Jeff Lerner is a prolific entrepreneur, author, real estate investor and musician. Jeff Lerner made his money through affiliate marketing, a digital agency and course creation. These are also business models he’s teaching in his educational platform, ENTRE Institute. Jeff helps people make money through his affiliate marketing program. The ENTRE strategy focuses on 3Ps or the personal, physical and professional growth.
Reviews online about Jeff Lerner are mixed. He has a 3.5 rating on Trustpilot, and overwhelming positive reviews on YouTube. The positive reviews praise Jeff for teaching multiple sources of online revenue. The criticism points out the hard upsells, the lack of training customization, and the low ROI of the business models taught by Jeff.
In this Jeff Lerner review, we’ll list down 6 controversies surrounding him. We’ll also go over what is the ENTRE Ecosystem and what students can get from it. We’ll also cover the problems of the business models Jeff Lerner teaches. Finally, we’ll introduce a better business idea to pursue in 2024.
Jeff Lerner Review: Pros and Cons
Pros
Jeff has over a decade of experience.
Jeff Lerner has a positive personality and a consistent social media presence.
Jeff’s low-ticket course, the ENTRE Blueprint, is not expensive and is easy to digest.
Cons
Jeff uses heavy online marketing tactics to push ENTRE Institute.
Each level of the ENTRE Institute requires an upsell.
Jeff has promoted online businesses shut down by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission).
Price
Jeff Lerner's programs cost $39 to $72,000.
Group
Jeff Lerner has a private Facebook and Slack group.
Reputation
Jeff Lerner has a mix of positive and negative reputation online.
they said they offer refunds, but will delay stuff so you wouldn’t be able to request one within the time period lol
Hey, I'm Jane and I've been in affiliate marketing for almost- well now- just over five years. And what led me to Jeff Lerner’s ENTRE Institute was just the decision that I wanted to start growing into something different. And, since I've been doing affiliate marketing for so long, I wasn't sure where to start.
His whole thing is that it's more of an education platform, and so I knew it would take me beyond affiliate marketing. And, the reason that I wasn't super into affiliate marketing anymore- that's how Jeff starts his students out- But really what I wasn't liking was the fact that I was promoting somebody else's stuff.
So like if I had a product on Amazon or something, I could still do all of this promotion and get all of the sales instead of these little commission checks, which are super low, by the way. And I really liked that the second part of the ENTRE institute is building a digital agency and taking those skills that you've learned through affiliate marketing into your very own business that is yours.
So I'm just now starting that. I've I went through a bunch of Jeff's stuff. Like obviously I took the Blueprint course but I also took some of the Business Accelerators. I jumped right into that Affiliate Business Accelerator, which did help me bring in more commissions. But it didn't help that need for my very own business. So then of course, I went for the Agency Business Accelerator and that one is not taught by Jeff, it's taught by somebody-when I took it, at least- it was taught by somebody named Hillary and it just got me really excited to get out from under the boot of promoting other people's products and courses for just a sliver of what they are bringing in.
Hey, I'm Alex and I signed up for Jeff Lerner’s ENTRE Blueprint course. I initially was brought in because it was only $39 and he seems like a super knowledgeable, really cool guy. But, the $39 ended up taking me right to a super basic course.
I started being a affiliate for the ENTRE blueprint course as soon as I completed it, but I found out as soon as I started doing it, that pretty much every other student that had purchased the ENTRE blueprint also has YouTube videos and blog posts all promoting this. And so while it was a great idea for him to get his students to promote, to us, it just immediately threw us into a market that he himself had saturated. And I've noticed now that I've gotten more into affiliate marketing, that it's just so, so saturated everywhere.
And if you're going to jump into making a blog, or a YouTube channel, there's going to be somebody already trying to sell the same kind of products with affiliate links that have been doing it for decades.
So for instance, I started to promote ENTRE blueprint. There were other people on YouTube that had already started to promote this and had been doing it for years and had taken more courses within ENTRE Institute. But, for my little brand new YouTube channel, I was getting no followers. I was getting very little views, and ultimately zero sales. So, I ended up not going any further than the ENTRE Blueprint. I do think that Jeff Lerner has a good course. I think he has a good philosophy. I like his holistic approach to things but affiliate marketing just wasn't going to do it for me.
