No such thing as a free lunch...or is there?

Julius was just here a couple of hours ago doing a sales pitch to my mom. For those of you who don't know Julius, he's my business-oriented blockmate who joined this networking company, Quest.net, who also wants me to join said company. I'll break this down for you the simplest way I can.

Quest.net is a company that sells different products like gold. Julius joined as an "independent representative (IR)", like an insurance salesman I guess. He earns his commission by selling the products of the company plus by getting those people to join the company too as IR's (=networking). To join the company you have to either buy something expensive like a $600 gold coin collection or sell a company product to two people. The bottom line is that the promise is as long as you remain active, you will continue to earn and if you are passionate, then you are paving your way to your own early retirement.

It is easier to buy something from the company than to get two people to buy something from a company you don't belong to to join. But that will mean shelling out a lot of cash to do so. That's where Julius comes in.

He said a client of his bought a product. That means he has the opportunity now to join the company, however, he doesn't want to take it. Now Julius is looking for someone to take this opportunity before it becomes wasted, and he is looking at me, or rather, my mom. You see, since last year he has been bugging me to join his company, and to be honest more than once has the thought crossed my mind of actually joining. Arwin and I even had the "December plan", the get-$600-somehow-and-join-Quest-by-December-2006 plan, which kinda lost steam along the way. But now Julius is offering the chance to join for FREE.

Sad thing is that I'm not yet of legal age, i.e. 18 to join legally. Oh how it's so fun and sad to be young. That's why Julius tried to pitch it to my mom instead, do that when I do become legal she can pass it on to me. But my mom is reluctant to join. I said just join for me and I'll do all the work.

I really want my mom to take this opportunity. As Julius says it, it's risk free AND totally free. I'm ready to take that challenge on. What attracts me is the for FREE part, but to be honest when I think about the work attached to it, the seminars, the training, the sales talks, I get discouraged and I hear a voice in my head goes "I don't want to do that". But that's why I like to take it now. The "for free" offer is only for a limited time, and scraping together Php30,000 to enter the company is something I'm not really keen on doing, given a much cheaper alternative is already on my doorstep.

Besides, that's how I get over my inhibitions and second thoughts. I stop thinking it over, close my eyes and just jump into it, head first risk and all. That's me, volunteer like hell and don't think while I'm doing it. So I hope my mom says yes. I see the opportunity dangling in front of my face and there are no strings attached. It really looks like a free lunch to me.