Is "the Skool Game" a scam?

[Stan_]

I haven't watched Hormozi in a while. I want to change my life and start a business. I saw that he had this video on "What I'd do to start a business in 30 days". The video obviously is 1 big sales pitch for Skool so I decided to check it out.

I immediately saw some red flags. The introduction videos told me I don't need anything to earn money (thus breaking the Entry rule). Then I saw that the whole thing revolves around funneling people to your skool's community which sounds like a pyramid scheme.
I didn't hear anything about providing value, I just heard "invite your friends, create content on social media etc." .
Honestly that kinda broke my heart. I really like Hormozi so I thought I was just not getting it. I went on Youtube to look for clarifications but I just saw guys that were making money on the platform by selling courses on how to make money. The extreme hyping language of "this is the greatest thing of all time" and "you need to get in NOW" was also there. (I'm not saying language that hypes people is bad, I'm saying that when it is taken to the extreme it is a red flag).

At the end of the day after learning more and more about this platform it just seems to me that it is a hyped discord group maker. But I'm open minded. Maybe I genuinely didn't get it. I'm curious what you guys say.

 

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[GoodBoyGilbert]

Lol, that sounds like another SMMA type recruitment effort going on there...

Whatever the gurus are talking about I usually do the exact opposite of, there's tons of overlooked/good ideas out there that aren't being massively publicized.

You have to think, why does he want you to believe this?

 

[Xeon]

I haven't watched Hormozi in a while. I want to change my life and start a business. I saw that he had this video on "What I'd do to start a business in 30 days". The video obviously is 1 big sales pitch for Skool so I decided to check it out.

I immediately saw some red flags. The introduction videos told me I don't need anything to earn money (thus breaking the Entry rule). Then I saw that the whole thing revolves around funneling people to your skool's community which sounds like a pyramid scheme.
I didn't hear anything about providing value, I just heard "invite your friends, create content on social media etc." .
Honestly that kinda broke my heart. I really like Hormozi so I thought I was just not getting it. I went on Youtube to look for clarifications but I just saw guys that were making money on the platform by selling courses on how to make money. The extreme hyping language of "this is the greatest thing of all time" and "you need to get in NOW" was also there. (I'm not saying language that hypes people is bad, I'm saying that when it is taken to the extreme it is a red flag).

At the end of the day after learning more and more about this platform it just seems to me that it is a hyped discord group maker. But I'm open minded. Maybe I genuinely didn't get it. I'm curious what you guys say.
I'll be honest, I'm kind of a bummer around here. I'm the perfectionist guy who tried to create multiple businesses but gave up and ended up with a doomerish attitude. I wanted to create a SaaS business with an idea that I had and I really wanted some useful help in order to escape my bad circumstances.

Here's all you need to know about Hormozi: GURUS - Alex Hormozi. What is your opinion? Mine is (mostly) negative.

 

[Rachinrabindra]

The Skool Games is an excellent opportunity for creators who want to build a loyal community of followers and monetize their knowledge and skills. The challenge provides creators with the tools they need to build a community and earn a significant income

 

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[Fox]

Full Hormozi thread here:

GURUS - Alex Hormozi. What is your opinion? Mine is (mostly) negative.

I have an unpopular opinion about this guy. I do not like him. He has some good "tips" in his videos but he is way too focused on marketing on my perspective, and not a productocracy. Also what really stroke to me as odd, is that in his YouTube channel landing page he states "I have nothing to...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

[Rachinrabindra]

Full Hormozi thread here:

GURUS - Alex Hormozi. What is your opinion? Mine is (mostly) negative.

I have an unpopular opinion about this guy. I do not like him. He has some good "tips" in his videos but he is way too focused on marketing on my perspective, and not a productocracy. Also what really stroke to me as odd, is that in his YouTube channel landing page he states "I have nothing to...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

ok thank you for that. if i had marketing purpose. then i will go for paid promotion. not this type of advice promotion. also don't think others. think yourself fast. you are trying that no one can come this forum

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

I haven't watched Hormozi in a while. I want to change my life and start a business. I saw that he had this video on "What I'd do to start a business in 30 days". The video obviously is 1 big sales pitch for Skool so I decided to check it out.

I immediately saw some red flags. The introduction videos told me I don't need anything to earn money (thus breaking the Entry rule). Then I saw that the whole thing revolves around funneling people to your skool's community which sounds like a pyramid scheme.
I didn't hear anything about providing value, I just heard "invite your friends, create content on social media etc." .
Honestly that kinda broke my heart. I really like Hormozi so I thought I was just not getting it. I went on Youtube to look for clarifications but I just saw guys that were making money on the platform by selling courses on how to make money. The extreme hyping language of "this is the greatest thing of all time" and "you need to get in NOW" was also there. (I'm not saying language that hypes people is bad, I'm saying that when it is taken to the extreme it is a red flag).

