Get your fugly leggings on!
Everyone wanted a piece of LuLaRoe. The brainchild of founders DeAnne Stidham and Mark Stidham provided colorful leggings and other unique products to women but also was a means for women to make their own money by joining their team of venders. As the LuLaRoe Empire grows, people begin noticing things don’t quite seem right among the people and the products of the company…and LuLaRoe’s plan to make everyone LuLaRich is going to fall through.
LuLaRich is a crime documentary series. The four part series was released on Amazon on September 10, 2021 and received positive reviews.
This looks like the Senate page program with all the diversity
I have to admit, I heard the name LuLaRoe, but knew nothing about it. I was sure if it was somehow tied to lululemon which sounds the same but I vaguely knew it was something about clothes. The documentary cleared up any confusion about the company and showed me that regardless what name clothing line went by, it was kind of criminal.
“True Crime Documentary” is in a way a bit of a misnomer for LuLaRich. It isn’t false because the documentary is largely about the crimes of the company, but the company’s crimes are scamming vs. murder and mayhem. The “true crime” label is often overly applied and kind of is applied in that way here. I will call it true crime because it fits under the umbrella, but don’t go looking for LuLaRich to have unsolved murders and buried bodies…it is a series about the trap of money.
This guy knows how to party!
The series really gets into the debate of what is multilevel market (MLM) vs. a pyramid scheme. I’ve seen stuff on pyramid schemes and it is a very, very, very fine line that most people who don’t have law backgrounds can’t determine. LuLaRoe gets into trouble by incentivizing getting followers vs. actually selling product…which is part of where the line is drawn. To me, both are almost criminal in that by saturating a market, the people at the bottom will never profit once the multilevel marketing system is established…there are too many people selling (as seen in the documentary).
What is shocking about the documentary is the “ignorance” of the owners. This is slightly tricky because I don’t know that they are as ignorant as they pretend to be for the camera or in the deposition which is shown throughout the episodes. Yes, they mismanaged the company in many ways and didn’t plan or think out how to handle expansion, but I also think they were more hands-on (or at least the papers were coming across their desks) that told the truth…and they chose to ignore it and slander people who called them on their lies. That becomes criminal in that sense as well, but it is probably much harder to prove.
This guy is pretty pissed about Kelly Clarkson…and drops some Star Trek knowledge
In general, the documentary is filled with rather rich characters. DeAnne and Mark don’t come off as inspirational, but instead feel like they are cramming philosophy, religious beliefs, and faux superiority complex down the throat of the people…the fact that they agreed to be interviewed doesn’t show that they felt they didn’t do anything wrong as much as it is audacity and too big to be called out. You have Sam Schultz who is a nephew of DeAnne who was the “party guy” who has a rather unfortunate firing and a poorly planned cannabis comeback…the top character has to be the Star Trek quoting volleyball referee Derryl Trujillo that is fake in a way that is too desperate to be fake.
LuLaRich is a tough documentary in that it is sometimes hard to feel bad for the people that were hurt. Some people poured their life savings into the company and did get out what they expected for a while before the market came crashing down…while they were encouraged to reinvest, greed seems to cloud judgment and people that are not versed in business should at least surround themselves with business managers if they are dealing in the numbers that some where bringing in for LuLaRoe. It is a cautionary tale that feels more like a warning not to trust something that seems too good to be true…or it could bite you back.
“Start Up”
Episode 1: Start Up Release Date: 09/10/21
DeAnne Stidham and Mark Stidham had a vision. They wanted to work in a business where there control over the product, continued demand, and no limits to potential. When DeAnne realized how many women wanted quick and easy clothes and also had the same dream, LuLaRoe was born. Building on a model with people below helping push the products and building their own networks, LuLaRoe gained traction quickly…but it also gained criticism.
“Show Up”
Episode 2: Show Up Release Date: 09/10/21
LuLaRoe is growing with leaps and bounds…but the management and the number of people on-boarding begins to back-up. The cost and price of joining LuLaRoe was more than many could afford and the “unicorn” nature of the shopping leads to positives and negative results. The bonus check effect of LuLaRoe leads to people being more interested in recruiting instead of selling.
“Blow Up”
Episode 3: Blow Up Release Date: 09/10/21
The goal of LuLaRoe’s “Family First” push comes into question as husbands are asked to quit work while sellers become dependent on the company. The image of LuLaRoe pushes women for new looks and style, but also a gastric bypass surgery in Mexico. The quality of the products begins to change and storage concerns lead sellers to be stuck with damaged goods. Sam Schultz finds himself terminated by his aunt but the reason behind the termination is in question.
“Toe Up”
Episode 4: Toe Up Release Date: 09/10/21
LuLaRoe switches how the bonus check are distributed in 2017 and the already disillusioned sellers face new challenges. When LuLaRoe rejects plans to accept returns of products, a class-action lawsuit builds against DeAnne Stidham and Mark Stidham and their company and LuLaRoe’s empire could topple.
