Why Newbies Should NOT Do the Bootcamp First
In the niche lesson in the Online Entrepreneur Certification course, new members are advised that if they cannot decide on a niche they should consider doing the bootcamp and promoting WA.
Don't do it!
Why?
Because if you are a complete beginner who has not made any money online in any other niche, you should not really be advising others on how best to earn money online. Earn money first (not promoting WA), then you qualify to be able to advise others.
In the bootcamp course, you will be advised to write a review saying how great WA is and how it's the best way to learn how to make money online, especially when compared to other ways to make money online. But how can you possibly know this if you are totally new to WA and new to making money online?
How can you possibly know that WA is the best option out of all the opportunities out there if you have only just joined WA? You believe WA is the best because the bootcamp tells you WA is the best.
You will be the blind leading the blind, flying head first into the darkness in the desperate hope you're heading in the right direction, all while confidently telling others that they should follow you.
Also, the bootcamp kind of encourages you to write biased reviews that trash other "make money online" opportunities and say that WA is the better way.
No, this is not the way to do it. Or rather, it's not the HONEST and legit way to do it.
The best way to review anything is to try it, and that includes WA, and that means trying to follow the Online Entrepreneur Certification course to try to make money out of your passion or interest. Only then can you write an honest review of WA saying whether or not it actually worked for you, whether it actually turned you into a "Wealthy" affiliate.
And the clue is in the name. WEALTHY Affiliate. Wealthy is a synonym of "rich", so by following the WA training you should (eventually) get rich by being an affiliate of other people's products. Only once that's happened will WA have fulfilled its claim. But of course, it will take time (as any legit business will), so don't expect to be able to write your honest WA review for a while yet.
Then you can also try other opportunities and report on how well they worked for you.
Because if you just dive straight into the bootcamp and go straight into promoting WA before it's actually worked for you, you're just trying to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's a case of "fake it till you make it." Of course, if you are able to consistently convince other people that it is indeed the best way, eventually you will have got enough WA referrals for it to be true for you.
But that's not the same as it being true for those that decide not to promote WA. The only way you can know whether WA really delivers on its claim of building a business out of your passion or interest, is to follow the Online Entrepreneur Certification course and attempt to build a business out of your passion or interest. Only then will you really know whether WA is the #1 way to make money online.
This is why newbies should NOT do the bootcamp first.
Recent Comments
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Thanks for your realistic words Marcus. Why would you promote something that has not yet worked for you? I believe in the old saying that goes "seeing is believing". That also goes for the online business.
From my point of perspective, the WA does make sense when they say that this is not a get rich scene, and that it takes time to make it work.
Even not at my point in time with the WA, I am living proof of that so I would also advise any newbie, is make some progress yourself first, before trying to sell it to others and above all do not act on impulse.
Hey Thezoulster I think you have a point there, however let me point out that this is not a get rich quick program. You have to be a solid back ground educational, while you work progressively to achieve your goals.
The key is does the concept work. Yes it does. And when you believe it work then you do not need to doubt. but to start even promoting WA even before you reach the goal because it is part of the goal.
But people refer to it on their websites as things like "My #1 Money Making Method". How can that be the case if they've not made any money with it yet? It's like someone saying a particular camera is their favourite camera, even though they've not taken any photos with it.
Great analogy Marcus. In my case, it is like saying my favourite WWE wrestling superstar is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson even though I have never personally met him.
Thank for very good suggestion. Would not be the same like building a website for diabetes. Do you need to be diabetic first in order to promote diabetic products.
Actually, it would definitely help if you were diabetic, yes. It would help you identify with your audience. It's best to create a website about something you can identify with.
hadn't noticed in which training video we're told to trash other stuff? I'd like to see that one for myself, and I think I've been through every video in bootcamp...
On Kyle's site, he has positive reviews as well as negative ones. If Kyle were telling us to trash stuff, he'd exemplify that on his own site...but he hasn't...
Okay, perhaps "trash" is too harsh a word. But he does say that when you compare WA to other opportunities, it's obvious that WA is better. So he's encouraging people to compare WA to other products and come out in WA's favour. That's what I meant.
