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Deborah Whitehead, associate professor of religious studies, explores connections between entrepreneurship, gender and religion among Mormons

It鈥檚 no accident that multi-level-marketing schemes are widely adopted in Mormon communities, which are tight-knit, entrepreneurial and well-trained, through missionary work, for sales.

That is the conclusion of Deborah Whitehead, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, who has written an article recently published in the journal听Mormon Studies Review听that traces the links between 鈥渟tartup culture, multi-level marketing, Mormonism and entrepreneurship.听

While Whitehead cites LuLaRoe, a billion-dollar multi-level marketing (or MLM) company launched in 2013 as a primary example of this business model, she also focuses on a general examination of the connections between Latter Day Saints (LDS) theology and the 鈥渟elf-starter鈥� mindset closely associated with the multi-level-marketing business model.

The Federal Trade Commission defines multi-level marketing as 鈥渂usinesses that involve selling products to family and friends and recruiting other people to do the same.鈥� With Utah鈥檚 high concentration of MLMs making it the 鈥渦nofficial world capital of multi-level marketing,鈥� Whitehead connects LDS church culture and self-reliance.听

鈥淢issionary training translates well into direct sales,鈥� Whitehead writes, noting that missionaries perform door-to-door 鈥渟ales鈥� pitches and can withstand rejection. She also notes that LDS theology doesn鈥檛 demonize social media when used as a tool for 鈥渟preading the 鈥榞ood news鈥� about a product.鈥�

鈥淟DS communities tend to be tight-knit and close, so when somebody is passionate about a product, it will be easier to go into these circles and sell it,鈥� Whitehead says. 鈥淭his also applies to other kinds of media messaging or getting other people involved in your business.鈥�

鈥淥ne thing I found interesting about the women in LuLaRoe is that many wanted things not just for themselves, but also for their families. They wanted to be entrepreneurs, because they consider it part of their divinely ordained roles as wives and mothers to care for their children, and operating a business from your home enables them to achieve their financial goals while still being a stay-at-home mom,鈥� Whitehead says, underscoring the link between theology, gender and entrepreneurship.

As an example, Whitehead details a moment from the childhood of DeAnne Stidham, one of the founders of LuLaRoe, in which Stidham鈥檚 mother returned from work and began throwing cash to her children while exclaiming, 鈥淢om did this for you!鈥澨�

This episode could be seen as both fulfilling these 鈥渄ivine roles,鈥� but also a way to 鈥渏ustify a mother鈥檚 absence from her children while working outside of the home,鈥� Whitehead writes, noting that remote MLM work is marketed as a solution to this problem.听

While LuLaRoe showcased a particularly negative side of the monetization of religious values and entrepreneurship, Whitehead says it can be a positive thing, especially in reference to blogging: 鈥淢ormon women have used blogging to showcase their creative and practical skills, and many blogs about fashion, sewing, cooking and even resourceful food storage methods have become hugely popular and lucrative.鈥�

鈥淲hile there can be a comfortable partnership between Mormonism and capitalism鈥攊t is not the only way to interpret these situations,鈥� Whitehead says. 鈥淔rom another perspective, when understood correctly, this theology is supposed to keep capitalism in check鈥攜ou work hard for yourself and your family, but you don鈥檛 exploit other people.鈥�

Whitehead鈥檚 interest in religious culture in the United States goes beyond startups and MLMs: 鈥淥ver the last 12 years, I have developed a particular interest in religion, media and culture, and within that broad area I focus mainly on present-day U.S. religion and representations of gender,鈥� Whitehead says.

鈥淚 have written pieces on evangelical women and mommy blogging, emergency food storage, and various other intersections of religion, gender and digital media.鈥澨�

Meantime, Whitehead is working on another article about LuLaRoe, this time focusing on 鈥渢he corporate feminism that is a large part of the company's rhetoric.鈥� She is also working on a book about evangelical Christians and digital media, which is under contract with Routledge.

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