Is it a scam? A pyramid scheme? Just too good to be true?
The Six Figure Mentors program sounds really good in theory — Stuart Ross with his charismatic ways on those videos charming you with his captivating stories and Jay Kubassek talking about his humble beginnings at Midas in Topeka, Kansas.
But does the program really live up to all the hype?
A couple of years ago I decided to go all in on the Six Figure Mentors program, spending thousands of dollars to get access to their training, community and mentorship.
And luckily for you, I’m spilling the beans on my experiences so you know exactly what to expect.
This post is a review of the Six Figure Mentors course that’ll cover my personal experiences, as well as a deep dive into the specific training you’ll have access to as a member.
Let’s begin!
A business model that blew me away
Before discovering the SFM training, I had known about the awesome business model of affiliate marketing for quite some time.
I discovered it back when I was a teenager. That’s right, a raging, hormonal mess with the attention span of a modern-day millennial.
I’ve always been fascinated by the power of the internet and nearly fell out of my chair when I found out that people were making money by simply referring products and services to people who are looking for them.
WOW!
Even in my messy teens, I knew how powerful this was.
As I’m sure you know, creating your own product from scratch is extremely tough. There aren’t many other business models that can boast the automation power of affiliate marketing.
It slams almost every other model of online business when it comes to hands-off automation and passive income streams.
Out of the dozens of passive income ideas out there, affiliate marketing is one of my favourites.
Discovering the Six Figure Mentors
Before I found the Six Figure Mentors, affiliate marketing was something I put to the side for the time being.
I felt jaded after my previous failed attempts and didn’t want to dedicate time to something when I lacked the confidence and work ethic to execute make things happen.
But finding the SFM changed everything. And I’m not just saying that to make this post look good.
The training taught me so many valuable concepts and strategies that transformed the way I viewed marketing and online business.
I learnt how to navigate the complex maze of selling successfully online by providing value and being of service to people. I also learnt about the power of high-ticket affiliate products and how to separate myself from the majority of people that barely make a dime online.
The truth is that most people who start affiliate marketing struggle and fail (stay away from Amazon Associates and Clickbank).
But by following a proven system that has worked for so many other people along with having the support and mentorship you need on your journey, you’re much more likely to make this thing work.
How much can you make with the SFM?
Members of them SFM have created multiple six-figure incomes as a result of the training but results obviously vary from person to person.
This month (April 2018), I did just over $5000 in commissions…
And this is passive income. So even if I didn’t touch my laptop for a few weeks, the money would still be coming in.
Now, I’m not showing you this to boast or show off. I wanted to show you real results so you can see that this stuff actually does work.
And just remember there will always be naysayers, no matter what course/program you’re looking to get into.
Of course, you should always do your research before investing time and money into something, but you’ll always find people that label things as a scam, no matter how incredible it is.
So don’t listen to them and heck, don’t even listen to me, just go with your gut feeling.
When I first joined, I’ll be honest, I was pretty sceptical myself, it’s only natural to feel this way when you come across something new that requires a monetary investment.
But eventually, I realised I was buying into a scarcity mindset that really wasn’t serving me.
Put simply:
I was getting in my own way through my insecurities.
So what’s included in the training modules?
One of the first things I noticed after joining the Six Figure Mentors was their emphasis on providing value. They were always hammering home that you should over-deliver when it comes to any product/service.
So in essence:
Build a relationship first and ask for the money later.
This was refreshing for me at the time because despite understanding the vague concepts of selling, I hadn’t come across concrete principles on attraction marketing.
What’s more, they actually practice what they preach with the training, providing a sea of structured content for you to sink your teeth into.
Let’s have a look at what’s offered in the basic “getting started” curriculum:
Module 1: Start your journey
Module one provides an introduction to selling online which forms part of your foundational knowledge of the principles you must learn in order to succeed.
This module is a real eye-opener for most people as it shows you how to use websites, email marketing and high-ticket products to create incredible online businesses.
Stuart Ross covers the concept of traditional selling in great detail and contrasts this with the differences in online sales, covering how it gives you the ability to automate your operations.
Much of the emphasis at the start of this module is on the power of selecting the right business model as this is key to setting the right foundations for success.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s included:
I loved how SFM included personal experiences from other members that have gone through the training.
Many people that go through it end up building their own businesses thanks to the skills they’ve acquired. From branding consultancies to digital agencies and coaching businesses — so it’s not all just affiliate marketing stuff here.
Module 2: Lifestyle & Business Blueprint
Module 2 is a 4-part multi-step process that’s all about your vision for your future and your plan of action for getting there.
Stuart kicks things off with a frank discussion about the common questions you may have when it comes to this sort of opportunity:
“How much money can I make?”
“How quickly can I get results?”
“What sort of results does the average person achieve?”