It's fine to compare WA to other products, and come to the conclusion that WA is better, if that's indeed the case. But for newbies to say that, how would they know?
Your review of WA gives it 97%. What's that based on? What you've actually earned or what you hope to earn?
I'm not saying WA doesn't have value. I think there's a lot of great training here and a lot of vallue to be had from being in a community of internet marketers. But how can someone recommend it as their #1 way to make money online if they haven't made much money from it yet?
Hi Marcus
Thank you so much for this post. I am pretty much a newbie and was sceptical as to whether I should do the bootcamp first or, worse still, at the same time as trying to build my first ever website. post my first ever content and build my first ever email list.
Your article has has articulated my thoughts which pretty much echo yours so I feel comfortable at going through the official training and just concentrating on my niche for the time being.
The only way I'm "promoting" WA at the moment is just sending my personal affiliation link to any friends or acquaintances who like the sound of it. Easy enough I guess!
All the best everyone
Paul
I completely agree with you!
I think it's irrelevant to build a make money website and promote WA until you have been successful in building other affiliate websites.
It's way too competitive to start with and you just don't have enough experience to show any credibility to your audience (in the case you manage to outrank all the authority sites on top of Google, which I doubt)
The only way to outrank authority websites in the money making niche is to be an authority yourself or to show at least some credibility and results.
I know, I will only be promoting WA when I have something relevant to show to my audience and not before.
I beg to differ, Marcus. I'm doing the bootcamp first because I've been involved in various online marketing programmes along with a number of MLM opportunities. Some I made money from, some I didn't. I also got hooked into a few scams.
My 'niche' will be helping people like me who'd been frustrated in MLM and are looking for an alternative way to build it, rather than just an alternative to MLM itself.
Whilst I'm not involved in any MLM opportunity at the moment, I'm not ruling out a return in the future if I can find an opportunity that resonates with me.
It's a fact that 97% of people fail in MLM because, under pressure from their uplines, they have to hit on friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, etc and that just does not work for the majority. The very things people are told to do when they join are actually the biggest cause of failure but to their upline it's merely a numbers game. 'Some will, some won't, so what - next'. And I personally believe it doesn't have to be that way.
I'm one of those 97% and I've been thinking for some time that I wish there was a programme out there whereby people such as me could brand themselves online as an alternative way to build their main business.
In than respect, I could say that WA found me, rather than me finding WA.
Whilst the focus of the Bootcamp is to promote WA, it teaches online personal branding which can be used to promote anything that might be dependent on building a relationship beforehand. This, I feel, is how people will build their MLM businesses in future. Social media users are an entrepreneurs new 'warm market'. People join people, not opportunities after all, hence all the peer pressure from 'old school' MLM'ers on their new team members to do the very things that are most likely to blow them out. They don't realize as yet that the internet provides an alternative to those methods.
I believe it can work both ways. One can introduce frustrated marketers into WA and possibly sponsor some of them into their MLM opportunity on the back end of that, or they can introduce WA to a person who is already in their main business and show them how it can be a very effective alternative method of sponsoring.
Old school MLM'ers have a very narrow focus of the internet, ie, the corporate replicated websites that their companies now provide. The sum of the online training they give to their newbies is 'E-mail your link to everyone you know' even though it makes very little difference and people will still get the same put down by their well meaning friends and relations.
I then see people posting on social media the same 'Wanted: people who want earn xyz' along with the link to their corporate site. No difference between their pitch and the next persons, so who does one join when confronted with loads of identical pitches? There is no personal branding there.
I've had no end of MLM'ers sending me friend requests on Facebook who within minutes of me accepting, they e-mail me their link to their replicated site with a 'take a look at this fantastic opportunity I'm involved in'. They are either old school and blinkered or they are newbies who don't know better through no fault of their own. It is as amateurish as it is annoying.
The Bootcamp teaches to people to build their own websites which introduce them to the world on a personal level, so a relationship can be built up with somebody one has never met but who who is actually looking for an opportunity. This can be done prior to the 'pitch'.
