Should I rep two brands at once? Well... the answer might surprise you.

Have you had this internal dialogue? I love my company, but I've tapped out on my income. I'm being recruited by another brand, and it sounds so exciting and fun. I'm sure I'd love the products just as much. My upline is going to KILL me. My team might kill me. But I want the fun back. I want to build. I want to recruit. I want to have more income. What do I do?

Guess what? You're not alone. So many people are having this same struggle right now. It's no surprise that things are moving and shaking in the direct sales channel. A few companies have closed their doors. For other brands, sales have been stagnant or on the decline. Enrollments are rocky, but customers have been steady and loyal. However, the overall market is leaving a lot of the field saying, "I want the fun back. I want growth. I want to build." In one of his songs, Bob Dylan said, "He not busy being born is busy dying." I'd agree. The fun and excitement is in the growth and building. It's in the birth of something great.

But is starting a second business (a new brand) the right move? To answer this question, we need to consider how you've built your business. Let's take a step back and look at social media and influencers. Influencers are those who have built a following online (Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, MySpace, etc.). The business that they're in is building a following through creating great content--blog posts, videos, or instagram photos. Their followers build a relationship with them and start to trust them and their preferences. As such, brands pay these influencers as brand ambassadors or affiliates to recommend their products. If they're an affiliate of a brand, they may earn 10-15% off of all the sales they generate for that company (which can be fairly lucrative), but they don't stop there. They aren't a part of the company; they aren't an employee. They're an influencer, an independent agent. They can then sell whatever products they want, and if they're smart, they'll focus on those products that will be most aligned or most beneficial to their following. For example, if an influencer appeals to middle-aged women, she probably won't all of the sudden become an ambassador for Old Spice or Axe. She'll probably be more likely to be an affiliate for Suave or Secret.

That said, the trend with social media and marketing is getting the products, the word of mouth, down to the nano and micro influencers. These influencers have greater engage and higher levels of trust with their audiences.

Are you an influencer?

So here's the question. Are you an influencer? Are you a micro or nano influencer? Do you spend time curating your content and focusing on building your audience. If the way you've built your business is as an influencer would, then it makes sense that you would introduce other products or services that would serve your audience's needs. Monetize that following. Look for those areas of life that you can truly get passionate about. It might be fitness, meal planning, organization, animals, mindset, coaching... you name it. Find that thing that floats your boat, get deep in it, and share with your audience.

Are you a seller?

Now, if you're a seller, we need to thing through this a bit more. Maybe you built your biz off of just sheer hustle. Maybe you hit the phone, texted and messaged people like nobody's business. If this is you, if you're not selling passively (to a following via social media), most likely you're spending your time selling. You have to ask yourself by adding another product or business will I be able to adequately maintain and sell to both customer bases. If your previous business is on autopilot and your managing those customer fairly well, then it might be a good move for you. If, on the other hand, you're still super engage with your customers and you spend all day talking to them and serving their needs, what makes you think you'll be able to add another business? You need to consider your time and effort to make sure you'll get the payoff you're looking for.

Are you a leader?

You may have heard the saying that you can't chase two rabbits. This is where I believe that's true. If you consider yourself a leader, most likely you spend your time training, incenting, motivating, challenging, and recognizing your team. Unless you plan on selling or leaving your business and focusing on your new gig full time, I don't know how you could credibly do both. Whether you like it or not, you send signs to your team that working that biz is great and that there's a ton of opportunity left for everyone to grow until the cows come home. You're a recruiter. You're into team building. You recruit because you're passionate about the products and the business. You believe people can actually do it. That said, the moment you introduce something else, it sends the signal that the business isn't all you hoped it would be, that you believe there's more income out there, just not with that opportunity.

That said, if you, as the leader, are truly in the dumps. If your team is lacking, your heart isn't in it, you're uninspired, and you're just not motivated. What are you doing? Do your upline a favor. Do your team a favor. Get out. Make a clean break. Start recruiting and building again. Make sure your financial bases are covered and the company you're headed to has a solid foundation (see my previous article for what that criteria looks like), but move on, be 100% happy with your decision, and work your tail off. Because here's the truth. If you feel that way, so do a lot of the other leaders. If you land someplace good and are successful, those other leaders are just waiting to see where the next best gig is. They'll join you in a heart beat.

Now, I know... there's a lot of you out there who won't want to comment or like or share this. I get it. Just be confident that you're not alone. I'd love to hear your perspective if you're brave enough. Can you be a leader and rep two brands? Can you be a seller and rep two brands? Leave it in the comments below.