Shaklee Review – How Does The Shaklee Business Work?

If you’re here reading this, I bet I can guess why. You were approached by someone about the Shaklee business opportunity, and they made it sound great… the easiest money you would ever make.

Am I right or what?

You’re probably kinda intrigued but before you really commit, you figured you should at least read a few Shaklee reviews to find out what other people are saying.

Good call.

Most of the people who are selling Shaklee products or promoting the business opportunity aren’t really telling the full story when they talk to prospects and customers.

The truth is, there are good and bad things about this company, especially the Shaklee business opportunity.

Full disclosure, I used to be a Shaklee representative but am not anymore. I have, however, been using the Shaklee products every day for the past 10 years now so I might be a little biased in writing this. 

Just so ya know.

So is Shaklee good or bad? Before we get into the meat of it, let’s cover a brief history of the Shaklee Corporation.

Shaklee History

Shaklee was founded in 1956 by Forrest C Shaklee in order to manufacture and distribute nutritional supplements. Prior to founding Shaklee Corporation, Dr Shaklee created the very first multivitamin in the United States in 1915.

Since 1956, Shaklee has been committed to the “green” movement, long before it was the cool thing to do. The products are all organic, natural and biodegradable.

This includes all of the household cleaning products as well as the supplements and beauty products.

Today, Shaklee Corp is owned by Roger Barnett, although the ownership structure has changed several times throughout Shaklee’s history.

In the late 1970s, Shaklee Corp was a publicly traded company, trading on the NYSE.

In the late 1980s, Shaklee Corp narrowly avoided a hostile takeover from a large Minneapolis financier, who was known for acquiring companies and facilitating forced liquidations.

Luckily this situation was avoided when Shaklee Corp was bought by Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical out of Japan, making Shaklee a privately owned company once again.

Roger Barnett purchased Shaklee Corp from the Japanese pharmaceutical company in 2004.

Where Are Shaklee Products Manufactured?

Shaklee Corporation is headquartered in Pleasanton, California though it is not known for sure where their products are manufactured. 

Certain clues would lead us to believe that they are manufactured in the USA.

The FDA requires supplements to disclose on the labelling where the product comes from if manufactured overseas, and since Shaklee products don’t specify, it would lead us to believe that they are manufactured in the United States.

Shaklee is one of the most successful direct selling companies in the world, with over 1.2 million distributors located all over the globe. While Shaklee revenue numbers aren’t quite that of the well known Amway, they come in at a very healthy $700 million per year.

Certainly nothing to scoff at.

So is Shaklee a good company?

I think the numbers speak for themselves.

They’re one of the oldest, most well respected direct selling companies in the world and from my personal experience, while I am no longer in the Shaklee business, I love the products and will continue to use them for years to come.

So let’s talk a bit about the products.

Shaklee Products Reviews

As we discussed already, although I am not a distributor, I have used Shaklee products for about 10 years now. So I obviously have a bias here.

One of the most common questions I hear is are Shaklee vitamins worth the money?

Obviously my answer is yes, or I wouldn’t have spent money on them for 10 years!

So let’s talk about the main product lines that Shaklee offers.

Nutrition – Shaklee Supplements Review

So instead of telling you about my amazing complexion and how wonderful I feel using the Shaklee products, I’ll just talk about a study that was done in California.

This Landmark Study was done back in 2007 at UC Berkley and it showed that long term Shaklee product users had much lower problematic biomarkers.

Additionally, they found that there was a much higher concentration of essential nutrients in the blood of the test patients.

They also found that Shaklee users had longer Telomeres, which is a good thing and a sign of life longevity.

This is really oversimplified, but longer Telomeres essentially are a protection for your DNA.

Again, that’s an oversimplification and I am by no means a medical expert, but that’s what this study found.

One of the best selling Shaklee supplements is the Vitalizer pack, which I use every day.

This is an anecdote, but I can certainly say that I feel much better when I take them vs when I don’t. I have higher energy levels, a sharper mind, and I really don’t seem to get sick.

Like ever.

Healthy Weight – Shaklee Shakes Review

I also use the Shaklee shakes every day as a meal replacement. I have been practicing intermittent fasting for many years so I basically eat 2 meals a day rather than the typical 3.

