Driven Academy, a subsidiary of DRIVEN Enterprises, is the leadership and entrepreneurial program by Albert Preciado that teaches you to be successful by first thinking successfully. It is a monthly subscription that provides regular videos on the best techniques for becoming “driven” in your work.
While Driven Academy focuses a lot on shifting perspectives from a lack mindset into an abudance one, it does push for a career in real estate mortgaging, which Albert has a lot of experience in. In fact, many of his videos on YouTube and even in some of his website copy promote a kind of “hustler” lifestyle: You must constantly be moving or doing something to be successful.
This makes Albert similar and different from other leadership mindset coaches such as Grant Cardone, Jack Gibson, or even Shaqir Hussyin. Whereas the others emphasize the need to have a success mindset and look for passive business models, Albert believes in being active all throughout your career.
Personally, I prefer having the time freedom that passive opportunities, such as local lead generation, provide. With this model, in particular, you can earn the same (if not, more) money as active real estate mortgaging without having to work 8 hours a day.
Pros
Excellent student reviews
Albert uses the same techniques he teaches
Supportive community
Regularly updated content
Cons
Mostly promotes one business model
Some modules may be too generic
Some content inconsistencies
Price:
$67/month
Refund Policy:
Subscription can be canceled at any time
Origin:
2017
Reputation:
Great
What does Albert Preciado believe?
Let's start this Driven Academy review with what Albert Preciado believes in. He says that to be successful, you need to think successful. Albert uses his rags-to-riches story to help entrepreneurs create a focused mindset on earning money - to be DRIVEN in their endeavors and spend 95% of their time thinking of more ways of increasing their revenue.
In his keynote speech at his 2022 DRIVEN event, Albert mentions 5 things you need to consider.
Start with a vision. This will be your North Star or your guiding purpose and keep you grounded when things will go wrong (and they will). Whenever you encounter challenges, you can also go back to your “why”. This is very similar to the model taught by Shanda Sumpter.
You are the sum of the five closest people around you. Surround yourself with people who share the same goals as you and have the same uplifting mindset. Also, invest in mentors - choose a teacher who is already living the life that you want.
You don’t need to be the smartest or the best in what you do. What separates the best from the mediocre is their ability to take risks.
Being stagnant is death to your success. Always push yourself to be better.
The most profitable businesses, especially in the United States, are often those that are started during times of crisis. Leverage your skills to address an unfulfilled need.
KEEP IN MIND:
Remember that even successful mentors are shaped by their biases and beliefs. Albert focuses on the importance of always being on the move because that worked for him. However, other coaches encourage finding success by shifting your perspective from “Money is hard to get, so I need to work hard to get it” to “Money flows freely to me”.
Albert delves deeper into these statements in his Driven Academy. He also explains the importance of becoming an expert in your specific field and managing your time correctly so that you aren’t a “yes” man or woman.
Why you need to shift your mindset first
Your business, and its subsequent success, reflects what you believe. The main lesson in Driven Academy is shifting the way you think. He was heavily influenced by Grant Cardone who says that you can 10x your income by simply changing your mindset from “I can’t” to “It is”.
However, there are nuances to his leadership course. A quick review of his active YouTube channel shows Albert always talking about doing something. Whether that’s going out to parties with the sole intention of interaction or looking for more ways to earn money (his favorite subject), you must be active. Sitting around and doing nothing will kill you financially.
Again, it’s an almost obsessive mantra that most of your time should be in the pursuit of something.
How Albert Preciado differs from other success mindset coaches
Albert teaches valuable information, but unlike people like Jack Gibson, he places high value on movement rather than efficiency. A great example would be in the aforementioned keynote speech for one of his DRIVEN events where he mentioned that the reason he is successful and others are not is because he simply has “balls”.
It wasn’t because he was smarter, had a clear insight, was impressed by the innovation, had a certification, or was more well-informed than others, he just lept.
He explains that great entrepreneurs are those that spend 95% of their time thinking of more ways to earn money.
KEEP IN MIND:
Taking risks is needed for success, but most financial leaders emphasize informed risk-taking rather than just “doing it” just because.
All that being said, his teaching style may be different for a reason. Albert is teaching what he knows and what has worked for him.
Who is Albert Preciado?
Albert Preciado is the CEO and founder of The Mortgage Guys and the CEO of Ambiance Realty, Preciado Acquisitions, and Driven Enterprises.
Growing up in an impoverished family and knowing no English when he was young, Albert dreamt of becoming rich one day and making his family proud. He spent his 20s partying and hanging around people who were not good for him, and eventually, Albert found himself in debt and struggling with his mental health.
It was only when he met his wife did he want to become better. Together, they started buying properties that they either rented out or flipped. Every cent he earned, he reinvested into his business until The Mortgage Guys became a successful venture.
He now calls himself the “Mexican Prince of Bel-Air” and offers guidance and training to others, especially underprivileged or underrepresented entrepreneurs, so that they can have an easier time finding success.
Albert says that he lives by his philosophy of “whatever it takes”.
KEEP IN MIND:
This “whatever it takes” attitude seeps into every module at Driven Academy.
What’s inside Driven Academy?
Here are some of the modules you’ll find inside Driven Academy
What you get when you join Driven Academy
Albert Preciado deposition
In 2021, Albert was sued by several employees for labor code violations, not least of which were failure to pay overtime work and failure for proper compensation. The deposition was held online, and videos of it can be found on YouTube and other platforms.
Albert denies any wrongdoing on his part and posted on his Facebook page that there are some unethical people who try to bully entrepreneurs just to reach a financial settlement. He encourages businesspeople to fight back if they know they are in the right.
KEEP IN MIND:
I have found no other information about this case. It is unclear whether this case was settled out of court or was dropped.
Is Albert Preciado a scam artist?
There is no reliable source that proves Albert is a scam artist. It is possible that during his legal case, a smear campaign was set against him, claiming that his other company, The Mortgage Guys, used unprofessional tactics to reel in customers. All of these reports are unverified.
KEEP IN MIND:
Some internet users compare him to Patrick Bet-David, one of Albert’s closest friends and mentors, who is currently battling many claims of fraud and MLM and pyramid scheme tactics. Again, no actual case of fraud has been proven against Bet-David, but it is interesting to note that the reputations of Albert’s closest friends are being questioned.
Are the reviews for Driven Academy good?
Albert’s website and social media are full of social proof. At least a dozen people have claimed that Driven Academy has helped them create a more resilient leadership mindset. Most of these reviews though are for real estate agents. Most likely, Albert pushes students of Driven Academy to enter the real estate industry.
Are there DRIVEN events?
Yes. Every year, Albert hosts a personal executive event for people who want to meet him and attend an intensive workshop. You can sign up for one in his website.
Tickets range from $5,997 for 3-day access to $497 for 2-day access.
CONCLUSION: Is Driven Academy worth it?
Albert Preciado appeals to many people because his rough, almost gauche demeanor is unlike other leadership coaches. He talks from the heart and learning his success story makes him appear even more genuine. Still, his success principles sometimes clash with what most coaches teach.
Whereas others promote working hard, then letting your money work hard for you, Albert almost suggests just working hard, because.
This is where you need to make your own call on what you believe in and your own personal relationship with money. However, having taken Grant Cardone’s class myself, I am a firm believer in working smarter, not harder. This doesn’t mean looking for get-rich schemes, but leveraging reliable passive income business models, such as local lead generation, so that you can earn consistently and use your time instead for other things, such as your family or personal development.
