Howdy, welcome to my newly updated review of the AWOL Academy for 2022!
Its creators (Keala Kanae & Kameron George) claim it’s “the world’s greatest Internet Marketing training”.
But is it just another high-ticket scheme in disguise that’s gonna cost you an arm and a leg with nothing to show for it?
Or is it a reasonably priced platform that teaches you how to become a successful internet and affiliate marketer from the ground up?
Without beating about the bush, continue reading for the lowdown on the AWOL Academy and the truth behind it…
Quick Overview
Name: AWOL Academy (AA) – AKA ‘Project AWOL’.
Website: awolacademy.com.
Cost: $67, $49.95/month, $99, $447, $1,797, $2,997, $5,497, $17,997 + extra fees!
Owners: Keala Kanae & Kameron George.
My Score: 4/10.
Verdict: Legit – But It’s Not Recommended.
Summary:
Don’t get me wrong, there is some value inside AWOL Academy.
Because you’ll learn the basics of how the whole affiliate marketing “thing” works.
But there’s a VERY BIG catch, the truth be told…
In order to actually start and grow a profitable affiliate Biz from scratch, you must purchase product-after-product to keep learning the advanced stuff.
Which means that to see the whole AA course through, you’ll end up splashing out literally $1,000s on upsells.
Man, I thought the now-defunct MOBE (My Online Business Empire) was a pricey high-ticket scheme…
But AA really takes the biscuit – it’s all about expenses-galore.
To make matters even worse, there are numerous complaints against AA for harassment, rudeness, deception, outdated materials, you name it.
Read reviews from former AWOL Academy members here.
Update: Keala Kanae and Kameron George decided to close AWOL Academy for good.
Which isn’t surprising since it was a rip off scheme causing quite the stir on the web…
Sooner or later, Kanae and Kameron would have felt the wrath of the Federal Trade Commission for operating a “coaching scheme”.
Unfortunately though, Keala Kanae’s back with Fullstaq Marketer, which is pretty similar to AA.
When will these guys ever learn their lessons?!
If you wanna learn how to build a profitable Affiliate Marketing Biz around your hobby or passion at a fraction of what AWOL costs…
(Click Here For My #1 Recommended Program!)
Table of Contents
What’s AWOL Academy All About?
Firstly, if you’re thinking the name of this program represents Absent Without Official Leave, you’re wrong! π
AWOL Academy actually stands for “Another Way Of Life”.
Put simply, ‘AA’ is a “high-ticket” coaching program.
One, that teaches you various strategies for making money on the net as an affiliate marketer.
But like the WiFi Millionaire System (aka MOBE), Empower Network, and Aspire Digital Altitude…
It’s designed as a “pay to play” system.
Which means the costly coaching products show you how to sell the same products for big affiliate checks.
The two guys also boldly claim their program is
“The worldβs most comprehensive Internet Marketing, Education, and Mentorship platform. Period.”
However, the training mainly focuses on building sales funnels, email marketing, and paid traffic methods.
So it doesn’t cover every aspect of digital marketing.
But what really rattles my cage is the fact that Keala “GUARANTEES” you’ll make $10,000 in affiliate commissions in just 3 months!
See a snapshot of the “5-figure guarantee” from his ‘Freelance Marketing Secrets‘ website – A free eBook which is a steppingstone to AA.
Β
Side Note: You might also be interested to hear that Michael Force recently got punished by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for making a similar misleading income guarantee and ripping off people through his precious Digital Altitude “scheme”.
Hey, maybe these Gurus own a DeLorean time machine because they know something that we don’t lol.
Who is Awol Academy Ideal For?
The system has been developed to cater for affiliate marketing newbies, in my opinion.
Ones, who need a starting point on the web and also for seasoned marketers who wanna brush up on their current skills.
But in truth, it’s really for “opportunists” hoping to make MEGA bucks from promoting the program itself to others who have more money than sense.
Which makes AA a “scheme in disguise.
So it’s not the appropriate way to go about making money with affiliate marketing -it shouldn’t be about money-grabbing just for the sake of it.
Who Are The Creators (Keala Kanae & Kameron George)?
The paid have been doing the rounds in internet marketing for a number of years, with plenty of experience and success under their belts.
Say hello to Keala and Cameron.
Unfortunately, the pair of them haven’t exactly put their skills to good and ethical use, in my opinion.
First of all, they’ve put together a mega expensive coaching program that can leave students broke…
YUP, you guessed it… AA itself.
And secondly, Kameron seems to be connected with a program called Affiliate Institute.
Whether he has a hand in it or just an affiliate, I couldn’t say.
But Affiliate Institute is a costly MLM scheme which revolves around recruiting others to sell some sort of water machines.
But the whole thing comes across as very shady in my eyes.
Why these guys can’t practice the traditional form of affiliate marketing which revolves around actually HELPING people, I really don’t know.
How Awol Academy Works (A Look At The Training Products)…
The training is broken up into a number of coaching products:
AWOL 101
You get 3 hours worth of video, and a 1-on-1 coaching call for getting your questions answered, as well as a personalized action plan designed for you.
