A Pyramid of Digital Hope? The Truth About eBooks, eGuides, and Online Gurus

Have you noticed how everyone online is suddenly an “expert” and conveniently has an eGuide to sell?

If you’ve been scrolling Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube lately, you’ve probably seen them. The smiling guru in designer shades. The luxury car in the background. The caption promising to teach you how to make $10,000 in 10 days… from your phone… with “no experience necessary.”

Your feed isn’t just friends, food, and memes anymore. It’s a conveyor belt of “secrets” to success, all wrapped in the same shiny packaging. And somehow, all the secrets sound suspiciously similar:

“I’ll show you how to make money online.”
“Here’s my proven blueprint to financial freedom.”
“Just follow my 5-step method to quit your job.”

Here’s the kicker: a lot of these “experts” are making money online… by telling other people how to make money online… who then tell other people how to make money online.

Sound familiar?

The Digital Pyramid Nobody Talks About

In Trinidad, when you hear “pyramid scheme,” you probably think of susu gone wrong, or some MLM where everybody’s trying to sell the same miracle health juice.

But this isn’t just local, online, all over the world, we’ve built a different kind of pyramid: a pyramid of digital hope.

At the top are the few who’ve mastered marketing themselves. They sell eBooks, eGuides, or “exclusive” online courses on how to grow your brand or launch your own digital product. Their content? Often vague, recycled, and polished for the gram.

Their buyers? Many turn around and start selling their own “success guides,” which just repackage the same ideas. And so the loop continues.

It’s not illegal. It’s not always malicious. But it’s a hall of mirrors, the most valuable product isn’t knowledge… it’s hope, dressed up in Canva graphics and cherry-picked testimonials.

How the Guru Loop Works 

To keep the wheel spinning, they use the same marketing tactics over and over:

• Screenshots of big earnings with no context.
  
• Cherry-picked testimonials.
  
• Scarcity hooks – “Only 3 spots left!”
  
• Lifestyle flexing – travel, bags, “work from the beach” shots.
  

It’s not all bad. Some genuinely offer valuable insight, especially if they’ve built businesses outside the “how to make money” space. But many don’t have much to offer beyond selling the idea of success.

The danger? It becomes more about selling the dream than teaching real, transferable skills.

They’ll Sell You a Guide for Anything

Case in point: I was scrolling Instagram on my spice business account and got recommended The Stripper Financial Guide. And yes, it was 100% dead serious. 

Why did the algorithm think I needed that in my life? No clue.

But the pitch was wild:
An eBook for strippers on how to manage their money, start an LLC, get business credit, and prep for taxes, all tailored to nightlife workers.
There was even a 4-week group coaching program for dancers, bartenders, and bottle girls “ready to level up their financial management game.”

And the pattern? Exactly the same as the online “gurus” in every other niche:

• Free surface-level guide to build trust and grab your email.
  
• Constant marketing pushing the paid version.
  
• Vague “proof” of success – mostly lifestyle pics and unverified income claims.
  
• The real money? Not from the industry itself, but from selling more guides.

Different niche, same formula.

The Local Angle: Trinidad & Tobago’s Digital Hustle Scene

This isn’t just a foreign thing. Right here in Trinidad & Tobago, we have our own spin on the hustle culture wave.

From crypto courses and forex trading bootcamps to AI gambling prediction subscriptions, there’s no shortage of people claiming they can teach you “the system” that will change your life.

Sometimes it’s a WhatsApp group with “exclusive market signals.” Sometimes it’s a flashy Instagram ad with promises of “financial freedom” in three months. And while a few may be legitimate, the majority are long on hype and short on proof.

The Psychology of the Get Rich Quick Trap

People nowadays want quick money. Inflation’s biting, bills are due, and the idea of grinding a 9-5 for 5–10 years feels outdated. That’s exactly why get-rich-quick schemes thrive; they prey on hope, urgency, and the fantasy of skipping the struggle.

These schemes work because they play on a mix of human instincts:

• FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) – You don’t want to be the one who didn’t invest early.
  
• The allure of quick fixes – Building something from scratch is hard; “plug-and-play” success sounds easier.
  
• Lifestyle aspiration – The marketing taps into dreams of financial freedom, travel, and flexibility.
  
• Social proof – Even if it’s fake or incomplete, testimonials and screenshots trick our brains into trusting the offer.

Here’s the truth nobody likes to say: emotions sell better than logic.
We want to believe in the dream of a fast, easy win. That’s why the “get rich quick” myth won’t die.

There’s no such thing as a sustainable get-rich-quick business. If there were, everyone would be doing it, and it wouldn’t stay profitable.

The Revenue Trap

One of the sneakiest marketing moves is flaunting revenue without context.

Think of it like this: your friend throws a fete and brags they made $1 million from ticket sales. Sounds impressive, right?

But they didn’t mention the costs: paying Machel and Kes, stage, sound, drinks, staff, venue, and marketing. By the time the dust settles, maybe they walk away with $50,000… or even lose money.

Revenue is not profit. And when online gurus only show one side of the numbers, they create a false sense of reality.

How to Spot the “Pyramid of Digital Hope” Before You Buy

Red Flags to Watch For:

• Vague promises, with no clear step-by-step proof of results.
  
• Overemphasis on “the lifestyle” rather than the actual work.
  
• No verifiable track record outside of selling courses.
  
• Scarcity tactics – “only 5 spots left” every single week.
  
• Emotional overdrive – everything feels urgent, easy, and too good to be true.

Not All eGuides Are Bad. Here’s How to Spot the Good Ones

eBooks and online courses can be great. Some creators share genuine, hard-earned knowledge that can save you months (or years) of trial and error.

The people worth learning from? Those who’ve succeeded outside the “how to be successful” bubble, running a restaurant, starting a fashion brand, developing an app, growing a service business.

Here’s How to Protect Yourself

• Vet the creator – Learn from people with a proven track record in a real business.
  
• Check for proof – Look past marketing gloss, check for substance over style.
  
• Start small – Test with a lower-priced product or free content before committing.
  
• Trust your gut – If it feels too good to be true, it probably is.

Build slow, build smart, and remember: the people selling you the dream are often making their money from selling the dream. Your next big win won’t come from skipping steps. It’ll come from doing the work no one else wants to do.

Thanks for reading

I post every Wednesday and Sunday, sharing foodie finds and business insights. 

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