I'm Going to Say Something That Doesn't Make Me Popular in This Space

[JS Burnett]

Some of the most followed educators and mentors in this space are using their audiences as deal flow exits.
Not all of them. But enough that this needs to be said plainly.
Here's the model: build credibility, build a following, gain trust, then offload deals you've already passed on to students who don't yet know what they don't know. Collect an assignment fee, a referral fee, or a markup buried in the price. Rinse. Repeat.
I've seen the results from the buyer side. Not once. Dozens of times.
People who lost life savings. People whose marriages didn't survive the financial fallout. People who followed the system exactly as taught and still ended up underwater, because the system was never designed for them to win.

The red flags are consistent:

- Independent due diligence is subtly discouraged

- The deal only works using their numbers, their team, their assumptions

- Fees aren't fully disclosed until you're already emotionally committed

- Urgency is manufactured to prevent outside review

- Social proof inside the mastermind creates pressure to move without thinking

The question I'd ask any mentor before trusting them with your capital:
Show me a deal you passed on. Tell me why. Walk me through what you saw that didn't work.

Anyone who has actually done this at a high level can answer that question instantly. Anyone running the other playbook will change the subject.
Due diligence isn't just for properties. It's for the people you take advice from.

How are you vetting the people you learn from in this space?