Is Yoli A Scam? A 2023 Health and Wellness MLM Review

In this review, I’m going to share with you if Yoli is a scam, pyramid scheme, or legit. 

I’ll share with you the characteristics of a pyramid scheme and then see if Yoli shares these characteristics.

Over the last few years, I’ve been busy creating reviews about all kinds of online products and opportunities.

Some turned out to be fake others were legit ways to make money online but in the process, I learned how to spot scams.

After reading this post, you can decide for yourself if Yoli is worth your energy, time, and money.

What is Yoli?

Yoli is an MLM company that distributes health and wellness products in the form of diet plans, supplements, and beverages.

Yoli products are advertised to help with weight loss, pH balance, immune support, sports performance, energy, and complete nutrition. 

However, the health and weight-loss claims for their programs don’t seem to be supported by science. 

That being said, they do have some positive reviews.

Yoli was founded in 2009 by Corey Citron, Robby Fender, Kimi Fender, and Daren Falter and has its headquarters located at 2080 Industrial Rd B, Salt Lake City, UT 84104.

Yoli isn’t a pyramid scheme or any other type of scam. 

I also don’t consider it a life-changing business opportunity. In my opinion, only 3 types of people could succeed in this MLM program. 

Read the review to find out why I came to this conclusion.

How does Yoli work?

Yoli is a company that distributes health and wellness products. Instead of directly selling it to consumers they have chosen to use the MLM model which gives you the choice to earn money by:

• Selling the products for a commission
• Recruiting people to earn bonuses.

What is MLM?

MLM (a.k.a network marketing or direct selling) stands for multi-level marketing.

According to Wikipedia, multi-level marketing is a marketing strategy for selling products or services where the revenue is derived from a non-salaried workforce.

As a part of this workforce, you sell the products from the company, and/or recruit people to do the same thing. This group of people you recruit will work under you and is referred to as your downline.

The bigger your downline is the more money you can earn passively (technically speaking) because you’re getting paid a percentage based on the performance of your downline.

This also means the person that recruited you which is called your upline is making money based on your performance.

The act of recruiting turns an MLM company into a pyramid-shaped organization where the first people to join make the most and are on the top of the pyramid and those last to join are at the bottom.

Source: Wikipedia

MLMs have been around for a long time. There are Multi-level marketing companies active today that were founded in the 1950s. MLM has a lot in common with pyramid schemes, so scammers often use MLM to disguise their pyramid schemes.

Is it absolutely necessary to recruit people? No.

You can also stick to just selling products you can order at wholesale price (20% discount) and re-sell to make a profit. This is easier said than done for multiple reasons which is why most members try to recruit others so they can earn more money.

How to join Yoli

Most people get referred to Yoli but you can also sign-up through their website.

After that, you can become a Yoli advocate by following these 3 steps.

Step 1: Sign-up
Step 2: Purchase a starter kit
Step 3: Recieve training

After that, you’re ready to start selling Yoli products and recruit others to do the same.

Is Yoli a pyramid scheme?

To answer this question we need to know what a pyramid scheme is.

What is a pyramid scheme?

A pyramid scheme is a type of scam where people are promised money for joining the scheme and recruiting other people instead of selling products and services. 

No selling of a product or service is involved whatsoever.

So you might be wondering where the money comes from.

The people that join are expected to pay a one-time or a monthly fee and in exchange for that, they get a percentage of the fee of everyone they recruit after.

The remaining money goes to the creators at the top of the pyramid.

The problem with this model is from a mathematical standpoint it’s impossible for everyone to make money because you simply run out of people.

Take a look at this picture below showing how it’s impossible for everyone to earn money.

Source: Wikipedia

As you can see, in this pyramid model it’s required to recruit 6 people. You’ll notice from the 12th level and further, it’s not possible anymore for everyone to earn money.

The 2.2 Billion people on the 12th level need 13.1 billion recruits in total for them all to make money which is more people than there are currently on Earth.

