By the end of 2016, what had started in 2012 as a homespun business selling maxi skirts out of the trunk of a car by two Mormon grandmothers had reached over $1.3bn in sales with more than 60,000 consultants вЂ“ and faced lawsuits alleging that LuLaRoe founders Mark and DeAnne Stidham misled retailers and ran a pyramid scheme. But Blevins quickly felt the strain of the companyвЂ™s precipitous growth, owing to its emphasis on recruiting new вЂњconsultantsвЂќ вЂ“ people on the вЂњdownlineвЂќ whose startup costs traveled up the ranks as вЂњbonus checksвЂќ. By March 2016, Blevins paid $9,000 to become a LuLaRoe consultant and receive a starter package of clothing to sell.ДЄt first, things went well вЂ“ she was enthusiastic about the clothing, and made money selling LuLaRoe on Facebook out of her home in suburban San Diego, California.

As Blevins recalls in LuLaRich, a four-part Amazon docuseries on the beleaguered multi-level marketing company, LuLaRoe women added her to Facebook groups, texted her, invited her to parties that doubled as fashion sales, and showered her with encouragement.

LuLaRoe seemed to offer вЂњthis built-in community, where I knew I could have an instant friendshipвЂќ, she told the Guardian.

Amazon in the company of women