David Sharpe and David Wood have created a wildly popular internet marketing program called Empower Network which has sparked a lot of interest in many people hoping to make a living online. There are several tiers of membership, and I personally went “all-in” to get the full picture so I could write a truly comprehensive review of Empower Network. I’ll explain why you should be extremely careful about giving David Sharpe and David Wood thousands of your precious dollars, and I’ll let you know about suspicious red flags that you need to be aware of.
This Empower Network rating is from first-hand experiences. I haven’t seen a single other review on the internet where the person went “all in” and eventually turned their back on the Network to publicly warn others about their experiences and what a dangerous product this is. These are not unfounded claims or speculation – these are my real experiences and insights into Empower Network from my month-long review.
Empower Network’s $25/Month Product – Basic Membership
As I mentioned above, there are a few levels of Empower Network membership and each one becomes more expensive than the one before it. Maybe you’re thinking about trying out the cheapest level just to get a taste of what Empower Network is all about and to see if David Sharpe and David Wood have what to offer.
Unfortunately, there is literally nothing of value in the $25 a month membership. You’re paying for a basic WordPress blog that’ll be completely attached to Empower Network and isn’t worth a penny, plus eight lessons which they refer to as the “core commitments” which you can breeze through within an hour. To put it bluntly, the content is virtually nonexistent and it’s not surprising that there are people who claim Empower Network is a scam after buying into this membership – a free WordPress blog attached to another company’s domain and eight lessons of a few minutes each? Does the basic Empower Network membership at $25/month sound like it’s worth it to you?
Empower Network’s $100/Month Product – The Inner Circle
The next level is the Inner Circle which costs $100/month and basically all you’re paying for is the chance to hear David Sharpe, David Wood, and many of their top members like Tony Rush, Vick Strizheus, Tracy Walker, etc… brag about how much money they’ve made. These are recorded weekly phone calls that you commit to dialing into every week in the “8 Core Commitments” from the basic membership. They say that they’re essential to your success, but really they’re just a massive waste of time.
As you can probably tell from the titles of the “lessons” above, there isn’t any real training here. When it comes to showing off their wealth they seem to have endless material, but they come up completely short when it comes to actual internet marketing lessons. You’ll stay on the call for 2-3 hours every week and get almost nothing of value outside of “get pumped” fluff they use to try and motivate their members.
Empower Network’s $500 Product – Costa Rica Intensive
Even the people who dig deep into their pockets and spend $500 on the Costa Rica Intensive are bound to be awfully disappointed. All you’re paying for is outdated internet marketing information that could easily be found for free elsewhere (seriously – some of this stuff is VERY out of date and can get your website punished instead of rewarded). This is the main problem when it comes to all of these levels of Empower Network membership—it’s all available elsewhere plus more for a fraction of the cost that Empower Network charges.
$5,125+ for Internet Marketing Lessons?
So if you’re actually hoping to learn something from David Sharpe and David Wood, be prepared to shell out the full $5,125 to get all of the above PLUS the $15k Formula and the Master’s Retreat – both of which have some decent content but are very thin overall for such a hefty price tag. They’ve also released (and continue releasing) more and more products that you have to buy if you want to “qualify” for the commissions. I can’t in good faith recommend that anyone spend several thousand dollars on internet marketing lessons when there are so many valuable alternatives that cost many times less for the same (or better) content.
Another very important thing to understand is that most people will definitely not make back that $5,000+ investment. I went to one of the Empower Network conferences and I met many people firsthand who had been convinced by David Sharpe and David Wood to go “all in” and were now deeply regretting their decision, because they were following ALL of the training day in and day out and feeling like there was no way they were going to make their investment back.
Think about this before signing away your savings or putting a massive expense on your credit card—what are the chances that you’re actually going to make this money back? As I’ve learned, the answer is very slim.
Don’t Be Fooled—It’s Not Easy
Over and over again, David Sharpe and David Wood talk about how easy it is to make money through blogging. They claim that you can blog about anything you want and become a successful internet marketer. Well, that’s just not the reality.
There’s a reason why the overwhelming majority of internet marketers fail and ultimately give up, and unfortunately the statistics show that the vast majority of people fall into that category no matter how much money they’ve spent. So don’t get carried away with reviews of Empower Network that you may have read where people talk about how easy it is to make tons of money.
As anyone in this industry knows, it can be extremely difficult to make money in internet marketing. So you should take everything that David Sharpe, David Wood, and any of the EN affiliates say about Empower Network with a grain of salt. When you do some research you will find out that the people who have made tons of money are MLM experts with many years of this experience—they didn’t just join Empower Network out of the blue and start earning commissions. It just doesn’t work that way.
Why is Empower Network Scared of the BBB?
