Is BizGurukul Another E-Biz Scam in the Making?

BizGurukul, because it describes itself, is a web-based e-learning platform that sells ability growth programs associated to entrepreneurship, profession and enterprise growth and moreover gives coaching to earn cash with the assist of social media. However, though BizGurukul has its personal web site the place these programs have been marketed, one can’t purchase them instantly from the web site, with out placing in the sponsor ID.

 

One should go by way of what they name their associates program, which by the way, is being projected as spectacularly profitable. More essential, this chance to make large cash has nothing to do with both the course content material, or the {qualifications}, age or work expertise of the affiliate. It manifests by means of the fee that BizGurukul pays to the affiliate for each one who buys the course materials.

 

This is in contrast to different gross sales program that enables customers to buy instantly from the web sites with out utilizing an affiliate hyperlink. BizGurukul against this sells its course materials by means of affiliate hyperlinks ONLY, and such a hyperlink is supplied to the potential purchaser.

 

 

It can be in contrast to different affiliate packages whereby a possible affiliate shouldn’t be required to buy the father or mother firm’s product. But to turn out to be a BizGurukul affiliate, one should compulsorily purchase considered one of the programs on supply. There isn’t any compulsion, nevertheless, to turn out to be an affiliate after making the buy. The affiliate then proceeds to promote the course to others, incomes a hefty fee from the firm for every closure of a sale. 

 

Upon enrolment, college students get their very own dashboard the place programs are pre-recorded and solely coaching and webinars for the best way to earn as affiliate are reside in addition to pre-recorded. Training is supplied to new associates in order that they know the best way to promote the product and begin incomes. This coaching is supplied freed from value.

 

Thus, after making the buy, the purchaser stands at a forked path, one going in direction of utilising the data gained from the course for looking for a job or establishing one’s personal enterprise, and the different, resulting in the associates program, which entails promoting the course in the market and incomes a fee by means of every sale. 

 

Most desire the latter attributable to the dazzling show of the phenomenal wealth earned by associates, prominently displayed in the BizGurukul commercials. 

 

 

Affiliates who’ve been requested if this enterprise mannequin resembles the multi-level advertising and marketing (MLM) mannequin, normally reply by claiming that BizGurukul is a personal firm underneath the Companies Act 2013 and is registered in New Delhi, with the registrar of corporations underneath the ministry of company affairs (MCA). However, their authorized standing doesn’t justify their enterprise practices.

 

Hence BizGurukul seems to be neither fish nor fowl however an efficient purple herring certainly, as in the garb of a advertising and marketing firm, they’re really an associates program behind the façade.

Why have they executed that?

 

LinkedIn Post

I first turned conscious of BizGurukul after studying a publish on LinkedIn (see right here). I didn’t reply to the particular person in the feedback part and as an alternative reached out to her by way of direct message (DM), at which level she gave me her cell quantity. 

 

Currently, one can turn out to be an affiliate marketer for any enterprise by selling the merchandise of the firm on any social media deal with or a web site. People can create their very own weblog pages, and clearly, they might want to buy domains, and SSL certificates however they don’t have to pay for internet affiliate marketing itself. To turn out to be an affiliate marketer, BizGurukul requires individuals to enrol for his or her course. The course is thus a camouflage for the associates program.

 

The analogy supplied by the affiliate in this screenshot is thus flawed, as a result of it doesn’t present the quantity paid by the affiliate to buy the course.

 

BizGurukul Courses: Are they price it?

BizGurukul course packages are divided into three classes: Gold, Sapphire and Platinum, with sub programs, in completely different value brackets. Buying any considered one of the packages requires the buyer to offer sponsor particulars, that’s, details about the affiliate, who closed the sale. 

 

You can try their course content material (right here). These programs are pre-recorded, and most of the content material lined will be discovered on YouTube, Google, and in a number of different free on-line programs.

