How to keep your money safe from fake online courses

I'm going to make millions.

Or so I thought, after buying my first ever online dropshipping course

I went through the whole thing and realized this shit ain't ever gonna work.

The business model itself is fantastic. And that's what the courses are really selling you on.

Instead of baking a giant cake that costs thousands of dollars and days to create, you are baking little chocolate cupcakes.

If the cupcakes sell like crazy, then you know the wedding cake will be a hit

If the cupcakes don't sell like crazy, its no biggie because the investment you made is so low that it didn't really hurt, just pick a different flavor and go again.

That's how dropshipping is so attractive, the initial investment is a website membership, and all you had to do was post pictures of what you want to sell

When the orders start coming in, you can then use the money to buy from the actual suppliers.

A perfect plan, you don't take the risk of having an inventory of 50 boxes of make up in your bedroom.

you don't take the risk of spending your own money first to get the supplies like how you would in a physical store

the advantages go on and on

but what's the problem here?

You might not be able to pinpoint it but after the hype you feel from reading their advertisement message (copywriting) and buying the course, you start getting this feeling creeping on you

something isn't sitting right, something is wrong, you can feel it but you don't know what it is

well fortunately for you, I will tell you right now why this particular model is not sustainable, and what you should be aiming for instead if you really are committed to building an online business.

No more get rich quick schemes, no matter how attractive the offer sound in the beginning

3 LESSONS

1) know how to spot "fake" online courses by fine-tuning your BS radar

(ie. I always think to myself, did these people really get rich from what he preaches, or did they only get rich from selling online course that promises you everything you want + 72 virgins)

2) understand what makes an online business viable

(ie. what is a moat and why its vital for every business, both online AND physical)

3) what you can start doing TODAY

A good copywriter knows exactly how to exploit your weaknesses and emotions.

Are you poor right now? Here's an easy step by step process to make you tons of money.

Are you overweight? Here's a proven framework to lose tons of weight

Are you a horny bastard with no bitches? Here's an easy formula for you to get your dick wet.

I have spent COUNTLESS OF DOLLARS and seen COUNTLESS OF ONLINE COURSES

I was on a frenzy, because I was poor, I was stuck, I was vulnerable,

and thus I was ripe for the taking by these unethical online gurus that keep promising me I can get a 6 figure income from this one easy framework.

Picture me, trying to quit school so I don't get stuck in a 9-5.

Then, the advert algorithms finds me because I'm a lazy piece of shit that just click "accept all cookies"(YUM) whenever I visit a website

Now everyone and their moms know I'm poor and am looking for quick ways to make money

and what do you know, here comes all the gurus selling me courses that fix all my problems!

How wonderful.

All these buzz words they keep throwing at you, after reading hundreds and hundreds of copy, I can spot exactly where in their writing are they trying to exploit emotions.

The words like "step by step", "blueprint", "fool-proof", "framework", "funnel", and "easy/quick" used to turn me on like a dog in heat

Now they turn me off more than my dead grandma (sorry grandma)

I've fallen victim enough times now to spot BS when I see one, and I am here now to tell you what I learned from my experience, so you won't fall into the same traps I did

I have over 500 GBs of BS courses on my hard drive, so BUCKLE UP. I'm taking you down the BS Blvd.

(don't ask where I got the money to buy these courses from, but if you're really curious, I used my student loan money...)

I would like to mention that not all online courses are bad,

in fact, I am only able to be here and write blogs on things I care about BECAUSE of an online course I bought. (best investment I've ever made so far)

I was finally able to make the right investment because of how fine-tuned my BS radar is

Here are the 4 things you NEED, to supercharge your BS radar

1) become aware of buzzwords

know that YOU ARE BEING PLAYED.

as soon as you start reading their copy, the game is on.

These are people trained, and studied on exactly which words to use, how many sentences to string together, how many bullet points in a list and how big their fonts should be at any given point of their sales letter.

the more you read the more mesmerized you become.

how to know if you really need this course or if your emotions are doing you dirty?

the most practical advice I can give you to combat copywriters:

The less you read the better.

The less words they used to convince you means you actually need what they're selling.

If you have to read their whole entire sales letter and then sit through a 1 hour long pre-recorded webinar to make your decision to buy then you are most likely being played.

the best courses I've bought for myself are the ones with sales letters that I didn't even finish reading

literally bought them because I KNEW I needed them. They didn't convince me of anything (or maybe they did, but I just wasn't aware of it.. OH NO)

Here is a list of common buzzwords copywriters LOVE to use.

Just be aware that whenever they use these words they don't actually serve any purpose other than playing with your emotions and exploiting your weaknesses

• Step by step

• fool-proof process

• bullet-proof process

• Framework

• passive income

• side-hustle

• anyone can do it, even people with no experience.

• tried and true

• proven

• timeless

• all you need is XYZ and an internet connection

• Pipeline

• blueprint

• short-cut

• make :insert an attractive number of dollars: within :insert a crazy short amount of time:

• bullet-proof process

• doesn't have to be hard, expensive or time consuming

These are just the ones from the top of my head.

I assure you that you will be constantly running into them when you are reading sales letters for an online course, especially the first 4 examples.

Again, not all online courses are bad,

Sometimes we don't even know a solution to a problem problem exists until somebody educated us on it.

But most of the education of that problem should come from other sources

• ie their YouTube channel, their normal daily/weekly/monthly content, other books they may have written, their podcast. Anywhere else.

• IF you see a "random" ad that sends you into their websites, and are being educated IN their sales funnels (ie sales emails, letters, WEBINARS, LIVE events) then they are definitely playing you.

