I used my cancer diagnosis to make money and raked in millions – it’s my biggest regret

A MOTHER OF FIVE who raked in millions by ‘exploiting’ her cervical cancer diagnosis has revealed it is her biggest regret.

Emily Lynn Paulson acted “predatorily” by using her “sobbing story” to boost sales of skincare products in her multilevel marketing (MLM) business.

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She admitted thinking, “How dare you say no to a woman with cancer?”

The businesswoman also bribed her recruits to host cancer research sales events, but pocketed much of the profits due to the structure of MLMs.

They have a pyramidal business structure in which newer entrants report to whoever recruited them – and the person who recruited them makes money from their sales.

Many MLMs insist they are not the same as controversial Ponzi schemes because they sell product.

Emily, an author and speaker from Oregon, USA, joined an unnamed MLM in 2013 to “get away from it all as a housewife.”

In an essay for the Today Show, the 43-year-old described how he is “on top of the world” and “attracted to the promises” of unlimited earnings and all the expense of paid travel and gifts.

She wrote: “I was posting on social media several times a day, selling products and throwing parties between play dates and taking kids to school.

“And bringing almost all of my friends (sometimes reluctantly) onto my growing team of MLM indoctrines.

“I believed I was helping people.

“Giving them the dream of financial freedom, a destination beyond the four walls of their home, a possible escape from their 9 to 5 grind.

“It finally worked for me!”

But the sad reality of MLMs is that according to a 2018 AARP survey, 74% of people who join either lose or don’t make money.

Two years into her MLM journey, Emily was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 36 and soon began “exploiting” people.

She shared the sad news with her MLM team — the women she recruited and the women she recruited — with some encouraging her to “use this diagnosis to her advantage.”

She explained: “I couldn’t understand how anything about this painful experience could be beneficial.

“That is, until someone reminded me that many women in our MLM had monetized sympathy for their circumstances.

“The woman whose husband had died; another whose son had a life-threatening illness; another whose home was leveled in a hurricane.

“I’ve seen firsthand how these women gain sympathy, which inevitably led to sales.”

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The businesswoman began encouraging her team to host cancer research sales events.

She would bribe them with free gifts and promise to donate a portion of the profits to charity.

Emily regretted: “Not only was that a bribe, it was also a coercion because I was her upline.

“I was in a position of power and they didn’t want to let me down.

“Besides, how dare you say no to a woman with CANCER who is (apparently) trying to do something good?

“This pressure also extended to customers.

“What kind of person wouldn’t buy a $50 eye cream knowing that a few dollars in sales would boost something good?

“All along, it’s been a duplicitous way for me to grow sales and my customer base.”

Guilt began to creep up on Emily when she realized that “what she had done was neither helpful nor charitable.”

She reflected on their behavior as “predatory and vile”.

The mother was diagnosed with cancer again in 2017 and made sure not to use her diagnosis to “manipulate” people this time.

She said: “With more clarity, I finally understood what I had done and why it was wrong, while continuing to watch similar tactics being used in the MLM world around me.

“I’ve seen women on stage at conferences sharing their sad stories of how their injury, job loss or family tragedy led to an influx of clients.

“I became more aware of the success stories that started with a sob story.”

Emily now believes that mixing sales and charity is “no more than a marketing ploy” and that MLMs “rely on exploiting vulnerabilities.”

She has written a memoir about her time selling skincare products in an MLM, which will be published later this year.

It is titled Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing.

She concluded: “Although I needed more time than I wanted and I stayed a lot longer than I was supposed to.

“At some point I realized that no amount of money was worth being involved in something that would allow me to act in such a predatory manner.

“Sending in my resignation form was almost as liberating as hearing ‘cancer-free’ at my five-year checkup this year. Nearly.”