One of those meals is a Shaklee shake.

The Shaklee Life Shakes are jam packed with nutrients and unlike many other meal replacements, are actually pretty tasty. They also contain Leucine, which has been proven to burn fat rather than muscle.

I think the biggest thing I have found with these shakes is that even though one serving doesn’t look or feel like that much, I’m always satiated afterwards and don’t experience those annoying hunger pangs.

Alright, those are the only 2 Shaklee products that I use religiously, so on to some more unbiased opinions!

Beauty – Enfuselle Shaklee Review

Enfuselle is Shaklee’s main beauty product line which appears to have rave reviews.

They have a total of 8 patents on the combination of vitamins and antioxidants that they use, and have undergone multiple clinical trials.

In fact, they’ve spent over 7 figures on clinical trials alone for their beauty and skincare products.

Sports Nutrition – Shaklee Performance Review

The biggest selling point across all Shaklee product lines is the fact that they are completely organic and all natural.

All of the products sold by Shaklee Corp have been thoroughly tested in clinical trials so they aren’t experimenting with their customers as opposed to many products you’ll find in big box retailers.

The Performance products are designed for hydration, pre-workout energy, and muscle recovery after a challenging workout session.

What really got my attention is that Shaklee Corp has actually provided products for NASA in the past, as well as a number of Olympic athletes. So Shaklee is definitely not some fringe, unknown supplement.

Green Home

The Green Home product line consists of household cleaning supplies, water filtration systems, and commercial cleaning supplies. 

All of the cleaning products are natural and biodegradable including the packaging and bottles they come in.

As we discussed earlier, Shaklee Corp was “all green” and environmentally friendly long before it was the cool thing to do.

The best part about the Shaklee cleaning products is that they are concentrated, meaning that you mix products with water before using.

So as opposed to the other Shaklee products, you would actually be saving money by using Shaklee cleaning supplies since they last a long time.

Is Shaklee FDA Approved?

Technically no.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t actually get involved in regulating supplements. This is why buying supplements off your grocery store shelf isn’t really a good idea. 

Even though most of them aren’t actually harmful, they simply don’t do anything. Many “big box store” supplements don’t actually dissolve fast enough in your digestive tract, meaning that they simply pass through your body without you receiving any benefit. 

Waste of cash.

Shaklee products do come with a Money Back Guarantee and they have all undergone extensive clinical trials so you know they actually work.

Anyway, let’s talk business.

Shaklee Business Opportunity Review

How does the Shaklee business work?

This is one of the most common questions people ask about the business opportunity. Shaklee is a direct selling company and they use a business model called network marketing, or MLM (multi level marketing).

Many people are quite sceptical about multi level marketing and there is a very good reason for that, which we will discuss a bit later.

Shaklee products are sold through independent distributors rather than big box retailers.

Instead of paying millions of dollars in advertising, marketing, and retail fees, they simply bypass those traditional means and sell directly to the consumer through these independent distributors.

This makes the business model very efficient. It allows them to pay distributors quite well and offer very healthy Shaklee distributor benefits, as long as they perform well and continue to make sales. 

It also leaves plenty of cash flow available to Shaklee Corp to invest in research and clinical trials to ensure that the products they sell are of the utmost value to their customer.

In a network marketing business like Shaklee, you can earn in more than one way.

You would earn commissions on sales that you make, but you can also recruit business builders who make sales and build their own teams.

You can earn commissions from sales made by people you recruit, as well as people that your teammates recruit, down to seven levels deep.

Shaklee Compensation Plan

So how do you earn with Shaklee? Can you really make money selling Shaklee?

There are 3 main types of compensation plans used in the network marketing industry: Stair Step Breakaway, Binary, and Unilevel.

You can read about the difference between all these pay plans here.

The Shaklee compensation plan is based on the Unilevel pay plan discussed in the article referenced above. 

Long story short, you can build your team as wide as you want, meaning you can have an unlimited amount of distributors directly underneath you in the hierarchy.

Each individual distributor in your team will build their teams (hopefully) and you can earn commissions from all of their sales volume as well.