Well, you obviously weren't a complete newbie when you came to WA, so maybe the bootcamp was a good fit for you. This is why I think it was a good fit for me when I returned to WA in January 2015. I had previously been on WA in 2009 and had already tried various money making thing over the years, so i wasn't a newbie when I did the bootcamp.
Hi Marcus. You make some valid points and you make some points that are valid for some people. My thinking is that it is "horses for course".
A persons personal success or not, makes no difference on the next persons success or not given that a particular success process works.
So if the process is trusted and there is evidence for that (from others), then a person can validly promote it.
Some people will be able to make a WA promotion Niche work straight of the bat while others may not. Some people will be able to make their own Niche work straight off the bat while others may not.
The WA process works, there is sufficient evidence for that. Can the process work for everyone .. yes it can work for most. Will the process work for everyone .. reality is that mostly it will not.
Why? It is the "YOU" factor not the "Process Factor".
So at the end of the day, it is "horses for courses", not a blanket "one size fits all".
My thinking is someone should start with what they are comfortable with .. they may change between certification and bootcamp, or bootcamp and certificate on the way through and they may change their niche too. It is a journey, everyone's journey is different.
Just my thinking.
Thanks for the topic Marcus
Cheers, William.
Thanks for your comment, William.
I'm not saying people should not do the bootcamp course, or that WA should not be promoted. I just don't think newbies should be directed towards it, that's all. Maye it should become available as an option once a member has been here for a few months and had a bit of time to explore WA a bit?
Lol Marcus .. yes you do like to create a discussion. Another perspective is the first 90+ days is perhaps just "concept training". One of the biggest issues many newbys (especially me) have is choosing a niche. Doing bootcamp can circumvent that and have them get into a niche straight away, albeit a competitive one. I found that better for me when I got started .. i have since changed hats and I am not pursuing the "Promote WA" niche even though I would love to be in La Vegas :)
Bring on more discussion!
Cheers, William.
Yes, there are a few people with different views to me on this, but that just goes to show it's worth discussing. It's good to get us all thinking about this, even if we don't all completely agree.
Markus my man!
Probably the only guy on this platform who really speaks out. Basically telling the truth in your face, without fancy pancy, fairy tales. Massive respect bro.
As I'm progressing through the Online Certification Course, I can't neglect the fact that Kyle is self-promoting WA shamelessly, whenever he gets the opportunity. There's that gentle push towards the bootcamp, how "vital" boosting your WA rank is etc.
I personally saw the intention for self-promotion straight away, but didn't mind since it's not THAT in your face. However, for most oblivious people it would probably be an issue, especially if they're mega bewildered as most people new to online marketing are.
Great job once again on a dodgy subject, and overall a superb advice to all newbies.
Cheers and god bless you Markus,
Simon
Hello, Marcus1978, Thank you for your thought but I also have a different view as per my experience. For me it Wealthy Affiliate Bootcamp that has helped me to learn anything sensible about online marketing. When I was doing Certification course, I had ignored the BootCamp and moving on but to be true to you I got stranded and came back to the Bootcamp.
It helped me so much to learn the Niche now I can boast that I know something about Affiliate Marketing. Men, some of us came here completely ignorant about online marketing scammers had beaten us.
If WA is promoting WA through the Bootcamp teaching, it is worthy for one to work for someone when you are gaining knowledge that will stay with you forever. Even Kyle teaches us to promote other products as you like.
If the way they want to do their business is telling folks to promote WA, that 's right for me. It is better than them sitting on the wisdom they have. You have to use your brains on what you have to get success. Me I see it as a reward for them to their hard working.
Just like any business, you won't get referrals just like that but at least me I got the knowledge and can use it somewhere else that is if I want. Am happy I joined the Bootcamp when I was a newbaby, and it formed me into an online marketer, hope with consistency, will turn into another person to be a guru. I will continue promoting WA as an honor for all they have taught me, and it is authentic.
But most bootcamp sites contain biased reviews of WA that say it's the best way to make money online, when how would they know? They've not made any money with it yet.
