To benefit you.
That is the purpose of this blog.
Like many people, I was seduced into a belief that a particular seminar program would help me to achieve enhanced success in many areas of my life, such as: relationships, wealth, health, expressiveness/communication, career, etc. etc.
Once such program seduced me into believing that their ‘new paradigm’ approach to the world and to life would deliver tangible benefits.
After putting about USD 30,000.00 into this ‘company’, in the form of seminar fees, coaching fees and the purchase of shares, it became clear that the new age gurus running the show had only one goal, obtaining as much of my hard-earned cash as possible.
Others lost much more than I did to this company, amounts reaching close to USD 800,000.00.
Today this company, which at one point employed about 35 people (including me!) is reduced to a handful of staff and working out of a serviced office.
The people behind it are ‘proud’ graduates of the Money & You program (more about that in other blogs).
So am I anti-new age as a matter of principle? No. There is a lot of good motivational material out there that is beneficial.
What I want to do here is to enable you to benefit from my experience.
Many new age self improvement and leadership products are harmless, but there are risks.
LOW RISK
The purchase of a book. However, many self help and self improvement books contain subtle advertisements that can lead to the purchase of more books and eventually seminar attendance – in both cases you’ll end up spending more money for a repeat of the same information.
MODERATE RISK
Attending a free or low cost two hour or half-day seminar is safe enough, but these will usually include invitations to register for weekend or week-long programs at a much higher cost. Offers for coaching services involve similarly high costs.
HIGH RISK
Once you are engaged with a coaching program your coach will encourage you to register for the high cost intensive multiple-day programs. The coaching and intense programs will be used to find your weaknesses, and these weaknesses will be exploited to manipulate your decision making and sabotage your better judgement.
EXTREME RISK
At this stage, you may be invited to make exclusive investments with promises of high returns, often in the ‘training’, ‘leadership’ or ‘self-improvement’ company itself. The projected returns on investment may appear too good to be true, even up to 400% in a period of three to five years. Once an initial investment is made, the company will then give you opportunities to ‘top-up’ your investment by purchasing additional shares.
Often a method used to accelerate investments involves the company’s relationship manager informing the client of an imminent increase in the share price, so immediate gains will be realized (as long as the shares are purchased prior to the increase). Sadly the client does not realize that the company is setting the share prices itself, and doing so at its own discretion. There is no independant audit or other valuation of the actual share value. Once purchased, such shares are often impossible to sell at the value claimed by the company.
THE MONEY TRAIL
And where does all that cash end up? That will be the subject of a future installment…
nemesisthree 