The advice I'm referring to is that in the headline. At no point in the article did it say, "you really ought to work for CutCo"... It was just an example.

I don't know a damn thing about CutCo, but having people buy their own equipment isn't just the signature of a pyramid scheme... It's the signature of franchising as well. Hrm. Is McDonalds a pyramid scheme?

Either way, high commission "eat what you kill and pay your own expenses" aren't inherently evil.