Complaint Review: Paragon Management Group - Long Beach Road New York

Unfortunately, it seems theres a lot of negativity and false information circulating the internet regarding Scentura, and I think its based mostly on peoples misunderstanding of the Scentura Opportunity. I thought Id post something brief that would help make things clear.

First of all, Scentura Creations is a manufacturer and supplier of rendition fragrances. They distribute their product line to Independent Wholesale Business owners throughout the U.S. Theyre unique in that they provide merchandise without any capital outlay to these Independent Wholesale Distributors, meaning they dont pay Scentura until after theyve sold the merchandise. This is key because it removes a huge barrier of entry into business Inventory costs.

Second, the sales model used by most independent businesses that sell Scenturas products is that of Direct Selling. Its a business to business, face-to-face sales strategy that has worked for over 35 years. Its not glamorous, and its probably not for everyone, but it just works.

Last, and most importantly, Scentura doesn't ask you to invest any money, it's not a franchise, it's not a pyramid or multi-level marketing business, there's nothing to purchase, there are no sign-up fees. The only thing required from you is your time and hard work, and youll get a chance to run your own business. How many companies out there are willing to offer that?

It probably sounds too good to be true, but it makes sense when you understand Scentura's incentive: It's a Win-Win scenario for everyone. You get a chance to own your own business, and Scentura gains a new customer, which means more volume. If Scentura only dealt with individuals who had hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest, they'd be waiting a long time, especially in this economy. So they're willing to take all the financial risk.

Again, this is not for everyone, but the opportunity is definitely real, and many owners have gone on to make six-figure incomes running their own businesses that sell Scentura's products.

Please visit the following website dedicated to new business owners that answered the ad and started just like everyone else: www.RookieOwners.com

If youd like to read more about Scentura Creations, please visit the following sites:

LettersToLarryHahn.com
Letters to Larry from those who have found success with the Scentura Creations opportunity.

Larry-Hahn.com
A Story about Larry Hahn and how he started Scentura Creations.

ObserveLessence.com
Product reviews for Scentura Creations' product line.

RookieOwners.com
A site dedicated to newly opened independent businesses that sell Observe' L'Essence products.

ScenturaCreationsBlog.com
A regularly published blog about Scentura Creations

ScenturaCreationsLarryHahn.com
General information about Scentura Creations and it's Founder, Larry Hahn.

ScenturaCreationsOpportunity.com
More information about the Scentura Creations opportunity.

ScenturaCreationsPerfume.com
Information about Scentura Creations product-line: Observe' L'Essence.

ScenturaCreationsResources.com
Links to more websites about Scentura Creations.

ScenturaCreationsScam.com
An objective look at Scentura Creations.

ScenturaCreationsSuccess.com
Stories from those who have taken full advantage of the Scentura Creations opportunity.

ScenturaScam.com
An insider's view of Scentura Creations.

TruthAboutScenturaCreations.com
Shedding light on the truth behind the lies.

UnderstandingScenturaCreations.com
A guide to understanding Scentura Creations' winning formula for success.

- - - - -

If you have any further complaints, please direct them to [email protected]

Thank you.

Hello Readers, it has been a while since I posted here but you can find my previous work in other sections of this website under Scentura, be sure to search Scentura and not Scentura Creations because it brings up more threads. 

I am not here to argue with any of these Brainwashed Scentura Cult Leaders that will go on and on about how this business is not a scam. No matter what they type on this site they will continue to solicit without permits, dodge taxes and falsely advertise their extremely risky business opportunity as a real job (amongst other shady business practices). Again Im not here to argue so go ahead and attack me personally because it only shows that

Scenturas PR is a joke. 

I'm sorry about the formatting but I'm very busy and don't have time to fix each paragraph. Besides the content in what matters. 

Shutting Offices Down 

In the most basic terms you have to convince the newspapers and websites that individual offices advertise in to remove their ads. Without their ads they cant recruit new sales people and their revenues will freeze. This will not take down Scentura in its entirety but it can be very effective  for individual distributors, especially those just getting started. Please read the instructions pasted below. 

