How LuLaRoe Really Trained Their Consultants

"LuLaRich" is the latest must-watch documentary that takes a little-known scam apart to irresistibly compelling effect. With a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, the four-part Amazon Prime series (the trailer is posted on YouTube) clearly made a massive impression on critics. The Globe and Mail described "LuLaRich" as "A fascinating look at capitalism and entrepreneurial hustle in America," while IndieWire noted, "What keeps 'LulaRich' so engaging is less the scandal and more how this culture became so popular."

Following fledgling entrepreneurs, dedicated Mormons, and married couple DeAnne and Mark Stidham as their fast fashion company LuLaRoe rises to national prominence before spectacularly falling apart at the seams — often literally, in the case of their infamous leggings — the series is equal parts shocking, hilarious, and infuriating. Following its release, former employees have been taking to social media to share their experiences, from the good to the bad and the very, very ugly (those leggings again). 

In a TikTok clip, former LuLaRoe "retailer" Roberta Blevins hilariously revealed the company's training practices, or lack thereof. Beginning with a disclaimer that she's "not joking" or "making any of this up," Blevins shared actual training slides from what she termed "the pyramid scheme days" of the company. Co-founder DeAnne Brady's son, Jordan, is pictured in front of a massive screen, leading a training session, with Blevins noting that, in one of the many lawsuits against the company, the founders alleged Jordan didn't even work for LuLaRoe. Retailers were advised to sell "what you believe," emphasizing the insidious religious undercurrent. Moreover, staff were consistently reassured it was fully their business (LuLaRoe was an MLM — multilevel marketing — scheme).

As Blevins points out, at every juncture, retailers were encouraged to put more and more of their own money and energy into the business, to make it successful, lest they end up reaping what they sowed. One of the oddest employee training tactics was their advice to "eat a frog." Taken from a quote attributed to Mark Twain ("Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day"), LuLaRoe appeared to be suggesting fear is the enemy of success but, as Blevins argued, it "feels cult-y." Much of the training scheme comprised of jargon and empty buzz-speak, which makes little sense if given even a passing thought.