge, tools, and connections that are considered the cornerstones for online profitability, without having to run the profit race, thereby “Starting At The Finish Line”.
Finish Line Network was born out of the combination of a couple of defunct online businesses namely Traffic Authority and Online Sales Pro.
The founders of those businesses all teamed up to bring you Finish Line Network with the aim of helping you to grow your online business exponentially by offering courses, apps and live events.
One important thing to know when trying to determine whether or not to join a new program is the history of the founders.
Are they ethical people? Do they have a history of duping people out of their money? How did their past products perform?
Finish Line Network is quite new, only just coming out of pre-launch in the last month or so. It’s still too early to really tell where this is going and how it will perform but judging from Traffic Authority which got a lot of negative reviews, this one doesn’t fare better.
Traffic Authority was a rehash of an earlier program called Infinite Leverage System which featured the same products but that was closed for some reason. Both programs were laid out similar in terms of the compensation plans and were deemed pyramids by various online sources.
The founders of Finish Line Network include:
- Doug Wellens (Traffic Authority)
- Chad Stavley (Traffic Authority)
- Greg Chambers (Traffic Authority)
- Joel Kellman (Online Sales Pro)
- Kitty Kellman (Online Sales Pro)
- Todd McCart
- Paul Counts
Given the history of Traffic Authority and Infinite Leverage System which came before it and featured a similar compensation plan, Finish Line Network doesn’t seem to be something you should get involved with.
Finish Line Network Products
There are 4 core products available through Finish Line Network which you can sell as an affiliate. Commissions are earned after you’ve bought the product yourself or you’ve sold six units of the product as a reseller. See the compensation plan section below for more details on this.
The Silver Package is a traffic conversion software product which lets you create landing pages and organize your leads. The software also integrates with third party email service providers and has mobile apps so you can manage your business from your smartphone. This retails for $47 per month.
The Gold Package is a monthly virtual live event (webinar) where a speaker comes on and teaches you different traffic generation methods including Facebook retargeting and productivity hacks. Replays of every past virtual live event are also available for Gold Package subscribers. Gold Package access is $130/month.
Email Profits on Demand or ePod is a high ticket email marketing course which promises 8 weeks of live intensive training via high resolution video modules. They also contain pre-written done for you creatives and unique offers to monetize your list. There is also something called a Click Traffic buy-back program and all of this goes for $1997 one time fee.
Finally, there is a live event called Digital Domination which is an actual live event held over 2 days, the first of which will take place in Tampa in January 2019. You pay $997 and receive a ticket for this event where you will learn digital marketing strategies and personal development.
The Silver and Gold packages can be bought as a bundle for $177 per month and there is also an All-In bundle with all 4 products (including the yearly subscriptions of the silver and gold packages) and that retails for $4997.
My opinion on these are that there are better and cheaper alternatives. The only reason someone is going to sell you anything here is because they’re trying to earn the commissions from selling the products and no other reason.
No one needs to pay $2000 for an email marketing course and I could probably find 10 landing page builders with comparable features that will probably be better suited for your business.
As a member of Wealthy Affiliate, I get access to 4 live webinars each month (52 a year) plus replays going back to 2012 packed with useful information and no selling. I don’t have to pay anything extra for access to these webinars apart from my monthly subscription fee which also gives me access to a website builder, training courses, support, a community of marketers, research tools and a lot more.
I see no value in Finish Line Network. The only reason it exists, like all the others before it is to offer a business opportunity to people who decide to join and promote the products.
Just ask yourself this one thing: would you purchase any of these products if you didn’t have the opportunity to sell them and make commissions?
Finish Line Network Compensation Plan
Like most MLM compensation plans, Finish Line Network’s own is very complicated and I don’t want to spend 1000 words trying to explain every detail.
The compensation plan is so complicated, they had to do an entire 1 hour webinar just to explain it to members.
I’ll just highlight the standout parts of the plan and for the full details, you can check out the actual 7-page document here.
You don’t have to purchase any of the products to qualify for commissions. You can join as a Rising Star and pay the $20 license to resell the products. There is a caveat – you have to sell six of each product to qualify for commissions for those products.
So if you don’t purchase the products to resell them, you’ll be giving up your commissions to two affiliates in your referral upline.
My opinion on this is that they’re strongly encouraging anyone getting involved not to go this route but instead to “pay-to-play”. In other words, you benefit more if you just buy the products then resell them.
