PlanNet Marketing's Travel MLM Operation Tied to Failed Multi-Level Marketing Schemes
The two men running PlanNet Marketing have spent their careers building travel-based pyramid schemes that eventually collapsed or faced legal action.
PlanNet Marketing operates out of Georgia as a travel MLM. Founder and CEO Don Bradley and Andy Cauthen run the operation that sells InteleTravel agent subscriptions to recruits.
Bradley has promoted himself as a 15-year millionaire earner in network marketing. Before launching PlanNet, he was Vice President of Marketing and the top income earner at Paycation, another travel MLM that compensated members primarily for recruiting. Paycation's website traffic data from 2015 shows a brief surge in recruitment followed by steady decline. Before Paycation, Bradley pushed Pro Travel Network, yet another travel business opportunity.
Cauthen's resume is more damning. He joined YTB International in November 2004 and within two years was appointed President and COO. He took over as President and CEO again in May 2012.
YTB International started as a pyramid scheme in 2001. By 2008, California Attorney General Jerry Brown sued the company. The resulting settlement forced YTB to restructure its business model, but the legal action triggered membership collapse and bad publicity that the company never recovered from.
That same year YTB laid off 17 employees as part of a reorganization. The company's own independent auditors said they harbored "substantial doubt about our company's ability to continue as a going concern." They were right. In 2009 YTB hemorrhaged members and money. Paying members dropped from 138,000 in April 2008 to 60,414 by mid-2009. Revenue plummeted 49% in the first quarter of 2009 to $21.8 million, then fell further to $18 million the next quarter. The company operated at a $1.9 million loss.
When Cauthen arrived as CEO in May 2012, YTB was already dying. Founder J. Kim Sorenson had died in February at 62. The company announced a merger with LTS Nutraceutical that May, but by September called off the deal. The incoming CEO Robert Van Patton resigned before the merger fell apart. Founder and chairman Scott Tomer also quit.
On March 1, 2013, YTB International filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court in St. Louis. Cauthen left the company in June 2014.
Two years later, Cauthen and Bradley launched PlanNet Marketing together, bringing their track record of failed travel MLMs to a new operation selling subscriptions to would-be travel agents.
🤖 Quick Answer
What is PlanNet Marketing and how does it operate?PlanNet Marketing is a travel-based multi-level marketing company headquartered in Georgia. Founded by Don Bradley and Andy Cauthen, it sells InteleTravel agent subscriptions primarily to recruits rather than focusing on retail travel services. The business model emphasizes recruitment-based compensation structures typical of MLM operations.
Who are the founders of PlanNet Marketing?
Don Bradley serves as founder and CEO, while Andy Cauthen operates as co-leader. Bradley previously held positions as Vice President of Marketing at Paycation, another travel MLM, where he was the company's top income earner before launching PlanNet Marketing.
What is InteleTravel in relation to PlanNet Marketing?
InteleTravel agent subscriptions constitute the primary product sold by PlanNet Marketing. These subscriptions are marketed to recruits as business opportunities within
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