You can earn commissions from Shaklee business builders up to seven levels deep. This is one of the downsides of the Unilevel plan because you can only earn up to a predefined level of depth.

However, the Shaklee compensation plan has solved this by implementing the Infinity Bonus. This is a bonus system that actually allows you to earn on levels deeper than the predefined amount of 7. 

I grabbed the video below off of YouTube to help explain the Shaklee compensation plan. The video is very biased, but should help you understand the way the pay structure works.

The Compensation Plan Is Pretty Complex

This is what you find with most MLM companies these days.

While the compensation plans are all based around one of the 3 main types, most companies use bits and pieces of all 3 plans to create a complex and unique compensation plan in order to maximise earning potential for distributors.

This can make it quite difficult to explain individual plans. But I can tell you that I know several Shaklee business leaders who make a full time income with the business. 

Plus, Shaklee has paid out multiple billions of dollars in commissions so it’s pretty obvious that people are making money in this business. 

Before we talk about exactly how to make money with Shaklee, we should talk about the Shaklee pyramid scheme claims going around.

Is Shaklee A Pyramid Scheme?

Is Shaklee legit?

Yes.

Is Shaklee multi level marketing?

Yes.

The truth is, network marketing AKA MLM has gotten a bad rap over the last few decades. There is a good reason for that.

There have been countless illegal pyramids and Ponzi schemes who have claimed to be legit network marketing opportunities.

Many people got scammed out of a lot of money through all these schemes and as we all know, bad news spreads much faster than good news.

But there is a fundamental difference between true network marketing (like the Shaklee MLM) and an illegal pyramid scheme.

In a pyramid scheme, people get paid exclusively to recruit more members into the organisation. There are no products sold and the whole “business” is based on people paying for a spot in the pyramid-shaped organisation.

In a network marketing business like Shaklee, income is only generated from product sales.

It’s a value for value exchange.

Period.

Full stop.

The network marketing business model is simply the method by which the products are distributed.

One of the most important ways to distinguish between a pyramid scheme and multi level marketing is whether or not customers are willing to buy the products regardless of the business opportunity. 

Shaklee has many customers who want nothing to do with the business.

Like me.

While I originally got started as a distributor, I quickly realised that I didn’t have enough passion for health and wellness to build a long term business with Shaklee network marketing.

BUT I loved the products.

They made me feel so good that I have been willing to pay for them regardless of the business model that the company uses.

It’s a value for value exchange.

I pay money (value) and I receive products that I love (value). 

That is the major fundamental difference between a legitimate business and an illegal pyramid scheme.

Shaklee Lawsuit

Unlike some of the most well known network marketing companies like Herbalife, Shaklee hasn’t had that many lawsuits, especially regarding the business model itself.

There was one lawsuit in 1974 where the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) ordered Shaklee to stop making unrealistic claims about a product that they sold back then called Instant Protein.

Shaklee agreed and really hasn’t had much trouble since then. This is unlike many opposing MLM companies, like for example Amway and Herbalife, who have been mired in countless lawsuits over the years.

Shaklee Corporation seems to do a lot of due diligence in scientific testing so most of the claims made by Shaklee independent distributors can be backed up. 

And if a customer is unsatisfied, they can get a refund with no questions asked.

How To Succeed In The Shaklee Business

The truth is, most people who join the Shaklee business opportunity don’t ever make enough money to quit their day job.

There are 2 main reasons for this:

Many people who join the Shaklee business may sign up as a distributor, but they don’t actively try to build a big business. They’re simply content with buying products and receiving a bit of a discount for being technically signed up as a distributor.

This does skew the statistics slightly.

The second and main reason why so many people fail to have success in Shaklee network marketing is because they lack proper training and accountability.

We will talk more about how to have success in Shaklee a bit later.

How Much Do Shaklee Distributors Make?

Is it possible to make a life changing income with Shaklee?

Absolutely.

There are people in the business who make mind boggling amounts of money, well into the 7 figures.

But we have to bear in mind that these people have been in the Shaklee business for many years.

