MLMs bring back some of my worst memories in life.
My parents went broke during the financial crisis, right in 2007. During the process they had each started some personal side businesses that were MLM-related, one of which had been introduced to them by my former private lessons music instructor, who was on his own downward cycle. Unlike him and his wife, my parents didn't later divorce, something I'm eternally grateful for.
My mom got involved with a health product. We were always kind of a junk food family, though not morbidly obese. I think she felt bad. She tried to make me take those products as well, which led to some adolescent rage and tears, and eventually she relented. My dad got involved with some side sales of products at gas stations. Frequently items were stolen by customers or the gas stations lied and didn't report the full sales. They lost a lot trying to scrape extra money.
I think my parents, like most people, had a hard time understanding opportunity cost and the cost of one's time. I've had several friends do MLMs for side money, but none ever worked out well for them. From the wikipedia page: "Studies by independent consumer watchdog agencies have shown that between 990 and 999 of every 1000 participants (i.e. between 99.0% and 99.9% of all participants) in MLMs in fact lose money."
If my dad had spent that time and money getting his CLD Class B license, it would have made him untold tens of thousands more over the years. My mom still makes some side cash from candles, not associated with any MLM thank God, but even then they take whole evenings to make for "extra cash" returns.
I would tell anybody, absolutely anybody, to invest in employable skills, or skills that will make you more money, and not to waste time and effort getting scammed....