With this setup, every sale that you make, commissions are split 50/50 with the referring affiliate until you make enough sales to be promoted up 4 ranks at which point your commissions will be split 80/20.
Commissions on each of the Finish Line Network Products are:
- Silver Package Monthly Sub. – Price: $47 / Commission: $20
- Gold Package Monthly Sub. – Price: $130 / Commission: $52
- Gold Package Pro Sub. – Price: $2997 / Commission: $1000
- Email Profits on Demand (ePod) – Price: $1997 / Commission: $800
- Digital Domination Event Ticket – Price: $997 / Commission: $320
20% of each commission is directly put into a bonus pool which is shared among all qualified affiliates. I wouldn’t go into how the bonus pool commissions are split up because like I said before – complicated.
The fact that you have to purchase products just to earn commissions with Finish Line Network (I know they say you didn’t have to) just shows me that this is just all about paying money so you can earn money.
Many of these people will not use the products and no one outside of Finish Line Network is going to buy say Email Profits on Demand for $2000 so they could learn about email marketing although the product seems to have a lot more benefits to owning it.
Is Finish Line Network A Pyramid Scheme?
They have products so they can’t be a pyramid scheme right?
Finish Line Network to me is built like the typical pyramid scheme or what is called a pay-to-play scam. When you really look at it, there is going to come a moment when no one else is left to join and Finish Line Network is going to fizzle out. Those who got involved early will have made a lot of money and those who joined just before it collapses will lose their
money.
The FTC defines a pyramid scheme as any business that has a lack of retail sales to people outside the structure.
A lack of retail sales is also a red flag that a pyramid exists. Many pyramid schemes will claim that their product is selling like hot cakes. However, on closer examination, the sales occur only between people inside the pyramid structure or to new recruits joining the structure, not to consumers out in the general public.
The way the compensation plan is laid out for Finish Line Network, this program is very likely to be a pyramid scheme as the majority of the sales will be made to new recruits who hear about Finish Line Network. The majority of members will encourage their customers to become resellers as well so there isn’t much of a chance of outside retail.
In the end, what befell similar businesses like MOBE, Digital Altitude, Empower Network, Traffic Authority and its predecessor will likely happen to Finish Line Network and you do not want to be involved just waiting for that to happen.
My Opinion on Finish Line Network
I would avoid this for a number of reasons:
- It a pyramid scheme in my opinion. It fits the FTC definition
- It’s the third iteration of programs that failed and has similar structure
- Similar programs like MOBE, Digital Altitude and Empower Network were either closed down by authorities or collapsed.
- You will probably not buy any of these products if the opportunity wasn’t attached which makes them useless. You can find cheaper alternatives.
- The product prices were just made so that affiliates can get big commission payouts.
- The compensation plan is too complicated.
All in all, I’m not interested in Finish Line Network and have too many reasons to not join.
If I want to build and grow my online business, there are better alternatives for education and tools to do so.
In terms of education, the one that I use is more geared towards people who are new to online business but even an experienced online business owner like myself can still learn a lot and benefit from the tools and resources available.
You can check out a full review of the site I’m talking about here for more details.
If you’ve been invited to join Finish Line Network or if you’re a member, I’d love to hear your thoughts and feelings about this program. Join in the discussion below so others can hear different views.
Thanks for warning your visitors about these very shady people. I also believe that if they have a track record as suspicious as they do, we should be wary of anything they are creating and selling. You do an excellent job of breaking down in detail the key points af what they are offering and the reality of what your getting.
I also agree that the Wealthy Affiliate program is by far the best platform available for giving you a shot at online success. They can’t be beaten for value, considering what you get for the price you pay. Thanks again for the review, Kenny
Yes, their track record is very bad and I’m wondering how people aren’t seeing this if they’re doing their due diligence and still signing up. I just have a feeling 2 years from now that Finish Line Network is not going to exist.
You had me convinced when mentioning the names related to Empower Network. No thank you. I know a lady who makes quite a lot of money with it actually, but she must be one of the exceptions and/or lucky ones. I’d rather have something where I know what I’m getting with no obligations if I don’t like it and without having to spend $2000 upfront. Thanks for this review, I think I’ll stay away from Finish Line Network.
That’s the right thing to do Petra.
I warned people about Empower Network. In August last year, the founder announced that they were bankrupt and that EN no longer exists.
