We got it done. I'll be honest with you. Four years ago, when I originally tried to pass MY version of the anti-pyramid bill, I would never have guessed that I would've successfully collaborated with the DSA to get a bill passed. The DSA and I were on opposite sides of the aisle at that time. But...people grow. We grow wiser, experience things, we learn and we develop. The DSA Model Legislation was passed in my home state (Tennessee) with an overwhelming majority in the state house and senate. The DSA announced the good news today (and I got a little ink...as a Supplier Member, that's a big deal;)Click here for the full text of the Tennessee Anti-Pyramid Bill.I'm going to share with you what led me to pick up the phone and reach out to Joe Mariano about this effort. I was watching the movie "Lincoln" starring my favorite actor, Daniel Day Lewis. There was a scene where Lincoln was chatting with staunch abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens. Stevens wanted Lincoln to draw a firmer line with respect to slavery. Lincoln's words made sense to me:"A compass, I learned when I was surveying, it'll... it'll point you True North from where you're standing, but it's got no advice about the swamps and deserts and chasms that you'll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp... What's the use of knowing True North?"In life, it's unwise to take extreme "I'm right, and you're wrong!" positions. This is especially true with politics when it comes to language in a bill. Is the bill PERFECT? No. But legislation is not about perfection. Legislation / politics is about compromise. It's about identifying shared goals with parties with unique interests and working towards those mutual goals, regardless if your personal preferences are fully met. 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing. At this juncture in the industry, it's more important now than ever that PEOPLE WORK TOGETHER. This bill legitimizes the practice of paying commissions on internal consumption. It also has requirements for solid consumer protections i.e. 12 month buyback policies. In this industry, battle lines are drawn between companies, vendors, distributors and Wall Street investors. With so many contrarian views, it's impossible to pull out anything actionable that we agree on. At a time such as now, we all need to support a consistent vision that network marketing, when done appropriately, is a legitimate and viable means of distributing goods and services. The "when done appropriately" part is the part that trips us up. What's appropriate? What distinguishes good from bad? There's no consensus and, in my opinion, there's never going to be a consensus without federal guidelines. In the meantime, groups in the industry need to LEAN IN and take some positions. At a minimum, people need to get behind the idea that paying commissions on internal consumption is legitimate provided that consumer safeguards are in place. Companies MUST refrain from encouraging/incentivizing distributors to load up on inventory they don't really want in quantities they can't really justify.With other leaders in the industry, I want you to take a position. Don't just talk about "elevating the profession." I challenge you to propose some concrete ideas about how you intend on making it happen. As a unified front, there's no stopping from advancing. But as a dispersed band of competitors, we're weak.

Conclusion

I was pleased to get this effort going in Tennessee. And without the DSA communicating support, the effort would've died. Jack Johnson, one of the bill's sponsors said, "I was happy to work with Kevin Thompson and the DSA on this bill. Kevin's credibility and expertise on the subject made it easier for us to get the support we needed for the bill. I'm always happy to serve my constituents and I'm very pleased with this result."Special thanks also goes out to Senator Jack Johnson who co-sponsored the bill from the State Senate. One of the reasons Tennessee is tearing it up economically compared to the other states: we've got great, pro-business leaders.