What happened to H-Com 3030..?
HCom 2020 is an eCommerce dropshipping course created by Matt Schmitt, Devin Zander, and Alex Becker, where the goal is to get your Shopify store profitable in the quickest amount of time – 9 weeks in this case - by showing you step-for-step what to do.
H-Com 3030?
What happened to it..?
As I understand it, Alex Becker broke away, created H-Com 3030, started marketing it, got disinterested and then pulled the course, leaving only the original H-Com 2020...
Who knows what happened there? As it is, Alex Becker seems a bit...uhm...how do I put this? He's a character...
He's announced a couple of times that he was done with YouTube and killing his YT Channel, but it's still around. He swears at students. Offers brain hacks to get a genius IQ. Takes minimalism to the extreme. Says gaming is bad for you but then spends HOURS and HOURS gaming...
Anyway. He's made money online, no doubt. And with the help of the guys from Se7en Apps, they put together an eCom course that's supposed to be foolproof.
All my reviews are based on the years of experience I’ve accumulated in the different ecommerce fields, incl. dropshipping. (Check out my dropshipping case study here - I made over $48k in one month!) BUT, right off the bat, let me put the record straight… Dropshipping is not a get-rich-quick-scheme.
It takes hard work, dedication & commitment to succeed. From my experience, the best online biz model is Lead Generation – especially long term. You see, dropshipping is unlikely to ever provide you with a passive income – it requires constant attention.
1. What is H-Com 2020?
Matt is a successful dropshipper and Print-On-Demand products, while Devin is the founder of Smar7, a company that produces apps used on the Shopify platform.
The H-Com (Hero E-Commerce) Program is a 9 week online program with the sole goal of creating a Shopify store and getting it profitable in as short of time as possible with step-by-step proven methods taught by E-Commerce experts.
This is 100% beginner friendly. This program is designed to work for a total novice without any prior experience.
WEEK 1: MIND
11 video lessons: 46min total
Week 1 starts with the expected "The best decision of your life" video. Alex tells you why you made a great decision & hammers the point that you will not succeed if you do not follow through & take action.
**I hate to admit, but he’s right.
My mentor Dan James stresses that exact point. The importance of taking "...massive action."
15 video lessons: 51min total
This section is presented by Matt and Devin. They take you through all the basic steps of setting up your Shopify store.
Throughout this week, they cover all the points… like what’s Shopify & why it’s used, picking & importance of domain & store names, signing up for Shopify, choosing a theme, learning the Shopify dashboard, checkout & payment set ups, getting your shipping sorter, as well as choosing your plan.
13 video lessons: 2hr01min total
This week is split into three separate sections.
There's a short introduction/overview section of two videos, followed by a Dropshipping as well as a Print-on-Demand section.
Each one of these sections covers the basics like picking your products & suppliers, how to add products &/or designs to your store as well as scaling.
WEEK 4: SALES
6 video lessons: 1hr23min total
Finally, this week we get thought how to make money! Whoop Whoop… Well apparently, so let’s see...
The main topics covered are:
• Store Conversion Rate Optimization Through Store Optimization
• Page Optimization,
• Checkout Optimization
• Improving Sessions Conversion.
WEEK 5: ADS
16 video lessons: 2hr26min total
As most of you will undoubtedly know… Without marketing, your online business will die a horrible death...
So, in this module you’ll be introduced to one of the biggest & oddly still (despite the ridicules cost for ads…) the most popular advertising platforms for dropshippers - Facebook.
This week's training consists of the following:
- Setting up your FB accounts.
- Learn about FB Pixel & how to set it up.
- Setting up Ad’s and Ad Campaigns.
- Learn about targeting, including the do's and don'ts.
- Testing your ads… including when to say goodbye or re-use an ad set
WEEK 6: SCALE
6 video lessons: 1hr02min total
The next part of the course deals with scaling.
You’ll be taught about increasing your budget, creating ads, lookalike audiences & the different scaling stages. Oh joy!
WEEK 7: MAINTAIN
3 video lessons: 33min total
Once you've scaled your Ads successfully, it's time to maintain things at optimal level.
You’ll only ready use this module once you’ve found some products that perform well…& by that I mean not just preform well in your head but actually preforms well.
The product performance will be based on the previous two stages.
You will also be shown a Manual Bidding Strategy, Scaling based on Data & an LAA Strategy.
For those of you that’s already lost just reading this… don’t stress, Mathew explains it all in simple terms & shows you over-the-shoulder examples from inside his Ads Manager account.