The life-blood of these offices is the classified ads. If their classifieds are no longer allowed in the newspapers the distributor will not be able to place their ads and the pyramid will collapse. They will be forced to close down shop and move to an area where the local papers have yet to catch on. The first thing you have to do is write a letter or email to the newspaper classifieds as well as websites where these ads are placed. Be sure to keep it professional. If you
live in a large metropolitan area this could take a lot of work so be patient and stick with it. Read other newspapers classifieds and search other job sites to find more of these ads and send letters/emails to them. 

If the letter doesnt work, send another more stern letter/email. Send multiple letters or emails if you have to. Then send letters to other news sources warning them of the misleading ads. This way they wont be able to advertise elsewhere as a backup plan. Keep it professional if you come off as angry or disgruntled your letter will not be taken seriously!! 

Testimonials of Former Owners 

Former Mike Barrick: 

I can tell you, from the perspective of someone who ran a distribution center, and had numerous offices beneath me........... everything you would want to kn ow about this "opportunity". I am not a basher and really not all that biased........I just know enough that I now do something else.

Scentura's real opportunity is for you to learn the direct sales game ( an invaluable lesson btw ), and once you are ready in the eyes of your office manager, Scentura will consign you about $3000 worth of perfume ( which costs Larry Hahn about $300-$400) so you can start your own business, recruiting and training people to do the same. That's it!! That is the golden opportunity that you have been promised.

You will at that point take all the same risks of any other entrepeneur.......including signing your name on the lease for an office space, spending money on advertising before making a dime, etc...  Can you make money doing this?? Absolutely. I made over $1,000,000 doing exactly what I just described.

Will you learn a lot in the process?? Absolutely!

Here is the problem.....Not many people would warm up to the idea of selling stuff on the street while virtually going broke (more on this later), so the recruiting office owners have to make it sound extremely appealing. If they
described it factually (like I have above), they couldn't recruit enough people to stay afloat. They pitch the opportunity to all the recruits just like the sales people pitch the perfume to people on the streets. This is where the ethical boundary gets crossed. You have to put your own good before the well being of anybody else in order to be successful in this setting. Most that walk through the doors for an interview will never make a dime doing the perfume business, but you (as an office owner) don't make any money telling new recruits the truth. You tell them all that they can do it if they make enough sacrifice, burn bridges with their family and friends who try to talk them out of it (in effect, alienating them from everyone but other people in the perfume business), Put the blinders on taking all focus away from any "Pre
Scentura" values/priorities and they can be successful.

Please understand as you read this.........I was the guy telling you all this. Everytime I think of that time of my life, I am filled with shame and regret rather than pride. Yes, I was successful in that business but it was at the expense of others. Good people quit working for me (financially they had no choice), and I shunned them. That was what I was taught. Anyone that did Scentura for any period of time know the saying.." The weak fall by the wayside, while the strong survive". The lack of morals is what you can expect from your experience with Scentura Creations. Nobody cares about you.

I learned a lot of things while I did that business but I learned some of my most valuable lessons after leaving the company. Business does NOT come before family. You can't achieve success at the expense of others without it
eventually coming back to bite you in the arse. Most importantly, money is NOT the most important thing. It can make things more comfortable but in the end, your cars, jewelry, houses, etc... don't mean a thing. Things you buy with money only provide short term happiness which always goes away. The joy I derive from my wife, children, family and friends is long lasting and more important than any of the superficial BS.

Any Scentura owners that stumble upon this post will surely rationalize that I sold out for a low income/non stressful lifestyle but you would only be half right. The businesses I am now involved in make me the kind of income I only
experienced during seldom "highs" with Scentura, while only requiring 25-30 hours a week. More importantly, the people that work for me make good money and can believe what I tell them.

Hope this helps some of you understand what it is you are contemplating. Good Luck to all. 

Former Owner Ian Zeaman: 

I was involved with this "business" for seven years beginning right after college graduation. I'm embarrassed that I did it for so long, but I was hooked and kept at it thinking surely I would start making good money after all of this time and effort. Don't get me wrong, there were good times and bad times, but after all of it, including being a "regional
manager" with seven offices beneath me, I left with $507 in my pocket.

