The Entourage Scale Your Business from 6 to 7 Figures

I did the course in 2015 and it wasn't bad but it definitely didn't have much substance. Most of the 4-5 star reviews are from people who completed the course when it first started and it was great back then. Lots of personalised attention and you weren't just a number.

Somewhere in 2015 they made a huge push on sales and the quality of the course significantly declined.

If you haven't started a business the first few months are really useful to open your eyes to business but once you start trading $10k + a month the course doesn't offer much value.

And with the networking once again, it's with startups, not established businesses.

I wouldn't suggest doing the course.

I spent two years in the 'The Entourage Scalable and Saleable' program. It was the best decision I ever made for my businesses as they have both experienced immense growth since then. They taught me so much from defining our vision, creating a marketing strategy, building a team, sales conversion and much more. The support has been world class and they continue to provide incredible the support 12 months after I have left the program.

I would recommend this program to ANY business owner. It will change your life and the impact you have on this world!

When I joined the Entourage Scaleable & Saleable Program I had been in business about 12 months. I was loving running my own show but was pretty much making every mistake in the book - working far too many hours, on the wrong things, not really being clear on what my value prop to the market was, saying yes to everything, charging far too little and going through massive bouts of 'imposter syndrome'. The business was growing but not in a good or sustainable way.

Joining the Entourage is not going to give you a magic pill (hate to tell you this but there really isn't one) what it is going to do is give you the skills, mindset and 'toolkit' to be able to ask better questions, make better decisions, develop professionally and personally and access an amazing network of likeminded people (many of whom are still friends and indeed clients).

Am I now running a multi-million dollar business like some of the other graduates - no. Is it the Entourage's fault that I'm not - no! The reason...the Entourage actually helped me come to the realisation that running a large business is not my dream - it's someone else's.

They helped me go on a journey to discover what it is I truly value and want out of life and how I can design a life to get it. I now still run a small business with some amazing clients doing some amazing things. I'm doing the best work of my life but importantly have had the confidence and the freedom to take on projects outside of this that have truly taken life in another direction and brought huge financial rewards with them.

The impact of the program has also affected my husband and we now have massive life goals that we would never before have dared to dream about.

The mentoring, the portal, the connections, the events are all fabulous but it's very true when they tell you that you get out of it what you put into it. However, that's only half the story - it's also very important to think about 'what' you want out of it. If you go into it just saying 'to grow the business by 100%' then you're missing a valuable lesson in 'why'?

Did I implement every single action item - certainly not - did I learn a heap of useful information, find new perspectives, meet loads of interesting people, learn to think bigger, and grow as a person - sure did and for that I feel the program was worth its weight in gold!

The Membership’s value proposition is that it helps your business scale from 6 to 7 figures. Overall, it delivers on this promise, but has a lot of room for improvement.

I decided to write a review because I noticed that most reviews so far have been based on emotional outbursts (both positive and negative), rather than logic. As such, they're not very helpful.

Here are my observations. Hopefully, they help would-be customers make the right choice.

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THE PROS:

Structure. While most of the material is commoditised - there’s not much in the curriculum that you can’t find online - it’s presented in a structured, logical format across a 12-month period. This may seem like a trivial detail, but it’s not. For the right person, a structure like this is a godsend - because it provides a roadmap and reduces the time-suck associated with looking for the right info. (That being said, it can also be argued that a key part of founder development is learning to navigate environments that have no roadmaps - and that a structure like this creates a softer, less resilient founder in the long term).

The CEO. Every lecture delivered by him is a must-see event. He is a goldmine of business knowledge - especially around big picture/strategy/money topics. Importantly, he is experienced enough not only to regurgitate knowledge, but to wrestle with context - and to provide nuanced solutions to complex business problems. Sadly, he is one of the exceptions - most “experts” at the Entourage fall short of this benchmark (more on this later).

The GM. He is the logical ying to the CEO's creative yang, and is responsible for building the operational backbone of the company. Your business will also need one in order to scale, and he is a bona fide authority on the topic.

