Plum Blossom is an Amway Training System or Amway Motivational Organization. In essence, it’s a line of sponsorship within Amway led by Barry Chi and Holly Chen.
In the world of network marketing, Amway is the big dog. In the world of Amway, Plum Blossom is one of the largest organizations.
What is Amway’s Plum Blossom?
Plum Blossom is the downline team of Barry Chi and Holly Chen. It is an organization of more than 300,000 people. It is a team. Each person in the team is an Amway Independent Distributor.
Within the team, there is a system. The system teaches people how to build a successful Amway business. The system helps people with their personal growth and is run by the top level leaders in the team.
It is a “for profit” system that offers voice broadcasting, books, audio CDs, seminars, coaching, and more. The team members purchase these business support materials to learn new skills and grow their Amway business. These business tools are optional. No one is forced to buy them.
I have never personally been involved with the Plum Blossom team, so I’m not sure what business support materials they currently offer. The only thing I do know is that these “business support materials” provide a SIGNIFICANT income to the leaders of Plum Blossom, just like the other Amway Motivational Organizations. This is the controversy of the Amway Motivational Organizations that has been around forever.
About Barry Chi & Holly Chen
Here are a few quick facts about Barry Chi and Holly Chen, leaders of the Plum Blossom Amway Motivational Organization.
- They are FAA 70 Double Crown Ambassadors, making them one of the top 5 distributors in all of Amway.
- Their organization has more than 20 Crown Ambassadors and 2,000 Diamonds.
- They joined Amway on November 1st, 1982.
- They first went Diamond in 1996.
- They are Platinums or higher in more than 10 different countries.
- They have more than 300,000 people on their team.
- They are just the second Double Crown Ambassadors in the world.
- Their two sons are both Diamonds in the business.
- They are tremendous leaders, motivators, recruiters and trainers.
What is an Amway Double Crown Ambassador?
According to Amway Wiki, here are the requirements to be an Amway Double Crown Ambassador:
To qualify as a Double Crown Ambassador a qualified Platinum must have 40 legs qualify at the Silver Producer level for at least 6 months within the Amway Performance Year.
And, to be a qualified Platinum, you must:
To qualify as a Platinum an IBO must qualify at the Silver Producer level for at least 6 months within the Amway Fiscal Year (3 months must be in a row). This is the first leader level with an average income of $55,572 with an approximate achievers incentive trip worth $6,200. Source
I want you to think about this for a minute. Going Silver is a pretty huge achievement in Amway. But, helping FORTY different legs in your team do that is no small feat. Hats off to Barry and Holly.
According to the 2018 Amway Reference Guide, a Crown Ambassador is eligible for the following things.
- A 25% Performance Bonus.
- A Crown Ambassador pin.
- A one-time cash award of U.S. $201,000 or $270,000 with Global Award qualification.
- A two-time cash award of $90,000 for consecutive Global Award qualification.
- Participation in the Emerald Profit Sharing Bonus.*
- The annual Emerald, Diamond and Diamond Plus Bonuses.*
- Participation in the annual Growth Incentives Program.
- Display of a formal portrait in the “Hall of Achievement” at Amway Headquarters.
- Other recognition, such as acknowledgment in an IBO publication.
I could not find anything specifically for a Double Crown Ambassador.
My Thoughts
As a network marketer, I have TREMENDOUS respect for anyone who has built an organization as large as Barry Chi and Holly Chen have. 300,000 people is a HUGE team.
Plus, they have been with one company nearly 40-years. That should be every network marketers objective: long-term residual income with one MLM Company. Build it once and keep collecting those checks.
I admire that they stayed in the trenches and stuck it out, through good times and bad. Love them or hate them, they know what it takes to succeed in network marketing!
If I had the opportunity, I’d love to take them out to lunch for a few hours and pick their brain. I know they have a ton of wisdom they could share with others.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the Plum Blossom AMO is one of the largest Amway Motivational Organizations in the world. Most of its team members are located in Taiwan and China. The system provides training, motivation, and business support materials to distributors in its line of sponsorship.
If you are a current or former Amway distributor who participated in the Plum Blossom line of sponsorship, I’d love to hear your personal story. Tell us when you were involved, what level of success you achieved, and what you liked or disliked about the system. Just leave a comment to this post to let me know what you think. Thanks.
Other Must Read Posts
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.
From what I’ve read and heard, Amway sounds like an octopus on steriods (WAY more than 8 arms!). Cult-like behavior? Seriously? I’d love to hear more about that.
I hesitate to label any high-income earners as “greedy” without personally knowing them. I think the greedy label gets used much too often in today’s culture of the Welfare mindset. Lying about your income source[s] to deceptively recruit someone does sound greedy, though.
I had a good chuckle also when I heard the term cult-like behavior. No matter what, when success comes to people, there are other people that are envious. They use that envy to cause dissension and hate. It has been happening since the dawn of time.