At the point that people can’t be recruited anymore, the pyramid collapses because not enough money is coming in to pay members and sustain the pyramid.

Looking at the description of what a pyramid scheme is, Yoli can’t be classified as a pyramid scheme from a legal perspective. 

Yoli products have given people a method to make money without recruiting people by selling products acquired at wholesale price for an increased retail price and keeping the profits.

That being said, there are pyramid schemes that disguise themselves as MLM companies because MLMs also use a pyramid structure but they sell products and services. 

These pyramid schemes offer products that are almost impossible to sell with the goal of pushing you to recruit people because you supposedly can get higher commissions.

From that point on it’s the same as a traditional pyramid scheme.

Who can benefit from Yoli?

Who would benefit from joining Yoli’s MLM program:

• Expert salesmen
• Expert recruiters
• People that already have an audience

That being said, even then I wouldn’t recommend it.

Who shouldn’t join Yoli’s MLM Program:

• People that hate sales jobs.
• People that hate recruiting
• People that don’t have the budget for it
• People that expect to earn passive income
• People that expect to earn a full-time income

Yoli products

What are the products they sell?

Yoli has a large variety of products but the most popular products that are simultaneously seen as its flagship products are:

• The Yoli T Kit 
• The Yoli Life kit 
• The Yoli Detox kit

Yoli T-Kit
Transform your health and your life with Yoli’s Transformation Kit. This kit includes the Better Body System, an easy-to-follow 28-day program to help you become your best self.
Includes:

• YES – Yoli Essential Shake
• Alkalete – Healthy Body pH
• Passion – Natural Energy
• Pure – Gut Health
• Resolve – Fight Hunger
• Yoli BBS Transformation Guide

Price: $399,97

Yoli Life Kit
The Yoli Life Kit includes Passion, Alkalete, Pure, and YES, our Yoli Essential Shake in chocolate or vanilla. Yoli Life kit Includes:

• Passion – Natural Energy
• Alkalete – Healthy Body pH
• YES – Yoli Essential Shake
• PURE – Gut Health

Price: $199,97

Yoli Detox Kit
Yoli’s Detox & Cleanse Support Kit comes with a 14-day regimen and a booklet full of tips and tricks to help you during your journey.

It includes Yoli’s exclusive, scientifically proven products to enhance your body’s natural detoxification system:

• Alkalete – Healthy Body pH
• Fun – Hydration Support
• Pure – Gut Health
• Enzyme – Digestive Support

Price: $199,97

Yoli products overall mostly consist of diet plans, supplements, and beverages. 

Are Yoli products FDA-approved?

No. They seem to be transparent about the fact that Yoli products aren’t FDA-approved. 

Are Yoli products aligned with the market?

The main kits aren’t cheap but the individual products also seem to be priced a bit high. An example of that are Yoli’s lean green supplements for improving cognitive function and health. 

As you can see, you can 30 servings for the price of $99,97 which is a bit expensive in my opinion especially since you can get similar products on Amazon for half the price. 

I can imagine as a member of Yoli this can make it hard to get sales.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Positive product business reviews 
• Stable company that has been around for a long time

Cons

• Products are not FDA-approved
• Sketchy history
• Products aren’t aligned with the price of the market
•  The business model has been proven to give members a low chance of succeeding

Yoli Compensation Plan

Yoli is very similar to a traditional MLM when looking at its compensation plan. 

How much money you’ll earn is heavily based on your ranks which you receive by meeting product volume qualifications. 

There are three ways to meet product volume qualifications:

• Participate in Yoli’s automatic product shipment program (purchasing a fixed amount of pv weekly)
• Purchase enough product volume to qualify
•  Recruit enough customers to earn the volume necessary to qualify at your desired level.

purchasing/selling products and recruiting others to do the same.