Keep in mind, Shaklee has been in the network marketing business for over 65 years and there are people in the business who have built lifelong careers in with the company.

People who have been in the business since the beginning.

Additionally, these people treat the business very seriously. It is a real business but the fact is, many new aspiring network marketers don’t actually treat it like a real business.

They get started with unrealistic expectations, thinking they will be making 6 or 7 figures in a year or 2.

While this is technically possible, it’s very unlikely and will take incredible dedication, personal growth, and really hard work.

In fact, as of 2021, the average person getting started in the Shaklee MLM business makes only $771 per year according to the official Shaklee data. 

This realisation can quickly hit home when a newbie comes into the business with unrealistic expectations. It can cause them to lose motivation and quit.

And that’s how most people fail in network marketing… they quit.

So let’s talk about some key things you need to know in order to succeed in the Shaklee network marketing opportunity.

Build Momentum Fast

Your first year will determine your future in network marketing.

Most people spend too much time “getting ready” to build the business. 

It shouldn’t take you that long to “get ready” in this business.

As soon as you get started, you should immediately go through your Shaklee business starter kit, schedule a call with your Shaklee business leader, put together your Shaklee business plan, schedule your trip to the annual Shaklee Global Conference, and start taking action as soon as possible while you’re still excited about your new opportunity.

If you spend 2 weeks just watching videos, learning, and getting ready to get ready, you will lose momentum right out of the gate and your business will grind to a halt before it even starts.

Duplication

The big secret of success in network marketing is not actually recruiting or sales skills.

It’s duplication.

This is why it’s so important to do exactly what your Shaklee business leader teaches you because you want everyone in your organisation to follow the same proven system so that they can teach their own business builders the proven system.

This is how deep, profitable network marketing organisations are built.

The top earners in network marketing don’t actually recruit that many people.

They simply teach a system, and teach their business builders to teach the system to their business builders.

If you overcomplicate things, you will not see success in your own downline and your team will never grow without your own efforts.

This is a teaching business more than anything else.

You can read this deep dive article about what it takes to build a long term, massively profitable network marketing business.

Can I Build Shaklee Online?

Yes, although online marketing is not really taught heavily by Shaklee or the distributors. I would recommend just following the system you’re taught by your Shaklee business leader.

Remember, duplication is key.

However, once you have built a team that is starting to grow without you and you’ve run out of prospects in your personal network, it’s OK to turn to the internet.

Internet marketing can be a great way to have interested prospects reaching out to you about your business. This is commonly referred to in the industry as attraction marketing.

Shaklee and Internet Marketing

Internet marketing is not really taught in the Shaklee business because it’s not actually that duplicable.

Internet marketing is really not that difficult and everyone can learn it. But it’s not something that produces immediate results.

Remember how we talked about building momentum fast?

The internet is full of distractions and rabbit holes. If there is a heavy focus put on internet marketing rather than traditional means of prospecting, many people will fall into the internet rabbit hole. Rather than focusing on income producing activities.

This is why you need to initially put a heavy focus on building your team the way that you’re taught before adding the internet marketing skillset to your business arsenal.

But once you’re ready, there are 3 main things to focus on when building any business online.

Create Content

Do you want to attract interested prospects to you? People who are actually looking for a network marketing business?

Then you need to focus on becoming a thought leader in your niche.

When somebody is asking themselves a question about their business or whatever topic you’re covering, YOU want to be the first person that comes to this person’s mind.

So your focus should be on creating content that provides value and answers common questions that people are asking.

You want to become an authority figure on whatever topic you’re creating content on.

Collect Leads

I would recommend building an email list, but you could also build a list via social media. You should have some type of free gift to entice people to get on your list.

Once people are on your list, you should continue to provide value. Don’t bombard them with sales pitches about your products or opportunity again and again.

Sell Products + Recruit Reps

But you have to make money, right?

After all, you’re running a real business. So every now and then you need to have a call to action. I would recommend keeping your messages to your list around 80% pure value and 20% sales pitches.

This is a major oversimplification of internet marketing, but you can learn the ins and outs of online marketing here.

