Why does the calculator ask how many people stop each month?

Team size is not a number you reach and keep. People join and people leave, so a team that looks steady is often being refilled every month. Ignoring drop-outs makes a twelve-month picture far too kind.

What hourly rate should I expect at the start?

At the start it is often very low or negative, like any small business. The important thing is the direction: if the hourly rate has not moved after twelve months of steady work, something in the plan or the market is not working for you.

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Direct Selling Income Calculator

Most plans show you what you could earn. This one shows what you would keep after the costs. Put in your real numbers and read the bottom line.

Money

Currency

What it costs you

One-time joining cost Kit, registration, starter pack.

Your own purchase per month The amount you must buy to stay active.

Other costs per month Travel, samples, meetings, events, phone, tickets.

I would buy these products anyway, even without the business.

What you sell yourself

Product you sell per month Total price your customers pay you.

Your margin on that (%)

Your team

Active people in your team Only the ones who actually buy every month.

Average purchase per person

Your commission on team volume (%)

New active people you add per month

People who stop each month (%) In most plans a large part of new joiners stop within a year.

Your time

Hours you spend per week Calls, meetings, travel, training, social media — all of it.

What you keep each month

—

Profit on your own sales—
Commission from team volume—
Total coming in—
Total going out—
Per hour you work—
Active team members needed to break even—
First year, all costs counted—

—

How your team looks over 12 months

New people join, some stop. This is the same maths applied month by month.

Month	Active team	Kept that month
Month 3	—	—
Month 6	—	—
Month 12	—	—
Total kept, 12 months	—	—

One honest line. This tool is not against direct selling. It is against guessing. A plan that works will still look good after the costs are taken out. A plan that only looks good before the costs is telling you something.

What this tool does

It takes the four things that decide your result — what you pay in, what you sell, what your team buys, and how many people stay — and turns them into one number: the money left in your hand at the end of the month.

It also answers three questions people rarely ask out loud. How many active people do I need before I stop losing money? What am I earning per hour of my time? And where am I after twelve months, counting the joining cost?

When to use it

Before you join anything. Ask the person who invited you for the real numbers and type them in.
When someone shows you an income chart. Put their numbers in and see what stays.
Every few months while you are active, to see if the line is going up or sideways.
Before you buy a bigger package to "reach the next level".

How to read the answer

Green number: you keep money each month at these numbers. Now look at the hourly rate — that tells you if the time is worth it.
Red number: you are paying to be in the business. That is fine for a short start-up period, but only if you know it and set an end date.
Break-even team size: compare it with how many people you have actually signed so far this year. If you signed two and the tool asks for eleven, that gap is the real work ahead.
Per hour: if it is lower than what you earn in normal work, you are not building income yet, you are buying a hobby. That can still be worth it if you are learning something — just call it what it is.
Twelve-month total: this is the number to remember. Month one always looks small. Month twelve tells the truth.

What this tool cannot tell you

It cannot tell you if the company is good. Product quality, refund policy, how long they pay, and whether the plan changes next year — none of that is in these numbers.
It cannot tell you if your inputs are realistic. If you type a team of 50 with zero drop-outs, you get a beautiful, useless answer.
Real plans use levels, ranks, bonuses and volume rules. This uses one simple commission rate. Use your real average, not the best month.
It ignores tax. In most countries this income is taxable and you may need to register a business.
It cannot value what you learn — speaking, follow-up, handling a "no". That has worth, but it does not pay rent.
It is not financial or legal advice. It is arithmetic.

Questions people ask

Should my own monthly purchase count as a cost?

If you buy it only to stay qualified, yes — it is a cost. If you genuinely used the same kind of product before and at a similar price, tick the box and it moves out of the cost side. Be honest with yourself here, because this one line changes the whole result.

Why does the tool ask how many people stop?

Because team size is not a number you reach and keep. People join and people leave. A team that looks steady is often being refilled every month. If you ignore drop-outs, your twelve-month picture will be far too kind.

Do most people make money in direct selling?

Company income disclosures usually show that most participants earn small amounts, and a share earn less than they spend. A minority earn well. That does not mean nobody can do it — it means you should plan with average numbers, not with the numbers on stage.

What is a fair hourly rate to expect at the start?

At the start it is often very low or negative, the same as any small business. The question is the direction. If your hourly rate is the same after twelve months of steady work, something in the plan or the market is not working for you.

Is direct selling the same as a pyramid scheme?

No. In legal direct selling, money comes from products people actually want and buy. Where income comes mainly from recruiting and from packs bought by new joiners, that is a different and often illegal model. One quick test: if nobody outside the team is buying the product, ask why.