How much does it cost?

Over the past 7 weeks, I’ve been laying the groundwork of why Afterburner Success Partners was created, what we offer, why you should participate, and what’s in it for you.  Some folks may have dropped out already, some may still be with me, and I hope others have since joined. If you are new, you can access the website at absuccesspartners.com and read all the previous blogs to catch up. These posts are authored to correspond with the sequence of the course but some of what we have been going over up to now is just preliminary to get you interested, to whet your appetite.

The elephant in the room

OK, so there’s this big elephant in the room.  Do you see him over there in the corner?  He’s not making much noise, but you can’t miss him. Kinda smells a little bit too. The elephant’s name is “Cost”.  So, I’m being a little bit funny here, but I want to delve into the fact that if you take this course it’s going to cost some money. I already know what you are thinking!  “Dave,” you say, “I thought you said you were doing this to give back to others while you are in your Halftime! Didn’t you mention that you were financially stable? Doesn’t that mean you don’t need the money!? Why would you charge for the course?”

Stay with me and as I go through this with you, I’m pretty sure when we get to the end, you will see the point and I hope you will agree with me. What I want to talk about is not so much cost, although I will do that, but investment.  “Ah,” you say, “You mean like when the government spends your money on things you think are foolish and calls it an investment?” Nope, not at all.  When I think of an investment, I think of something I put time, effort, or resources into and expect a return on it.  That at some time in the future, I’ll have more than I started with. I’m guessing you would agree with me. If you put money in a retirement account, you expect that when you need it, you will have all the money you put in it, in addition to a meaningful return.  You traded your money and over time, you expect to get more.  A college education is an investment, for example.  Figures show that the payoff for spending time and money on education or training is typically a good investment that will pay off over a lifetime. When you buy a home, if you maintain it and live in it long enough, for most people it likely will be their biggest source of wealth.

On the other hand, there are costs.  When you buy a new car, as soon as you drive it home, it’s worth less than you paid for it.  When you buy groceries, you don’t expect a return on it, you just get the value of the food. Same with toys, games, or other entertainment.  You spend money on these things because you need them to live, or they provide some other value you consider worth the cost. Some of these costs, like food, are necessary costs.  Others, like TV and games, are discretionary costs.  We have discretion, that is a choice, if we want to spend money on them or not.

Investing in your future

Some costs are necessary to pay for your investment.  A reliable car, gas and maintenance, and appropriate clothing are all costs that go toward the investment you make in your career. A reliable car and the car you want may not be the same thing and the cost difference could be quite large.

Let me give you some examples I think you can relate to.  In 2008, we purchased a “new” second vehicle for my wife.  Our (her) primary vehicle was 8 years old, still reliable and I had an older vehicle I gave to one of the kids. What happened is that I took the 2000 car, an Acura RL, and her “new” vehicle was a 2006 Acura MDX with 67,000 miles. “But wait, Dave,” I can hear you screaming, “Those are luxury vehicles, not what the normal person would drive!” True enough, but a couple of things to consider, and this is where the value of something is not necessarily equal to the cost. I drove the 2000 RL until it had 247,000 miles and it was in still excellent condition, with no meaningful issues or problems.  I sold it, for half its current value, to a nephew who needed a reliable car.  As far as I know, he continued to drive it for several years as he established himself in his career.  The 2006 MDX?  We are still driving it; it has 273,000 miles on it and it purrs like a kitten. You see, yes, we spent a little more on a higher quality car, but we drove them for many years and because they were well made, we did not abuse them and I maintained them properly, they have lasted a long time and we have received excellent value for them. Oh, and here is a key point. We were fully funding our retirement account and had our emergency account funded and we were secure in our careers making adequate income. I’m guessing you get the point.

The cost versus the value

Back to why there is a cost for this course when I stated my goal is to give back as I’m in the Halftime of my life.

Over the years, I’ve given a lot of stuff away. It could have been a lawn mower to someone who needed one, an old weed eater, or a bicycle I fixed up. I’ve given a lot of books away to folks I thought could use them.  We’ve given money to people who had an immediate need. When I was a manager, I would guess that I spent somewhere just south of $1,000 of my own money on books for employees to help them improve their skills and become more valuable to the organization.  Some people appreciated the thought and/or the gift and they told me so.  Most never said a thing and in some cases, I noticed books sitting never opened, much less read.  You see, people often associate the cost of something with the value of it.  While these are not always the same, it’s generally human perception, and often, perception is a reality in many people's minds.  So, if we were to offer the course for free, then the value of it would be considered cheap or worthless.  Here’s an interesting link for you to get more information, this one from our friends in the UK: https://www.thelasthurdle.co.uk/there-is-no-value-in-free/

There’s another reason for charging for the course.  If people get something for free, in addition to perceiving it to be of low value, they don’t have any skin in the game, which means there is little incentive to complete the course, much less stick with what they learn over a lifetime. If a person has a personal investment in something, they are more likely to want that investment to pay off and not be wasted. When I think of this, I always think of a mother telling her child to eat all their dinner because of all the starving children in the world. What she is saying is that food has value, others would want it and as a result, you should make the best use of it.  You’ve heard people say, “Well I paid for it, I might as well use it” or “I’ve already paid for the course, I should just go and complete it and not waste the money.” I think you get what I mean.

