Stop buying biz packages from fake gurus if you want to start a legitimate business.

I made the mistake of purchasing an expensive package from a fake business guru, and I completely regret it. At the time I didn’t realize she made money NOT from the business she started, but from preying on nurses by selling them useless business courses that had no substance and didn’t prepare me for the entrepreneurial world.

Most of these courses miss the mark. They sell a vague dream, they’re generalized, and they don’t give actionable steps. Many preach getting another certification, or another degree – not the important business stuff you actually need to know about to be successful in your venture like finances, marketing and selling. And unfortunately, nurses (a lot of people), fall for it.

After losing my money on this course and realizing I didn’t get any actual value from it, I decided to pivot and take a different approach.

I searched free local resources and started attending classes held by SCORE, went to conferences like Phoenix Startup Week, and 1 Million Cups meetings. By listening, learning, and talking to people, I gained knowledge, experience, grew, and met a lot of helpful people because I immersed myself into the community.

After attending Phoenix Startup Week in 2019 I completed an awesome business bootcamp through SeedSpot called the 2-day Launch Camp held at Gateway CEI.

They threw us wantrepreneurs into a room, had us brainstorm ideas and potential solutions, work through a lean business canvas AND create a slide deck so we could pitch in front of a live audience at the end.

It was intense, in the best way possible! Like a startup bootcamp with SeedSpot mentors guiding us baby entrepreneurs throughout the entire process. We were encouraged to be creative, strategic, inquisitive, and to think critically.

This was my first experience with a business bootcamp and I found it so helpful when I first started out in the startup world and needed some extra support and structure to understand business basics. Well worth the $98, unlike the course I bought initially from the fake guru.

So, save your money and don’t do what I did. Instead, take advantage of resources in your community – start with free and once you’ve exhausted those, ask and research about paid programs. There are so many options out there in your local startup scene for entrepreneurs who are just starting out in their journey or seasoned startup folks who need to fill some business knowledge gaps with a virtual class here and there. Once you scope out those resources, get in there and take action – it will snowball from there.