2) become aware of your weakness

This one is a bit tricky, you have a problem in your life after all, that's why you're looking around for solutions

Are you broke? Are you sexless? Are you extremely insecure about your weight?

these are the most common areas that people will scam you on

You are extremely weak and desperate IF you are just an individual with a serious lack in either health, wealth or relationships in your life

they will absolutely take advantage of your weaknesses, they will keep agitating you on your pain points to a point where you feel like you NEED their products and services

An example (slightly comedic but not extreme at all):

"Are you broke with bills to pay and children to raise?

The bills are piling up on your coffee table and your boss is always in a bad mood,

you are in the verge of being fired because you hate your work and thus cannot perform well, plus any of your genuine good intentions at work are all gone unnoticed.

Your wife is starting to behave like she has a side piece,

you have your suspicions but no hard evidence yet.

You willfully ignore all the red flags because you are too scared to face the reality that your own wife of 8 years is cheating on you.

But here you go buddy, this side hustle will save your miserable life and you failing marriage.

This is a guide on how to make a 6-figure income by just spending 2 hours a day writing emails! And I will give you this guide for free if you come attend my webinar!"

The webinar of course, is just an hour long video of a sales pitch with no fast forward buttons and no way to know how much longer until the video ends,

then at the end of the video they will tell you that the 2 hour email writing course that will fix your life usually costs 2000 dollars, but if you purchase it within 1 hour, they will give you a discount and sell it to you for only 899,

what a bargain!

Do you see how your weakness can be easily exploited? Become aware that you have a weakness right now and you must NOT let your emotions lead you

Easier said than done I know, I've been there.

Wanting to making all the time is my personal weakness,

For a while before I became conscious of the games they play,

they can sell me anything from online business to freelancing by blogging or editing videos, or even real estate investment skills,

as long as they slap a sentence saying "6 figure income"

I want to point out again that everyone and their moms know your weaknesses.

The algorithm are specifically built to target people like you. Become AWARE

You are living in the matrix now, as cringe as that sounds, as long as you're on the internet, they know exactly how to dissect you.

3) When anyone with no experience can learn and do it:

Listen, when someone tells you you can make a 6 figure income by just being a freelance video editor, work anywhere in the world as long as you have your laptop and an internet connection

what's keeping other people from doing what you do?

Go on fiverr.com right now and search "video editing" and see how many competitions you have.

and that's just one website

theoretically it is possible to make a 6 figure income with a skill,

but you have to land clients first. It is difficult to have a stable income as a freelancer when you don't have a stable influx of clients to work with

that's exactly why people opt to get hired by companies and have a 9-5

Congratulations, you've come a full circle

SAME WITH DROPSHIPPING

When any 17 year old could launch a dropshipping store,

with these exceptional copywriters working their magic selling their dropshipping courses,

you can bet your ass that there will be millions and millions of dropshipping stores out there for you to compete with

What's the problem here?

one word: MOAT.

In the medieval times, it is common that a castle is surrounded by a body of water so it's harder for enemies to invade.

That body of water is called "moat",

when you run a dropshipping business, or if you only learn one skill, the moat to your castle(your market) is almost nonexistent.

What's the moat of a dropshipping business? Internet connection.

Who the fuck doesn't have an internet connection today?

If you're just a one trick pony, you can be compared with other one trick ponies, and thus you must be absolutely exceptional in that field to be able to get anywhere close to 6-figure incomes.

However that is highly unlikely because let's face it, you're just a beginner. There are people who have been doing what you're learning to do for YEARS.

The YEARS of practice is their moat.

It will take you YEARS to get to their castles where they make the 6 figure incomes.

Do you have years to spend on learning a new skill?

You bought the course precisely because you do not have the time, remember?

4) Be absolutely skeptical about testimonials

I don't think I have to explain this, you simply can't trust the testimonials provided in their own websites. They are extremely easy to fake.

Even outside their sales websites, they are able to buy bots and flood the review sites with positive reviews if they really wanted to.

You simply will never know if a testimonial is genuine or not.

Even if you can actually directly connect and talk with those who wrote the positive reviews,

they could still be planted employees, managing multiple different accounts on said review sites.

Does that mean you're completely fucked?

well, yes. If your goal is to get rich quick.

SOLUTION I FOUND AND AM APPLYING

There are PROPER ways to build businesses and wealth, and they all take time and effort.

To have success online, you simply CANNOT be a one trick pony

if you really are into one particular service (ie video editing), and want to be self employed, there is a set of skills that you need to have

• growing your social media accounts

• building a reputation

• making connections

• client acquisition

• cold out reach

• web design

• marketing

• sales

When people already know and trust you, selling your services becomes a piece of cake

you will always have clients, and get to truly choose when and where to live and work.

My dream is to have a successful online business brand.

What you can start doing TODAY:

to have a successful online business, you must start with social media growth

even if you still want to have a dropshipping store, what makes you different from other stores are YOU.

when 10 different people sell the same pair of shoes for the same price, YOU will be the one to sell because people know who YOU are, you're not just a guy hiding behind a online storefront like all the other 9 shoe sellers are doing

that's why I have studied intensely on acquired the necessary skills to grow my social media accounts

if you like my perspective and the value I provided in this blog post, please consider subscribing to the letter

and follow me on twitter @kevinlee_hw because I write contents on these topics all the time.

I consistently write on having a healthy mindset, and more importantly how to grow your social media account the right and organic way,

join me so you can finally start getting the kind of success and leadership that you deserve in the online business world.

Thank you for reading my letter. I put a lot of effort into these for this is what I am passionate about. I hope you enjoyed and have learned something from my experiences.

And please share this post to people that have a potential to be scammed, because this is a real epidemic.

-Kevin