The Rebuild Standard
The 8 things I check before I'll build with anyone.
It cost me everything to learn these. Lost 20 years of work in 2019 because of ownership I trusted and shouldn't have. The signs were there. I didn't know to look. This page is the looking — and it's free for you.
Get the Printable Scorecard — FreeIn October 2019 I lost everything I'd built over 20 years because of ownership I trusted and shouldn't have. The signs were there. I didn't know to look. This page is the looking.
The 8 Checks
Most people inspect a house harder than they inspect a company they're about to attach their name to. Here's the inspection.
Ownership
Who owns this company, by name?
Can I meet them or at least watch them answer hard questions?
What happened to the last field they led?
The answer that should scare you: "The owners like their privacy."
Infrastructure
Who manufactures the product?
Who ships it?
Who built the tech?
The answer that should scare you: A list of vendors. Rented pieces fail under pressure, and when they do, your check is the shock absorber.
The Balance Sheet
Is the company carrying debt?
Who invested, and what return do they expect, on what timeline?
The answer that should scare you: "That's not really field information." It is. Investor pressure always lands on comp eventually.
The Product
What percentage of customers are not reps?
Would I buy this at this price with no business attached?
The answer that should scare you: You wouldn't.
Compensation Design
Show me exactly how a person gets paid for acquiring a customer.
The answer that should scare you: Twenty minutes of explanation that's all about recruiting.
Real Customers
What's the reorder rate?
Do customers stay when reps leave?
The answer that should scare you: Nobody knows.
Culture and Training
What does the company actually teach its field, and how often?
The answer that should scare you: The training calendar is all hype calls and no skills.
Timing and Trajectory
Is this growth funded by infrastructure or adrenaline?
What happens to this company in a flat quarter?
The answer that should scare you: "We're the fastest-growing company in the industry!" That's not an answer. That's a sparkler.
What failing looks like.
I've watched this industry for twenty years, and the failures rhyme. The hot launch with a rented supply chain that cracks the first big quarter. The beautiful product owned by investors who quietly cut the comp when the growth slows. The charismatic owner nobody's ever sat across from.
None of these look like failures on launch day. That's the point. The checklist sees what the hype hides.
Common questions
What is the Rebuild Standard?
The 8-point inspection I run on any direct sales company before building with it. It came out of losing everything in 2019 to a company that would have failed at least three of the checks. It's free, and it works on any opportunity, not just mine.
What should I look for in a network marketing company?
Start with ownership, infrastructure, and the balance sheet — in that order. Those three will tell you more than any comp plan presentation. The other five checks handle the rest.
How do you spot a bad network marketing company?
The failures rhyme. Owners you can't meet. Rented supply chain. Outside investors on a repayment clock. Comp nobody can explain. No real customers who aren't also reps. These don't look like failures on day one. The checklist sees them early.
I ran my own next move through this exact standard. Months of looking. One company passed.