He discusses how results are totally dependant on the individual and how most people don’t follow through with the targets they set for their health, wealth and relationships.
Things are no different when it comes to building a business. Everybody wants the good life but not everyone gets the good life.
Why?
Because most aren’t willing to put in the work required to get there.
Here’s whats included in the module:
Over the course of Module 2, you’ll be joining live orientation workshops, defining your vision for your business and forming a 90-day action plan.
The orientation workshop is a live webinar designed to help you clarify your next steps, set realistic expectations and get live feedback from some of the top mentors in the company.
By the end of this module, you should have a firm grasp of where you are right now and where you want to be, along with a concrete plan of action to help you get there.
Module 3: Marketing System
Module 3 is where you really start exploring the specific strategies behind successfully selling online.
You’ll learn about concepts such as sales funnels and building a following, along with the lucrative affiliate income opportunity the Six Figure Mentors have baked into their training platform.
Here’s what you can expect in Module 3:
This section of the curriculum is designed to provide a firm understanding of the moving parts involved in a working digital business.
You’ll cover the technical side of getting your business setup, from buying and hosting your domain to using email marketing software and adding your affiliate links.
Module 4: Marketing Foundations
Module 4 is all about laying the right foundations for your success. Stuart sets you straight about what it truly takes to transform your life for good without taking shortcuts.
If this module had a mantra, it would be:
“give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime“.
The guys over at the Six Figure Mentors are all about helping you build long-term sustainable businesses that’ll serve you for the rest of your life. So you may not like everything they say but they’ll keep it real with you.
In all honesty:
Success isn’t a pretty little path with minor obstacles and challenges — it’s a long road that runs red with the blood of those who gave in to their own emotions. A steep climb sprawling with huge hurdles and deadly distractions waiting to derail your focus.
This is why so much importance is placed on cultivating the right mindset throughout this course.
Here’s what Module 4 includes:
This is where the rubber really meets the road.
You’ll learn about game-changing marketing concepts such as bridging and get into the nitty-gritty action steps of picking your website platform and building your authority site from scratch.
I like how the technical steps are explained very clearly in this module, making it easier for you if you’re totally new to all this stuff.
Module 4 is one of the most important parts of the program so it’s crucial to go through each step carefully and make sure you understand everything.
Module 5: Advertising
Module 5 is where all your training comes full-circle.
All the hard work you’ve done so far has been building up to this point where you start marketing to prospective customers…
Exciting!!
This is a 4-part module that covers all aspects of reaching customers in the right place, with the right message at the right time.
Here’s what’s included:
Module 5 is structured slightly differently to the other modules and covers plenty of ground for assembling your marketing machine so you’re ready to start advertising.
You’ll review the marketing blueprint workshop, which covers the three vital stages of digital entrepreneurship:
- Learning to promote products by driving traffic using sales funnels.
- Marketing products and brands through your own stories and personal experiences.
- Acquiring the ability to market and sell almost any product online.
The blueprint workshops go deep into the specific strategies and tactics required for you to succeed online.
And you may be happy to hear that there’s no mindset stuff in this part of the training!
As you go through this final module, you’ll have the opportunity to join live marketing workshops and absorb other training on strategies such as video, article and social media marketing.
What else is included in the platform?
The modules just covered are all part of the essential training curriculum. This curriculum is just a small part of the content, tools and resources you have access to with the Six Figure Mentors.
I won’t be able to cover everything here in detail as there’s just too much but I’ll quickly run through some of the cool things you get access to.
Once you’ve completed the essential training curriculum you’ll have access to the intermediate and advanced training programs:
This additional training is designed to help you take things to the next level once you start generating some leads and achieving some results.
You’ll learn how to scale your marketing, forge powerful relationships with your email list and use advanced email marketing integrations.
#AWAKEUP Call
The #aWAKEUP call is a live daily motivation booster that’ll add rocket fuel to your week. Anyone can join the call and many times you’ll have the opportunity to share your experiences with other members.
With an inspirational style and topics that centre around commitment, accountability and focus, you’ll have no excuses NOT to go after your dreams with a fire in your belly!
I really like how this digital gathering provides a real sense of community in a space where things can get lonely pretty quickly. The community aspect of the SFM is one of the best parts of being a member.
Lynda Virtual Courses
The Six Figure Mentors have a partnership with LinkedIN’s micro-learning platform, Lynda. This gives you unlimited access to Lynda’s entire virtual course library which is massive.
Lynda (now LinkedIn Learning) is one of the largest training course platforms on the market with over 6000 courses on a variety of topics ranging from web design to SEO and leadership.
The entire platform is offered free to SFM essential members. Signing up to Lynda on its own would set you back $25 to $37 a month so this is a great perk and an even better learning opportunity for you if you decide to join the six figure mentors.