At the end of the day after learning more and more about this platform it just seems to me that it is a hyped discord group maker. But I'm open minded. Maybe I genuinely didn't get it. I'm curious what you guys say.

Skool is great.

It is not a business.

It's software.

A software that manages content, courses, and communication with customers.

If you have no content.
If you have no courses.
If you have no one to communicate to...

There's no reason to get it.

Don't confuse a promotional gimmick to get people signed up for a software as a business.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I haven't watched Hormozi in a while. I want to change my life and start a business. I saw that he had this video on "What I'd do to start a business in 30 days". The video obviously is 1 big sales pitch for Skool so I decided to check it out.

I immediately saw some red flags. The introduction videos told me I don't need anything to earn money (thus breaking the Entry rule). Then I saw that the whole thing revolves around funneling people to your skool's community which sounds like a pyramid scheme.
I didn't hear anything about providing value, I just heard "invite your friends, create content on social media etc." .
Honestly that kinda broke my heart. I really like Hormozi so I thought I was just not getting it. I went on Youtube to look for clarifications but I just saw guys that were making money on the platform by selling courses on how to make money. The extreme hyping language of "this is the greatest thing of all time" and "you need to get in NOW" was also there. (I'm not saying language that hypes people is bad, I'm saying that when it is taken to the extreme it is a red flag).

At the end of the day after learning more and more about this platform it just seems to me that it is a hyped discord group maker. But I'm open minded. Maybe I genuinely didn't get it. I'm curious what you guys say.

Why can't people recognize a classic quid-pro-quo JV partnership?

Once again the gurus are getting richer selling shovels to the gold miners, gold miners who don't have a nugget of content to sell.

As for Skool, I don't think software is a scam, from what I hear, it is pretty decent community building software, competitors to forum software (like this platform Xenforo) and other communities like Mighty Networks and Circle.

 

[ZCP]

Hormozi is invested in it via acquisitions.com, right? ..... he seems pretty high on it helping people

I'm sure when you take that down the org, the salespeople are going to push / spam / rope in people that may not get value. if MJ had 1000 affiliates for GoalSumo.com.com and it was spamming all over social media, someone would probably say he is a scam artist

 

[Stan_]

If you have no content.
If you have no courses.
If you have no one to communicate to...

There's no reason to get it.

Then why does Hormozi explicitly say that you don't need an audience, being an expert or knowing what to even sell to start? His whole thing is this is the easiest thing to do to start making money on the internet.

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

Then why does Hormozi explicitly say that you don't need an audience, being an expert or knowing what to even sell to start? His whole thing is this is the easiest thing to do to start making money on the internet.

Because that's literally been the exact sales pitch for every wantrepreneur on the planet for 50 years.

And y'all fall for it... every... single... time...

I like Alex (an investor in Skool).

I like Sam (the owner of Skool).

I love marketing.
I love copy.
I love pitching products.

But if you don't have a plan for your life someone else will.

"is this legit" or "is that legit" is the dumbest question in the world to me...

The only question you SHOULD be asking is "Will this get me closer to my goals or further away?"

But 90% of the people on this forum don't even have a goal... so how would they know?

 

[StrikingViper69]

Then why does Hormozi explicitly say that you don't need an audience, being an expert or knowing what to even sell to start? His whole thing is this is the easiest thing to do to start making money on the internet.

To convince suckers to buy it.

It’s like selling you a hammer and saying you’re now a legit builder.

The product might be good but the pitch is a total con.

 

[The-J]

For S+Gs I signed up for Skool

First thing they did after signup was send me to their affiliate program!

To create a community it costs $99/month, free or paid. Compare that with Discord which is free, or you can upgrade with Nitro which is $9.99. Also compare that with Kajabi, which is like $249 or something, although Kajabi has a full-on tech stack.

To be fair, Skool has a discovery platform, and it gets a lot of traffic these days thanks to its connection with the Hormozinator.

Imagine being a business noob with no business idea whatsoever and deciding to hop on and pay $99/month to create a community believing that the Skool Games will get them what they want.

Apparently I was referred by a guy called Jesse Kroon. Who the hell is that? I don't know any Jesse Kroon. I Googled Skool to get to the link. Maybe someone pwned me with a cloaked link.

Anyway...

I just don't see why anyone with 0 business experience would think signing up for this was a good idea. It reminds me of the Clickfunnels hype back in the day, but Clickfunnels actually gave you something tangible: a website and point-of-sale.