6 Controversial Opinions on Jeff Lerner's ENTRE Institute
1. Locked Trainings and Upsells
Every level of the ENTRE Institute has an additional cost. The ENTRE Blueprint is $39. But it's a sky-high look at the basics of what you can learn in ENTRE Institute. The main course costs $4000. And that's where you actually learn how to do affiliate marketing, digital agencies and content creation. On top of that, you have to buy their EntreSoft. It's their own CRM for taking payments for clients. EntreSoft costs $1600.
2. One-on-One Coaching Has an Additional Cost
Jeff's team begins the hard sell for coaching after you finish the main ENTRE courses. One-on-one coaching costs $10,000 for 3 months. At this point in your online business journey, you will pay $15,639 before making any real money back.
3. Jeff Lerner Has a Multi-Level Marketing Background
Jeff Lerner was associated with a few defunct businesses. He was involved in Wealth Masters International, a confirmed pyramid scheme in Norway. And Carbon Copy Pro which was shut down. Its founders are now running Six Figure Mentors, My Online Business Education (MOBE), and Digital Altitude. MOBE's creator had to pay $17 million to the FTC. Here's some information from the MOBE FTC complaint:
Jeff is involved in Six Figure Mentors. And he structured ENTRE around these types of businesses. Though, it is worth noting that ENTRE is NOT a multi-level marketing business. It is also not a pyramid scheme, because there is a product involved. It is a legit affiliate marketing course.
4. Students Promote ENTRE as Affiliates, So Most Reviews are Biased
At the end of the ENTRE Blueprint, Jeff reveals you can make money by selling the course you just completed. You become an affiliate marketer of the course. So, there are a lot of biased reviews on ENTRE Blueprint on YouTube from brand new affiliates. Reviews mentioning negatives of the course are typically legit and not by affiliates.
5. Difficulties of the Business Models (and Necessary Expenses) Hidden During Pitch Stage
ENTRE Blueprint serves as a great commercial for Jeff Lerner's lifestyle. This lifestyle was built from doing these exact business models. However, he isn't as up front about the difficulties that come with the business models. For example, you have to stand out among the hundreds of ENTRE Blueprint affiliates to profit from it. Building a digital agency requires convincing businesses to let you manage their marketing. Online course creation needs constant updates, coaching, and more. He’s also not up front about how much it actually costs to join ENTRE. And how much startup costs it will take to invest in each business model.
6. You Need to Focus on One Business Model, and Your Course Should Be All-Inclusive
The ENTRE Institute focuses heavily on training the entrepreneurial mindset. This may be helpful for some people new to making money online. However, you may find more success learning from a platform focused on a single business model.
Who is Jeff Lerner?
Jeff Lerner is the founder of ENTRE Institute and Entresoft. He’s also the owner of 2:20 Investment Group in St. George, Utah. It was established in 2002 owning properties in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Utah and Nevada. Jeff also owned a digital marketing agency in 2013, Xurli. It catered to small businesses in the US and Canada until 2018. Jeff is also a partner to a lot of businesses like the MaxRev Partners and the BestofAi since 2023.
Beside his impressive business portfolio, Jeff Lerner is also a professional jazz pianist. Jeff made business connections by playing piano for billionaires. He emphasized having mentors like he did. Jeff’s mentors were Bruce Johnson of BreatheRight, and Larry Goldstien, Todd Wagner’s business manager. Since then, Jeff is now a Forbes Business Council member. The Forbes Business Council is an invitation-only community. They reviewed his experience before he got it. The council enabled Jeff to meet more business leaders and publish articles on Forbes’ website.
Jeff is also running a podcast, Unlock Your Potential with Jeff Lerner. It covers lifestyle choices, fitness and building relationships. He also interviews successful entrepreneurs like Mike Koenigs and Chantal Carr.
Jeff Lerner was born in Houston, TX on March 1, 1979. Jeff Lerner’s wife is Jaqueline Lerner. Her name before they were married was Jacqueline Bessey. Her father, Carl, introduced them to each other. The couple married on June 9, 2012, 6 years before Jeff hit his stride with the ENTRE Institute. Jacqueline had 3 children, Braxton, Jace, and Jada, before marrying Jeff. He adopted the children, and the couple welcomed Stella Jane as the youngest child in the family in 2016. Jeff Lerner and his family live in Las Vegas, Nevada.