And finally, there is this. I’ve spent many months putting this course together and refining it and a lifetime developing and proving it, not only to myself but to some of my children and others I’ve taught.  I know if you follow the principles I’m teaching you, you will benefit from it.  And for me, like all people, receiving payment for your work is an affirmation that it is valuable, that you are valuable. And I’m no different than anyone else, I need to feel that my time is being spent on something worthwhile that has value.

I’ve spent the last few years teaching these concepts through a local public school adult education program where the return on my efforts was so little that, in essence, it cost me money to do it.  But you know what?  I helped a few people, and that made it worthwhile to me. Unfortunately, public school adult education is better suited to enjoyable activities rather than subjects like this and that’s why you typically see craft and other classes of that type offered.  I am grateful to them, they allowed me to prove the class concept, I was able to refine my teaching, both in person and virtual, and as I said, I made a difference in a few people’s lives.

I’ve had at least one person tell me that I should charge about $1500 for this course, given the value one will receive from it. The other extreme is what I just described from the local adult education program. If I were Tony Robbins, I would charge a lot more, but I’m not Tony Robbins. Yes, I think highly of him and his program. Who could argue with his and his client’s success? This gets into the area of what is called a Veblen good, or something that is considered exclusive, a status symbol, or something that only the affluent would purchase. No, that’s not what I’m trying to do here. What I want to do is offer a product at a fair market value cost that is considered valuable by both the buyer and the seller.  As you consider the cost of education and the return on your investment in it, I can just about guarantee that your cost to complete this program is minuscule compared to the return you will get.

…and this is the point

There is a final point and I’m not going to pull any punches; I’m just going to call it like it is.  But again, I think it’s one of those things you will agree with as you consider it.  As I mentioned, I have more days behind me than I do in front of me, and I want to spend my time productively.  I’ve been around a lot of people in my time as a worker, leader, coach, mentor, educator, and volunteer.  What we are offering at Afterburner Success Partners is not for everyone.  It’s only for a very, very small percentage of the population who really want to get ahead and are prepared to put in the time and effort to do it. If someone is not committed, then we should just save each other's time. That’s not to say you should not read these weekly posts because one of the possibilities is while it may not be for you today, it may be in the future.  And besides, you will learn something by reading these posts every week. If you are committed to achieving your dreams and living your best life, then that’s great.

And that my friends, is why there is a small but reasonable cost to access the courses.  I’m guessing you will agree because as we think about it, it just makes common sense.  That’s all for this week!

What’s in it for Me

I hope that over the last 8 posts, I’ve laid the foundation for you of a way you can understand you can in fact have what you want in life, to achieve your dreams and live your best life. If you agree, then what’s in it for you is that if you are in, you win!

Call to Action

Sign up for the next available course.  Ensure you are signed up for the email list.  Forward this email to your friends and family. Ponder if, as you spend your time and money, you are receiving a fair value for that investment.  Some costs are just necessary for life, some costs go to support increasing value.  Some costs are investments that pay off over a lifetime.  Indeed, some investments pay off for generations! Take the necessary steps today to ensure you are making investments, and not wasting time and money with needless costs.

Recommended Resources

This week, I’m going to tell you about a couple of very inexpensive books to buy and read that provide a very high return on your investment.  They have great value as they help to get you thinking, and acting, in a way that will be profitable for you.  The first book is a short read called If You Can: How Millennials Can Get Rich Slowly by William J. Bernstein (Note 1). Mr. Bernstein lays out in very simple terms, a very simple process to ensure you can have the money you need to get rich slowly.  Getting rich slowly is a key concept of this course and something we will spend more time on later.  On the other hand, we’ll get into the FIRE method for those who may be interested.  FIRE stands for Financially Independent, Retire Early.  Look it up.

The second little book is called Acres of Diamonds and was originally published in 1915 by Russell H. Conwell, the founder of Temple University (Note 2). The gist of Acres of Diamonds is that each of us is surrounded by opportunities for wealth if only we stop to see them. So, look around you and you may discover you are standing on acres of diamonds and don’t even know it!

Up Next

Learning methodology for adults.

 Notes

Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.

1. If You Can: How Millennials Can Get Rich Slowly  by William J. Bernstein: https://amzn.to/48bdMYo

2. Acres of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell: https://amzn.to/3YswU0B