Luckily I didn't have any debt and it didn't take long to bounce back. I'm not writing this to tell my story, just to give the straight story for those of you considering this "opportunity". Here are a few things anyone should fully understand before "taking advantage of this opportunity":

1. Understand that you are not being hired and you will never receive a paycheck. On your first day you will fill out an "independent contractor agreement". They will explain this to you in a creative way, glossing over the details. What it means is this: the only way you make money in "the training program" is commission from the bottles you sell. They have told you this in a creative way, but most new "trainees" do not realize this until their 3rd or 4th day. By that time you've been in so many arguments with your friends and family about this business that you don't want to quit due to your pride. (It's better to get out now if you didn't realize this).

Remember they told you that there are different phases to the training program: marketing, training, management, admin? This way it doesn't sound like you'll be selling on the streets during the entire training. You will, and this is the
only way you'll make money during the trainng program.

Also, since you are not an employee of the "distribution center" or Scentura Creations, you're on your own as far as solicitor's licenses, taxes, and liability. They will tell you that you don't need a license. Call your commissioner of revenue's office, I'll bet they say differently. If you read the fine print in the paperwork they'll have you sign (consignment agreement, independent contractor's agreement) you'll see that all of this is stated there. 

Once you progress through training and you get toward the end they'll have you "stay in the office for the day". This will seem like a real treat. They'll have you answer phones and interview people just like you were interviewed, and at the end of the day you've made no money because you weren't out on the street selling bottles. Most offices do not hire a receptionist, they just get free labor from the people in the training program.

2. They have mentioned "running a satellite office" or "going on a satellite" or "going on a road trip" or "fun car".
Here's what this entails: 3 to 6 of the people in the training program will load up their car(s) with cases of perfume and drive to an area 2-4 hours away.

Your "leader" will tell everyone where to work and you will work until dinner, try to score a free pizza from somewhere, then work until midnight or so selling in parking lots, etc. You will then drive around until you can find the cheapest hotel (if you're lucky and you don't just sleep in the car) and all pile in, turn in the money for your sales, split the cost of
the room, and try to get a couple of hours of sleep. Oh, if there are females and males you'll still all be together. Hopefully you're not with a couple hooking up.

In the morning you may or may not go to breakfast (depending on if anyone made any money the day before) and you'll hit the streets again. This will go on for however many days were designated unless you run totally out of money and have to return.

***If nothing else understand this: If you drive you may or may not get reimbursed for gas. It will depend on how much was sold while you are away. You are not an employee, you're an independent contractor therefore you have no
legal recourse. Also, if you "lend" money to someone with you who didn't sell enough to eat understand that you will never see that money again.

That person will return owing a lot of money to the people who did sell on the trip and will quit when they return because in addition to this debt they also have no money for their personal bills.

3. However they have creatively explained you will get your office, and specifically the money for your office, understand this: You will receive 125 bottles (more or less, the amount changes but the principle does not) which you (and possibly a partner) will need to sell and turn in ALL OF THE MONEY for (meaning no commission during that time) in order to pay for your office start up. You see, when they say they will give you all of the money they mean they will give you bottles to sell and you get to use that money to open your office.

If you complete this task you will personally sign a lease (most likely a sub-lease from a former "owner" who failed/ quit, etc.). You are now personally totally liable for the full term of this lease whether you are in business here selling Scentura Creations perfumes or not. You will also sign a consignment agreement with Scentura stating (among other things) that you are simply a consignee, not an employee. That Scentura is not liable for any of your actions. That the perfumes are fakes and you will not say they are not fakes.  You get the drift I hope. 

You will also need to obtain a business license. They will explain to you how to creatively explain to the commissioner of revenue in your town what type of business you're involved in. Believe me if you say that you'll be selling renditions of designer fragrances through independent contractors you will not get a business license. You'll say that you are a "wholesaler of consumer  products to businesses". If they don't ask many more questions you'll get your license.

Scentura Creations will send you your "opening order". This used to be 300 bottles, but the amount may have changed. You will be required to send a payment weekly by cashier's check to Scentura for whatever bottles were sold the week before. This is indeed a good deal. You only pay for what was sold out of your distribution center.