These courses are especially helpful for anything that isn’t covered in the SFM curriculum.
JK Blackbox & SR Attraction Marketing
These two resources are bonuses provided by Stuart and Jay that cover a variety of important topics, from an entrepreneurial mindset to attraction marketing and transforming the course of human history.
These digital books are designed to provide invaluable insights and perspectives for you to understand the opportunities available to you today and take appropriate action to make the most of them.
JK Blackbox
JKBlackbox focuses on the digital gold rush and how our economy has totally transformed in the space of twenty years. In the book, Jay goes into things like finding clarity through panic, writing your own story and the survival of the fittest.
It’s one that every entrepreneur should read and I highly recommend it!
SR Attraction Marketing
Stuart’s SR Attraction Marketing book is a blueprint for your approach to marketing, focusing on the way you communicate with your audience.
Attraction marketing is all about adding value first and asking for the sale second. It’s about educating your prospects and genuinely helping them solve a problem rather than spamming them with products and services just to get the sale.
Digital Business Lounge
Digital Business Lounge (or DBL as most people call it) is a suite of tools and features that’ll help you get our business off the ground without signing up to fifteen separate software platforms.
The guys over at the SFM have done a great job at creating a tool that brings together many of the essential elements of running an online business.
So what’s included?
DBL does quite a few things, from providing web hosting to setting up business email accounts and even landing page tools. Put together, these are resources that you’d easily pay over $100 a month for, elsewhere.
You also have access to tracking tools, a graphics creator and a free SSL certificate to secure your new domain.
Finally, you’ve got the option to upgrade your DBL membership separately and unlock additional tools and features that’ll help you build your business. If i’m honest, this really isn’t necessary as you have access to so much already through your SFM essential membership.
Elite Curriculum
The Elite curriculum is designed for those of you that want to take your training and income to the next level. The commission structure for promoting the Six Figure Mentors to others is set up in such a way that incentivises your education through income opportunity.
Let me explain:
As an SFM Elite member, you have access to additional training modules, webinar calls and coaching that will help you accelerate the growth of your affiliate business.
Most importantly though, it introduces high-ticket affiliate sales into your business. As an SFM Elite+ member, you can earn $1000+ commissions per sale — instantly multiplying your earning potential.
The Six Figure Mentors allow you to profit from not just front-end product sales but back-end ones too — something that you don’t see very often with other affiliate programs (e.g most Clickbank products).
This is how you can build a six-figure affiliate income promoting just one brand. Product choice is important but the way the commission payments are structured is crucial.
Here’s how the commission structure is set up, based your level of SFM membership:
Digital Experts Academy
This is something that would need a separate post to cover in full detail but i’ll give you a quick summary here.
The Digital Experts Academy (Or DEA for short) is an entirely separate training program that’s connected to the Six Figure Mentors.
With DEA you’re paired with a mentor and given access to a sequential training system designed to skyrocket your earning potential and move beyond the SFM’s affiliate program into personal branding, e-commerce businesses and identifying your life purpose.
Similar to SFM, there are various tiered membership levels, starting with SILVER then GOLD, PLATINUM and BLACK.
Stuart and Jay have partnered with some heavy hitters in the industry to deliver cutting edge content that’ll help you take your business to new heights.
Personally, I’m at the GOLD membership level and have access to the e-commerce training curriculum (ImportXperts) along with mastery certification programs made available thanks to a partnership with Ryan Deiss at Digital Marketer…
Anyone that’s a DEA member also gets access to exclusive in-person events that boast impressive rosters of speakers from some of the top marketing companies in the world.
Here’s an AWESOME sneek preview of a DEA GOLD event that happened back in 2017:
DEA also has a separate commission structure that means you can earn up to $8000 per sale (depending on your level of membership).
Yeah, you read that right. $8000 dollar bills in affiliate commissions for one sale.
Now some people assume that tiered membership structures scream pyramid scheme — but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
By tiering the commission numbers based on your level of membership, the SFM can ensure you not only increase your earning potential but your level of knowledge and education too.
Webinars and monthly calls
The Six Figure Mentors are pretty obsessed with webinars and monthly calls.
There’s so much going on, it can actually be quite overwhelming at times. Nevertheless, we must appreciate the crazy amount of value on offer here as well as the awe-inspiring community that comes with this movement.
Let’s have a look at some of the regular webinars that you can join as a member:
Tactical Q&A With Marketing Masters
The live Q&A with marketing masters call is a weekly call where former students turned mentors spill the beans on the strategies that have worked for them. You also have the opportunity to ask your questions and address any struggles/frustrations you may be experiencing with your business.
Visionary Call
The visionary call is a live monthly webinar hosted by the founders Stuart Ross and Jay Kubassek. During the visionary call, they discuss the latest and greatest developments in the world of SFM and DEA as well as provide an injection of inspiration and straight-talking feedback on areas for you to improve.