WEEK 8: ADVANCED TACTICS
17 video lessons: 2hr 01min total
Week 8 sees Alex popping in to say hello… To make this section more manageably Alex has broken it down into 3 sections:
Email Marketing
Influencer Marketing
Advanced Sales Tactics
He’ll run you through how to use the Hero Marketer Software to your advantage. He also throws in some awesome tips you might not get anywhere else…
Hero Marketer is not a bad concept & could potentially be a great product… however there’s only one thing missing… for an email marketing campaign to be successful - you need an actual email list.
Bit of a problem if you’re just starting out wouldn’t ya say…
All I’m saying is, for those of you who’s new to Dropshipping, don't expect to make tons of money this way... especially not right away…
It takes months to build a decent-sized mailing list, so be prepared… & warned…
WEEK 9: ELITE LEVEL SCALE
6 video lessons: 49min total
So, you’ve made it to week 9… Well done.
The hope (& claim) is that by now you’ve made tons of new sales & you’re rocking dropshipping…
If so, then this section is all about you & scaling to the next level.
This final section covers the more dramatic scaling techniques… so section is only really warranted once you’ve actually started making some dow…
You’ll learn about the following scaling techniques:
Retargeting
Product Pipeline
Launch Scheduling
Team Scaling
2. Who is Alex Becker?
Alex is a tech and nutrition expert famous for founding several companies that have helped thousands of people start their own company. Alex Becker has also written a bestselling book – ‘The 10 Pillars of Wealth’ to inspire and help people grow into entrepreneurs.
So, what’s the truth?
Alex Becker is renowned for filming catchy promotional videos about making money online, initially with his Ferrari or Lamborghini in the background. It’s these cheesy over-the-top marketing videos that first gave off a bad impression when he started filming.
But despite the tacky nature of the videos, it doesn’t mean the man doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
These include Market Hero Software, his Shopify training program, and his bestselling book.
Today, Alex mainly focuses on building his SaaS (Software as a service) business Market Hero, while promoting courses that teach customers how to launch an eCommerce drop shipping service.
And whether you like him or hate him, there’s no denying that this guy knows how to SELL...
3. How does Dropshipping Work?
Dropshipping is a simple business model. Once a customer places an order with your store, you’ll buy the product from your supplier & have them ship the order directly to your customer’s door.
That means you can run your own business from anywhere in the world, without worrying about storing and shipping products yourself.
Pretty straight forward, right?
Dropshipping has the potential to be a fantastic business opportunity…but as all with all things in life, there are Pros & Cons to everything.
4. Is Dropshipping Legit, or a Scam?
The internet has radically changed how retailing works thanks to companies like Amazon and eBay.
If you’re on Instagram or Facebook, though, you’ve probably also encountered advertisements for shockingly cheap boutique goods from companies you’ve never even heard of.
Chances are those brands don’t exist outside of the Shopify storefront.In reality these brands are merely reselling low-quality Chinese goods at marked-up prices.Welcome to the murky world of dropshipping.
Of course it doesn’t help when you Google your potential coach + scam & you come up with the following results… AGHHHH!!!
Ok so now that I have you freaking out…
Relax, Dropshipping is not a scam.It is a legit biz model, although not the greatest, used throughout the world.Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of scammers out there… so just be aware that Dropshipping has this bad rep for a reason…
5. How much does Alex Becker's Course Cost? Any Specials?
HCom 3030 comes with a hefty price tag of $1997 once off, which is said to increase to $4000 soon. (Soon as in since 2019...)
However, to be honest, I think this is just a marketing ploy… Boils down to being the same as the countdown timer Dropshippers use in their stores to create urgency.
Those who’s new to dropshipping – this trick is just one of many little deceiving ones you’ll learn along the way… Currently (Jan 2021) there’s a special running for $997.
Pros of Hcom 2020
6. Presented by three experts
7. Good Training on Branding
8. Good Scaling Techniques
9. Access to exclusive software
Cons of Hcom 2020
10. Poor Group Support
11. Commitment from Alex
Currently, Alex's continued commitment to his programs, is in doubt. Will be there even be continued updates & support in the future? Maybe with Alex’s new woke attituded & business ventures he’ll be even less visible in regards to this course… Who knows?
12. Overpriced
At the $1997 price tag it’s overpriced especially with the content provided… It provides nowhere near the little value to justify the price tag.
13. Refund Policy
It’s nearly impossible to fulfill all their requirements in the amount of time provided in order to qualify for a refund…
This sucks & should really be revised as it’s not a small amount you’re having to part with & if you’re not happy with the course you should at least feel safe in knowing you can get refunded…
Concluding Thoughts
14. Do Hcom 2020's Students Actually Make Money?
15. Who's a Good Fit for Hcom 2020?
Becker’s target audience? Those thinking of quitting their nine-to-five job to make money online. Those who lay awake at night hating their job with a passion. Those dreaming of making big bucks from working at home.