When I was reviewing Empower Network, I wanted to find out what their refund policy was. At first the customer service representative insisted that there was no way that I could get a refund on the $3,500 product, which is a red flag by itself. I casually mentioned the Better Business Bureau (BBB) on the phone by saying, “I’ve seen that you work very closely with people that have filed complaints with the BBB. Would I have a better chance of getting a refund if I went that route?” She insisted the answer was no, we hung up, and that’s when things got fishy.
I received a call a few minutes later where the customer service representative told me that she had spoken with her supervisor and they decided that since I mentioned the BBB, they would process my refund—but then I would be completely banned from Empower Network forever. That means I lost all of my members and the entire team that I had promised to take care of was orphaned up to my sponsor so that he could do whatever he pleased with them. I asked if I could get back in to Empower Network so that I could regain access and take care of my team, but they wouldn’t allow it, and it was only because I very casually mentioned the BBB in passing.
To me, this is a major red flag, and it’s important that anyone reading this Empower Network review understands that this is not the sign of a company that cares about its customers, and is yet another reason why many people accuse Empower Network of being a scam. Keep this in mind before investing thousands of dollars with David Sharpe and David Wood.
Empower Network’s Culture Can Kill
Empower Network is especially dangerous because the entire culture that David Sharpe and David Wood have worked hard to create. It’s all about pressuring their members to go “all in” and making them feel like “wussies” and outcasts if they’re not brave enough to do so. Don’t make that mistake before thinking things through—you can learn all there is to know about internet marketing without going “all in” with Empower Network.
As I’ve mentioned above, EN costs thousands of dollars if you want full access and there’s nothing about it that justifies that high price tag. Why pay thousands of dollars to hear David Sharpe and David Wood brag about the size of their paychecks or get outdated or run-of-the-mill training that can be found elsewhere for free, or at the very least a substantially lower price?
Even worse, because of all of the pressure, people end up paying the $5,125+ even if they can’t afford it. So you have to ask yourself whether you want to be earning commissions from people who truly cannot afford to shell out this money.
Could You Really Sleep at Night?
Think about being a member of Empower Network. Think about working for weeks and weeks on end, if not months, and you finally break through and get a couple of signups. Now imagine them going “all in” by selling the snowplow they NEED when winter rolls back around, or the boat they use to take their kids fishing down at the lake. Maybe they don’t sell anything – they just charge the full $5,125 onto credit cards at 20%-30% interest rates under the impression that it will be back in their wallets in just a few weeks.
You just had a $4,625 payday! Awesome, right?! Personally, I think it comes at too high of a price. Realize that for every 100 people you might sign up (which, I can’t emphasize enough, is much, MUCH more difficult than David Wood, David Sharpe, and their affiliates make it sound), maybe two of them will make their full investment back. The rest of your signups will struggle day in and day out until they give up, but now without a snowplow to get out of their home in the winter, without a boat to create memories with their kids on the weekends, or with $5,000+ on their credit cards which is leaving them with $1,200+ less each year in interest charges for date nights, vacations, holiday presents, etc…
You may be able to benefit financially, but if you’re doing well financially in Empower Network it is as a direct result of setting the vast majority of your signups for failure. You’re at the top of the pyramid, but when you look down and see all of the bodies you’ve stacked up to get there, you may not be able to sleep at night. I know I couldn’t, and that’s why I turned my back on Empower Network.
Final Word: Buy Cheaper Training that Doesn’t Require Setting Others Up for Failure
As you can tell by now, I’m acutely familiar with Empower Network and can offer the insider perspective as a former “all in” member. But the facts speaks for themselves, and I would strongly caution you against purchasing any of their products.
The earlier levels offer pathetically shallow content besides David Sharpe, David Wood, and their top affiliates bragging about how rich they are. They create a dangerous culture where you feel pressured to shell out five grand, but I can assure you from personal experience that most of the people that spend the $5,000 are not earning back their investment.
At the end of the day, you’re much better off investing your time with internet marketing resources that don’t carry an outrageously high price tag. There are so many valuable resources out there, including a valuable eBook I’ve personally written to keep you safe in this industry that you can download completely free or an incredible free two week course that teaches you how to build a powerful niche site from start to finish. I think everyone who puts in the time and effort can succeed in the world of internet marketing, but Empower Network is definitely not the path I’d recommend.
Share With The Community
Were you also convinced at first by the promotional material that David Sharpe and David Wood put together? Did you think that going “all in” with Empower Network would be your ticket to success, and did this review clear things up for you? Let us know below if you agree or disagree with what’s been said in this review.
Great Information. Never joined EN. But they are always sending me a post of what I have earned. Now I have to review Vicks 4%. Any responds to this. Is this also a scamm?
Thanks,
Eva
Hey Eva! I can’t say for sure, as I haven’t reviewed it extensively. But I personally avoid most of the people that promoted EN heavily in the past.
Now reviews like this are worth their weight in GOLD…
I joined EN at the lower level then upgraded after a while I tried to contact their support team to speak to someone about a few problems I was having, they said that they would get back to me..they never did.