I have a hard time with the term cult-like. Amway is not a religion, it is a business. In any business, there are those who succeed and those who fail.
It sounds to me like this group enlivened the Asian market. I am happy to see that, as many who were once poor probably have gained hope and are now able to provide for their families.
It all takes work. MLMs like Amway don’t just give you a living, but if you follow the steps, you can and will succeed.
Way to go Plum Blossom!
I think they are a great organization, but like you said there will always be winners and losers in business and in life.
Barry and Holly are really an amazing couple. I just finished reading your post about your top Amway Diamonds of all time and I was happy to see them at the top of the list. Great blog you have here.
Any organization that creates wealth could be viewed as you state. Every organization that I’ve worked for that was winning, always encourage “cult like” enthusiasm and passion, it’s the best way to create success. If you’re not passionate about a thing how do you expect to succeed at it? This goes for all organizations, businesses included, not just MLM’s (like Amway).
Hello to all. Reading all the comments about Holly and Barry I couldn’t resist commenting myself. First, I would like to say that more than half of you are wrong, wrong, WRONG..! About Mrs. Holly & Mr. Barry Chi. Unlike most of you I’ve been blessed to not only meet them, but spend countless, countless hours with them 1 on 1.They are both wonderful and honest people. Holly and Barry could have stopped at “Double Diamond” level, but Holly wanted to raise the bar. Give others the same opportunity in life that they have. Now their organization has changed the lives of more than one million people around the world. Many who started with absolutely NOTHING have become very successful with the technique and support of Holly and Barry. “We have the most successful team teaching people how to become successful. So they will become successful.”
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you got the opportunity to work with them.
The Chen’s are really a dynamic. But they’ve been in the business a long time. Anyone joining today doesn’t even have a fair shot at achieving that type of success with Amway. You had to get in 20 or 30 years ago to make it big. Don’t believe me? Study any group of 50 Diamonds and I’d bet there isn’t one that joined the company within the last 15 years.
I agree with you Don. That was one of the problems we had with WWDB. They preached the 2-5 year plan, but there hadn’t been a new Diamond in YEARS.
My cousin in China is part of Plum Blossom and he loves it. I’m not sure what “level” he is at in the business, but he is very excited about his future.
Just like warren buffet, walmart or mcdonalds many years later it does take time!
How many are willing to work harder on themselves or on their dreams, people now work harder for someone else..
All networks are network marketing which is a business that takes leaders not followers to run, yest its true you need to duplicate the business but take the bull by the horns as a leader…
The generations now only depend on government or mum and dad..
These AMOs really rip off a lot of people. It’s a shame that so many people get suckered into the “dream of getting rich” and the only thing they do in the process is lose a lot of money and make their upline wealthy.
I agree that this happens sometimes. But all businesses need tools. People need to educate themselves and learn how to build a business. The AMOs do a fairly good job with this, BUT so many people think the system is the solution to their troubles. In reality, no system will ever build your business for you. That’s up to you. PLUS, you have to be responsible and watch the cash flow in your business. If you don’t have any money coming in, you need to limit how much money you spend on business tools and training.
Denise, I dare say you don’t have much experience in Amway or seen many Amway groups. I used to think like you. However, I have seen and personally know a number of groups that show otherwise. Just in Malaysia I can name many where the downlines are earning much more than the uplines. In many countries, you’d notice that the first to do Amway in that country is not the one who earns the most. Holly Chen was not the first in Taiwan to do Amway, yet she is now world no 1. She’s definitely earning more than her uplines all the way to the first Amway distributor above her in her line of sponsorship. My mentor in Malaysia is only an Emerald in the business, and she has 4 Diamonds below her. All 4 are earning much more than my mentor. The first Crown Ambassador in Malaysia, Peter Lee, makes much much more than his upline. The current no 1 in Malaysia Crown Ambassador Lee Kim Soon, also makes much much more than his upline. There are a number of other examples that stopped me from continuing to think like you commented. Make upline wealthy? Not really. The only ones ‘making uplines wealthy’ are those who are only buying products to use and never truly doing the business. Those who do the business can make well over whatever the upline is doing. All they need to do is do more than the upline. Whether ‘getting rich’ remains a dream or a reality truly depends on the person. Just like any other endeavor, success takes grit, effort, sweat and blood.
Barry and Holly are great, but like most Amway leaders they make 90% or more of their income from the tools, not the systems. Plus, they joined the business more than 30 years ago. People joining Amway today do not have the same opportunity to build a large business as they did. Between the internet and market saturation Amway is not what it used to be.
You are right, Cassie. Barry Chi and Holly Chen do make most of their money from the tools, not from Amway. Yet, they never tell their team members that. The primary reason I got done Amway was because of the tools business. I just thought it was wrong. I have nothing against tools, but when the Diamonds make most of their income from the tools, and blatantly lie about it, I do have a problem with that.