 

BizGurukul additionally presents reside webinars and pre-recorded or reside coaching periods for rising gross sales. In these coaching periods, BizGurukul associates are supplied coaching on the best way to enhance the sale of their programs. 

 

However, we have no idea, who’s educating these programs. 

 

(A screenshot of Copywriting course content material supplied by BizGurukul)

 

(A screenshot of copywriting programs obtainable at no cost on different platforms)

 

(A screenshot of programs supplied by BizGurukul in their Sapphire package deal)

 

(A screenshot of comparable advertising and marketing programs obtainable at no cost on different platforms)

 

As an institute that focuses on imparting and coaching college students with the needed digital advertising and marketing expertise, BizGurukul has by no means marketed the success tales of its college students. Unlike different institutes that carry their analysis to the desk, BizGurukul doesn’t supply business insights, as an alternative it actively solely seeks to develop the affiliate packages, whereas the course is only for namesake to stop it from trying like a pure MLM. 

 

In typical MLM, the sponsor will get fee for recruiting new particular person under his stage with none restrict and also can assist his downline to recruit new individuals under their ranges. There are two constructions, one the sponsor goes on elevated variety of downlines under his stage horizontally (1: n or many) and two, he will increase his downline in binary mode vertically (1:2). 

 

Most MLMs pay fee on recruiting new individuals after which the ‘so-called’ royalty revenue on variety of new recruits in binary mode. BizGurukul doesn’t have royalty funds since its complete enterprise mannequin is predicated on promoting its schooling package deal to as many individuals as doable in ‘1: n’ module. For this, it pays fee on to the sponsor primarily based on the package deal purchased by the sponsor and the recruit. (See picture under) 

 

 

Furthermore, the LinkedIn profile of BizGurukul founders has no point out of digital advertising and marketing expertise. As an institute that focuses on imparting and coaching college students with the needed digital advertising and marketing expertise, BizGurukul has by no means marketed the success tales of its college students. 

 

Let us undergo the LinkedIn profile of BizGurukul Founders.

 

Rohit Kumar Sharma- co-founder, enterprise head. Graduated in 2014 from Northern India Engineering College. Although BizGurukul was included in 2020, Rohit mentions in his profile that he has been chief working officer at BizGurukul since 2011. Rohit has 6,348 followers on LinkedIn, however solely has two or three likes on his posts, indicating a really low engagement price (maybe his programs will not be serving to him anymore!) and plenty of of his followers are repeating themselves steadily.

 

 

Existing Digital Marketing institutes

In this part, I’m together with hyperlinks to some web sites of digital advertising and marketing institutes that supply several types of programs with reside courses (on-line or offline), the place you should buy the programs instantly from the web sites with none associates, and which have sturdy placement alternatives as effectively.

  

 

 and there are lots of extra.

 

(Note- I’m not affiliated with these institutes. I carried out a easy Google search to search out extra institutes providing packages in digital advertising and marketing. I intend to attract a comparability between these web sites, their method of operations and BizGurukul’s method of operations and its web site)

 

Is BizGurukul deceptive younger individuals?

BizGurukul associates publish profitable job openings on LinkedIn, with no eligibility necessities. Well, they are saying that their associates program is open just for individuals, who’re 18 plus. See the screenshot under. Yet, the similar affiliate in my contact has posted a WhatsApp standing exhibiting earnings made by one other affiliate by promoting BizGurukul programs. This different affiliate is a scholar in the tenth customary! Well, she could also be 18+ and nonetheless in tenth customary! Hard to imagine. 

 

  

As a subsequent step, the associates publish extraordinarily attractive content material and screenshots of their earnings, typically even describing what they bought with the cash earned as commissions.

 

Lack of Regulations

An rising variety of on-line skill-based packages can be found that supply certificates, diplomas, coaching, and tutoring. Moreover, these programs allow college students to develop expertise that make them extra employable, since curricula supplied by universities don’t replicate the expertise demanded by industries. 

