I didn't see this one coming

I am at a crossroads with my Vital Health business, and it wasn't what I expected. Perhaps I should start from the beginning.

I joined Vital Health in May of last year, right after the Mexican-based company launched in North America. I didn't start taking the business seriously until October/November, after Vital Fest, and after leaving my full-time job to become a part-time independent contractor. First, I've had more success and built a larger team than I have with any other networking company I've been with. I have 48 team members (22 personally sponsored) and four "active" people (buying products regularly or working the business). Financially, I have a little over $2K in lifetime earnings. It's better than nothing but certainly not enough for me to quit my day job.

For the last seven or eight months, Chef Z, my sponsor, has complained that her sponsor, Tonya (Double Diamond leader of our team), has not been working on Vital Health. Tonya has not hidden the fact that she's been promoting other opportunities on social media and, in fact, has attempted to recruit some of her Vital Health team members into other companies. While not strictly prohibited, this is still conduct unbecoming of a leader. Furthermore, Tonya has not supported our team. As a result, Chef Z has been working on a way for us to move under another leader. Today, I had a meeting with Chef Z and the other leader, and they told me the plan. I was a bit shocked, and I immediately had some concerns.

In all the network marketing companies I've been involved with, distributors are not employees. We are independent affiliates. Technically, we don't have a boss, but we still have to comply with the company's policies and procedures. For sponsor changes, the policies are pretty clear: Sponsor changes can occur under two circumstances: 1) At the company's discretion for mistakes, or 2) When an affiliate resigns in good standing and remains inactive for six months, the affiliate can reactivate under a different sponsor.  Chef Z suggested leaving her current position under Tonya dormant while she starts another position under the new leader. This is a gray area at best, and when she offered me the same opportunity to jump over, I had my hesitations.

I was right to be concerned. I had my agent review the company policy, and it raised enough red flags that I am now averse to making this move without sign-off from the compliance department. If it doesn't happen, then I'm faced with two choices: 1) Stay where I am with less leadership support and some of the fruits of my labor going to someone unfairly, in my opinion, or 2) Resign and wait six months to start all over again. 

I didn't expect to be in this position, but I think the universe has shown me a possible reason I've felt stuck with my Vital Health business. The negative energy dynamics of this team are certainly a factor. I'm taking a few days to weigh the options, and I hope the answer comes to me clear as day so I can move forward in whatever new path opens for me.