From: alexhormozi
In the online education landscape, a clear distinction exists between legitimate, established institutions like Harvard and prevalent “make ten thousand dollar a month in 30 days” scam businesses [00:00:00]. Both fundamentally sell education, but their approach to legitimacy differs significantly [00:00:30]. The following four principles, applied in building acquisition.com, highlight these differences [00:00:21]:
1. Selective Admission and Customer Qualification
A key differentiator is the admissions process:
- Harvard famously turns down applicants, with many being rejected multiple times [00:00:51].
- Scam businesses often accept anyone whose only requirement is a credit card and a pulse [00:01:01].
Legitimate education programs implement screening metrics to identify individuals who are not a good fit [00:01:16]. This focus on qualifying customers—those with the highest likelihood of success—helps avoid negative reviews and maintains brand integrity [00:01:08], [00:01:20]. For example, a legitimate sales school would likely reject 90% of applicants if they don’t possess the inherent qualities for sales, much like Harvard screens its applicants [00:04:36].
2. Realistic Expectations and Data-Driven Proof
Legitimate institutions avoid sensational income promises:
- Harvard does not guarantee immediate wealth upon graduation, or say “make money tomorrow” [00:01:29], and there is a significant delay between enrollment and graduation [00:01:37].
- Scams, conversely, often promise rapid, unrealistic earnings, such as “a hundred thousand dollars a day in five seconds” [00:00:43].
Instead of student income testimonials, Harvard publishes data and metrics regarding graduate outcomes [00:01:58]. This includes average and median earnings, as well as the industries graduates enter [00:02:22]. Tracking customer success metrics (e.g., at 30, 60, 90, or 12 months) ensures reports are based on factual data rather than sensational claims [00:02:05]. The focus is on the experience, networking, relationships, and character development, not just income [00:02:48]. This also relates to the importance of proof and testimonials.
3. Free Content Strategy and Selling Implementation
A key strategy for legitimate education is to give away extensive free content:
- Instead of monetizing the education itself, smart businesses give away the “secrets” and sell the “implementation” [00:03:36], [00:03:42].
- This means all the core course content can be given away for free [00:03:48].
- The paid offering then focuses on personalized support, such as real-time feedback on sales calls and performance monitoring [00:04:00]. This aligns with the strategy of giving away free content as a strategy for online course success.
This approach helps establish thought leadership, creating a perception that even the free content is superior to competitors’ paid offerings, which naturally suggests the paid programs are even better [00:05:41], [00:05:47].
4. Maintaining High Standards and Endorsement Exclusivity
Legitimate institutions do not guarantee graduation or endorsement for all students:
- Harvard does not graduate everyone; some students fail [00:04:11].
- This is crucial for maintaining brand integrity [00:04:17].
A legitimate program might allow someone to pay for the education but withhold its endorsement if the individual does not meet performance or character standards [00:05:00]. This long-term strategy builds a strong brand by ensuring that only top performers receive the program’s official stamp of approval [00:05:04].
By adhering to these four principles—selectivity, data-driven expectations, generous free content, and strict endorsement standards—an education business can establish profound legitimacy and avoid the perception of being a scam [00:06:51].