What Other Shaklee Reviews Don’t Tell You

The Shaklee business opportunity, like everything else in life, is certainly not perfect. I wrote this Shaklee review for you in order to share the good AND the bad of this business. 

If you want to make an educated decision, it’s important for you to see both sides of the coin and have a nuanced view of the subject you’re researching.

So what’s bad about the Shaklee business?

Cult-like Attitudes

This is by no means unique to the Shaklee business. You’ll find this type of attitude in every single network marketing company.

The newly minted distributors are so excited to get going that they tend to make unrealistic income claims as well as unrealistic claims about the effectiveness of the products.

Back when I was in the Shaklee business, I felt like my fellow distributors believed that Shaklee was the answer to all of my woes. It would increase my health exponentially, which would help my mindset, which would allow me to become extraordinarily successful with the Shaklee business.

Look, there’s some truth to that.

But it’s only partially true.

For someone like myself who had zero business experience, I found it to be very off putting.

I couldn’t believe that one company would change every aspect of my life.

Life is complicated and nuanced.

No one company is a panacea for all of the problems in life, which it felt like Shaklee distributors believed.

Strained Personal Relationships

Again, this issue is not unique to the Shaklee business. 

You see, when someone gets started in network marketing, they are so excited about the opportunity that they can’t imagine how anyone could possibly not be interested.

So when they start sharing the opportunity with family and friends, they get frustrated when many of their loved ones inevitably turn down the opportunity.

The new distributor got his hopes up, only to be let down.

This can be devastating for a new distributor, high on the new and exciting opportunity.

The other thing that can happen is you may start to see your friends and family as a target. Like you’re a tiger, out hunting. Ready to pounce as soon as you see an opportunity. 

Some of your loved ones may start to retreat because they’re afraid you’ll talk about nothing but your new business.

And they hate turning you down.

Because they love you… but they’re also not interested in your business.

And that’s OK!

Set your expectations early.

Realise that most people will say no.

That’s OK, move on to the next prospect and never mention it again. Understand that everyone views life through a different lens and if somebody is not open to your opportunity, it is not a reflection on you or your business.

Results Based Compensation

While the way you get paid in network marketing is extremely efficient and inherently fair, there can be a downside. If you don’t show up or perform, you don’t get paid.

This can be a very difficult mindset adjustment for someone who is used to working a 9-5 job.

Understand that the only guaranteed way to make money is by working a job. Trading your time for dollars.

But it’s not the best way.

Jim Rohn said that profits are infinitely better than wages…

This is true, but profits don’t show up overnight. Like any business, you’ll find yourself working at a loss for the first while before the profits start rolling in.

Negative Stigma

Is this one of those MLM things?

Isn’t Shaklee a pyramid scheme?

There is a nearly 100% chance that you’ll get these questions as you talk to people about the Shaklee business. Unfortunately, some bad actors have hurt the reputation of network marketing.

But it’s not the end of the world.

Just be prepared for these remarks. Know that this could make your network marketing career a little more difficult, but certainly not impossible.

It’s ultimately a numbers game. If you talk to enough people, you will find many who are open minded enough to take a look at the business and many will see it for what it is.

Shaklee Questions – FAQ

Let’s do a “rapid fire” of some of the most common questions about the Shaklee business.

Shaklee Review Summarised

Is Shaklee worth it?

Overall I would say yes. I certainly love using the products and millions of people agree with me.

In terms of joining the Shaklee business opportunity, it depends. While it is a great opportunity and I personally know people who are very successful with Shaklee, it’s not for everyone.

If health and wellness isn’t really your passion, then you likely won’t be that successful in building a big business based on health and wellness. At least that was my personal experience.

Why Choose Shaklee?

If you are looking for a supplement regimen to improve your health, I couldn’t recommend the Shaklee products more. They undergo stringent testing and research which is more than one can say about many competitive brands.

If you are considering the Shaklee business opportunity and you do have a passion for health and wellness, then this could be a good opportunity. 

There will be plenty of support available to you.

If your direct sponsor isn’t that much help, you can always reach out to other leaders higher up in the team. Everyone in Shaklee has a vested interest in you succeeding, especially people in your upline.

Because if you make money, they make money too. 

Win win.