Have you ever gone to a self-development seminar where you have been promised a ‘get rich quick’ scheme? Have you ever been told that you need to be fixed? Have you ever been told that you will never have a better life if you do not invest time and money on their courses and had the fear of god put into you?
Over the last 10 years I have been navigating the self development industry, trying to find answers and grow a success mindset to become the best version of myself after having a serious 7 year spell of severe depression, suicidal thoughts and low self-worth. I have been lucky enough to come across people who have truly cared about my well being and have been at the very core of transforming my life. However searching for these incredibly talented individuals has not been an easy task as I discovered the industry to be littered with charlatans and manipulators with unethical practices, these individuals have themselves not dealt with their ‘lack mindset’ and have ended up in a state of fear looking for that quick sale (just to keep themselves in business), at times it felt like wading through the mud and getting burned on many occasions.
What I found so disheartening was that the well known self-development leaders such as Tony Robbins are incredibly powerful people with a talent that has transformed millions of people over the world, however in my opinion it is certain promoters that have caused the industry to be tarred with a negative reputation by using unethical techniques to manipulate very vulnerable people. There are many people who have shared their negative and positive experiences. One negative experience that has been well documented was by Sarah Centrella who suffered an extremely bad customer experience. I resonated with some of the points Sarah made through a similar experience as a volunteer within a similar event.
I have spoken with many coaches over the years about the blurred lines between ethical and fear based selling.
“One of these patterns is the use of Influence or Manipulation to close a sale. The difference between these is sometimes difficult to ascertain because, when is it acceptable to nudge or lead someone towards a program or course which will legitimately help them overcome their fear or problem, and when is it flat out manipulation?” - Chris Richards The Hypno Coach
However, very recently I was recommended to attend Mr John Lee’s free event, John is the CEO and Cofounder of Wealth Dragons. Being utterly honest I rolled my eyes and thought…’Here we go again!’ yet curiosity took the better of me and I had to go and take a peek.
I was so glad I made the choice to attend, I found the whole two hour session very refreshing and walked away with tools that made an instant impact on my passive income. My intuition told me there was something a little different about Wealth Dragons and so I wanted to find out more. I read the book The Wealth Dragon Way: The Why, The When and The How To Become Infinitely Wealthy (Wiley 2015) cover to cover in six hours flat (and I am still waiting for Vincent to share a picture of his permed hair look in his younger years - I fully recommend you read the book to find out more). John Lee and Vincent Wong (Cofounders of Wealth Dragons) were very open to having a conversation with me to talk about their thoughts on the industry as a whole and how they are revolutionising the industry into a truly exciting and accessible service to empower as many people they possibly can to live a fulfilled and purposeful life.Wealth Dragons’ combine online marketing and property investment educational programmes, as well as programmes focusing on Forex and new business creation, together with learning to create a success mindset to achieve powerful results. Below I have listed the key points that I believe are important for the self development industry to be revolutionised successfully.
Telling the Truth
If I had a penny for the amount of times I have been pitched at I could honestly say I would be a self-claimed millionaire. Now my instant reaction is to glaze over and close my eyes, it is only if I am given evidence of resonating values with true value that I will sit up and notice.
“It is important that when we offer a program that we tell the truth about it. If you think this is a get rich quick scheme then leave because what we teach you is the opportunity that is available to you but you have to make it happen and that is why we have to work on the belief system and self development even in investing in property. People need to understand that they are investing in education, not a scheme, not a MLM (multi level marketing), that has been orchestrated by some promoters in the industry. MLM’s are not focused on education but making money for nothing.” - Vincent Wong
Expectations
When investing in education it is very important to do your background research and ask the right questions to ensure you have enough information to make up your own mind on whether the mentor/coach is the best person for you.
“Unfortunately, there are people who hear what they want to hear even though no matter how many times you say to them ‘It’s very hard work, you have to put in the hours and do whatever it takes to get the end result’ They still hear ‘you promised me that if I invest in this that I would become a millionaire’. Unfortunately, there is that expectation and maybe that stems from the overall industry that has carried that message across. That is why for John and myself we want to stamp out these malpractices, we can’t root it out completely but we can minimise it. We walk the walk and talk the talk.” - Vincent Wong
Responsibility
If you are a leader in the self-development industry I believe it is vital to take responsibility for all of your students, just as much as it is the student’s responsibility to take action and do what it takes. It is important that leaders make themselves accessible otherwise students could end up in a worse state – one that could potentially be very dangerous for them.
“The problem is there are a lot of seminars and coaching that charge you a high fee which is fine because that’s what you pay for, but when you try and contact the mentor it is really hard to contact them and you get no response. In our coaching and mentoring we give a direct Whatsapp number to contact us and interactive teaching methods are responsibly managed and controlled. You have a question and you text us and we answer directly.” - John Lee
The Guerilla Business Bootcamp that I attended was extremely valuable, I found it great value for money for the amount of content and knowledge I received and now have some new additional skills on online marketing that I can implement in everything I do. For this, I am so grateful to know it is so accessible and affordable.
If you are interested in finding out about Wealth Dragons and how they could potentially support you, check out their upcoming events. From personal experience, I would not recommend you turn your nose up to the opportunity as there is a lot more to come from the business that John Lee and Vincent Wong have built up over the last nine years. I am looking forward to seeing how the Wealth Dragons’ story unfolds.