Your point about Amway being saturated is spot on. Yes, anyone could join Amway and still make money. I don’t doubt that. But if you study the top earners, 90% or more have been with the company since the 1980s or earlier. Very few Diamonds or above joined the business after 1995. To me, that proves the two to five year plan just isn’t realistic any more.
Thanks for the comment.
Chuck
Double Crown Ambassadors. That is more than amazing. This couple is a true credit to Amway and the entire industry. Barry has developed so many leaders is so many different countries. He definitely knows how to help other succeed. He is truly a master trainer, recruiter and motivator.
Good point, Leo. To the best of my knowledge, only five people have ever reached the Double Crown Ambassador pin with Amway. So that is no small feat. I agree that Barry Chi and Holly Chen are great leader, trainers and motivators. Anyone who can build a team of 300k or more distributors definitely knows what they are doing.
Double Crown Ambassadors is a huge accomplishment. It’s something to be very proud of. I’m in a different line of sponsorship within Amway, but I would love to have mentors like Barry and Holly!
Double Crown Ambassadors? That’s amazing. Most folks nowadays have a hard time going Platinum, let alone Diamond. It just goes to show how important it is to get in early. That’s when you make the big money.
Plum Blossom is a scam. All they do is offer a bunch of high priced, outdated tools that don’t teach you anything important about building the business. All of the training revolves around working your warm market and prospecting strangers. You could learn more about building an Amway business by watching YouTube videos than you ever will buying tools from this AMO.
I agree that there are some shady practices with Plum Blossom and the other Amway Motivational Organizations. The biggest problem I have with the system is:
1. Deceptive Recruiting: People recruit you into Amway to buy and sell the tools, not to buy and sell Amway.
2. Tool Money: Most Diamonds and above earn up to 90% of their income from the tools.
3. Tools are Outdated and Ineffective: The tools still teach old outdated recruiting things such as the party plan, the three foot rule and bugging your warm market.
What I think Plum Blossom and the other AMOs have going for it is that they teach you how to set goals, the importance of personal development, and the power of association. Those three principles changed my life. And I learned all three of those things from my time in Amway.
I appreciate the comment.
Barry and Holly are a really classy couple.
Barry Chi is a class act. I met him nearly 15 years ago at an Amway Convention. He has a big heart and does everything in his ability to help his team achieve success. I am still with Amway as a Platinum distributor. I’m not sure how he grew such a big business, but I really admire him for it.
I’ve never personally met Barry Chi, but it would be nice to sit down for a cup of coffee with him and pick his brain. I’m sure I could pick up some good tidbits.
It’s hard to believe that Amway is still going strong after 50 years and so much controversy. It’s nice to know that some people achieved massive success with the company.
Plum Blossom is nothing more than a pyramid scheme designed to suck all the cash flow out of these Amway distributor’s hands. It’s actually quite sad. People spend a few hundred dollars a month, in some cases, on the business tools, and still don’t make any money in their business. And the only reason the Diamonds pitch the tools so much is because they get a piece of the action. Most of their income comes from the tools! It’s sickening!
I’m not a big fan of the Amway Motivational Organizations myself, Deloris.
My cousin in Malaysia spent two, almost three years in Amway associated with the Plum Blossom Organization. His Amway experience cost him his house and his marriage. Needless to say, I would avoid this business opportunity like the plague. The only people that make the money are the people at the top. I hope the FTC (or government) shuts down Amway and their Motivational Organizations.
I’m sorry to hear about your cousin. It sounds like he had a bad experience with the business. Hopefully, things will get better for him.
Like ’em or hate ’em, Barry and Holly are probably in the top 10 earners in the entire industry! They have a mega-team and are the ultimate Amway success story.
Anyone with 2,000+ Diamonds on their team is more than okay in my book. Barry Chi and Holly Chen are an amazing couple. Their team has several hundred thousand people on it! How many network marketers ever accomplish anything like that? I think anyway trying to build a large and profitable Amway business should study this couple and learn what they can from them.
Good points, Murray.
Very few people in any MLM Company have more than 2,000 six figure income earners in their downline. That is a testament to the leadership of Barry Chi and Holly Chen. Like them or not, you can’t question their abilities or personal success.
Chuck
I love Plum Blossom. I have been affiliated with this great team for almost six months now. I have learned so many valuable business and life lessons from the CDs, seminars and business support materials. I’m not sure why people call this a scam. The tools are all optional to buy. No one has ever forced me or coerced me to buy the tools. If you are serious about your Amway business, I’m not sure why you WOULDN’T want to buy the tools.
I’ve never met Barry Chi or Holly Chen myself, but would love to. I’ve read their stories and think they are simply awesome!
Regan,
I’m glad you’ve had a good experience with the Plum Blossom and Amway. I wish you all the best.
Chuck