Multilevel marketing, AKA network marketing came about shortly after the end of WW2. Since that time this type of marketing has evolved into a billion dollar business. If you are considering a home based business consider a reputable MLM company.
The two major players of multilevel marking were Nutrilite, now Amway, and Shaklee.
In 1945 Nutrilite became the first documented MLM plan. The Nutrilite plan was a quota quota-based management system. The distributors that sold the most boxes of vitamins got a higher reward than those who sold little. In 1972 the Amway Corporation bought Nutrilite.