I relate a lot to this topic.  When I first got into MK I had recently got laid off from my job as a bank manager.  It was devastating because I was the breadwinner in our family since my husband is an MD/PhD student.  I had decided that I would go into real estate rather than picking up another corporate job since I was still bitter towards the corporate world.  During the period of time while I was getting my license to sell real estate I got recruited into MK.  I came in with an 1800 w/s order, hit the ground running and sold almost all of it within a few weeks.  Once I saw for myself that I could flip that much inventory I placed another order for $2400.  By this time I was sold on the fact that I could make it in this business and had dreams of supporting my husband through med school.  How wonderful would it be that he could practice any type of medicine he wanted without having to consider financial obligations?  Maybe Doctors without Borders???  We loved this idea.  DH was sold on MK just as much as I was.  He even coined his own phrase about breaking a few eggs to make an omlett.  Turns out he was more sold on my ability to run a business than he was on MK itself.  He won most supportive husband of the year in our area awards.  He was at every event and held my hand every step of the way.  Long story short, I earned my car in 4 months from signing my agreement, became a director in 8 months, and by the time I went to my first seminar I was debuting on stage as a director.  It was at Seminar I realized all the phonyness that surrounded me and I saw the true colors of the so called business I was involved in.  This was in July and by December I stepped down from directorship and sent my product back.  I found this site around November/December and it confirmed all my suspicions that I'd been feeling for a long time but avoided to not be negetive.  Telling my DH was difficult because I didn't want to let him down.  He was as usual supportive and backed me on my decision.  Initially it was hard to not feel like a failure, but he reminded me how hard I worked my a** off to make this business work and it didn't.  Seminar can either motivate someone to a whole other level or it can do the opposite which is what it did for me thank goodness.  Unfortunately I think it goes the other way more often than not.  I would encourage your wife to not go.  It's a major waste of money especially in your tight financial state.  After quitting MK, we decided it would be the best use of my time to stay home and raise our 2 DD's.  Turns out we can get by on very little and all the money I was making before was to buy things we didn't necessarily need.  It just meant changing our priorities.

Hope this helps.  Best of luck with your situation....   

Seminar is a waste of money.

I am not sure exactly what is was at Seminar that just turned me off, but I was never really a "rah rah" type of girl, so that was always annoying to me!  Another thing was the whole seperation of consultants from directors.  When I was in DIQ we went to career conference and of course the directors roomed seperately from the consultants.  Since I was in DIQ they allowed me into the big girls club and let me hang out with them.  We'd go downtown and bar hop and whenever they'd see a consultant they would avoid her at all costs.  It was so cliquey.  Almost like high school all over again.  The 2 directors I was with (one mine, the other her offspring) were both married with kids as was I, but they acted like juveniles.  They would flirt shamelessly with tons of different men, and my director even took one back to her room and had sex with him right in front of the other.  I left the room before all that went down.  By the time Seminar rolled around, I was bummed that I'd have no choice but to room with those 2 again.  I guess I could've got my own room, but I had just recently finished DIQ and the money wasn't rolling in like I had expected.  Instead it was hemorraging on more things for my business like the $300 director suit, flight and hotel expenses for DIT (new director training), prizes for my new unit, printing supplies and postage for my monthly newsletter, seminar dresses, seminar registration, seminar flight and hotel etc.  So it was the same kind of immature and inappropriate behavior with the men.  Also the way they blew off their unit members.  I wanted to be with mine and it was frowned upon.  I have never felt so fake and out of place in my life. 

I too was promised and told that I just needed to get through DIQ and then I'd rake in the big bucks.  Couldn't be less true.  DIQ and directorship were where I incurred the most debt from MK.  Total mistake.  I'd wish I hadn't finished DIQ or even gotten to that point.  It would've saved me so much money. 

I imagine your wife is getting defensive about your inquires of her profit level because she (as I did) takes her business very personal.  Your criticism towards the profitiability of her business (or lack thereof) probably makes her feel attacked because she's not making it.  She probably feels like it's her fault when it truly isn't.  Like she's not working hard enough to make her business profitable.  I know when my business was failing, I felt like a failure.  I questioned if I was working hard enough or if I was managing the money properly.  I know now I was, but I wasn't sure then.  Why were my sister directors making it and I wasn't?  Turns out they weren't, they were just faking it till they made it like I was.  So if someone saw me, I was a prime example of how quickly you can "make it" in MK and be successful and happy and support a husband through med school, when it all was really a facade.  Nothing is what it seems.  I know too many directors who "buy" their production month after month.  It's very sad.  The offspring director I mentioned earlier got a second job solely to fund her production every month.  She finally stepped down but didn't have the courage to send her products back in fear of compromising her so called friendship with our director.  Her family was struggling financially but she couldn't find it within herself to send her product back.  This happens far too often unfortunately.  Women don't want to be cast off as failures and worse off ostricized in their little MK community.  This is exactly what MK banks on. 

As for your wife saying she doesn't want to get a job, I completely relate to that.  One of things about being self employed is the freedom you have with your time.  I could never imagine going out and punching a clock now.  I've got too much freedom and the sacrifice would be too great.  Instead we adjusted our priorities and made a budget on how we could live on the very small stipend my DH gets every month from his MD/PhD program.  It's doable, but it requires sacrifice.  We don't live the lifestyle we used to when I had a full time income.  That's ok with me because it was something I was willing to give up in order to avoid going back to punching a clock.  Money is extremely tight now, but I couldn't be happier.  I still have the freedom of my time, I get to see my kids and raise them, I no longer have the stress that came along with the hampster wheel of MK production, and I don't feel like I'm living a lie anymore.  If you have the ability to give your wife the option of not having to get a "job" then I would work that angle.  That way she doesn't feel like she has to hide behind this "business". 

Keep us posted on how things work out for you!  In the meantime have a  you'll definitely need it!!!