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Rating: 
Summary: Worth it to read IF...
Review: ...you have been involved in MLMs before, particularly Equinox or any of its offshoots. I was involved w/Equinox for about 7 months, and I lost less than $10,000 in that time (and consider myself lucky). It was quite the learning experience.
Even though it is written from his first-person perspective, and he obviously went through a lot of personal pain & growth, I don't think he really exaggerated anything in this book. While not as high in the organization, his expereinces certainly mimiced mine. It's too bad the intent never even got close to liven up to its ideal. It's a quick read (you probably ought to be able to get through it in 4 hours or less...). If you worked Equinox and want some closure (or just heard of the industry & want a really gritty, pretty accurate perspective), it's worth the price of adminssion.
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Summary: Bill Gouldd - The Emporer Has No Clothes
Review: As a business person and sales trainer who has dabbled in MLM, and loves it as a business concept, I have studied and observed Bill Gouldd and Advanced Marketing since the days of NSA. His success was hard to argue with, and his training methods had a certain logic - I found myself rooting for his success with Equinox.I always wondered about the stories I would occasionally hear of an abusive meglomaniac, rather than a motivational messiah. The disciples on the testimonial videos seemed a little too robotic and rehearsed. So-called top producers closed offices and dropped out of sight. Now comes the peek under Equinox's skirts provided by Rob Styler. When I go back to the old testimonial videos and see Rob spouting the company line, I almost feel sorry for him. The book is great - a real page turner! A MUST for any fan of MLM.
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Summary: Everything sounds so familiar....
Review: Excellent. Hard to put down. You will most likely read it in one sitting. You will be shocked and you will laugh out loud. Bill Gouldd is pretty slimy.
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Summary: Honest
Review: I did a short stint with Equinox and quickly got out after realizing the company is all about getting someone to cough up $5,000, and having them ask their friends and family to do the same. Robert Morgan Styler shares his Equinox story with honesty. It doesn't read like victim fiction; he tells honestly of his own shortcomings, his desire to make money, and where that road led to with Bill Gouldd "guiding" him. The anecdotes about Bill Gouldd would be shockingly unbelievable if you had never listened to the man in person. I saw him at a conference and he's exactly as Styler describes him: arrogant, cruel, power hungry. He may have money, but he has no class, and I'd be surprised if he has any real friends, with the way he abuses people. If you've ever been in Equinox (or still are), you must read this honest account of what one man went through to get to the top, and what he found once he got there. I admire Robert Morgan Styler for being willing to be so transparent in his book.
Rating:
Summary: Honest
Review: I WAS INVOLVED IN EQUINOX INTERNATIONAL SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND FOUND THE INFORMATION IN ROB STYLERS BOOK TO BE THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. THE BOOK HELPED ME TO LET GO AND MOVE ON REALIZING THAT WHAT HAPPENED WASN'T JUST MY INTERPRETATION, BUT THE TRUTH OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED ALL THE TIME IN THE COMPANY. EVERYONE WHO WAS INVOLVED, OR THINKING ABOUT BEING INVOLVED SHOULD READ THIS BOOK TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE GETTING INTO, OR OUT OF. THANK GOD FOR THIS BOOK.
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Summary: A "must read" for anyone involved in the mlm industry!
Review: I was involved with Equinox for several years. Since I lived on the West coast at the time, I met and/or knew many of the people in Rob's book. He gives an honest account of his experience with NSA, Equinox and Bill Gouldd in particular. Most mlm books are either pro-mlm or anti-mlm. Very few things are all good or all bad. This book shows both sides and exposes the reason for the eventual downfall of what once was the fastest growing company in America. It is a real eye opener for those folks who think that network marketing doesn't require any real work. It also shows you the warning signs of bad leadership. Read, learn and enjoy! It's a real rollercoaster ride!
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Summary: Everything sounds so familiar....
Review: Once you start reading it, and re-live everything you experienced personally in every chapter, you can't put it down. Really easy and entertaining to read. Makes you laugh and cry at the same time. I worked Equinox fulltime for a full year ... making little money and spending a whole lot more. It is amazing, what a good time you can have while going broke. I still think, network marketing is a great idea - the ultimate form of pure capitalism, but it is ultimately the integrity of the company and especially its leaders, which set the ethical standards. Whenever using half-truths and lies sneek into the culture of a company, it is doomed for failure - as Winston Churchill put it: "The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. Ignorance may deride it. But in the end, there it is." Great book, that might help you understand some things about MLM better.
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Summary: Looking behind the smoke and mirrors at Equinox Int'l
Review: This book is an absolutely fascinating read for anyone who came into contact with Equinox International, the Multi-Level Marketing company that flared across America in the early 1990s and lured thousands of Americans into handing over their money, time, and, most often, their self-respect in pursuit of quick fortunes. Equinox, led by charismatic leader Bill Gouldd, used slick promotional materials and pop psychology-based training techniques to induce thousands of people to purchase environmentally friendly products(water filters, vitamins, hair and skin care products) to resell to friends and family for profit. Eventually the US Government shut down Equinox for legal and ethical improprieties and fined Gouldd millions, but not before many people who had bought into the Equinox dream were left with empty pocketbooks and caseloads of unsold Equinox products collecting dust in their garages.
Rob Styler, a former Equinox Executive Director who was part of Gouldd's inner circle, sheds light on the machinations of this defunct company. Through a first person narrative Styler illustrates the way Gouldd helped prey on the naivete and blind desire of people; at its peak, Equinox was convincing lawyers, nurses, insurance agents, and other professionals to leave their stable careers to join the Equinox dream. Inevitably, the inherent flaws of Multi-Level Marketing led to the vast majority of Equinox participants making little to no money while Gouldd and a select few walked away with bundles. Styler interweaves his personal experience with the larger Equinox story to shed light on the workings of this simultaneously fascinating and horrifying company.
Styler's style is accessible and quick; I read the book in one sitting without strain, finding it difficult to put it down. The only minor quibble is Styler's devoting the last section of the book to describing a New-Age spiritual transformation on top of a South American mountain; this is the least interesting part of an otherwise fascinating book. Nevertheless, the majority of the book is devoted to recounting the Equinox story, which is a telling story of the perversion of the American Dream. If you didn't experience Equinox in the 90s this book will still be interesting, but for those who came into contact with the company, it is absolutely stunning. Kudos to Styler bringing the truth to light.
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Summary: This book will leave you spellbound!
Review: This book will leave you spellbound! I read the book cover to cover in one sitting. I too was a Equinox Representative for several years. In fact, Rob Styler, the author, did my first briefing in Atlanta. This book brought back memories and exposed things that most of us did not realize were going on.
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