I warned people about MOBE and in June this year, the FTC shut them down.
I warned people about Digital Altitude and in February this year, the FTC shut them down.
Every time I warned people, I got responses like, you’re just saying that to sell your own scam.
Let’s see what happens to Finish Line Network.
I have been in the internet marketing business for about a year and I have spent my money on similar products before, I can say that those were very costly mistakes of my life as I lost more than 1000’s dollars in a flash. Making money online is not easy and it is not that easy as they show in their presentation. After reading your review I am not going to invest on Finish line network for now.
These types of products get to me because you have to buy them and own them just to resell them and be part of the opportunity, not because your business needs them. There are a lot of people who are not even going to use these products to get more out of their business.
You’re doing the best thing by avoiding in Finish Line Network. No one really needs that drama.
Hi Jay,
I did receive an invitation from a friend to join Finish Line Network sometime in August this year to lock in as a free member to receive the priority placement. He even showed me the Comp Plan Webinar which l noticed many red flags. It looks like a Pyramid or MLM Scheme to me which l never believe in such schemes. I therefore had ignored his invitation.
After reading your review about Finish Line Network, l can confirm that my decision not to join them is right.
Thank you for taking your time to write this review for our awareness.
Wishing you all the success.
Shui Hyen
I had a chance to look at it during the pre-launch phase but I didn’t. I just recently decided I’d look into it after I heard that it had launched.
I don’t know if they’re intentionally trying to confuse people with these compensation plans but I find them very irritating to look at. Passing up commissions and bonus pools and matrices. In affiliate marketing, your compensation is simple – you get 50% or whatever when you make a sale and that’s it.
There seems to be a lot of ‘business-minded’ people like Matthew Neer infesting people’s inboxes these days – I recently had to spam label a similar guy because he was sending me over 5 mails a week (and yes, there was always some sort of product linked to a text sentence within the mail!).
So this is basically yet another MLM system that has been slightly dolled up?
Even the products look like they are set up drain someone’s savings – I can’t believe that a marketing course like Click Traffic buy-back program will cost the public $1997 to take part in (that’s an absolutely mad price – I didn’t even pay that much for my son’s car!).
Unfortunately this looks like the type of opportunity that will disappear into thin air, taking a lot of people’s money with it. Did you get to have closer look at the workings of the marketing training they offer in the Click Traffic buy-back program?
5 emails a week is a lot but Matthew Neer, I believe sends close to 14 which works out to be about 2 per day. Most of the time, I just delete them but sometimes I take a closer look and find crap like this. When it comes from guys like this, you have no choice but to be very skeptical.
I haven’t checked out any of the products in detail because that would mean buying into the program. I don’t know much about the Click Traffic buy-back program but you’re right. Spending 2K on a marketing course just seems ridiculous when there are similar courses available for much less.
When this does go poof a lot of people are going to be crying but then the founders will come up with something else and those same people are going to be the first ones in.
Thanks for this Finish Line Network review. It’s most important to Google the founders of some new profit promising product first. And what their history is on the internet. In which reviews they come up as trustful or untruthful. Those programs have often a quick start, but also a quick go down again. The fact, most of them have up sells, always makes me very distrustful of such a program.
Loes
The website itself doesn’t even mention who the founders are. I don’t know if they did that intentionally to make it difficult for people to find out but they would be revealed after the person joins which we know would be too late.
Upsells don’t necessarily make a product bad or untrustworthy as long as they make it something you could live without after you’ve bought the initial product. I find in this case, the products aren’t really upsells, just separate offerings that you need to purchase just so that you can resell them to make money.
So, transparency of an offer is the best way to view a new product.
Thank you.
Loes
Well, it helps to be transparent if you’re selling a product. I absolutely hate when some unknown voice over in a video goes – here’s my mansion and my 6 lambos – and doesn’t tell you what you’re getting.
I cant be sure if it is a scam or not. I can know for sure this is not going to help me make money. The Finish Line Network is an opportunity that can probably make some money if you are already an expert. Certainly not for beginners. A newbie will not even see a dollar come in and instead losing more money spending in this program.
Yes, you can definitely make money if you’re an expert. That doesn’t make it legit though. Is a pyramid scheme a scam? Because this one is a pyramid scheme.
I will absolutely discourage any beginner from getting into this. The part I hate the most is that you have to buy the products to sell them (they say you don’t have to but the situation that puts you in isn’t ideal). So you’re losing money even before you start.