 

Though these institutes supply certificates packages, they fall underneath unregulated schooling sectors and are registered as non-public corporations. When designing programs, they set their very own course construction, charges, high quality, strategies of analysis, and trainings. In absence of any rules that gives minimal benchmarks for the course content material supplied by such non-public corporations, there’s a proliferation of corporations promoting profitable incomes for graduates as soon as they be part of their programs.

 

Currently, on-line rules by the University Grants Commission (UGC) govern solely universities or institutes deemed to be universities, whereas All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) rules govern institutes that present technical programs.

 

Even if such unregulated e-learning platforms are categorized as e-commerce entities, however there are not any specified high quality requirements for such programs. Hence, it’s troublesome to dispute the high quality of providers. 

 

Why should motion towards BizGurukul be taken?

We are staring historical past in the face. Like BizGurukul, there was an organization by the title E-Biz, which supplied numerous IT-related programs by means of its internet affiliate marketing program. 

 

E-biz programs had little or no worth, however younger individuals had been interested in the prospect of extra money, simpler and faster. Over Rs5,000 crore of funds had been siphoned off by this unlawful operation. In a fancy space of Noida, the workplace area of E-biz was unfold throughout a multi-storeyed development of 500 sq. yards. 

 

In March this 12 months, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a prosecution grievance towards Ebiz.com Pvt Ltd and its managing director Pawan Malhan in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) particular courtroom. 

 

According to the ED, the accused ran an MLM scheme on the market of nugatory merchandise like laptop schooling packages which had been downloaded freely from the Internet. It says, “Ebiz merchandise had been just for title’s sake. Primary function of the members becoming a member of the scheme was to get fee from enrolments and never for the merchandise. They extensively marketed their fee mannequin in which very excessive commissions had been paid to sponsoring members for enrolment of recent members.”

 

BizGurukul associates usually mislead younger individuals by exhibiting how they earn cash in lakhs in a month, in addition to by buying costly equipment like iPhones, laptops, and automobiles. By doing so, they encourage individuals to take up BizGurukul programs and register shortly. 

 

It is pertinent right here to cite the cautionary observe issued by the Reserve Bank of India on 1 January 2015: “The Reserve Bank of India has cautioned the public towards Multi-level Marketing (MLM) actions in order that buyers don’t fall prey to unscrupulous entities.”

 

Explaining the functioning of those entities, the Reserve Bank acknowledged that MLM, chain advertising and marketing or pyramid construction schemes promise simple or fast cash upon enrolment of members. Income underneath such schemes majorly comes from enrolling an increasing number of members from whom hefty subscription charges are taken quite than from the sale of merchandise they provide. 

 

It is incumbent upon all members to enrol extra members, as a portion of the subscription quantities so collected is distributed amongst the members at the prime of the pyramid. Any break in the chain results in the collapse of the pyramid, and the members decrease down in the pyramid are the ones which might be affected the most.

 

The Reserve Bank has suggested that members of public ought to to not be tempted by guarantees of excessive returns supplied by entities working multi-level advertising and marketing, chain advertising and marketing and pyramid construction schemes. The Reserve Bank has reiterated that falling prey to such presents may result in direct monetary losses they usually, in their very own curiosity, ought to chorus from responding to such presents in any method.

 

The Reserve Bank has additionally stated that acceptance of cash underneath multi-level advertising and marketing, chain advertising and marketing and pyramid construction schemes is a cognizable offence underneath the Prize Chit and Money Circulation (Banning) Act 1978. Members of public coming throughout such presents ought to instantly lodge a grievance with the State Police.”

 

NOTE: Moneylife despatched emails to BizGurukul’s obtainable emails on its web sites looking for solutions to some particular questions. However, until writing this text, there was no response from BizGurukul. We will publish their response as and after we obtain it. 

 

(Harshita Shah is a scholar of legislation and is strongly satisfied that there isn’t a simple cash.)

 

https://www.moneylife.in/article/is-bizgurukul-another-e-biz-scam-in-the-making/64716.html

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