Founder reality check. Most would-be entrepreneurs are just not founder material. They either don’t have the right motivations, or not enough grit, or not enough creativity, or not enough ability to deal with risk and ambiguity (or all of the above). The 12-month course is a good way to figure out whether you have what it takes to live the founder life. While this may seem to be an expensive way of achieving this, it’s actually far cheaper than doing what most people do - spending 5+ years working a part-time job while flailing about, telling themselves (and friends) that they're starting a business. If you don’t have good traction after 12 months at The Entourage, or you “just don’t feel it”, go back to your normal 9-5 and live a happy life.

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THE CONS:

Clickbaity, intentionally distorted marketing and sales - "$1B sales system", "$1M/month”, etc. For example, in the case of the often-quoted “I grew my sales to $1M per month” member success story, the revenue was generated during a spike in peak, rather sustained, growth - but in sales copy is implied to be the latter. This is misleading and sets the wrong expectations for would-be members. The same applies to claimed customer retention rates - I've seen these padded in a context which enables them to be quoted in 90% band. In my estimate, the true retention rate - ie, as measured by an answer to a question like "how many members are still engaged, attending, and getting significant value from the program after 12 months?" - probably hovers around 30-40% (this is just my estimate, based on my observations and many conversations with other members - I may be wrong about this).

The calibre of experts could be better. There are a couple of standout performers, plus a couple who should not even be there, while the rest are mainly competent, without being outstanding. This flaw is baked into the Entourage business model itself - these experts are part of the Entourage ecosystem because they themselves don’t have well-developed businesses, and rely on it for leads and/or authority. As such, they’re not “Australia’s most elite business experts/owners”, as Entourage likes to position them - they’re mostly solopreneurs/consultants who operate in the high-6/low-7 figure range, with plenty of unsolved low-level business problems of their own. It's also been my experience that they're very motivated to provide textbook/general advice, but this enthusiasm quickly fades when faced with more difficult questions - just about every time I pressed a non-textbook response via the FB group, the experts simply stopped responding.

Questionable implementation piece. Entourage recently tilted their offering away from pure “education” to "education + implementation", which is a smart move. However, the implementation piece is done by people with little to zero business experience; they effectively act as “mindset/motivation” coaches. This, in my opinion, is an attempt to treat symptoms of problems, rather than their causes. As I alluded in the “Pros” section, a lot of people who decide to become founders simply don’t have the right DNA. Sadly, the clickbaity/NLP-powered Entourage marketing/sales funnel sucks in a lot of these starry-eyed non-founders who, upon entry into the Entourage ecosystem, quickly fizzle out. Stricter entry criteria into the membership would remove a big part of this problem. This would also enable the implementation piece to become more sophisticated - ie, for it to be centered around real business coaches helping members implement real solutions to real business problems.

Uninspiring role models. In my opinion, if a company teaches you how to build a business, it should have zero excuses for not having a business that is almost perfect in every respect. After a while hanging around The Entourage, however, one begins to pick up on the many cracks in their own business. The payment systems are laughably buggy, the customer support is siloed, the salespeople don’t know enough about business to advise you on whether Entourage is a right fit for you (and instead rely on cheesy NLP tactics to convert), the receptionist often looks bored out of her brain, etc. All of these things, while minor, add up to suggest that there are vast cultural and operational deficiencies below the smiley “yeah bro!”, “high-five!” veneer. I’d rather see less of the latter shenanigans and more impressive business practices.

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SUMMARY.

The membership, despite its issues, can help a lot of 6-figure entrepreneurs find and fix issues within their businesses that are preventing growth. Growing to 7 figures is mainly a matter of doing most foundational things right, and Entourage can provide you with a body of resources which will systematically teach you how to do those things pretty well.

Learn from, but don't swallow in entirety, their approach to marketing, sales and culture. While there's a lot to learn, there are also a lot of gaps and hubris.

If you already have good traction and can generate leads and sales reliably, you'll struggle to connect, business-wise, with other members - most are at a stage where leads and sales are the #1 priority.

If you are super-hungry, like to move fast and don't require much structure, you can do without the whole thing and spend your money/time better elsewhere. You'll probably find the pace too slow and the "community" a distraction.

I have been to 4 workshops so far and they have been amazing! The selling workshop was mind blowing! Building a Vision, Mission & Values business really helped us to connect to ore real paths for both companies in a way that I never thought possible. My wife and I have been with a business coach with another company for 2yrs prior to starting with The Entourage which helped massively to get us to this point but the course content at The Entourage and their delivery is outstanding! Personally education is the key no matter where you are getting it from but The Entourage is a place that I feel we both belong and are very comfortable.