It gets tricky when you don't sell much, though, because they won't send you any more merchandise. I'm not sure what the minimum is now but it used to be 125 bottles/ week. If a distribution center sold less than 125 bottles / week
for two weeks in a row Scentura told the "promoting owner" to go pick up all of the merchandise and "retrain" the owners. If you quit at this point you are still personally liable for the office lease, any bills incurred (newspaper ads, electric bill, phone bill, etc.).

Now they'll teach you how to run creative ads for "your sales staff". Guess what? There is no sales staff. You will now be recruiting people for the "Scentura Opportunity" just like you were recruited. You now get to run interviews where you creatively explain to people how to get their own office. You get to send them out to FFAAR, satellites, etc.

You will collect money from the people in YOUR training program for the bottles they have sold. You will first take out Scentura's part (used to be $9.00 per bottle, I think it's $10.00 now). You'll get a cashier's check and send that
off overnight to Scentura.

Now you'll pay whatever bills were incurred in this order of priority: Newspaper ads (have to get people in to sell for you). Telephone (can't get them in without answering the phone). Rent. Misc. If there is any money left (doubtful) you can pay yourself, but they will tell you not to, you'd better keep it for future bills. You obviously learned how to sell in training, and in the beginning guess who is training your people and leading satellites from your office? YOU! This will be your income during the first few months of running your own office. You now understand why your promoting owner (or his or her "right hand") still goes out in the field. They told you they really like it or that they like to train their own people. The truth is they're trying to keep their car. Unless you're in a unique situation with one of the top 5 offices who indeed are making money. That's a whole story of its own. If this is the case then ask how long their "promotions" have
been in business. If the office that is trying to recruit you has been there for 5+ years, why don't they have offices they've trained who have been around that long? What happened to the offices they opened 5 years ago?

I hope I have lent some insight into what this "business" really is. So many people get sucked in with mistaken ideas of what they will be doing. I am simply trying to help people who do not wish to sell on the streets and work for straight commission to avoid this. I know this because I was the spin-master for a long time. I did make good money when I went on satellites; I could sell this perfume better than most. I can't believe now where I would go to sell it, though. Parts of town where now I wouldn't get out of the car, let alone hang out in the parking lots and try to sell fake perfume for commission! If you're doubtful on what I have written please print it off and show it to your "branch manager" or whatever they call themselves these days.

They will probably tell you that I must be a "weak piece of s***" "blowout" or whatever else they say now when someone leaves the business. Seven years of this I think I really gave "my opportunity a chance". Also, call the commissioner of revenue and ask what kind of business the office you're interviewing with is. Call the better business
bureau. Oh, best yet, call Scentura and ask them about THEIR office in your town. Ask what their business agreement is with them. Then call the newspaper who printed the ad you answered and explain to them what this company is really
recruiting (not hiring) for.

The last straw for me was a meeting where my partner and I, who were barely paying our bills, were at a national meeting and sitting at the head table with Larry. He stated that all of the people at the front table were making at least
$150,000 per year. I didn't make that much in 7 years, let alone one! It made me wonder how many of the others at the front table were just like us, faking it until we make it. At that same meeting Larry held an "owner's breakfast" before the big "rah-rah rally" In the "owner's only breakfast" he said "this is the only legal pyramid in America". In the rally, about an hour later he stated "this is not a pyramid". Hmmmm.

I couldn't consciously keep scamming people week after week. Some would quit a good job to start this thinking they would make at least $30,000/ year when I in reality knew that only 1 in about 200 would even open their own office, and few would make a profit once they opened. Each week we would have 20-50 people start, and be down to 3-10 by the following week. 

I hope by writing this I can redeem some of the harm I caused in the people who I recruited who went bankrupt, got divorced, lost their homes, neglected their children, etc. 

God Bless and Good Luck to all of you. 

