The Kangen water business model has been around for more than 40 years and presents a unique opportunity that lets you make money by selling water machines. Some people market through registered companies while others do it on their own. What should you expect when getting involved and is it really a profitable venture?
Let’s take a closer look at this so-called lucrative opportunity.
What Is Kangen Water?
Kangen Water is a patented water ionizing system designed and manufactured in Japan. It’s marketed worldwide under a direct selling company called Enagic that sells such machines and its components.
The business idea revolves around the benefits of consuming pure alkaline water, a trend that has been going on for a while since the discovery of ionized water technology. According to the company, Kangen machines can produce up to 5 different types of water;
- Strong Kangen Water (pH 11) = Contains dissolving and heat-conducting properties, suitable for food preparation and cleaning, not for drinking.
- Kangen Water (ph 8.5 – 9.5) = Hydrogen-rich and electrolytically-reduced water that is suitable for drinking, cooking, and watering plants.
- Clean Water (pH 7) = Free of chlorine and rust. Suitable for drinking, preparing baby food, and taking medication.
- Beauty Water (pH 4 – 6) = A slightly acidic form that comes with astringent effects. Suitable for gentle cleaning and beauty care.
- Strong Acidic Water (pH 2.7) = Contains cleansing properties. Best for cleaning activities. Not suitable for drinking.
The marketing plan is thus targeted at homeowners, offices, or any establishments that rely on good quality water to operate their business. To do this at a grand scale, the company leverages from its distributorship program and that’s the business opportunity we’re going to talk about in the remaining part of the review.
Kangen Water Compensation Plan
In the direct selling business model, you’re basically dealing directly with the customers themselves. This usually translates to higher profits since it takes away the middle man. There are three main ways distributors are compensated by the multibillion-dollar company.
(1) Earn Commissions from Product Sales
Enagic currently offers 8 different filtration models, priced between $1500 to $6000. For every unit sold, you’re entitled to a certain set of commission value, paid through direct and indirect sales channels. A lower range model pays about $90 while the higher end one rewards as much as $400 per sale.
(2) Earn from Rankings
The ranking of your distributorship is determined by the number of units sold. The most basic level – 1A – is awarded when you personally sell 2 units. You become 2A when 3 units are sold and 6A your sales cross over 101 units.
These ranking numbers actually act as multipliers to your direct commission earnings. So for example, if you’re a 2A and the commission is $285 per unit, you’d make $570 (285 x 2) profit. If you’re a 3A, you’d make $855 (285 x 3) and so forth.
(3) Earn from Bonuses
Between 1A and 6A levels, one’s earnings are mainly focused on the number of sales with the exception of special points, a type of bonus awarded when a direct sale is made within 90 days. Beyond 6A, your income stream will diversify from add-ons such as education allowance, monthly and quarterly incentives as well as leadership bonuses.
The bigger your circle of network, the more access to higher commissions and group bonuses you’ll get. To become a distributor, you must first get to know the product and purchase a Kangen water machine that’s suitable for your needs.
You can then promote the products (and the business opportunity) through word of mouth or do demonstrations at exhibitions. What most people commonly do nowadays is to market through blogs and social media as those channels are more convenient and they let you tap into the warm market.
Like any other business, being proactive in sharing and follow-ups help to convert leads into sales. It’s not impossible to run this venture on your own, but the gain is clearly more significant if you’ve got a strong network of distributors and good relationships with the customers.
Can You Make Money with Kangen Water?
Anyone with an entrepreneurial mindset should be able to see many opportunities take flight with this Kangen water business thing. For the most part, your intuition is right when we analyze these rather convincing facts.
The Pros
(1) An Evergreen Niche
Water, just like air, is an essential natural resource in our daily lives. The quest for good quality water has escalated over the years as more people become aware of water hygiene and the benefits of certain chemical ingredients that come with it. In fact, it’s not an uncommon practice for every modern household to install a water filtration system nowadays.
On the internet, searches have been populating for a while now as information becomes available, and more water machines are marketed through eCommerce. Based on Google’s data for the past 5 years, there has been a steady and somewhat increasing trend for the term ‘alkaline water’ and this pattern, I believe will be like that for some time.
(2) Good Product Quality
Over the course of establishment and product innovation, the Kangen machine has earned many certifications, meeting most ISO criteria and water quality standards which is safe for the consumers. The fact that it’s built with Japanese technology is also a reassuring factor because the country has long-established a solid reputation for producing long-lasting products. Their automobile and clothing industries are reflective of these qualities.
(3) Attractive Compensation Plan
The Kangen Water compensation plan is probably one of the easiest to comprehend in comparison to other direct selling companies. You can gain a significant amount of profit by just selling a little. This is largely due to the generous sales commission AND the ability to multiple earnings through rankings and downline expansion.
(4) Good Marketing Support
As a distributor of a 40-year-old company, you can expect to get a lot of marketing material as well as support from uplines on how to promote the machine. For a small fee, you’ll also get a simple landing page, containing information about the product and a signup form for new customers. This webpage is then used to market online either through paid advertising, social media posting or blogging to reach a wider audience on the internet.
The Cons
However, it’s not all roses and rainbows when it comes to selling Kangen. If you’ve been approached with these kinds of perceptions, some undesirable situations will catch you by surprise.
(1) MLM Recruiting
When one is paid through a ranking system, recruiting new downlines is inevitable at some point if you want to make the most out of the distributorship program. This may not be agreeable for most people because you not only need to sell the products but also the business opportunity.
That means you must be equipped with the technical know-how while preaching the idea to friends, families, and so on.