Sound familiar?
16. What Alternatives are there to Alex Becker's H-Com 2020?
If you want to get into eCom but don’t wanna to spend a fortune then Franklin Hatchett’s eCom Elites might be a good option for you. At only $197 for the standard version or $297 for Ultimate, it's a no-brainer.
You'll also get more content - the Facebook section alone is massive. Ecom Elites covers everything in Alex Becker's course including additional training in SEO, Chatbot Training, Google Shopping Ads, a complete done-for-you funnel and more.There are many, many positive success stories with students of this course.
If you’re someone who’s already had some experience with dropshipping but you’re failing to make it profitable, then I would recommend Ecom Blueprint by Gabriel St Germain, which I think is the best course for the intermediates who are struggling to scale their dropshipping stores to the next level.
Pros and Cons of Hcom 2020
The Good and Bad of HeroMarketing's Course
I’m disappointed that Alex isn’t even in 90% of the training. I quite like his YouTube video’s with the occasional swear word & his super high energy…
But for HCom 3030 he takes care of front end selling while the two dudes from SMAR7 go through the content. If just kinda set off some alarm bells already then you’ll also be inclined to note there is only Youtube, Facebook and Instagram Ads.
There are no two ways about it, dropshipping is under pressure these days.
There's more & more competition almost on a daily basis. On top of that, marketing costs, especially when it comes to Facebook & Google Ads, are constantly going up.
Even Mr Alex Becker, who back in the day was Mr Flashy Lifestyle, has gone & sold all his possessions.
Ok fair enough, it’s not because he’s gone broke… Alex says it’s because of his minimalist/woke lifestyle…
…but there're rumours it’s because dropshipping profits are way down, which in turn influences the number of peeps buying his courses. Vicious little circle init?
How Does Dropshipping Stand up to Others Like Affiliate Marketing, & Lead Generation?
As you’ve read through this article, I hope that you’ve kept in mind whether dropshipping fits your style. I want you to get multiple perspectives on this issue so make sure to always do your due diligence & never base your opinion off 1 source (This article is only my opinion & experience with dropshipping).
There are a number of reasons why I will always recommend Local Lead Gen as the #1 Biz model for 2021. One of them is because Lead Gen ticks all the boxes from MJ DeMarco.
If you're looking for a serious dose of millionaire mentoring from someone who's been there and done it, you should check out his book:
One of the secrets DeMarco shares in The Millionaire Fastlane is how to evaluate potential businesses to pick the winners and avoid the duds.
He created the C.E.N.T.S. model to make it simple to pick a winning biz model. It stands for:
Let me give you a couple of examples of how to use it. Today, let’s focus on just two points. Need & Entry…
18. Need
The business model of dropshipping consists of keeping secrets from your customers, bad ROI, leveraging an uncontrollable product, and more.
A business model, first of all, should be about the customer.
Dropshipping is the opposite of customer retention and typically consists of high bounce rates, high abandoned cart rates, low engagement, and the expectation of customers to not come back to your store because the experience was terrible.
The reason why people that dropship typically use Facebook ads is because they have to go after new customers rather than giving value to the ones they already have.
Dropshippers have to do this because growing a successful and engaged email list when dropshipping is practically impossible. The customer is usually left unsatisfied and put off by their experience in a dropshipping store.
What is my point? - Dropshipping does not fulfill any NEED.
You’re not building a better mouse trap people – you’re providing an overpriced & often inferior one…
This goes against the principals of business.
- With Local Lead Generation you are helping small businesses to grow & sustain themselves. This in turn helps the community become stronger & more economically viable.
19. Entry
Competition is the least of your worries when dropshipping. I truly believe that no matter how competitive a niche may be, you can excel if you create unprecedented value. Dropshipping is becoming over saturated because lots of people love the idea of “get rich quick”. Be careful becoming a part of a fad like this. If you truly want to become rich, help the world and create a positive impact providing value through Need. The barrier of entry into dropshipping is increasing. In 2017 you could start creating a dropshipping store with less than $200. Now, the barrier of entry for beginners is at least $800 to compensate for your ad spend & website costs. It's still dirt cheap though, which makes it so attractive. However, that is just an increase in the startup cost, there is still nothing that stops anyone with a laptop & WIFI to open their own store, exactly like yours. |
Why is this a problem?
If a business model can be started by simple signing up on the internet then you know it’s stinks to the hills of short cuts.
If anyone can recreate your business without any skills, then you’re not guaranteed to have that business be profitable for very long.
Local Lead Generation is different because learning to rank your websites using Free Organic Traffic in Google, is a valuable skill set that has to be learned.
