I want to begin by stressing that I have ZERO plans of turning into one of those blogs that try to convince other people to become bloggers and then sell them on a bunch of high-priced courses. There’s so many of those blogs out there in the world. I’m NOT one of them.
However, I believe in accessible and honest reviews – hence why I review a bunch of those Ultimate Bundle things. So I’m sharing this here just to get it out on the web somewhere for those who might be searching for personal experience.
Dare To Conquer (formerly Billionaire Blog Club) vs. Elite Blog Academy
So say you’re an early-to-intermediate blogger looking to up your game and invest in one of the legit blogging programs in order to make your blog “real”. I’m SURE you’ve heard about Elite Blog Academy because a lot of bloggers talk about it. Rave over it. Practically drool over it.
A little over a year ago, I aaaaaaalmost forked over the $1000 price tag in order to be part of a program sure to skyrocket my blogging notoriety. I was ready to take the big leap into “big time” blog status and was hoping to find the magic solution. The sales funnel marketing and glowing reviews everywhere almost got to me. But there was something inside me that just wouldn’t let me pull the trigger. I searched and searched for negative, or even neutral, reviews – and not being able to find any made me suspicious. Until somewhere I read that EBA members can only become an affiliate for EBA once they’ve completed a certain amount of the program, seen success with the program and completed an affiliate ” marketing training”. In other words – EBA affiliates are told how to market EBA. There’s no incentive for someone to give neutral reviews on EBA; no wonder everyone only raves about it!
So do I think that Elite Blog Academy is a scam?? NO, DEFINITELY NOT. I believe it’s probably a very thorough program and that there are bloggers who’ve seen considerable success through it. If you’ve already signed up for EBA, then awesome, and use the program and get your money’s worth out of it! If I had the money years ago (and back when it was significantly cheaper), I probably would’ve signed up for it too. There’s no sense in regretting the past. ?
However, when I was looking for a higher-level blogging program to sign up for in March 2018, $1000 for the lowest priced EBA package seemed pretty steep. And when I looked into it more, I realized that all the blogs that touted EBA all had a similar feel. And said the same kinds of things, and idk, something about it all felt to be possibly too “cookie cutter” for me. So I kept searching.
I stumbled onto another program then called Billionaire Blog Club (but has since changed its name to Dare To Conquer) and signed up for the emails. The guy who sends them out, Paul Scrivens (goes by Scrivs), had a much different style than EBA. Scrivs’ emails were often rambling, as though he’d just sat down to a computer and began typing whatever was on his mind, yet they were inspiring in a no B.S. kind of way.
He didn’t tell his readers that all they had to do was follow his simple formula. He didn’t give out non-individualized personal affirmations to make his readers feel all warm and fuzzy.
He told his readers that they should have their own voice. Find their tribe. Get stuff done. Not be afraid to take chances. He also told his readers that not everyone would make it, and that many would give up, but those who kept pushing forward were likely to succeed.
It was the right kind of motivation for me and I was one of the very last people to get in for only $250 back in March 2018.
If you think you might also be interested in Dare To Conquer, I STRONGLY suggest signing up for his emails, free blogging bootcamps and/or watching his YouTube videos first to get a feel for his style. Its not for everyone.
Oh, and he and his wife also have a 1 yr old…and just had another baby. 2 kids under 2. He’s living it. If he can get crap done then it makes me feel like I can too. I appreciate that. ?
What I LIKE about Dare To Conquer:
- They aren’t limited to only once-a-year enrollment like EBA.
- The price point is still steep, but more affordable than EBA. Right now, as of April 2019, it’s $597 for lifetime access.
- The main guy, Paul Scrivs, is very much involved in the program, answers questions in Slack regulary & it feels like he’s on the journey with you.
- Members are treated like intelligent adults who are able to work at whatever speed is best for them…yet there’s guidance and support in the Slack group if & when you need it.
- The Membership Exchange, where you can ask members to complete tasks for you (like pin something on Pinterest, or a backlink, etc) in exchange for points. It’s a good system.