It’s to help you get started on the right foot with the system.
But after reading some complaints online, coaches can also bombard you with calls to push you into buying the following products:
AWOL Pro Academy
This product consists of 4 modules with a total of 25 video lessons.
Module #1 (6 videos) – contains an overview of what you’ll be doing and how affiliate marketing works for making money on the web.
In addition, there’s a walkthrough on buying a domain name and web hosting, setting up an email address attached to your domain, and also building a WordPress website.
Module #2 (12 videos) – You’ll be taught how to set up a sales funnel system via creating a squeeze page and an autoresponder service for collecting email subscriber leads and sending them to your affiliate products.
You’ll also learn about campaign tracking and split testing landing pages for maximizing your conversions.
Module #3 (3 videos) – Keala shows you how to find affiliate products and recommends a bunch of products for you to promote through your sales funnel and also to your list of subscribers.
In addition, you’ll learn about solo ads and how to leverage them for profits.
Module #4 (4 videos) – You’re given a 12-month path to follow for your email marketing campaigns, tracking your progress, maximizing your affiliate commissions, and also setting up a realistic budget for your advertising methods.
AWOL Community
All this is, is access to a bunch of Facebook groups for connecting with the owners and other affiliate members.
In my experience, Facebook support groups can be quite helpful.
But also bear in mind there are also plenty of newbies in the same boat as you.
So you won’t always receive the proper answers to your questions, which can be frustrating to say the least.
Inbox Academy
This product teaches you the ins and outs of email marketing once you’ve built your first sales funnel and have traffic flowing to it.
If you are to build a solid relationship with your audience and also create repeat sales/affiliate commissions…
It’s important to have a sound email marketing strategy in place.
Conversion Academy
Learn how to maximize your income using your sales funnel.
You’ll be taught how to:
- Be epic at storytelling
- Use mind control hacks
- Use the live and evergreen sales formulas
- Leverage high-ticket sales
- And also use affiliate tracking.
Traffic Academy
This module covers a number of different options for driving targeted traffic to your funnel and creating some potential affiliate commissions.
You’ll be shown how to generate traffic from Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Bing/Yahoo PPC, and also using the CPA Traffic Formula.
Masters Academy
This course covers the Super Affiliate mindset, and you’ll also be taught about wealth strategies.
As well as going from Solopreneur to CEO.
AWOL Elite
This is their supreme package with all the shiny bells and whistles attached.
They will check your sales funnel, ads, and analytics to help provide you with actionable steps for bigger profits.
In addition, you’ll get access to a 2-hour weekly webinar (for a whole year).
As well as private members’ Facebook group and community forum.
What’s The Overall Cost of AWOL Academy?
I hope you’re sitting down comfortably for this, which I’m sure you already are LOL.
The cost of the training and coaching products are as follows:
- AWOL 101 ($67)
- Pro Academy ($99)
- AWOL Community ($49.95/month)
- Inbox Academy ($447)
- Conversion Academy ($1,797)
- Traffic Academy ($2,997)
- Masters Academy ($5,497)
- AWOL Elite ($17,997)
Additional fees for recommended resources outside of the program:
- LeadPages (Squeeze page builder) – from $25/month (paid annually)
- GetResponse (Email Autoresponder service) – from $15/month
- ClickMagick (Tracking software) – from $12/month (paid annually)
- Plus $100s – $1,000s for paid traffic methods like PPC ads, for example
Overall, this program will cost you a few of your body parts!
At least with Russell Brunson’s Affiliate Bootcamp (which is free) – you’ll have the option to buy the ‘One Funnel Away Challenge’ for a one-time $100…
Which comes with all the training you need for building a successful sales funnel as an affiliate, that won’t break the bank either – unlike AA.
I digress.
If you just wanna join the AA affiliate program…
It’s $39.95/month for earning 30% – 60% commissions (up to $5K) from promoting the training/coaching products above.
But that’s still expensive because the last time I checked, any decent affiliate program is either MUCH cheaper or free to join.
If you ask me, forking out $10,000s for training, coaching, and resources when starting out is absolutely ridiculous, to say the least!
PROS vs CONS
PROS
- High-quality training is provided
- Help & Support is included
- Offers a 14-day money back guarantee
- AWOL is BBB accredited (since 2017)
- Some folks are making money with the products
CONS
- There’s a number of scam complaints against the program
- Most products are overpriced & unaffordable
- Almost $50/month just for Facebook group support
- hundreds/thousands of extra dollars for resources & paid traffic
- It’s a pay to play scheme – the system has been designed for you to promote it for $
Final Conclusion: Is AWOL Academy a Scam?…
In my opinion, both Keala and Kameron have really put in a great deal of effort into showing you how to build a profitable business from scratch as an affiliate marketer.
So AWOL Academy is certainly LEGIT in that respect.
If you’re in love with the idea of earning $1,000s in affiliate commissions from promoting high-ticket products using sales funnels, email marketing, and paid traffic strategies…
Then AA might be your cup of tea.