The thing with these online MLMs is that they always have a front of some kind, like the products you’ve mentioned for Finish Line Network just to make them seem more legit.
Yes you can make money with these MLMs and yes they can potentially be legit as well but for a beginner, you’ll lack the knowledge and skills to promote these products which are quite expensive. If you’re not sure how to promote then MLMs really aren’t for you.
I’ve already concluded that the reason why so many people fail with multi level marketing is because they don’t know marketing and aren’t taught the proper way to market.
And you’re right about the products being a front because all I see is a way to move money through the organization especially from people joining. If you buy something you’re more than likely going to be pushing Finish Line Network and your money goes three ways – one to your referrer, another two levels up to his referrer and some to a bonus pool which is distributed within FLN. Not a lot of sales will be purely outside the organization so that makes it a pyramid scheme by the FTC definition.
I’d like to see who wants to argue with me that this isn’t a pyramid scheme.
My only question is WHEN would the FTC be shutting this one down? I give it two years tops.
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll keep my distance from the Finish Line Network and won’t waste my time and money on another hyped product. From my point of view it has two red flags:
1. It’s an MLM program with a complicated compensation plan.
2. It advertises to start from the finish line which is based on the mindset of “Get Rich Quick Without Work”
Any of the two above red flags are enough for me to never join this program. The price is also very high. Alternative decent programs like Wealthy Affiliate that you mentioned offer much more value at a fraction.
Yeah, MLM compensation plans worry me a bit. There’s always some confusing element to it, I’m not sure why this is.
When you said that Finish Line Network is not your starting point for making money online., I immediately thought that was warning enough for me.
As I got to the end of your review I could not help but wonder how many people are going to get suckered into this product.
If they try to their due diligence, I sincerely hope that your website is one which they find.
Great review, enough detail for anyone to start seeing red flags.
I have been toying with the idea of a website business, so I will have a look into Wealthy Affiliate as soon as I can. I didn’t follow your links but based on your review I am prepared to consider your recommendation in the near future.
Thank you once again.
Haha, yes Steve. It should be that simple. If you don’t understand internet business then Finish Line Network is not a great place to start at all unless you just want to lose your money and have a bad experience to begin with.
I think I read somewhere that during prelaunch they got over 15000 people signed up which to me is kinda sad. I hope they did their research and know what they’re getting into.
If they get 15,000 sign ups then there will be a lot of people disappointed.
Such a difficult market place and so easy to get caught up in the hype of making money online.
I’ll definitely be flagging the finish line network for sure after reading this honest piece if info. Thanks for that! The internet is a wonderful thing, but I would hate to know the monetary value of how much people have been scammed by the shiny object syndrome.
Such a humongous problem to police. Regards Rob
Yeah, stuff like this only gives our industry a bad name but it’s MLM anyway which already has a bad rep. Almost any MLM has to escape the scrutiny and judgement against being called a pyramid scheme and this one doesn’t.
I actually just heard about Finish Line Network for the first time and then found your review. Am glad that you have given enough information that would help newbies not to fall on the trap wrong choices.
The fact that Finish Line is a pyramid scheme is enough to keep me run as fast as my feet can carry me. Some years back I lost lots of money on pyramid schemes and wouldn’t like anyone experience the same.
If you can’t see any value in something other than the opportunity to make money then it’s a pyramid scheme worth staying away from. This isn’t any different from failed MLMs like Empower Network, Digital Altitude and MOBE which had products that no-one would really pay the kind of money they were asking for if the opportunity wasn’t there to resell them.
Most newbies don’t really understand these things so it’s best to avoid the headache and negative experience.
Thanks for the warning in regards to Finish Line Network. Many people who want nothing but start an online business and be able to make money fall victim to these scams. When I was looking into internet marketing a year ago, I almost signed up for a program that promises to do everything for you at a price of $997. At that time I knew nothing about website building, SEO and driving traffic but I wanted so bad to quit my job that I was willing to pay even more.
Knowing now what I didn’t know then, I agree with you that Finish Line is not a good starting point for anyone who wants to make money online. I don’t see why you have to pay that much when as you said there are cheaper and better alternatives out there.
Yeah it’s not worth it as a starting point and even for experienced marketers, I don’t think there is much value other than the attached opportunity. Even that, if you look closely, you’ll just be tricking others into joining a pyramid scheme.