A real lifesaver.

I READ YOUR ARTICLE IN THE NOVEMBER 2004 ISSUE TITLED "Network Marketing or Pyramid Scheme?" I think it is awesome that BLACK ENTERPRISE has accepted network marketing as a legitimate business model and would like to educate African Americans on how to determine the difference between the illegal pyramid schemes and a real business opportunity.

My wife and I have been in the network marketing industry for over 16 years, working with the same company the entire time. We have been very fortunate to have found a real, legitimate company with a real product and a personal mentorship program that has helped improve our odds of success. Because of the company and the opportunity that network marketing provides, we have earned over $3 million in personal income within the last 16 years.

We are African American, raised in the inner city of South Central Los Angeles with no formal college education. Prior to joining Primerica Financial Services back in 1988, I was earning $5.90 an hour as an emergency medical technician while my wife was earning about $9 an hour as a clerk typist for the City of Los Angeles.

Network marketing was a real lifesaver for me because I was constantly being exposed to drugs and gangs every day while living in South Central. When presented with the opportunity to get involved in network marketing, I was reluctant at first, because I didn't know anything about finances or business. But I did know that I had to do something that would afford me the opportunity to move out of the inner city, where the influence to make illegal money was stronger than the risk of going to jail or even dying.

What many people don't understand about most network marketing companies is that success is not only measured by how much money one can earn, but also by the many intangibles that come as a fringe benefit of being around positive people who are constantly working on self-improvement.

Gary D. Kornegay Sr.

Alta Loma, CA