What is Jeff Lerner's Net Worth?
Jeff Lerner’s net worth is estimated to be around $5 million. This is far less than he implies in his ads, where he claims an income of $100 million. This amount is most likely sales. It doesn’t account for any expenses, any employees he pays, or even the cut he keeps for himself. Jeff claims he made over $50 million in 2 years from course sales. Other sources of Jeff's income include affiliate marketing, real estate, and digital agencies.
Why is Jeff Lerner Successful?
Jeff Lerner is successful because he became an expert in Google ads and established an online presence. He received Google AdWords certification in June 2014. The certificate shows Google’s recognition of Jeff’s online marketing. He has a strong presence online with more than 90k subscribers in his YouTube channel. He uses his Instagram and Facebook account to share about his life and business.
Jeff Lerner's Success Story
Jeff Lerner’s success story started at birth. He was born with a Waardenburg Syndrome. It’s a genetic condition passed from a parent to a child. There are 4 variations of this syndrome, and it’s not clear which type Jeff has. However, symptoms range from cleft lips to mobility issues to deafness. Waardenburg has specific physical traits, like wide-set eyes, and early graying of hair. Because of his unique look, children bullied Jeff in school. Teachers thought he was autistic, or needed to see a psychiatrist. More than once, schools told his parents to take him elsewhere. This would build a fighting spirit within him that helps him overcome hard times to this day.
Jeff Lerner Learns a Traditional Job Isn’t for Him
Jeff Lerner’s dad was a stockbroker turned money manager. His mom was an attorney for a Big 5 law firm. His mother got him his very first job of delivering office supplies around a law office. But Jeff didn’t like the job and got fired after only 3 weeks.
Later, at 17, Jeff started skipping school without telling his parents. It got so bad that the schools threatened his parents with a truancy ticket. So, his mom withdrew him from school and bought him a piano at his request. He taught himself and focused on becoming a musician. Over the next 6 years, he tried again and again to get into the University of Houston for piano. Finally, he got a scholarship and graduated Magna cum Laude. Jeff has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition in Jazz Piano with a minor in business finance. Without a high school diploma.
Jeff Lerner’s Journey to Affiliate Marketing
In his 20s, Jeff invested the money saved for college and worked as a professional piano player. By 29, Jeff had also started 10 more businesses. These business attempts included a rave business, a booking agency and marketing. He also dipped his toes in flipping houses, and being a loan officer. All of them failed.
Then, the economy collapsed in the 2008 Great Recession. Jeff had a failed restaurant franchise and 2 real estate investment companies suing him. On top of everything, he was $495,000 in debt and broke his wrist, leaving him out of his piano playing job. His first wife left him and he lived in his ex-in laws' spare bedroom.
That’s when Jeff Learner learned about affiliate marketing. This and real estate got him out of debt. Though, he dedicated 14-15 hours a day for a year to this business model. That's definitely not passive income, and probably not sustainable for most people. By 39, Jeff Lerner said he considered retiring. But he decided he wanted to help the aspiring entrepreneur do what he did to become successful. So, he created the 3x3 Success Matrix, which would become the ENTRE Institute.
Is Jeff Lerner Still Active?
Jeff Lerner is still active, especially in course creation. He’s also involved in a lot of businesses, he’s a partner to more than 2 businesses since 2023. Jeff is also still doing affiliate marketing. He has his own affiliate marketing program in ENTRE. He pays affiliates who refer prospective students through excellent reviews of his courses.
If Jeff Lerner is So Successful, Why Does He Teach ENTRE Blueprint?
Jeff Lerner teaches the ENTRE Blueprint even though he is so successful as an alternative for the traditional education system. According to him, he chose to teach the ENTRE Blueprint and ENTRE Institute over retirement. However, Jeff Lerner is also an established master marketer. It’s likely he shares this part of his story to make him appear as a caring, philanthropic coach.
Even if these are his best qualities, the fact is Jeff makes much more money teaching online courses. Instead of heading to retirement over a decade before 50. Plus, he appears to enjoy teaching others and is very skilled at promoting his products.
