(SALT LAKE CITY, April 2, 2008)  MonaVie LLC (www.monavie.com), creator of the leading nutritional acai blend beverage, today announced the launch of a worldwide campaign: “The Open Door — Network Marketing for the 21^st Century.”  The campaign calls on direct sellers and network marketers to end any and all policies and procedures that seek to bind their independent contractors with unfair and abusive non-compete agreements.

Punitive lawsuits against distributors who choose to leave network marketing companies have become a common tactic for a few companies within the industry. The goal of these suits is to discourage healthy competition and to impede distributors’ ability to make a living for themselves and their families. Even distributors who have fulfilled demanding non-compete agreements have been sued when they attempt to join another network marketing company years later.

“Non-compete agreements were designed for high-level corporate employees, not for independent contractors,” says Dallin Larsen, MonaVie founder and president. “Some network marketing companies use overly burdensome language in their agreements as a punitive tool to tie their independent contractors to them for life, often interfering with the individual entrepreneur’s ability to earn a living. It’s my belief that direct selling companies need to earn the trust of their most valued asset, their distributors, on a daily basis. If a distributor, for whatever reason, no longer trusts his or her company, that distributor should be free to go in another direction without undue restriction.”

In today’s economy, more and more people are turning to network marketing to find full-time work, or to supplement their income. However, if these prospective distributors are worried about being handcuffed to unfair contracts, they will be less likely to take advantage of the benefits that network marketing can offer to them and their families.

MonaVie’s “The Open Door — Network Marketing for the 21^st Century” campaign is built upon the company’s belief that today’s network marketing distributors deserve, as independent contractors, to be liberated from outdated, abusive and generally unenforceable policies and procedures.

“Today’s distributors deserve better than that,” Larsen says. “They want to choose the company they work for, and they want to have the freedom to leave that company whenever they choose. That’s why they chose to be independent in the first place. Independent distributors are not company employees. They are not paid a salary. They pay their own taxes, purchase their own health care, and work from their own homes or offices.” 

Through the Open Door campaign, MonaVie seeks to promote and protect the rights of distributors and of those consumers who are seeking career opportunities with network marketing and direct selling businesses. MonaVie encourages other companies to join in the Open Doorcampaign (www.blog.opendoorcampaign.com) and take the Open Door Pledge. In addition, distributors are invited to the site to share their opinions and experiences.

“Our hope in launching this Open Door campaign is to create a sea of change in how the network marketing industry works,” Larsen says. “By ensuring that distributors everywhere can work as free agents, and are not held prisoner, we can help our industry and thousands of people who are trying to provide for their families. We welcome other companies to join the Open Door campaign by reviewing their own distributor agreements to ensure that they reflect the spirit of entrepreneurship and freedom that this industry is all about.”

About MonaVie

MonaVie LLC is a rapidly growing company that distributes products to markets around the world. Introduced in January 2005, MonaVie develops and markets scientifically formulated, premium quality products, specifically for person-to-person distribution. Developed with a philosophy of Balance-Variety-Moderation, MonaVie brand products deliver phytonutrients and antioxidants to promote and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.