Don't Be Duped by Your Guru

Whenever someone introduces me as a guru, I cringe.

Why?

Because right now—any subject, trade or skill you might be into, there's a "guru" out there selling you bullshit online.

You've seen it.

Instagram ads, YouTube pre-rolls, email marketing... it's becoming rampant.

And 95% of the time, it's just good old fashioned bullshit.

Bullshit from unqualified "entrepreneurs" seeking "passive income" from a "scaleable business model" on the hunt for online "students" to prey on.

And as an educator, I'm sick of it.

The line between educator and guru has become so blurred that it's given me a lot of pause to continue putting myself out there as an educator at all.

I never, ever want to be lumped into the same category as so many of these phonies.

However, look into the people behind some of these schemes and you will find:

1) Very little (if any) long-term success in their field

2) A lack of actual teaching experience

3) Any curriculum design experience

4) A background in digital and/or affiliate marketing

That last one is important—these "gurus" often aren't subject matter experts or educators at all.

They're online marketers.

They understand how to use content, retargeting, social advertising, pattern interrupts, lead generation and other tried and true marketing techniques to lure people into buying an online course while preying on their vulnerabilities, dreams and aspirations.

The content they sell often includes recycled, drawn out, surface-level strategies with a one-size-fits-all approach with hardly any original thought, analysis, or perspective from the individual themselves.

And this is hard for me because I AM a digital marketer with subject matter expertise.

However, I teach because:

1) I was the beneficiary of tremendous guidance and mentorship from established music professionals... and it catapulted me towards a fulfilling career. I was hungry and they fed me. I want to pay that forward.

2) I fucking love the music business and want to populate it with informed, educated, passionate people to make it better than ever to make art more prevalent in our world.

3) I thoroughly enjoy what I do and could talk about it all day if I could!

But perhaps the biggest reason.... to quote my favorite movie A Bronxe Tale:

"The saddest thing in life is wasted talent".

So many talented individuals never get a chance and it usually boils down to a lack of education on how to position themselves for success.

I want to correct as many of those strayed paths as possible.

Now, is it ALL bullshit out there?

No.

There are people out there who actually care about the communities they serve because they COME from those communities and are actively doing good work with clients... or doing it themselves!

In the music space, folks like Indepreneur, Burstimo, Nik Cherwink, and Chris Ahee Adams (to name a few) are creditable professionals that offer educational content and services with a track record of proven LONG-TERM strategies (and they know how to teach it). They also include a lot of their own personal experience and perspectives.

But more importantly, these people care about their communities... and I doubt any of them would categorize themselves as gurus. They are professionals that teach WHILE they do.

I could've easily been one of those lost souls with a dream of "making it" in music, eventually gotten frustrated, and quit.

But I didn't—and it's because education made all the difference.

It didn't come from a "guru", nor did it come from an absurdly expensive school or institution.

It came from working professionals who cared enough to see something in me and wanted to help me out. They gave me the ball, and I ran toward a life I'm so thankful to be living right now.

And THAT is why I teach.

That is why I am not a guru.

And that is why I'll always be more than a musician, more than a marketer, more than an educator.

I'll just be me.

And if you wanna listen, grab a seat.