Cluster Family Office Blog

It’s been more than two years since we wrote Citisoluciones: Networking at the service of Citibank. May Kiyosaki’s financial independence rest in peace. An article that has, over time, attracted an increasing number of comments from those affected and from anonymous individuals who have felt deceived and wronged by this company and his underhand tactics, some of which have even been published as blog posts. But this time we have received one that is particularly heartfelt, exquisite, honest and sincere. It contains some final reflections that are not to be missed, and which we did not want to let fade into obscurity as just a simple comment on an article from two years ago. I shall therefore leave you with the text of this PFI:

«Gentlemen,

It’s such a pleasure to read your posts. It’s delightful, to say the least.

Let’s take it one step at a time.

I am a PFI from what remains of Citisoluciones. We signed (and I say ‘we’ because of the partnership) our commercial contract some time ago (just over three years ago).

Everything was rosy, spectacular, gorgeous… well, I bought EVERY CD under the sun, in duplicate… no. I bought at least five copies of each CD. If there was ever a CD-buying fool, it was me. Same went for the books and all the other bits and bobs at the stall.

The first order was fine, but with the second one, all those little extras you’re so keen on at the start of the «business» were missing… only the cards arrived. That’s when my first question arose, and after two complaints, I realised there was nothing to be done. I couldn’t understand how «the world’s number one company» could be so shabby. Not to mention the RVP, who played dumb, just like the one in Madrid… I mean… it was small change… but it was my small change. If you don’t respect me over a few pennies, what would happen when we got to the «millions»?

We carried on with business as usual, turning up at EVERY single one of the shambolic events organised by our pathetic hierarchy. When we said we couldn’t go to the European Championships due to personal matters (money, let’s not kid ourselves – not a penny to be made from it), that’s when the sour faces and the nonsense started.

On several occasions I received calls from the RVP, telling me off for not having the right attitude and that I wasn’t making any money because I wasn’t pulling my weight… Let’s see, this business – if you can call it that – has a silly little rule which goes: «Follow your RVP and do what they tell you without contradicting them»… If I rebelled against my parents when I was young… wasn’t I going to do the same with a stranger?

Then there’s that whole »we’re off to the RVP lunch» business – just RVPs… odd. After every shambolic event, there’s a feast paid for by all of us who signed the SACI, which is only enjoyed by the Founding Ranchero with his Mercedes van, SpongeBob 745i, the Monopoly Chiripitiflautico and his boat, the Olvera Freak (raking it in, with a 1995 A8 that’s clocked up more kilometres than the roads themselves) and the rest of the acolytes. Incomprehensible but true—that’s just how it is.

Training courses… excellent methods based on constant, machine-gun-like repetition, with very little NLP – and, for heaven’s sake, the NONSENSE you have to put up with from certain people. As El Zorro says, let’s get talking. And this is going to get properly heated – it’s going to be a real treat.

Let’s talk about the RVP (I don’t know if it’s still called that). Zero communication. Just those annoying 45-minute Sunday sermons. I stopped going to church because of the priest’s nonsense… you can imagine. Zero education. I don’t think he even finished school. I’m not judging him for that, but I do recognise that to talk about certain things, you need to know what you’re on about properly, rather than just learning it off by heart, repeating the CDs as if you hadn’t listened to them enough already. I mean, he even went so far as to tell me to take the music CDs out of the car, saying they were just distracting me… I attended several of his «meetings» with the higher-ups. They were a right bore. He ended up with a glass in his hand at every single one. A proper bar-crawler. His wife is a prime example of how to envy others without even trying to hide it. What’s more, at every gathering she stood out for the way she let rip. The thing is, whenever she got on a first-name basis with someone from her husband’s ‘fantastic team’, she’d start slagging off whoever it was. A lady to be reckoned with, and one whose tongue is to be feared.

Let’s talk about our upline. A special person, beyond reproach, a genuinely nice bloke like few others, with a big heart, but weak-minded and easily influenced. His wife supported him for a while, until she went her own way career-wise and stopped supporting him. I hope they’re still together as a couple and that «this business» hasn’t put an end to their marriage. And it’s funny, just like my RVP, he’s someone I didn’t know at all before Citisoluciones. I really do hold him in very high regard. And he is, and always will be, welcome in our home; he’s shown he’s got what real people are made of. And that’s what counts.

Let’s talk about our experience.

We had a Regional Sales Manager who NEVER knew how to be a leader. What’s more, he didn’t even respect our work. He would introduce himself to our contacts as the VICE-PRESIDENT of the company, handing out his business card and stepping on our toes. Needless to say, all his attempts ended in failure, with the excuse that he had no experience as a field coach and that he’d already been through it all… as if we were complete idiots. We’re in our early 30s, with a few businesses under our belts, and employees… but as far as the ‘coach’ was concerned, we didn’t know how to lead.

We had a team that was doing well until the manager stepped in and completely ruined it for us. With all that talk of pruning, brain-eaters and fantasies from Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes, we went from one month to the next without scoring a single goal.