Thank you Marcus1978, and all, I pray that you understand my point of view. As you say that "biased reviews of WA that say it's the best way to make money online, when how would they know?" It is good you have brought this out because it shows that many have been holding it on heart even someone said "unashamedly ..". "As for me, I see it boldly promoting or marketing of one's product."
Let me bring it this way, any marketer or seller in any business when promoting or selling their goods in the market will always say this is the best in the market, world, town.
Be it those selling tomatoes they will tell the customers, "come and buy mine, they are flesh." If the client gives even a glance to the adjacent stall, this one will say, "those are not good." And will start to talk about-about those tomatoes, like "they are not flesh. She brought them for a week, and mine are fresh look here and see." The seller will do all possibility to take the customer. And if the next dealer also happens to notice the same client, she will also join in, and they compete for the buyer.
Some sellers have brokers who will wait for customers on the way to the marketplace and take them to their stall or shop while convincing the client that there is no one selling what you want apart from me. And yet there are many dealers in the same marketplace.
Let us understand that the marketplace for WA is an online world, so he has to use the best in online. The one who will be able to convince the client will take him. And if the customer buys the tomatoes from that seller, finds out they are not flesh next time will buy the other one. Implying the first vendor's product has made him lose the customer.
Okay please, you are all online marketers, has any of you ever done an advert say using autoresponder saying "here is my program not the best but 2nd or last in the market. Sign up for my email list"? I have seen many email list corrector praising their product above normality.
Kyle's business is promoting his product online. I don't expect Kyle is going to tell the people in Bootcamp to write that "WA is the second or third" Just like the one selling tomatoes will not "mine are not fresh, not the best buy from my neighbor" neither will I or you do that.
Some people sell their products unashamedly, like Chine products they will tell you "its an original brand product, the best, you cannot find it anywhere, " yet it is even not.
Yes, Kyle and staff teach unashamedly and louder about their product, it is their business, and they deserve to promote it the way they have.
This a marketing strategy and all marketers know and use. And most experienced marketers will not fight over such issues because they know that is the way to sell your product.
Those individuals who are reviewing that WA is the best, mostly some are so excited because it is the first time to come across a genuine product that shows them what to do. And they are saying what they believe from what they have seen from the start. These people know that it is best online, just from the introduction of how Kyle brings up his teachings. We have human instincts which will tell one that this is a proper way and if you cling to it, you will get something productive out of it. I think their instinct tells them so. To answer your question, ".. when, how would they know?" And those who don't get it, leave to promote WA and join the other program. Not everything is forever one.
Getting money or not, I think that all of you would agree with me that if you do exactly what Kyle, Carson, and Jay teach of his program, you will get money in the long run. You will earn, and it all depends on your input.
People who don't make money from Bootcamp get lazy in the process because they want to do research of other products which most people don't like. And these people themselves know it is their fault.
That reason does not prove the fact that WA is not giving out a good product or is not giving what it says it does. Since it is a market of competition, when these new babies taste the WA and find it not worthy, they are free to leave the product and buy another one.
Please, I for one request to let Kyle do his marketing strategy as they planned from the start.
I think many people out there are promoting so many products as the best in the world in each and every area of sales yet, when you join or buy their products end up being scams, fake not the same taste you thought would be. You thought you are purchasing a sweet juice only to taste it is a sour taste juice. You thought you are buying something that will make you rich only to find the product came to make money out of you.
But WA even if you don't make money in the Bootcamp because you of your reasons for being lazy to research. You can use the wisdom to do your niche that you have passion and continue with the certification course.
Let us not be bothered by the marketing strategy that Kyle is using to promote our product. Just look around you, from the market you buy grocery to where you purchase the house, has anybody told you, "Buy this is not okay, is not the best product." I believe most of them have used terms as "buy this because this is the best in town, world, etc."
To me, the online certificate is fit for those who know something online, but those who are just green about anything need the guideline of Bootcamp.
Cheers
You've just described exactly the type of pushy salesperson I hate and would run a mile from. I went into a phone shop recently, wanting to buy a cheap phone, and the sales guy was pressuring me to get on a contract with a much better phone. It was too much pressure and I left. So he lost my business.