In the end I asked for a refund which they refused, so I informed them to cancel my subscription – they did not and they kept taking payments off my credit card for a further 3 months until I informed by bank to stop any further payments, I tried to get the 3 months payments back from them without any success. They are an absolute SCAM ..Stay well away
I’m really sorry to hear that happened to you Alex, but thank you very much for sharing your experiences so the rest of the community can benefit from them!
I disagree with everything you are saying. I have also met of the top leaders in Empower Network David Wood and David Sharpe, Johnathan Crondstead (CEO) (JCron) Mar Burden (CMO) and the launch men. Michelangelo Lopez his wife Lina his children, Chris Record, Tracey Walker, Vick Strizheus, Tony Rush my husband shook his hand and gave me a warm hug in North Carolina at the Empower Network Event At the Fight the Forces of Evil Empower Network Event after telling of JCron that I had a heart attack at the Freedom 2014 Miami Empower Event I gave a review of what I thought of the new DVD’s that came out. Alex & Anna Zuberev, Paul Hutchings, Mike Hobbs, Aron Rashkin. Pictures of David Wood and Myself, him helping me off stage after Commission Countdown. Yesterday I did an article about GIVING BACK TO END HOMELESSNESS In October, we gave back to the Central Florida community with a $10,000 donation to Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. If you’d like to learn more about Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida go to http://www.centralfloridahomeless.org. Here is the link to the article http://buildingabrandonline.com/elizenglish/giving-back-to-end-homelessness/#more-358
You can like them as people all you want, and nothing in my article accuses them of being bad people that are standoffish, disrespectful to others in face-to-face interaction, etc… I agree completely with what you’re indicating here – I met some very kind people in Empower Network. That doesn’t mean that their ethical values align with mine, as I see what they’re doing (taking over $5,000 from people, most of which are charging it to their credit cards, knowing that 95%+ won’t even come CLOSE to recovering their initial investment when there is better, more up-to-date training available online for $47-$300) as extremely unethical and crossing a line. I personally believe that if I can refer someone to incredible training that’s the best on the internet for $47 where I only make a $22.50 commission vs. referring them to worse, mostly-hyped-up, less up-to-date training for $5,125+ where I make a whopping $4,625+ off of many of my referrals (all the while setting them up for almost guaranteed failure), I’m cheating them and benefitting from them massively for not being 100% honest and keeping their best interests at heart.
Elizabeth Empower Network is a Scam the program is Dying off now most of the leaders are Leaving the Sinking Ship you should be Ashamed of yourself Scamming people with this Online Fraud!
Hi Ian;
Thanks for your review of EN, I receive tons of emails about it daily. I have heard a bunch of negative reviews about it though nothing as thorough as yours. I was not tempted.
Sometimes it’s a blessing to be broke and a wussie (lol)
I’m glad you weren’t tempted, Vicki! It’s a plague on this industry and really needs to be shut down or at least hindered in some way. At least more people are speaking out against it now so the truth is beginning to come out slowly but surely.
Greetings from India, Bro Ian!
Oh my God! NEVER ever I saw such an in-depth and insightful review of EN! Joining EN (and other such BS programs) is akin to donating to devil – nothing else! All they do is promise you moon and sell you mud! It’s better to spend a fraction of that amount (say, 3-6 months’s worth of EN fee) on learning the most basic/intermediate IM skills and getting a domain name, some hosting and setting up a blog and learn e-mail marketing and blog writing! The IM world is polluted and poisoned to the core and I guess people are better off moving to other “greener” niches!
I looked at EN a couple of years ago. That is as far as I went.
First, the basic level was actually about $60 a month as I recall.
The $25 a month you reviewed is the same amount that was being
promoted when I looked at EN. BUT …. there was an additional $19.95 a month “platform maintenance fee” payable, plus in order to get paid your commissions, you had to subscribe to a payment service (can’t remember the name – not paypal) for another $20 or so. So in my eyes the basic membership cost over $60 a month. Has anything changed?
Hey Cormac, it’s still pretty much the same setup but different “labels” and reasoning than you’ve described here. The basic membership at Empower Network is $25, and them there is a $19.95 monthly fee IF you want to be an affiliate. It’s not required, but most people pay it because EN convinces them that they’re going to make a ton of money now that they’re a member and they’d be crazy not to. I hope that answers your question – let me know if you have any others!
Hi Ian,
Just wanted to tell you its refreshing to read about your experience with EN especially going all-in. I was involved with EN for a short while, and cancelled because I knew there was something not right, so I didn’t lose a lot of money. Now I have my own fashion blog and just applied for a business licence to appeal to public relation companies and advertisers. To me this is more empowering than joining mlm network. I have one question have you heard of DS Domination I been getting emails and FB invites to join, bit I believe its shady do you have any thoughts about it?
Hey Monique – I’m glad you found my Empower Network review to be helpful! I’ve reviewed DS Domination negatively in the past – if you have any internet marketing or affiliate marketing questions down the road don’t hesitate to reach out!