These calls tend to drag on for quite a long time but I love attending them to stay up to date with things in the community and always leave feeling pumped and ready to take my business to the next level.
Marketing Blueprint LIVE
The marketing blueprint call is something I touched on when I covered the modules earlier. This is a weekly call where the latest marketing strategies and mindsets are discussed and demonstrated by Danielle Wilson.
These calls are especially invaluable for anyone that’s just getting started so you can get up to speed with things and learn about powerful tactics you can implement in your business.
The Six Figure Mentors isn’t Perfect
While the Six Figure Mentors is one of the top training programs I’ve ever taken, It’s certainly not perfect. You will still need to do your own research at times as it doesn’t cover everything.
A lot of people come into a community like SFM and assume that most of the work is done for them…
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
This training will empower you with some of the best material out there when it comes to mindset and marketing your business but you still need to do the work.
Nothing is going to come to you automatically.
It’s still tough. You’ll still struggle and feel overwhelmed at times (heck I know I did and still do today).
But if you trust the process and keep going, you have the ability to build an incredible business that’ll sustain you for the rest of your life.
Rounding things off
This review was super long but the craziest part is I only covered a fairly small part of the Six Figure Mentors program. There’s just so much offered here that it’s too much to fit into one piece of content!
The community side of things is definitely one of the most powerful parts of the SFM.
And when you take into account all the webinars, Facebook groups and 1-to-1 mentoring calls you have access to, you come to a point where you realise the only thing stopping you from succeeding is you.
Interested in finding out more about the SFM? Go here to create a special free account where you can test drive the platform and see what it’s like for yourself.
I’m a London-born lover of technology, obsessed with online business, passive income and the digital economy. I love learning, researching and curating the most valuable resources to save you time, money and help you discover the truth on what it actually takes to achieve your goals.
Great review! I’ve just signed up to SFMs 30-day Student trial for Module 1. But already feel pressurired into upgrading to the Essential package already (ticking timer!). But by what you’ve said, there’s little option but to do so to get all the training modules necessary to succeed.
Hi Tony,
Yeah the timer is kinda annoying but it actually has a very important function. It’s there for you to make a decision on whether you want to move forward or not, instead of staying in limbo. By our nature , we love nothing more than having all the options and all the time in the world to ruminate and think about things so time limits help us stop procrastinating and make important decisions that help us move forward. I hope that makes sense !
Hey Ahmad, Yes, totally agree, and I’m planning on upgrading to Essential package once I’ve completed Module 1. But I’ve read your review again today, and it’s really helped taking in your experience with the SFM program, and it’s help me reaffirm that SFM isn’t a scam and that their program can help me make my journey into the digital economy and online/affiliate marketing. At the moment, like many I assume, I have nothing to sell of my own, so the SFM model it what attracted me to them over other programs. Also are you still at DEA GOLD level,… Read more »
You hit the nail on the head. That transition to the digital economy is obviously something that takes time. Mastering marketing isn’t going to happen overnight but SFM is a platform that bridges the time gap between learning and generating an income — something that’s pretty unique in the online course space. Still at the DEA GOLD level, working on implementing the training that I’ve learned instead of spending too much time studying without taking action
Thank you I am an just getting started and as a beginner I am always scared I picked the wrong one however, I am on my 4 th modules and know that I know if the step by step was not here I would already be OUT! Instead I am continuing due to the vast education involved… my co worker half my age just got her masters in counseling and is stuck with over 30 k in student loans.. not me so far 200 with a monthly 97 dollar to run my own business SERIOUSLY??? Yes no joke these guys… Read more »
Hi Ahmad, Many thanks for the reviews and your Bengu website in general. I have been looking to get started with an online business but have been totally lost at where to begin. Your website is giving me valuable insight all in one place. If I go for any of the programmes you suggest, I will definitely go through your affiliate links to make sure you the commissions! One questing regarding SFM – how much did you find yourself investing before you you began to see financial returns? I have no problem investing in training, paying for advertising and actually… Read more »
Hey Steve, Thank you for being so generous! I’m glad the site has given you some clarity on starting an online business. I invested around $4000 in the training before I started seeing real returns. I became an ELITE member of their training platform — this set me up to receive high-ticket commissions. This includes adding the costs of getting the website setup and starting paid advertising strategies. That being said, it’s pretty difficult to give accurate numbers because there are so many variables involved. For example, some people build their site while others hire someone else to do it… Read more »
Hi Ahmad, thanks for your answer! $4000 is about £3000, which isn’t too bad. That gives me a good idea of what I should have set aside to begin. Like yourself, I am keen on doing the work, because of the skills that are developed in the process. Keep up the good work with the website – I am finding it a real treasure-trove of resources! Steve