Compare this to my local clothes shop where the owner just stands back and gives you space to to look around, and he's there if you need to ask any questions. A much more comfortable environment to shop in.
You also seem to make the assumption that just because we are members of WA and our websites are hosted here, that the only online business opportunity we can promote is WA. That's not true. We can try various ways to make money online, then be totally honest in our reviews based on our experiences, rather than just blindly saying WA is great and everything else falls short.
I've no problem with someone coming to the conclusion that WA is the best once they have been here a while and have also tried other legit opportunities to compare it to. But if someone comes here and immediately starts promoting WA, isn't that like the tomato seller not even tasting his own tomatoes? The tomatoes he's selling might taste like shit and he wouldn't even know.
I did not say that anyone at WA should promote WA because of they are WA members, please read my message carefully. Even Kyle gives us an option to decide what to promote.
I don't think that Kyle is telling newbies to buy before tasting because the time he advises you to join Bootcamp is at the stage of the niche when you are stranded especially like me who didn't know what to do next. And Kyle clearly explains that you are going to promote WA if you don't want then leave.
I think Bootcamp is basically for learning. I believe he started Bootcamp after seeing that many folks who come here don't know much about niche and what they are doing.So in the way of helping them, he formed the Bootcamp and as anybody has to use what he has to get food.
I saw some who have been here many years, and it is now that they want to promote WA, are they going to say contrary to what the babies are saying?
I read your revised review about WA, and actually, you are coming up with the same answer WA is the best looking at what people were commenting.
Good, you feel not well about people reviewing WA without knowledge about it, but still, I believe many are making reviews of products they have no single idea of taste. People just choose niches because they are profitable and use that.
Thank you for your knowledge but to all newbies, if you don't understand much about online, don't feel bad about promoting WA as Kyle teaches because you will even actually learn ways, even better than his to promote your product after learning and have a thrilling business of your own.
When you want to be a great man, go under a great person. If you want to be a particular preacher, what you do serve that preacher, do what he says to get the understanding, take knowledge of his ways, soak in his anointing by obeying him entirely; when the time is due for you, you will be like a precious diamond. Better than your preacher teacher.
I for one Bootcamp is for learning. Can one to come up with a solution for those newbies who don't know where and what to do since you are disapproving Kyle's method of helping them?
Sorry if I misunderstood what you wrote, MarimN. I struggle to understand the way you word some things, though. For example, "I did not say that anyone at WA should promote WA because of they are WA members". I had to read that sentence a few times before I actually understood what what it meant.
Maybe it's me, I don't know, but I find it quite difficult to follow your style of writing. It could just be that your writing style doesn't gel with my brain's particular way of understanding things.
But when I said "You also seem to make the assumption that just because we are members of WA and our websites are hosted here, that the only online business opportunity we can promote is WA," I was writing that in response to what you said about the tomato seller saying their product was the best. I realise now you were probably referring to Kyle rather than the WA members promoting WA.
But anyway, the fact is, if you search for reviews of WA, you find review after review that gives it a glowing score. and Kyle encourages us to refer to it as our #1 recommendation. So the bootcampers are being encouraged to say WA is the best. Okay, so Kyle's not holding a gun to their head and saying that they must say WA is the best, but by the power of suggestion, and also the fact that they are affiliates of WA, it turns out that way that every review is glowingly positive.
I say this as someone who was following that route myself for a significant time. My WA review is a work in progress, and I have only recently made it more honest. I think you will find my verdict is now "Good, but not perfect". Then at the end in the section called "Is Wealthy Affiliate Right for You?" I try to help people decide whether it is right for them, rather than just saying that it is the best option for anyone loooking to make money online.
I've reached a kind of transition point now, where I am questioning whether WA is the best option...for me, for others. And please don't misunderstand what I mean by that. I'm not saying WA is a bad option. I'm not saying WA is awful. I'm just at a point where I am standing back and trying to objectively assess WA and other opportunities equally. And so my WA review will no doubt evolve over time and my views on this matter furter develop.
