Don't Take HIS Word For It

by Brad
(Virginia Beach, Virginia)

My entrepreneurial story isn't exactly about success, but I believe that people can learn from my mistakes.

There are so many quick scams for money out there...but I walked right into this one.

Here's my story...

I had always had a strong interest in making films, so when I found out that an acquaintance of mine was hoping to produce a series of martial arts videos, I jumped at the opportunity.

The man who I was producing the videos for had great credentials.

1. He had created his own recognized martial arts style,
   
   
2. He had won several prestigious martial arts titles,
   
   
3. He had been honored with a lifetime achievement award which had only been given 4 or 5 times in the past.
   
   
4. And...to top it all off, he held a 10th degree black belt-the highest possible rank in any martial art.
   
   

Oh...and I was I ever impressed!

But that's how it happens when someone is trying to pull quick scams for money over on you.

So...can you tell what's missing from my description of these qualifications?

In a word, "Authority."

Like so many other quick scams for money out there...everything sounded so good to me that I had forgotten to do my due diligence.

Thus, I did not do the sufficient background research to find out:

• WHO "recognized" his martial arts style?
  
  
• WHAT "prestigious" martial arts titles had he won, and WHEN did he receive them?
  
  
• WHERE did the organization that awarded the lifetime achievement award get the authority to do so?
  
  
• WHO awarded him the 10th degree ranking and WHY?

As you may have already guessed, the answers were far less impressive than I ever imagined.

As it turned out, I never did find an answer to the question of WHO "recognized" his new style.

In fact, it became apparent over time that he really only slightly modified an existing style and called it his own.

• The prestigious titles that he won were from decades ago and completely impossible to confirm.
  
  
• And to top it all off...the organization that awarded the lifetime achievement turned out to be something of a scam.

To be fair, the man I was working with was not aware of it at the time, but they ultimately turned out to be the martial arts equivalent of a pyramid scheme.

And finally...WHO awarded him the 10th degree ranking and WHY?

Well…he awarded it to himself because, after all, he did create the style; he could award that ranking to anyone.

Unfortunately, I only realized these things over a long period of time.

I didn't do the proper research up front, and I fell into the trap of believing someone who sounded very convincing and presented himself authoritatively.

Ultimately, I made nothing on this venture.

Several thousands of dollars were lost, but I learned something that I won't ever forget.

I hope that you don't have to learn the same way.

Learn from my experience.

While this was not one of the ordinary quick scams for money, I was still taken due to not taking the time to research everything upfront.