Alex Becker's H-Com 2020Course is Good, but Dropshipping is Not so Good...Generating Leads is Better! Here's Why:
- Search engines can drive 300% more traffic to content sites than social media (& it's not so intrusive...)
- You engage in tighter, more effective demographic targeting, saving time and money.
- Leads are the lifeline of any business. Without it, you're dead in the water...
- Has the best possible ROI of ANY biz model I've ever tried.
- Both the Internet and local businesses aren’t going anywhere, so your lead gen services will always be in demand.
- Can truly do this as a side-hustle / part-time & then scale to full time as it suits you.
In contrast, dropshipping has a lot of shortcomings...
It’s quite shocking if you think that just a few years back there where still a steady stream of new Dropshipping Millionaires being made every year… Now, you're considered a massive success if you hit six-figures in a year
The game has changed.
But what exactly has changed?
For one, there's a lot more competition. If you look at Google Trends, it shows that dropshipping is still trending upwards in searches. This means more entrepreneurs entering the dropshipping market.
Which is great for business growth…But remember every new dropshipper finds their products from the same source. So, even if AliExpress has hundreds of thousands of different products, there's still a good chance that you will be selling the exact same products as a hundred other beginner dropshipper.
Why? Because you either did the same course, or watched the same YouTube video’s… See the problem here…
The marketing landscape also changed, especially FB Ads. Costs have gone up, and you there's more competition trying to sell similar products on the same people's feeds.
This makes it much more difficult for new dropshippers to cash in on instant success.
Unfortunately, the days where you could start a Shopify store with any old product, throw a few bucks at Facebook & make some money, are over.
In 2021, you need to know what you're doing, especially where marketing is concerned.
Putting down $50, hoping for the best & activating autopilot for your FB Ads just ain’t gonna cut it…
You need to become an expert at manual bidding, analyzing data, creating lookalike audiences, scaling ad sets, and re-targeting.
Not only that, but running a dropshipping store also entails a lot of hard work, you also have to become good at:
And be warned, it could take months before you see any profits...
PRODUCT RESEARCH IN ORDER TO KEEP SELLING WINNING PRODUCTS:
Most dropshippers only chase trending products to maximize their sales.
This is crazy! Why?
Imagine the time spent EVERY day searching for new trending products.
I've tried it for two years, and it was EXHAUSTING.
SUPPLIER RESEARCH:
You need to make sure your supplier is not only trustworthy, but that they can ALSO make good on their promises of SUPPLY and QUALITY.
BARRIER TO ENTRY:
Anyone can start a new online store in a matter of hours. That's great for competition and leads to innovation, BUT...
Shoppers are getting smarter. They shop around and don't just take your word when you advertise the "best price." They know that you can get the same products that you advertise, on AliExpress and Wish directly, & for much cheaper.
BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE...
Then there's also Re-targeting and Email Marketing, Placing Orders, Shipping issues, Chargebacks, After Sales and Additional Costs that no one talks about, such as Shopify Apps subscriptions. And SHOPIFY issues...
PARTING THOUGHTS
I can go on & on about the pitfalls of dropshipping, but I think you get the gist of it.
Make the smart move and find out more about other business models before committing...
They all have pros & cons and in the end you need to decide what works best for you. (For me it was local lead gen and I can unreservedly recommend it. Thanks for reading! - Kyle)
Literally anyone can get into dropshipping with hardly any effort or upfront cash. Regardless of what you're selling, you'll likely be competing with millions of other sellers in an extremely saturated market.
Plagiarism is rampant in dropshipping. It's far too easy for your competitors to copy your ads, your sales funnels, and even your Shopify store. Be assured that if you find a successful product, you will be copied and then undercut by your competition.
Advertisements have no guarantee of being profitable - and one should expect to occasionally have campaigns that fall short of expectations (which can cost thousands of dollars).
Facebook's ad prices have doubled this last year. Successful dropshippers can expect to profit roughly 8-15%, which only really works if you're selling major volumes of product.
The key to long term wealth is in building and owning valuable assets, but with dropshipping, you own nothing. You're an enslaved middleman to Shopify, Facebook, and Google. Their ad and metrics systems are unreliable and ever changing - and account deactivations are a way of life in eCommerce.
Ads must be developed and then monitored - and failing to do so could mean unprofitable ads or, even worse, ad account suspension.
Trending items are most often the only products that have a profitable ROI. Many businesses meet their ends on the fall of whatever trend they were capitalizing on.
Shipping from China takes six weeks, so expect lots of customer complaints and chargebacks (which are deducted from your bank account).
Local Lead Generation
Schedule your coaching call today