Anonymous Former Owner 

"I was a former Regional Manager for Scentura Creations back in 1995 to 1996. I believe I am in a position to reveal more information than anybody else here. For those of you who don't understand what a Regional Manager is, I will explain. The first level is Branch Office. This is the first  level you achieve after training. The next level is Distribution Center. A DC works where you had your interview. A DC works monitoring the Branch Office.
The next level is Regional Office. RO's are similar to DC's. RO's monitor the DC's and all of their Branch Offices. The final level is Division Manager, the very top.

I rose from the ranks as a Branch Office to DC, than onto RO after promoting others to DC.

Now to begin: Yes, we opened new offices all the time. The real question is, can you survive the time it takes to get to that first level on pretty much ZERO income?

Anybody here telling you they made money during the Training Phase is full of it. I was there longer than most people. I oversaw many offices and had 1000's of people coming through my own. Most people who defend Scentura have not been in the system long enough to know the real deal, and are still in the brainwashing phase.

While the fact that new offices are always opening is true, the entire process involved is a lie. Ads are published that clearly state SALARY. During interviews, new hires are led to believe stories about SALARIES and BENEFITS.
This is also false. Why not tell the truth from the very beginning? Because nobody would stay, period! This is why people are mislead from the beginning.

It is the only way to keep people coming back. Next, we are taught to lie. Taught to lie about how much money we were making, the cars we drove, the homes we owned. The truth was, as office owners, we were all broke.

Now, for anyone who wants to fire back that I was a Weak Piece of S***, a Blow Out, etc., I made it one hell of a lot further than you, and I was familiar with many, many offices... and all were struggling financially. All of them.
Everyday, I watched people (good people) lose everything. Especially during training. Once, I had a Husband and Wife team in our program. They showed up one day in a U-HAUL truck with everything they owned in it, and also had two
small children with them and no place to go because they believed that much in the 'opportunity'. They had lost their home.

My Regional Manager was robbed at gunpoint by a former employee. If I hadn't left minutes earlier, I too could have been a victim. He was later robbed again by another employee at his home. his children were taken hostage, and his wife shot. This news story can be found online to prove I'm not kidding. It happened in the town of Cockeysville, MD in 1996.

(Google 'The Baltimore Sun August 7 1996 Senna Dent Robbery)

The bottom line is this: YES, we opened new offices, but this doesn't mean success. Many times we were forced to buy additional bottles from the company just to keep our numbers up. So much for profit.

One person here has stated the company has been around for 35 years. While this is true, I find it amazing that new offices are continually being opened. One would think that if the 'opportunity' was so good, relatively permanent offices
would be established already with very little room for new growth. 

How is it a company 35 years old has nothing but new offices? And where are all the people that should have been around 35, 25, 20, etc. years? There aren't any! They don't exist. Only a handful of Division Managers at the top, and
Larry Hahn himself, have been around that long.
 
A few years ago, I had a girlfrient who got mixed up with Scentura. This created many fights between us, because they had done a thorough job brainwashing her already, and wouldn't listen to me. She stated how her 21 year old manger already owned expensive cars, lived in a 6000 sq ft home, blah, blah, blah. I went over to his office and called him on it. 
Turned out he was living in an apartment with his parents and driving a 13 year old Ford Explorer (also owned by his folks).

Another person on this forum has stated they made $86,000 in their first year. Yeah, well, I call that a bunch of BS.
It is all lies. Even I propagated those lies, because I was taught that lying was the way to success, when in fact, it's a sure fire way to financial ruin, death threats, and even becoming the victim of armed robbery.

When all you do is piss people off with your lies, some of them will come back for you. I guarantee it. Working for this company means you have to live your life in hiding. Hiding from people, hiding from the Police, the Labor Board, the Courts, the Local Media, etc...

Can you make it in this business? Oh, yes you can! But you have to be a person with no soul, period. You have to be a person who can continually lie, and not be bothered by it. You have to be the kind of person who doesn't mind watching
others ruin themselves so you can succeed. If you can do all that, Scentura Creations is the perfect 'opportunity' for you.