The coaching has been amazing and the network of members is second to none IMOP..

It has completely changed our way of thinking and how we are now approaching our sales and marketing with the(Green Brain & Red Brain).. It is a game changer..

I found the course's not that difficult at all.. I do admit that the workshops are not all for me to be able to do everything but it has given me the ability to now know the right questions to ask key managers within our companies around things like sales and marketing.. As business owners we get to a stage when our business outgrow us and we need to bring in key hires shuch as sales & marketing managers, GM's etc and the access to the workshops for our key staff has been really beneficial (I took my head of marketing and communications to the Mastering Customer Acquisition and she going so much additional knowledge that as a CEO I could not have provided her.. so the up skill for her been wonderful and she engaged and has used some of what was learnt over the two days..Winning

Had a great two days with The Entourage and Petar Lackovic completing the Selling Essentials workshop. Such an energetic two days and I have learnt so much to apply to my business that I know will have great results! Thanks, Petar.

I've been in and out of The Entourage for over 4 years now - I can't help but keep coming back for more! From understanding systemisation and operational efficiencies, but more importantly shown the tools ti implement them; to understanding a greater connection and purpose with my business; to a network that has generated thousands in sales, I couldn't recommend more highly.

Pros
1) unfortunately can’t think of any
Cons
1) too many to list. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. They promise the world & deliver an atlas. Coaches are 20yr old girls - who’ve never run a successful business.

Since joining the S&S program in March 2015 I have grown leaps and bounds as an entrepreneur but more importantly as a person.

This program challenges you to discover your purpose and uncover your vision and mission, not only as associated with your business but also your life path. The 12 month program covers a wide range of business-building basics and provides an excellent platform from which to leverage further growth and ensure scalability.

Like any program, there are some topics that are more relevant than others however each module was important as to provide insight into all aspects of business - a way of establishing a well-rounded business acumen. Life as an entrepreneur is constantly in flow and many hats are worn particularly throughout seed and startup phase. The module may not be relevant at the time, however it may be a crucial tool down the track.

On top of the practical education, this program also offers an immediate immersion into a world full of other's like you; those who have similar struggles, fears, highs and lows. The network and community I have established since joining this program is second to none. My awareness, insight and exposure has shifted monumentally. The connections I have made have not only spawned further business opportunities, but have developed life-long friendships.

This program has shifted the way I develop my business, craft my vision and design my life. It has challenged me to assess previous ways of operating and my personal belief systems. As with anything in life (and I can't stress this enough) you get out what you put in. Two years on from commencing the program I am still digesting the systems, processes and tools and implementing and iterating accordingly.

My business is trending for the most successful year on record and I see the Entourage as the main catalyst; initiating two years of necessary growth and change. This is not a program to simply register, and expect to sit back and relax while the success floods in. They arm you with the tools; its up to you to apply the grit, tenacity and focus to define and live your best life.

I had the pleasure to attend a day session with Jack and his team. I found the information and the way it was presented to be relevant and easy to follow.I felt Jack talked to me and knew my business it was surreal in that instance and very helpful.No pressure was applied to buy into their organization .I will be talking further with them and highly recommend you attend a presentation.

We have been with The Entourage for just under 12 months and we have already seen results we never knew possible! The guidance of the coaches and vision partners is something you can't get anywhere else. The things you learn in the workshop are next level. I had no idea the impact strategic frameworks could have on our business. Their work with us was the reason we went from having no online store to building one in less than a week and generating $80k worth of sales in the first month. AND ... all of this happened during the COVID-19 pandemic! Our business has changed in a matter of weeks and we're still pinching ourselves to see if it's real. If you're a business owner looking to grow or scale then The Entourage are the people you need to speak to.

Our presenter/facilitators was an absolute goldmine of information with his 25+ years of high level sales experience. Broke down a comprehensive sales process into a simple process anyone could follow.