Relevant post: https://www.perrymarshall.com/1404/pink-koolaid/

Edit: I did not pay the $99/mo, I just signed up for a free account that can join communities. Maybe there will be a community there that will give me value

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

For S+Gs I signed up for Skool

First thing they did after signup was send me to their affiliate program!

To create a community it costs $99/month, free or paid. Compare that with Discord which is free, or you can upgrade with Nitro which is $9.99. Also compare that with Kajabi, which is like $249 or something, although Kajabi has a full-on tech stack.

To be fair, Skool has a discovery platform, and it gets a lot of traffic these days thanks to its connection with the Hormozinator.

Imagine being a business noob with no business idea whatsoever and deciding to hop on and pay $99/month to create a community believing that the Skool Games will get them what they want.

Apparently I was referred by a guy called Jesse Kroon. Who the hell is that? I don't know any Jesse Kroon. I Googled Skool to get to the link. Maybe someone pwned me with a cloaked link.

Anyway...

I just don't see why anyone with 0 business experience would think signing up for this was a good idea. It reminds me of the Clickfunnels hype back in the day, but Clickfunnels actually gave you something tangible: a website and point-of-sale.

Relevant post: https://www.perrymarshall.com/1404/pink-koolaid/

Edit: I did not pay the $99/mo, I just signed up for a free account that can join communities. Maybe there will be a community there that will give me value

I had a call with Sam a few months back.

He was adamant people will sign up for Skool, scroll through monthly subscriptions and just randomly sign up for all of them.

That's just not how humans work. So silly.

But I still like the product.

 

[The-J]

I had a call with Sam a few months back.

He was adamant people will sign up for Skool, scroll through monthly subscriptions and just randomly sign up for all of them.

That's just not how humans work. So silly.

But I still like the product.

I thought Sam was smart lol. Dude had one of the best MMO funnels on Facebook. Couldn't go a day without seeing his face for a while.

But he's not wrong. There will be SOME people who do exactly that. There is a segment of people who are hungry for information & will just click click click and rack up their cards.

The question is: how big is that segment?

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

I thought Sam was smart lol. Dude had one of the best MMO funnels on Facebook. Couldn't go a day without seeing his face for a while.

But he's not wrong. There will be SOME people who do exactly that. There is a segment of people who are hungry for information & will just click click click and rack up their cards.

The question is: how big is that segment?

Obviously he's brilliant. Super nice guy, too.

We disagree on some things but it's not like we're close enough for it to matter and/or are guru rivals or anything

Maybe these guys on this thread will buy all of them and let us know?

 

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[Fox]

A scam is thinking you are getting one thing and you get something else or nothing.

If I pay for a bike online. And none arrives. Thats a scam.

Watching someone’s video about why to sign up for a platform they are a huge investor in is not a scam.
It’s a sales funnel. You are watching an organic advertisement.

This isn't good or bad - it is what it is. And it's 90% of "organic" Youtube content.

If you hang out in a barber shop long enough you tend to get a haircut.
If you hang out watching free Youtube content you tend to end up in a funnel.

So, ya, basically don't watch broad content that is clearly a sales pitch and be annoyed you are getting sold to lol.

 

[Panos Daras]

You asked the internet what to do to start a business in 30 days. The answer is go out of your comfort zone and find customers. Reach out directly. Get rejected. Ideally (also) people not your family or friends. Leave the Hormo generic cookie cutter crap for way later.

 

[The-J]

Obviously he's brilliant. Super nice guy, too.

We disagree on some things but it's not like we're close enough for it to matter and/or are guru rivals or anything

Maybe these guys on this thread will buy all of them and let us know?

Smart people can make silly assertions. I'm curious to see how this goes.

I don't know much about the "selling community" business but I've been paying MJ for a while to be here, and the reason I do is because of the community itself (and MJ, who is here literally every day)

So it serves to reason that the real draw of Skool will be the communities on it, and the community quality will depend on the people in them & the value produced in them. Therefore, partnering with people like Hamza (I think his community is listed as #3) and others who already have big followings makes a lot of sense.

But partnering with randos who have no followings and are just trying to use it to make a quick buck sounds like a great way to kill the quality of communities on the platform. Maybe I'm wrong

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

Smart people can make silly assertions. I'm curious to see how this goes.

He thinks AI is a joke and it will never go anywhere, ever. It's a fad.

He was very... Uhh... Spirited about that opinion

I don't know much about the "selling community" business but I've been paying MJ for a while to be here, and the reason I do is because of the community itself (and MJ, who is here literally every day)

Ditto.