Here’s a list of all available titles you can reach in Yoli:

• Future star (+ 5-star rankings)
• Bronze (+ 5-star rankings
• Silver (+ 5-star rankings
• Gold (+ 5-star rankings
• Emerald (+ Double and triple rankings)
• Diamond (+ Double and triple rankings)
• Blue Diamond (+ Double and triple rankings)
• Black Diamond (+ Double and triple rankings)

How much does it cost to start a Yoli “business”?

You can become a Member by purchasing our Yoli Member Kit for $39. It includes membership, your own personal website, training, and tools to get started.

Aside from membership, there are additional costs such as:

• $30 -Annual membership fee
• $9.95 monthly fee for subscribing to their marketing website and virtual team office
• The personal volume you have to purchase monthly to maintain your rank (ranging from $50 to $3000)

How much can you earn with Yoli?

There are 10 ways to earn money with Yoli’s compensation plan as stated below in the image.

1. Retail Profit 
20% – 30% bonus on everything you sell
2. Fast start bonus
20% commission based on recruiting while having 50PV weekly
3. Refer 3, Get it Free
Get 1 Free better body kit for every 3 Preferred customers on auto-ship orders.
4. Break even bonus
20% commission bonus up to $500.
5. Binary team commission
Commissions and rewards that are based on your personal orders and those you sponsor and train in 2 legs. Commissions can go up to $12500.
6. Unilevel executive matching bonus
An additional 5% to 30% bonus which is based on personal purchases and the performance of recruits for 5-star Gold members and above.
7. Global leadership bonus pool 
A percentage of the total income of the company. To qualify for this bonus you at least have to be on the Diamond level/
8. Multiple business centers
The ability to have more than 2 legs and step away from the traditional MLM binary system that only allows you to have a max of 2 legs.
9. Travel incentive bonus
Free vacation and accommodations based on your performance as a distributor.
10. Luxury car program
Luxury car program for 5-star gold members and above that sets them up for purchase or lease contract for a luxury BMW, Caddilac, or Mercedes and a $900 cash bonus.

In theory, the sky is the limit when you look at their compensation plan but I suspect in reality the majority of people are making a lot less than is portrayed.

Yoli doesn’t publicly share the numbers of its partners but since it’s a traditional MLM the chances are high it shares the pitfalls of all other companies that use the MLM strategy. I’ll share a few of these MLM pitfalls right now.

Why aren’t people earning decent money with MLM companies like Yoli?

I have summed up the reasons why it’s hard to make money with Yoli and MLM companies in general into 3 points. As a Yoli distributor, you’ll have to deal with the first 2 points mentioned below.

1. MLM companies are often associated with pyramid schemes
MLMs have a pyramid recruiting structure that you often have to join to be able to make decent money or at the very least not lose money. The problem is a lot of pyramid schemes disguise themselves as MLM programs making it difficult to differentiate the two.

This is the biggest problem why most distributors have a difficult time recruiting people. The moment people hear about how you can make money by recruiting people red flags appear in most people’s minds.

This isn’t good for your sales.

2. You have to consistently invest your money to earn commissions
You’re only eligible for bonuses and commissions if you buy their products. The bigger the bonuses, the more product you have to buy. You do get discounts but if you can’t sell the products I can see you easily fall into a financial deficit (which happens to the majority of distributors of MLM companies).

3. The price of the product often isn’t aligned with the market

It’s hard for a multi-level marketer to sell products because most MLM products tend to be a lot more expensive than similar products sold by non-MLM companies. This means even if you’re really good at recruiting your downline still needs to sell those same expensive products for you to make decent money.

You can see that translated in these statistics I found about Multi-level Marketing.

• Nearly half (47%) of MLM participants reported that they lost money.
• One in four (27%) MLM participants reported that they broke even (made no money).
• MLM participants are 7% more likely to declare bankruptcy during their lifetime.
• Direct sales have risen 79% in the last decade, but MLM participants continue to lose money.
• 90 – 99% of distributors in multilevel marketing only receive a couple of hundred dollars in commission per year.
• Out of the 33,000 interviewed, 90 people made enough money to cover the costs of building their businesses.
• 50% of the people who start a network marketing enterprise abandoned it in the first year.