Been involved now for 6 months and have been impressed with the content and practical knowledge through the program. Really exited to keep motivated for the future. really good presenters

Great training for the last 2 days, it confirmed to me the great things i already do and highlited my weaknesses to improve immediately. thank you Petar. Much gratitude, always

I have been with The Entourage for 18months now. First in their Accelerate Program before deciding to move to their Elevate program. It’s hard to articulate how much of an impact this program has had on my business because everything has changed for me since joining (in a good way). I have a clearer vision for my business, my team culture is better than it has ever been, we have grown considerably and I have developed fantastic new relationships and networks from being part of the community.

The coaching in the Elevate program has been brilliant. Keeping me accountable, providing guidance and support in both good times and challenging times, and going above and beyond to help me achieve my goals.

I have nothing but praise for the team at the Entourage.

Although a 24 month program, Scalable & Saleable supported me on my entrepreneurial journey for the first 14 months of starting a new business.

When I began, I had no capital and no staff. Using what I learned in the program, I was able to grow my team to 6 staff and generate more than 2.5M, with significant profit, before the end of our second year in business.

This program was not for everyone, it was psychologically intense and for those truly committed to learning and applying the skills taught.

Each members results were directly proportional to their ability to apply the principles and skills taught.

I absolutely, and wholeheartedly endorse this program. What I achieved simply would not have happened without the guidance I received from The Entourage.

I was ready to quit the business and go back to my corporate career when Unconvention came to Auckland and I heard Jack speak for the first time. I joined, went through SnS and now have a thriving business with so much potential it scares and excites me every day.

The programme is full of practical advice and intense learning. You got to be prepared to implement. You got to be prepared to work and the results will come. The advisers are all successful professionals best in class in their fields. It was far from academic :)

The biggest shift for me occurred in personal growth. The entourage family helped me to fully commit to my potential as a leader. They have been with me every step of the way and even now months after I finished the course, I have love and support from the Entourage team and the community as a whole. To know that so many extraordinary people have my back and have faith in what I'm doing makes all the difference in the world.

I joined the Entourage 4 weeks ago. I have made more changes and improvements to my business over this period than I did over the past 3 years! The program is absolutely fantastic! From the learning materials to the support team to the trainers & vision partners and the community... What can I say - 5 stars!!! I finally found my tribe. Thank you 'The Entourage'
Ana

I would suggest investing the same money for a 1 on 1 business coach with a proven track record of helping businesses scale. In theory their subject matter and methods should help build success but after the initial 'duty of care period' I only heard from these guys when they were offering referral offers. I would have to shoulder some of the blame for the disillusionment I felt however for a $14K 'investment' I certainly wouldn't be recommending this platform to any friends or colleagues looking for business coaching or advice on growing your business.

I was hesitant to leave this review 2 years ago when I did their ‘Launch' course, but with 2 years experience in the startup ecosystem, it has only strengthened my abysmal opinion of The Entourage.

To begin with, their sales tactics involve belittling you to feel like anything other than saying 'yes' to forking out 4k+ means that you neglect and fail to care about your business. When I showed hesitation during the ‘free 1hr consultation', the male bluntly chastised me with "don't you care about your business?". These people work off your insecurities, and much to my own regret, I signed up.

I had already been in business for a couple years, but they pushed me into the top of their funnel - the ‘Launch' program when I would've been more suited to the ‘Scale' program. This to me, was just another way to maximise their profits off me as possible by ensuring I had to start from the first course in their progressively expensive product line.

I TRULY believe you can spend less than $100 on bestselling startup books (The Lean Startup, Running Lean, Start With Why are just some) and you'll cover 90% of their 4k program (the cost has probably gone up since 2016). The remaining 10% was spent on learning about crowdfunding, which, was not applicable to most of the attendees.

Having built connections in the startup space, having amazing mentors to guide me, I can only hope that this review helps someone out there stop themselves from wasting away precious money that could be used in building their business. The Australian startup community is truly one that supports one another. You will undoubtedly find help and support if you seek it - and a lot of it comes for free from experienced, well-meaning people. Entourage are just leeches - they see an industry where they can make money by selling the dreams of entrepreneurship, but talk to entrepreneurs and hear how the advice is often, ‘you have to get out there and do it’ and ‘you learn more in practice than in a school’. This is not to discredit those mentors who come and speak at their programs, but if you’re after a specific mentor, there’s a high chance they’re in the events speaking circuit and you could find them at many other startup events.