What is ENTRE Institute?
The ENTRE Institute is a lifestyle and educational platform for entrepreneurs by Jeff Lerner. They built an ecosystem around it by providing education, community and conferences. ENTRE Institute teaches affiliate marketing, digital marketing and online course creation. Everyone starts out with affiliate marketing to be familiar with digital marketing. After that, they can move on to running their own digital agency. And then create a content course out of their experiences for an evergreen source of income.
What is ENTRE Blueprint?
ENTRE Blueprint is a low-ticket course covering the basics of the business models ENTRE teaches. The ENTRE Blueprint costs $39 and grants you access to ENTRE Nation. The ENTRE Blueprint goes over the “3 Ps” which are personal, physical and professional. According to Jeff, these are vital to gain an "awesome life."
The ENTRE Blueprint also covers e-commerce. However, it’s worth noting you wouldn’t be able to start a business after taking it. All of the lessons are theories only. After completing ENTRE Blueprint, you’ll face the first upsell to ENTRE Nation Elite.
What is ENTRE Nation?
Entre Nation is a course and a community you can access for $49 per month or $348 per year. It is the first upsell you’ll encounter in the ENTRE ecosystem. After ENTRE Nation, you will reach ENTRE Digital. This finally includes actual, actionable advice for Jeff’s business modules. This training costs an additional $1997 per business model. If you want to add one-on-one coaching, ENTRE charges $15,000. Finally, ENTRE Inner Circle for 12 virtual intensive workshops costs another $29,9997.
If you go through Jeff’s entire funnel, you will spend at least $47,381. There are also reports that ENTRE coaching packages can get as high as $72,000.
How Do You Make Money Online with Jeff Lerner?
You make money with Jeff Lerner through his affiliate program. After the ENTRE Blueprint, you can be an affiliate and start promoting the course for a commission fee. According to Jeff, affiliate marketing is the “ultimate referral business.” He said it can make you 7 figures on your laptop at home. Jeff Lerner started affiliate marketing in 2008 to get out of his $495,00 debt.
According to Jeff, the first step in affiliate marketing is choosing a niche to promote. He chose a digital marketing education product and a financial education product. Then, you must choose a program. Amazon is one large marketplace you can promote. Or, you can choose a retailer like Best Buy. You can also try an affiliate network like ClickBank, or a CPA (cost per action) network like MaxBounty.com. You can also promote specific offers rather than brands. Then, you will follow your program’s specific instructions to set up your links.
The next step is incorporating your links into the content you create. It can be blogs, YouTube videos, a landing page, or through email marketing. Although to become profitable, generate an audience for your content. So, affiliate marketing will work best if you already have an audience.
What Do Reviews Say About Jeff Lerner?
Online reviews about Jeff Lerner are a mix of positives and negatives. His Trustpilot rating is 3.1, but Entre is rated B- in Better Business Bureau. Jeff Lerner’s aggressive marketing tactics include a substantial affiliate marketing program. So, it's difficult to find a legit Jeff Lerner review that doesn't come from paid advertising.
Jeff Lerner Reviews on Trustpilot
Steve Nachtigal from the US said on Trustpilot that $39 for ENTRE Blueprint is his best spending ever. Steve detailed he’s been on the ENTRE program for 2 years. He attended live events and brought his sons to build a business with them. According to Steve, ENTRE is the push that made him work on his planned mental health course.
Meanwhile, Drew Gallagher from the US cautioned everyone from signing up. He said the coaching and content is not worth the price. Drew mentioned unprofessional coach conduct and unfulfilled compensation. He was promised a year of free coaching for his negative experience, but it never happened. Drew also said ENTRE is all about mental approach rather than teaching you tactics for business.
Jeff Lerner Reviews on YouTube
Michael Granados from Youtube said Jeff is legit. He said Jeff helped him grow as a person and a business owner. When he asked if Jeff paid him, Michael answered he can get a commission as an affiliate, but that’s not his main business. Michael clears he simply believes in his ethics and programs.
LifeSoldier Living added ENTRE takes course quality on a different level. He said ENTRE focuses on physical, personal and professional excellence.