You get the drill but in today’s consumerism, such an approach is perceived negatively because there’s an element of personal gain and pressured buying that makes some people uncomfortable. Some likened it to a pyramid scheme and even though Enagic has a lot of credits to boost its reputation, the system can still be abused by certain parties.
For example, there’s a high ticket online program called Affiliate Institute that teaches people how to make big commissions. In reality, they are actually recruiting Enagic distributors under the founders so members who don’t know any better would end up paying for the water machine AND the expensive program at the same time.
It’s stated clearly that ‘no joining fee’ is required to become a distributor so if you’re paying to become one, you’ve probably been scammed.
(2) Expensive Machines
While you’re reading this, there are many alkaline water machines in the market and since Kangen is an MLM product, the selling price is often more (if not most) expensive than other brands. Why is that? Well, that’s because they need the money to pay for the basic commissions and beyond and reward all the distributors at higher levels.
It’s one thing to pay for high-quality products but when prices are intentionally inflated to compensate for incentives, do you think savvy consumers will not notice? Of course, they will and if they know how to do the math, maintaining the machine can be an expensive affair.
Mind you, this type of pricing system is not uncommon in the MLM industry. Herbalife, Lularoe, and Monat are some companies whose products are often marked at higher selling prices for the same purpose. To make matters more challenging, interested parties can only purchase the machine from a known distributor.
That means you can’t buy them off the Enagic website just like you would with other competitors whose features are likely just as good (if not better) and more affordable. This is a huge factor in converting sales nowadays; if the buying process is inconvenient, consumers are just going to move onto other brands.
(3) The Alkaline Water Controversy
Despite the overwhelming trend, there are many controversies surrounding the consumption of alkaline water. Some people say it could make you look younger, more hydrated, and even cure cancer, which I think is a bit far-fetched. Some people think it’s just marketing gimmicks used to make money off people’s hope for better health.
The debates about this topic are endless and you can research online for days trying to straighten the facts. I’m sure many of us grew up drinking water just as it is – clean and mostly filtered. However, the emergence of alkaline water has caused this innate mindset to shift to the right, raising doubts over the regular water we currently drink and many health-related questions we’ve never considered before.
So if you’re going to promote Kangen water, make sure you’ve done your homework because there will be a lot of wary people out there who will be questioning the benefits, the cost, and the truth of consuming such a state of water.
Is Kangen Water a Good Business Opportunity?
For the most part, it is. After all, it’s all about promoting the consumption of good quality water. I think the product may appeal to health and fitness enthusiasts who are keen to try something new, granted they can afford it. If you’ve positive experience with ionized water or are fascinated with the different filtration systems out there, this is certainly a profitable niche to venture into.
However, I find that selling water machines through MLM is kind of backward. Such marketing techniques were quite popular back in the ’80s and ’90s but with the advent of the internet, there are now better ways to make money with water products without having to do demos or recruiting.
It’s called affiliate marketing and this is made possible because people can now search for more information online (specs, price, features and etc.) before making a purchase and if something strikes their fancy, they can easily order and have the product delivered to their homes.
Want to learn more? Check out my recommended training platform here and I’ll personally show you how to get started. I hope this review has offered you some useful perspective on the Kangen Water business model. If you’ve anything to ask or add, please leave your comments down below.
Anastazja says
My wife and I are very concerned about water hygiene. We have a reverse osmosis system at our kitchen sink and water distiller for certain other things. Your article about ionized Kangen water is interesting as I have not heard of actually preparing pH-specific water for different uses.
Not too keen on the MLM-side of things but I’m interested to learn more about this water system and its benefits from a consumer’s perspective.
Janani Kumar says
As someone who has been approached time and again on social media from the start of this pandemic by MLMs, I can tell you that it has left a super sour taste in my mouth. I’ve heard of Kangen before but didn’t do enough research to understand it was an MLM until I read this review. The business plan is undoubtedly attractive, but the controversies surrounding this alkaline water thing are equally as shocking!
Chas says
Hi Cathy,
I have never heard of the Kangen Water Machines until I read your review. What a fascinating product! I am going to have to say, I agree with you on the fact, that MLM marketing just turns people off. I am one who does not like the recruiting end of it. Plus, most of the products are more expensive, and I do shop around. I feel others do as well.
I do like ionized air filtration systems, but I am not so sure about drinking ionized water! If someone wants to buy this system, can they find a local distributor for this product?
Cathy says
Hi Chas. They could if the local distributor has a physical business listed on Google. It may show up on your search results when you enter keywords like Kangen Water or Alkaline Water System. I know it does on mine.
Gomer says
My aunt is one of the highest-earning distributors of Enagic here in the Philippines. Both husband and wife, they earn in millions based on our local currency from the team they have built local and abroad, and actually, they are now in “monitoring mode” as they got so many leaders in their downline who are doing the work for them.
Your review of Enagic is thorough, something that’s very detailed and cannot be construed as biased. It is for the reader to weigh both the pros and cons and to use their good mental judgment on whether to pursue joining this company or not. One needs to consider all angles when evaluating this kind of high ticket business opportunity.
Cathy says
Hey Gomer, thanks for sharing!
Karl Darden says
This is actually the first I’ve heard about alkaline water and an MLM company associated with it. You provided a good breakdown of both. Also, nice job pointing out how to avoid potential scams.
I live in Arizona, and the water out here is very hard. But we do have a water softener that makes it a lot more drinkable. In truth, I think I feel more comfortable drinking water as close to pH neutral as possible. That is unless any substantive evidence ever comes out supporting any health benefits with drinking alkaline water.