Today, I’m talking about the shady business coach business which we’ve all come to know quite well on Instagram, especially, and here’s why: We’re in the middle of a global pandemic and I’ve been watching a whole slew of shady business coaches ramp up their efforts to sell their programs using extremely problematic fear-based sales techniques. I just saw a business coach on Instagram berate her followers for not thinking more strategically about how to capitalize on the COVID-19 crisis. To me, leveraging COVID-19 to persuade more people to invest in your business is just as unethical as the guy who bought all the hand sanitizer to re-sell it for a profit on Amazon. And we all know what happened to that guy, he got charged with price gauging and became an international case study on what not to do in a time of crisis — trying to capitalize off of people’s fears and vulnerabilities are exceptionally unethical tactics and business coaches attempting to do the same on Instagram are no better. You could call this a buyer-beware episode because there are brilliant and helpful business coaches that are super worthy of your investment and others who are like modern snake oil salespeople in using deceptive marketing techniques to sell to you. Are you confused by which business coach is more legitimate and worth the investment of your money than the next? Listen and learn how to distinguish between the great and shady business coaches of the world. Key takeaways: Learn how to spot a shady business coach on Instagram Learn the qualities and techniques to look for in a really great business coach Hear the common techniques that I see some business coaches use on Instagram that I consider to be quite shady. If you’re employed and not totally loving your corporate office life these days, and find yourself longing after business coaches on Instagram promising you the secret to making a million dollars in just 14 months, this episode is for you. If you’re self-employed and feeling like things should be easier by now, and you should be earning more money by now, and you should have more clients by now, and that your calendar should be filled with way more appointments by now — this episode is for you too. It’s true that the internet and social media are new channels with new opportunities for growth that didn’t exist before. But I want to clarify the mystique a little so you can feel more informed about what’s behind the curtain of coaching and business ownership before you spend any of your hard-earned money on coaching, or mentorship, or an expensive coaching program that promises you the stars and the moon.