Is Life Leadership a Scam?
I posted the following article on our Life Leadership Forums page, and it received so much traffic I thought it appropriate to also post it here as well. The purpose is to help people understand the difference between knee-jerk reaction to information that is not credible, and what is actually available as a viable business.
I remember when I was first exposed to this profession, I was quite certain that it was, in fact, a scam. Or, at the very least, that it was a haven for the misinformed, mindless lemmings to pacify themselves that they were going to be rich someday, when in actuality they would never accomplish anything. I was quite certain of my opinions, too. Confident in my ignorance, was I.
However, there was also a time in my life when I was quite certain that girls had “Cooties,” a belief that was happily dispelled for me when I met a certain girl named Kendall in 7th grade. The point is that there is no crime in having incorrect beliefs and conclusions about things, but it is not okay, and heck, may even look a little silly, if we never gain new information and move beyond those false conclusions.
Introduction
All meaningful companies have a history born of an attempt to right a wrong, serve some great purpose, and hopefully help its stakeholders (shareholders, employees, and customers) prosper. This usually arises out of a situation in which those who launch the company fight for something they believe in (such as Sam Walton trying to help poorer Americans with his “Low Prices Every Day,” Twitter being a way people could communicate what they were doing and thereby feel a little “less lonely,” and Steve Jobs making technology usable and cool, to name a few examples).
In the case of the LIFE business, we felt that a significant opportunity existed in the space between four major trends (a. Home-based businesses, b. Community building, c. Life coaching, and d. Personal development), out of which participants could not only offer an extremely important service to customers (personal growth, self betterment, and living the life they’d always wanted) but could also operate a profitable, personally owned business while doing so.
Opportunity Between Trends
In our opinion, there were things about each of these industries that needed improving, and therein lay our opportunity. Our goal was to establish a business in the space between these four trends, making a new combination that took the best of each trend while casting away the not-so-good portions. Here is what we thought we could improve:
1. Home-based businesses: the dominant force for this over the years had been “networking” or multi-level-marketing (MLM). But the pay plans had not usually been lucrative enough to make participants in the field much money, and the cost of operation could creep to high levels by overpriced training systems, which brought little results.
2. Community building: is really more of a sociological phenomenon than an industry or trend. Still, the mania of connecting socially through electronic means of communication (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.) indicates the deep human need for real relationships. Someone needed to come along and provide a “high-touch” to go along with the “high-tech.”
3. Life coaching: the very concept of obtaining a coach to point out one’s strengths and offer constructive inputs for improvement is sound. However, much of the infantile life coaching industry (if it can yet be called that) is filled with people who are giving advice but have no results in life themselves from which to give it.
4. Personal Development: This has sometimes been called leadership development, self-help, or a rash of other terms, but the overall approach is to share life enhancing principles and techniques to people who are committed to betterment and achievement. There are some great individuals and companies who have provided excellent content for years, but much of what is out there is extremely overpriced, and unfortunately, some is just plain worthless.
Enter the Antagonists
Opposed to our revolutionizing the industry is, of course, anyone who wants things to stay as they are in any of the above four trends. As the saying goes, “When you set out to change the world, you’d better beware of those who already run it!” This includes entrenched competitors and those who work for them or prosper by their position, who are, as is only natural, threatened by what we are attempting to achieve. What results is the most natural situation in which two different sides are battling it out in the marketplace for proof that their way of doing things is best. As is so wonderful in the capitalistic system (as Orrin Woodward has written about often) the customer gets to decide. We respect our competitors of all stripes and sizes and look forward to the challenge they provide on the playing field of free enterprise!
What LIFE Offers to Customers
In this spirit, here is what we at LIFE Leadership are offering the customer:
1. World-class products with proven worth in the marketplace. In other words, our information, principles, and techniques really do help people improve their lives. (click here) As we like to say, our product is “Life changing information.”
2. A 30 day money back guarantee for any LIFE product if the customer is not completely satisfied (click here)
3. High value, low cost pricing that is extremely competitive and usually below everyone reputable we know of in the marketplace
4. Award winning content providers from the fields of leadership, financial management, relationship building, and team building (contributors include NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best selling authors, US patent holders, decorated public speakers, internationally recognized consultants, etc.) (click here)
What LIFE Leadership Offers to Members
And here is what LIFE Leadership offers those who join and become “members,” thereby making themselves eligible for compensation for moving LIFE Leadership products to customers and building groups of others who do the same:
1. An extremely aggressive compensation plan that pays approximately 70% of total “point value” revenue back out to the members in the field. We know of no other pay plan that even comes close. (see attached “Comp Plan” PDF below)
2. Glamorous paid trips (see the same PDF below) to exotic locations for early achievement in the pay plan. People can qualify for these trips within just a little past their first year of participation. We know of no other opportunity providing this type of incentive this early in one’s time in the business.
3. An optional world-class marketing system including mobile apps, a web based back office, branded emails, personal home pages, voice messaging system, and an audio training Internet radio.
4. Some of the most affordable, most effective training available in the form of live events, audios, videos, downloads, streamed events, books, and ebooks.
5. An electronic office that tracks all the member’s business activities, automatic deposit of earned bonuses on a monthly basis, and One Time Cash Awards for new levels of achievement.
The Reaction of the Antagonists
In the meantime, those who want to protect the status quo, for whatever motivation, behave by throwing stones, misappropriating the truth, mounting smear campaigns, and nearly anything else you can think of in the book of unfair play. Not to worry, however, because we are not bothered by it. We understand competition, preach it everywhere we go, and know that name calling, bashing, spreading false negatives, and the like are nothing more than what’s expected in war (as the marketplace certainly is)! We would wish it to be gentlemanly and accurate, but know that in this world that would never be the case. Heck, even Mother Teresa was violently criticized throughout her life!
LIFE Leadership’s Vision
Our vision is to build Life Leadership to the point where it is the world’s number one provider of leadership services and personal development. On top of that, we want the Life Members who are responsible for moving our products into the world to be the most thrilled and best-compensated entrepreneurs in our entire industry. In fact, we intend to redefine the impression people have of our profession altogether, one jubilant customer at a time! We may not be perfect (and as long as I’m involved, certainly never will be!) but are striving mightily for higher levels of excellence every day.
It’s time to spread the word and help people live the lives they’ve always wanted!
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Someone really should give you a big fat hug. Or a sloppy dog-slobber kind of kiss, or at least a candy bar, because candy bars are cool.
Have a great day!
Chris Brady
LIFE Leadership Creative Director and CEO
LIFE and Leadership by Chris Brady 