He's done a lot for me over the years. Least I can do is pay for all the subscriptions he's got and buy all the books (multiple copies of course), and recommend it everywhere.

I'm only one guy but hopefully there plenty more like me.

So it serves to reason that the real draw of Skool will be the communities on it, and the community quality will depend on the people in them & the value produced in them. Therefore, partnering with people like Hamza (I think his community is listed as #3) and others who already have big followings makes a lot of sense.

Like CRMs or website builders, course software and community software both have issues. He HAS solved some.

They've got some seriously cool features that will cause them to explode. Namely affiliate management. I can't wait for that. Charging $200/month for my coaching and anyone who refers someone can get $100/month of that and I NEVER have to do 1099s or write a check or anything? It all happens automatically? That'll be brilliant.

But partnering with randos who have no followings and are just trying to use it to make a quick buck sounds like a great way to kill the quality of communities on the platform. Maybe I'm wrong

There's always going to be a biz opportunity crowd. They will jump from one thing to the other. I don't think it's ethical to siphon cash out of these people but at the end of the day who am I to judge -- or who am I to say "oh their a biz opp seeker they're always going to be a joke and a failure so they shouldn't even try"

Live and let live I guess

 

[Spenny]

Then why does Hormozi explicitly say that you don't need an audience, being an expert or knowing what to even sell to start? His whole thing is this is the easiest thing to do to start making money on the internet.

As you've identified, it is easy. That is the point; it's meant to be as palatable to people as possible.

I find it hilarious that people will watch a video with 100k views and think they've just found a hack to the system. If it really were a hack, they wouldn't be announcing it on a video. I'm sure there is stuff to gain from the knowledge shared, but truthfully, many people will be competing with you. Can you win? Maybe. Are there greener pastures with less competitive and lucrative ideas? Yeah.

What I love to do with these videos is to pick them apart.

• What makes them so engaging?
• How have they gotten my attention?
• How do they edit the video?
• What features do they use to keep my attention?
• How do they convert to sales? What does that process look like?
• Is there something missing from what they are providing? Is it feasible for me to do that?

You can learn a lot, and you can begin to see patterns that you can then use yourself.

The Skool Games is an excellent opportunity for creators who want to build a loyal community of followers and monetize their knowledge and skills. The challenge provides creators with the tools they need to build a community and earn a significant income

 

[The-J]

There's always going to be a biz opportunity crowd. They will jump from one thing to the other. I don't think it's ethical to siphon cash out of these people but at the end of the day who am I to judge -- or who am I to say "oh their a biz opp seeker they're always going to be a joke and a failure so they shouldn't even try"

Fair. And I don't mean to insult the bizopp crowd because we've all been where they are. And as for the other side: I respect Russell Brunson and I think Clickfunnels is good software, but I remember that Russell did the exact same thing as these Skool guys. He targeted first-time business owners, sold his software as a panacea, and told people who didn't know what to sell that they should just sell Clickfunnels.

I'm glad we can have a nuanced discussion about these sorts of things without immediately jumping to "It's a SCAM"

 

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[StrikingViper69]

Fair. And I don't mean to insult the bizopp crowd because we've all been where they are. And as for the other side: I respect Russell Brunson and I think Clickfunnels is good software, but I remember that Russell did the exact same thing as these Skool guys. He targeted first-time business owners, sold his software as a panacea, and told people who didn't know what to sell that they should just sell Clickfunnels.

I'm glad we can have a nuanced discussion about these sorts of things without immediately jumping to "It's a SCAM"

He had a pretty full on course that you could take on becoming an affiliate

 

[Andy Black]

He was adamant people will sign up for Skool, scroll through monthly subscriptions and just randomly sign up for all of them.

Sounds like what's happening with newsletters at the moment. Signup to one and you can get signed up to loads more with the click of a button.

I expect consumers will start getting overwhelmed, but some will stick in some newsletters and communities.

I wonder if this is a move away from the big owned platforms into lots of separate email lists and private communities.


As for people paying $99/mth to create and manage their own community...

1) They're adults.

2) They can always cancel.

3) Maybe it will make them think about how to get least $99/mth back. Too many don't value their time and put hours and hours on social media, building an audience/community - thinking they're building a business but never making a dime back.

4) Paying for software means it's more likely to be supported, and you don't have to worry (as much) about getting your group shutdown when using some free software like a Facebook group or Discord server.

5) I've not watched any Alex H videos in a while. He's done well right? Built an audience, helped/impacted millions. Now invested in a software to help people create communites outside of Zucks platform, aka help them overcome the commandment of control?