Then came the washing machine… and the realisation that we had to go to Atlanta. By then, we didn’t have a penny to our name; I remember I handed in my notice (and I was the only one working at home), which is when things went pear-shaped. But then again, you can’t live on hopes alone, though they do keep you going a little. By then, my wife was starting to show signs of mental exhaustion regarding the business, even though I remained positive and enthusiastic.

We pulled out all the stops with Santiago and the money turned up for the trip to Atlanta – money for accommodation, food and so on. I remember leaving just four coins at home – a total, absurd and utter blunder worthy of the biggest idiot of them all. In the end, the RVP, in all his ignorance, with a bit of help from his team, got me to Atlanta. That just goes to show I wasn’t as clever as I thought I was.

That’s where we saw «the grandeur of business». Come on, Carmele, that’s where there’s a proper business. Here, we’re just selling life insurance and hypothetical investment plans. And that’s it, no matter how you dress it up.

We spent a week during which I slept very little, ate poorly, drank lots of water and spoke to loads of people. I signed up for everything to do with Hispanic events and a few in English as well – that language isn’t a barrier for me. It was an experience like few others, and one from which I gained a great deal, particularly in terms of perspective.

I came back raring to go. With a clear goal in mind and ready to take on the world. But in my beloved Spain, the harsh reality was that people don’t want something unless they need it. And Spain is different – as the posters with the bull say.

As you might expect, my expectations were sky-high. As the days went by, the initial euphoria gave way to the harsh reality I’d been talking about. And I had to make a decision which, looking back today, I do NOT regret. We put the business on hold, as it was unproductive. We started taking on extra jobs, especially me. When the cart’s already hurtling downhill, with no brakes and out of control, it’s bound to crash. And it didn’t crash thanks to the wonderful partner in our daily lives, who always looks out for the family’s safety and sees what I can’t. Whenever we’ve done things her way, we’ve got it right. Out of a hundred times, I’ve only got it right once. Statistically speaking, and based on experience, if she thinks it’s a good idea, we go for it, as far as we can.

As things stand, we still haven’t managed to get our economy back on its feet… that thing they used to call «the status quo»… for us, it’s enough just to live in peace. And as for the rest, we want that too, but it has to be realistic.

Whilst we were «forced to walk away» from this magnificent opportunity, «the higher-ups» got in touch with us on a couple of occasions. The upline was a true gentleman. As for the RVP… I’m lost for words.

We’ve refreshed our «knowledge». An «exam» designed to keep you sitting on your arse in a chair for two and a half hours, whilst they can’t even get the projector to work, we have to wait for more people to turn up, and in the end, one of the RVPs ends up shouting out the answers so as not to lose «members» (people who pay their way).

What can I say to you, a newcomer, who’s been infected by this spirit of helping others – something so beautiful and humanitarian, yet which hides other intentions behind it? If you want to help, the Red Cross is always looking for volunteers. And if that’s not quite enough for you, any NGO would be happy to welcome you into its ranks.

Take a cold, hard look at whether you’re pursuing your own dreams or, on the contrary, being made to live someone else’s dream as if it were your own. I might sound bitter, but I’m not. I think the business opportunity is brilliant, as long as it really is an opportunity. And if it were like the one I saw in the United States, it would be amazing. In fact, I’d give up what I’m doing now to do what they do over there. But no, this is Spain; here, things don’t arrive when they’re needed, but only when it suits someone.

I always wonder why there’s only one life insurance policy and four bits of investment nonsense, when any other company puts ALL the products it has right in front of you, because let’s cut the nonsense and the brainwashing – a business is there to make money. And if it doesn’t make money, it’s no good. A people-based business… let’s see, it’s not going to be a business based on animals, plants or machines. People are the ones with the money… even though it seems obvious, it took me quite a while to realise that. And that’s despite the fact that this wasn’t my first multi-level marketing scheme, although it was certainly my last.

We spent nearly 20,000 euros whilst we were in business. Between the money we had and what we spent on our credit cards, we ended up bankrupt. I haven’t seen any of those «friends» – the ones with their effusive hugs, pats on the back and interesting stories – knock on my door to ask if we’ve got anything to eat. When that tough moment (the one about food) arrived, it was just us as a family, each of our parents, and nothing else. No recriminations, no nagging, no asking why – just offering us the little that retired parents can. And there you are, after infecting everyone with your dreams and fantasies of becoming a millionaire, sad, poor, wishing you could vanish off the face of the earth, wanting to leave your city to start from scratch somewhere else, with a very unpleasant feeling in your stomach and cursing the day you discovered the «business» that led you to ruin, when the «business» isn’t to blame. The problem is you – you failed to realise that you were lining someone else’s pockets, whilst you were left with the crumbs, if they even let you have those.

That’s how I felt. Thank God my wife – whom I’ll never tire of admiring and trying to understand – is there to tell me just how wonderful our life together is, and that she married a winner. Add to that the support of your whole family – the real one, the one that’s there for who you are and not for what you have – and you’ll realise there’s absolutely no need to jump through anyone’s hoops.

»Thanks to my wife and my family."