Sources:
FTC
AARP
Jobsinmarketing.io

My Personal Take

2 Things I like about Yoli 

1. Company with a long history 

The company has been around since 2009 which is a great accomplishment. 90% of startups fail after a few years, Yoli has been around for more than a decade. 

They also survived the financial crisis in the 2010s which shows that they know what they’re doing and are resilient.

2. Good business reviews

The majority of Yoli product ratings that aren’t on their website seem to be positive. There are some low ratings here and there but overall the general consensus seems to be that Yoli doesn’t produce bad products.

5 Things I Don’t Like about Yoli

1.Bad business model 

Yoli relies on multi-level marketing to promote and distribute its products. This might be profitable for the company but it often influences the distributor’s chances of success in a negative way according to statistics.

Most members of MLM companies tend to either lose money or don’t earn any money according to multiple studies. 

That being said, it’s not impossible to earn money with MLM but I’d think twice before joining after looking at the statistics this business model produces.

2.Yoli doesn’t have a truly unique sales proposition

Health and Wellness companies that sell supplements and weight loss products are anything but rare in the MLM industry.

As a Yoli independent distributor, you’re not only competing with other Yoli members but also the distributors of other health and wellness companies offering supplements with similar benefits.

A unique selling point would help with standing out from the rest of the companies but Yoli, unfortunately, lacks that.

3. Products are overpriced 

The products are insanely expensive when you compare them to what other non-MLM companies offer for similar supplements. The internet has made it possible to find cheaper alternatives simply by doing a 5-minute Google search.

That alone decreases the chance of selling products drastically which also lowers your chance to earn money.

4. accomplishments are based on purchases, not sales

This is not unique to Yoli but I don’t like it at all.

Instead of basing promotions and commissions on how much you sell, they base them on how much you purchase. This means technically you can buy yourself to the top.

I have read stories of people doing that and becoming MLM consultants or attracting potential recruits by the supposed money they earn every month.

It stimulates people to spend money without thing of earning a profit.

I don’t like that.

5. Products aren’t FDA approved.

None of the products that Yoli offers have been evaluated by the FDA. This means I can’t say for certain that it’s 100% safe.

The ingredients of their products don’t seem harmful but I can imagine missing out on sales purely because you can’t say to potential customers that the products are FDA approved.

Verdict: Is It A Scam?

Is Yoli A Scam, Pyramid scheme, or Legit?

Yoli isn’t a scam or pyramid scheme but it isn’t legit either in my opinion.

The business model has failed a lot of multi-level marketers. The only people I can realistically see succeeding with this model are expert salesmen, recruiters, and people with an audience such as influencers.

I’d place it under the category bad business opportunity because Yoli isn’t sharing any untruths. The degree of difficulty when it comes to succeeding is just exceptionally high for 99% of people.

Yoli Alternative

Unfortunately, Yoli isn’t for everyone. 

It comes with significant financial risk and it’s hard to scale because most of the marketing is done face-to-face and you can’t be at multiple places at once.

This is why I suggest to those that don’t want to deal with these 2 factors an alternative.

It is called affiliate marketing. 

It’s the method I use to earn most of the money I earn online.

How do you earn money with affiliate marketing?

You don’t have to sell products or services and you don’t have to recruit people.

The only thing you’ll be doing is referring people (that already are interested) to merchant websites such as Amazon, Walmart, and eBay. 

When people buy something based on your recommendation you’ll get a percentage of the purchase.

My #1 recommendation is an affiliate marketing training platform with more than 1.5 million members. 

Memberships are basically an all-in-1 package that comes with expert-level training, resources, and support from a community of people doing the same thing. 

Want to learn more? Take a look at my comprehensive review of the affiliate marketing platform.

Do you have any experience with MLM or Modere let me know in the comments!

That’s all for today. 

See you in my next post!

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