Personally, it was the biggest mistake of my life. After 15 years, I am still bothered by some of the things that happened and have to live with. In conclusion with a final comment: The person who stated they made $86,000 has also stated they've gone on many company trips. First, let me make it perfectly clear the company doesn't pay anyone to go on those trips. The company sets up conferences, and anybody
who wants to attend is required to pay their own way. Anybody who tells you otherwise is lieing. I attended many of those conferences myself, and had to pay my own airfare and hotel just like all the other 1000's of people who were also there, so you can't call it a 'company trip'. Regardless of your performance, Scentura will never reward you with anything for free. 

Like me, everyone on this forum who manically defends Scentura Creations at this point, will one day soon either disappear or return, like me, to warn others against it. When the brainwashing is over, and the reality starts, they will ALL change their tune." 

Simple Comparisons 

Business practices of a normal company vs. a Scentura distributor. Most companies provide employees with a full
benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401k and Paid-Time Off upon hire. Scentura provides none.
Most companies pay employees for every single hour they put in, plus time and a half for any hours over 40 in a week, plus bonuses for bringing in new business, plus mileage for the driving they do in the field, plus any and all business
related expenses they incur on the job. Scentura pay only commission and reimburses nothing. 

Most companies advertise for sales people when looking for sales people. Scentura falsely advertises an extremely risky business opportunity as a Management or Receptionist job.  Most companies hire people with experience in their respective fields. Scentura hires anyone off the street that can be easily brainwashed, knows nothing about the business world or is just plain greedy. 

Most companies run background checks at no charge to any prospective employees. Scentura makes everyone pay
for a background check that they most likely never conduct.  Most companies have a customer based website, an
established customer base and provide all employees (even non-sales staff) with Business Cards which is standard in almost every industry these days. Scentura has none of these things. Its still your choice though, you can sell fake
perfume in parking lots with no benefits or sales permits and later run your own operation getting people to do
the same thing by recruiting them through deceptive advertising and encouraging them to become alienated from their family and friends and base your entire life around Scentura. 

Or You can do it the right way by proving yourself to a company that pays you for the hours you work, offers benefits and doesn't lie to and deceive it's employees. Later you can work your way up and move on to a better job at another company steadily learning new skills and going home satisfied after an honest days work. 

Peace Out Readers. 

Court Case

http://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/AppellateCourt/2001/2ndDistrict/September/Html/2000964.htm

News Stories

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspxbctid=86732794001#/News/Onyx+Wholesale/

Unfortunately, it seems theres a lot of negativity and false information circulating the internet regarding Scentura, and I think its
based mostly on peoples misunderstanding of the Scentura Opportunity. I thought Id post something brief that would help make things clear.

First of all, Scentura Creations is a manufacturer and supplier of rendition fragrances. They distribute their product line to Independent Wholesale Business owners throughout the U.S. and have been in business for more than 35 years. Theyre unique in that they provide merchandise without any capital outlay to these Independent Wholesale Distributors, meaning they dont pay
Scentura until after theyve sold the merchandise. This is key because it removes a huge barrier of entry into business Inventory costs.

Second, the sales model used by most independent businesses that sell Scenturas products is that of Direct Selling. Its a business to business, face-to-face sales strategy that has worked for over 35 years. Its not glamorous, and its probably not for everyone, but it just works.

Last, and most importantly, Scentura doesn't ask you to invest any money, it's not a franchise, it's not a pyramid or multi-level marketing business, there's nothing to purchase, there are no sign-up fees. The only thing required from you is your time and hard work, and youll get a chance to run your own business. How many companies out there are willing to offer that?

It probably sounds too good to be true, but it makes sense when you understand Scentura's incentive: It's a Win-Win scenario for everyone. You get a chance to own your own business, and Scentura gains a new customer, which means more
volume. If Scentura only dealt with individuals who had hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest, they'd be waiting a long time, especially in this economy. So they're willing to take all the financial risk.

Again, this is not for everyone, but the opportunity is definitely real, and many owners have gone on to make six-figure incomes running their own businesses that sell Scentura's products.

Please visit the following website dedicated to new business owners that answered the ad and started just like everyone else: www.RookieOwners.com

If youd like to read more about Scentura Creations, please visit the following sites:

www.ScenturaCreations.com

www.TruthAboutScenturaCreations.com

www.Larry-Hahn.com

If you have any further complaints, please direct them to [email protected]

Thank You.