YouTuber Jake Paul has revealed a subscription service he says will provide young users a pathway to financial independence, and it may be one of the most depressing things I’ve ever seen this side of his brother’s infamous Japan video.
The Financial Freedom Movement, launched on Saturday in Los Angeles, is billed as a way for punters to escape a “societal cookie cutter life.” Read: Paul says he can make you an influencer, too.
For the low, low price of US$19.99 (AU$30) a month, Paul promises to share the tips which propelled him to social media megastardom, while avoiding “outdated” life skills provided by the “standard education system.”
“Maybe you’re too young to have experienced this yet, but if you’re not then you know exactly what I’m talking about,” the website says, ominously.
The platform centres around video lessons from Paul, plus a host of marketers and self-styled entrepreneurs, all of whom say they have the tools required to thrive as an influencer.
In one sample video, instructor Travis Lubinsky can be seen teaching would-be subscribers how to effectively use subscriber lists to drive merch sales, a must for any aspiring YouTuber looking to diversify their revenue streams.
But those basic digital marketing basics are offset by stunning tips from entrepreneur Dan Fleyshman, who encourages viewers to simply work for free to build exposure – a pursuit which, ironically, works against young creatives trying to escape financial hardship.
“You film for them, or photograph for them, and then Jake might follow them, and want to hire you,” Fleyshman said.
“But your risk reward is nothing. Your cost is just your time.”
Another expert, Mark Lack, asks subscribers to imagine they have a gun against their head as motivation in their pursuit of untold wealth.
The site is full of similar dicey propositions tailored to hook young readers.
The site says there’s no “magic pill” for success but promises to share Paul’s “secret formula.” Paul, whose career now centres around sketchy weddings and celebrity punch-ons, tells readers “the sooner you learn this and implement this in your life the more you will benefit.”
Yet the kicker comes just a few scrolls further down the page, where Paul includes a letter aimed at the parents of his would-be subscribers.
Instead of fighting the job market’s shift towards casual, part-time, and other precarious forms of employment, Paul says it’s vital to equip kids with the clout-chasing skills of the future.
“It is CRITICAL as a parent you break away from only having your child’s future rest on your old morals of doing things, when you can even see the landscape of the world is changing,” Paul writes.
“Give your child the actual education they need to achieve financial freedom from people who are making money online, from anywhere in the world, by learning valuable skill sets the current global economy needs, and pays big money for people who have these skill sets, which are taught inside The Financial Freedom Movement membership training program.”
Christ.
If you’re a parent whose moral framework permits turning your child into a monetisable asset and a viable vehicle for commercial partnerships, consider throwing your money at Paul here.