At the moment, I still stand by my view that I don't think the bootcamp is a good choice for complete beginners. I think I've explained my position well enough, so if you disagree, well, there's not really anything I can do about that.
But I thank you for contribution to the discussion and sharing your views.
All the best,
Marcus.
Marcus,
There are many ways to make money online and when we create a bootcamp site, we might already know other models that are blatant scams or very inefficient.
Take for example binary options software, online surveys, PTCs etc...
Once you realize how affiliate marketing works, you will quickly know that it's a much better strategy.
Maybe you don't know if there are better places than WA, but you can compare other "make money online" strategies easily and promote WA. Simply because WA teaches you a much better strategy, it becomes a much better platform to join...
And then, you can say this is your #1 recommendation because, at the moment, this is indeed the best one you know. You are not lying.
Now, I understand that when we are just starting out, we may say wrong things about affiliate marketing etc..
However, we are not free from mistakes in other niches too.
What I think is that the bootcamp course should provide a word of caution when comparing WA to other platforms. There are many other great training out there... WA is not the only pearl in the universe.
So, it's up to each individual discover them and provide an honest review.
I understand what you are saying, Stefan, but in the scenario you describe, you still don't know for sure that WA is the best option. Until you've actually tried it yourself, and succeeded, you can't say for sure whether or not it will be a waste of time for people.
The criterion for deciding whether something is the best option is not that it is good in comparison to things which are blatant scams. That's an unfair comparison. It should be #1 in comparison to things which are NOT scams. Find something else that also works, then compare it to WA.
Otherwise it's like saying that working in a supermarket is the best job because it's better than being scammed. Someone might ask you, "So, how long have you worked at this supermarket, and what other jobs have you tried?" Then you might respond, "I've been here just a few days, and the only others jobs I tried were scams".
Or let's try a different anology. Let's say you bought a camera, then you wrote a review saying it's the best camera. Someone might ask, "How long have you had this camera and what other cameras have you tried?" You might reply: "I've had it one week and it's my first actual camera. The other times I tried to buy cameras they just took my money and ran". They might also ask "What photos have you taken with this camera?" and you might reply with, "Well, I've not actually used it much, I've been too busy trying to convince other people to buy it".
I understand your point... Most people will just promote WA because they are in a group that keep saying it's the best. You write Wealthy Affiliate review and you find 99% positive reviews, but then you realise all of them are making money promoting the platform. So, just because you read something is good, it doesn't mean it is.
But in my view, it doesn't take much to discover that online marketing is what moves the internet, and is potentially more profitable than online surveys, offers etc.
In this case, I don't see any harm is promoting WA because you tried the course, you know it's good, and you also know the method works.
You don't need to earn a dollar to know the method works. Just look around an practically all website owner is trying to make money with it one way or another. If it was not profitable, the internet would be totally different.
You don't need to say WA is the best, but you can say it's currently your top recommendation.
If a better alternative comes up on your way, then you can replace all your links with your new recommendation review.
But I completely understand your point. I just don't agree much with the imperative: "don't do it".
I think recommending WA as a complete beginner is sill valid, as long as people do proper research.
Well, I'm just saying total newbies shouldn't do the bootcamp. I'm not saying no members should do the bootcamp at all. I think it would be better if the bootcamp was only available after a member has been here a few months, or after they have completed the Online Entrepreneur Certification training. Even if they don't stick at their chosen niche long enough to turn it into a full-time business before they decide to do the bootcamp an promote WA, at least they will have seen all the training and know it's good.
Yes, I agree.. When I got started here, I went straight to the certification course and started my niche site. But then, I gave up on this niche and thought the bootcamp would be a great opportunity. I really like reviewing mmo sites and talking about online marketing, and I think I've made a good decision.
So, I think people should at least try with a different niche and see how it works for them, before jumping straight to bootcamp.
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I agree to some extent, I remember Kyle giving a few resources to use for comparison which are sites where you find scams, like Scam.com and Ripoff report.
It's fine to trash those sites because they are trash.
The training is perfect however, I hate how most people are promoting WA.
Thanks for your comment