BUT on the other hand, you will be splashing out $1,000s on training products that are worth no more than $100s in reality.
And the reason why Keala and Kameron have slapped such a massive price tag on their system is so both THEY and THEIR affiliates can pocket insane profits.
Which makes AA a “scheme”. I’m pretty sure that the FTC would put it that way too.
The way I see it, Mr. Kanae & Mr. George will feel a sharp pinch from the FTC if they don’t drastically change their program’s structure.
So, is the whole thing a scam? I’ll let you decide.
See a Better & Cheaper Way to Make Money Online…
In all my years of affiliate marketing experience, building an online business should revolve around something that you love doing…
And then actually HELPING people in area (in other words, a “niche”).
It’s not about peddling some overpriced system just to line your pockets with commissions – laughing all the way to the bank.
Anyone with no moral compass can do that.
So, if you’d like free SiteRubix blogs to build, tools, step-by-step training & 247 support to turn your passion into a thriving Biz…
==> Get Started as an Affiliate Marketer For Free Here!
Your Friend, Neil π
If you have any questions or thoughts, that you’d like to share on ‘AA’ – we’d LOVE to hear your comments below…
Neil, your layout of AA’s product line and pricing is very illuminating. Basically, the price starts relatively low and increases with each “Academy” product as you’re led down the path to total financial destruction. I can see what the sales manipulation process could be to hook you into each succeeding Academy offer.
I’ve been following money making schemes since Don Mellinger’s Import/Export program and Joe Karbo (remember him? “The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches”), both back in the 70’s. AA reminds me of a revival of these and the MLM programs that followed–only vastly more expensive.
Thanks, Steve! Glad my review gave you plenty of insight into the training program. π
Yeah, unfortunately, the overall pricing of the platform is its biggest disadvantage. You’ll be out of pocket before you accomplish financial freedom because it takes a while to earn a decent income on the web. So AWOL is a gamble, in my opinion.
To be honest, I’ve never heard of either of those names. I’m still a spring chicken since I was born in 81 π lol. But I’ll be sure to check these guys out because I’m now intrigued.
I’m not keen on the MLM industry one little bit, especially since there are high-ticket programs taking newbies for a ride and draining their funds for the sake of it.
Thanks for dropping in!
Hello, Neil. All I can say is WOW because even though the Awol Academy training seems to be good, the price is way out of the ballpark especially for persons who are just starting out online and trying to find their way in the business world.
I believe they really need to drop their price because even though they are teaching people how to make money online, making a profit is good business but making a killing is something else. I mean this one is way out there.
Hey, Norman! π
I know exactly what you’re saying about the unjustifiable costs of AA. The program is way too expensive for any internet marketing noob.
Yeah, the guys certainly need to reduce AA’s price tags because learning to build a successful online business should never be such a costly experience.
Hello Neil,
The way you explained the training and prices, it’s easy to understand, these guys just wanna make quick money from their members. Maybe they’ve learned everything at Wealthy Affiliate and now selling the same services at an obnoxious price. The total cost of over $18k is enough to discourage a lot of people.
The training may be helpful but at the end, AWOL Academy is only guiding you through the process. I “may” think as a newbie to pay that amount, if AWOL is doing everything for me.
Again, great review.
Thanks
Hi, Sarim! π
Yep, it sure seems like the AA co-founders are in business for themselves, despite delivering invaluable training products.
HA HA, who knows where these guys have learned internet marketing! But some “opportunist” marketers will rip you off with the same training that cost them much less when they started out. Indeed, 18 grand is a ridiculous amount for going “all in” with AA.
My “all in” cost with WA is only $359 per year!!
You would also think for $15K, that AA would give you everything (tools included) you would need as a newbie.
No problem!
AWOL Academy might offer a good training program but the price is outrageous. How many people can afford to pay for those courses?
14-day money back guarantee is not good enough for that kind of money. The time is too short. With all that expense, you are still expected to pay more for tools and website traffic. AWOL is too much for any one person.
The training may be good but I will stay far from AWOL because I do not think the owners thought about their clients when they planned the program. It looks like the objective is not to help anyone other than themselves.
Thanks for the post.
I’m definitely with you on the high costs of AA, Luna!
You’ll find that very few online marketing beginners will be able to afford the training. And the ones who do join, have obviously too much money to splash around lol.
I do agree with you on the money back guarantee because it should at least be 30 days so folks have more time to discover whether AA is right for them. In fact, there should be a free trial in place too.
I also see your point on Keala and Kameron putting their own pockets before their students. In my opinion, it’s unethical.
You’re welcome! π
Thank you for sharing this review. I also did some research on AWOL Academy and the price is really high. Not sure it is a good start for online business beginners. Your review really gives me the details on how the training program really works.
No worries, Ted! π
AA is a legit platform, but unfortunately, the extortionate costs are telling folks to stay away from the program.
AA isn’t a recommended affiliate training option for newbies because wallets and purses will definitely suffer.