What I DON’T like about Dare To Conquer:
- I don’t love the Slack platform. It’s better than a facebook group (facebook is not my favorite place to be), so I’ll take that. But it’s hard in Slack to find previous conversations and it’s not as convenient. I wish there was a better option out there that is neither facebook nor Slack. I miss the old-fashioned message board days. Those were the best!
- In the switcheroo from Billionaire Blog Club to Dare To Conquer, I feel like some of the content became lost for a bit. I really like the new direction he’s going with the courses, and it’s an enormous task to re-do every course like he is. So I’m patient, but I did feel like I lost blogging momentum during the transition. It’s getting better now though.
- While I love his motivating emails, sometimes they almost seem to contradict something said in emails from previous months. But I attribute this more to the blogging journey of it all, and his new realizations about trends and new things that he’s found to work for him.
Has Dare To Conquer skyrocketed me into blogging success?
Not completely – but 100% this is on me and the lack of time I have to devote to it. I’ve become more confident in what I’m doing and been given lots of new ideas to implement. When I have a chance to work on my blog, I love that I have a go-to place to find a bunch of courses and journeys and a community that I need. But time, guys. Time. With 3 kids and an overactive mind that’s hard to focus, time does not come easy. But I try. I really do. Just wait, folks, I’m always working to improve.
Am *I, Ronni* gonna make money if you sign up for Dare To Conquer through my link?
I’m all about the affiliate disclaimers, so yes, if you sign up for Scrvis’ emails through my link, and later decide the program is something you want to invest in and purchase – it’ll be cookied back to me and I’ll receive a commission. When I originally signed up for DTC, I did through through someone’s link and they earned referral credit too. I consider it a nice pay-it-forward arrangement, as a way of thanking a blogger for telling you something helpful. However, if you’re really against this sort of thing, and don’t want a blogger (aka me) to receive any referral credit, then you don’t have to click any of my links. I’ll be a bit sad, but my reputation for honesty matters more.
Who would be a GOOD FIT for Dare To Conquer?
- Those who prefer a more straight-forward, get-it-done, stop-trying-to-sell-me-and-just-let-me-get-started-already mentality.
- Those who are self-motivators, but just need some guidance and structure to understand the next steps to build toward.
- Those who are comfortable googling answers to their own basic questions and aren’t afraid to do their own minor troubleshooting instead of asking for step-by-step directions on each step. (There’s nothing wrong with being a brand new beginner though! We all start somewhere! Questions aren’t bad! But eventually, I think you’ll do better in this program if you have self-confidence in figuring some things out on your own)
- Those who want to be an active part of the community.
Who would NOT be a good fit for Dare To Conquer?
- Those who need a lot of hand holding and/or positive reinforcement at every single step. There’s not a whole lot of “You’re wonderful! You’re gonna gonna rock this! Success looks good on you!” type of talk. Yes, everyone is very supportive and encouraging and wants to help you reach your goals still…but in actual, practical, sometimes critical, yet truly helpful, ways.
- You don’t have the money in your budget. Please don’t go into debt for this. If you’re trying to get your blogging journey started and looking for something more affordable, I suggest starting with the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit bundle that comes out twice a year (flash sale: 4/8 – 4/9, 2019). It’s typically $97 and comes with a bunch of good stuff to get you a solid start until you feel it’s the right time to join a larger blogging program.
- You can’t handle occasional swear words in emails and courses. Look, I’ve never been a big cursing type of person myself, but I can handle and even somewhat appreciate an occasional & appropriately placed f- or s-word here and there. But if this is something that would bother you significantly, then Dare To Conquer might not be for you.
If you’re on the fence about Dare To Conquer or investing in a higher-end blogging program/community, I hope this review was helpful! (and if I were you, I’d consider at least signing up for his emails or free bootcamps to see if his style is a good fit for you or not)
Trust me, you made the right choice not signing up for Elite Blog Academy. The entire program is a joke, it’s a bunch of regurgitated “fluff” that you can find on the internet. And the ONLY reason why so many people rave over it is because they receive a 40% commission and EBA plugs them and promotes THEIR courses, too. It’s a huge circle jerk.
I really considered Elite Blog Academy as an option and your post made a lot of information clear, so thank you for it.