Meanwhile, Vitaliy said there is more hype than substance in Jeff’s books. Alicia Holmes agreed to him and said it was pure fluff. She also mentioned the aggressive advertising on texts, emails and calls.
Jeff Lerner Reviews on Reddit
Jeff Lerner Reddit reviews are mostly negative. Redditor teasingtyme told everyone Jeff’s ENTRE is crooked after spending $35k in the program. According to him, the methods taught in the program are out of date and don’t work. He also said the softwares they offer is a white label of other groups. And they charge more.
Reddit user, flyfightandgrin or Rob, listed Jeff Lerner as one of the coaches who should be in jail for FTC violations. Along with Tai Lopez and Mike Crestini. Rob advised everyone to always do their research before signing up for any program.
Andrew Daniel Visionary Founder and Spiritual Teacher Shares His Personal Development Journey with Jeff Lerner
Andrew Daniel's Background and Story
Andrew Daniel is an award-winning author and director at the Center for Cinesomatic Development. He came from a broken family and grew up with an abusive father. Andrew also shared that he was bullied in school because of warts on his hands. These negative experiences led to depression. He felt isolated and struggled to socialize with peers.
How Andrew Daniel is Doing Today
Now 36 years old, Andrew is doing well in life. He used challenges to fuel his personal development journey. His transformative, healing, and spiritual journey lasted for 16 years. He turned to the internet to seek advice from mentors like Jeff Lerner. Inspired by his story, he authored two best-selling books: "Awaken to Your True Self," which won the 2022 Gold Nautilus Book Award, and "As Above, So Below".
What's not mentioned in the interview: Andrew Daniel's success story is impressive. However, he didn't mention that success is subjective. Personal development training may not be applicable to every individual. Even if it's from Jeff or other coaches. Some coaches may apply the same techniques, disregarding individual differences and specific needs. Interested students should know that there's no one-size-fits-all solution to personal development.
Is Jeff Lerner Legit?
Jeff Lerner is a legit business and lifestyle coach. He has over a decade of experience making a significant amount of money online. Although he employs aggressive marketing tactics, and upsells his courses, so people believe he is scammy. However, if you pay for anything from Jeff Lerner, you will receive a product. So, Jeff is legit and his courses are not a scam.
Is Jeff Lerner a Pyramid Scheme?
No, Jeff Lerner’s ENTRE Institute is not a pyramid scheme. But, it may feel like one because of his course upsells. A pyramid scheme makes the highest members of the organization get money off of its lowest. But Jeff’s course creation business model funnels to the next more expensive course.
Are Jeff Lerner’s Programs Worth It?
Jeff Lerner’s programs are worth it if you have the money to spend on it and if you’re Jeff’s fan. Students said you’ll have to spend as much as $35k before you learn the actual way of starting the business models. You can also check if it’s for you and try the $39 ENTRE Blueprint. If you need a cheerleader to succeed and don’t mind the fluff, Jeff’s teaching strategy might work for you.
What are the Challenges of Online Businesses Taught by Jeff Lerner?
Time commitment, constant algorithm updates and maintenance are the challenges of online businesses taught by Jeff Lerner. Firstly, affiliate marketing takes time. According to Authority Hacker, the average affiliate marketer has 3 years of experience. The same study also revealed the average website traffic needed for affiliate marketers is 56,673 visitors per month. Ahrefs reported a blog needs 20-30 high-quality articles published monthly for that traffic. It's a constant production of content or steady ad spend.
Meanwhile, digital agencies face constant algorithm updates. Google made 4,500+ changes to its search algorithm in 2020 alone, as per Search Engine Journal. Digital agencies handle all marketing channels for businesses, including social media. HubSpot reported 63% of marketers say their biggest challenge is generating traffic and leads. These are heavily influenced by these algorithm changes. It’s necessary to stay updated with every algorithm change or you’ll lose visibility.
Course creation requires constant maintenance. With the advancement that technology provides, industry know-hows get obscure within months. Learn Dash advises an update every 3 months. Course Report's survey said 70% of students expected course contents updated regularly. Students expect to see the latest trends and information.
Is there a Better Online Business Idea in 2024?
Local lead generation is a better online idea in 2024 compared to affiliate marketing, digital agency and course creation. Local lead generation is creating websites you rank on search results. When they start ranking, you can rent them out to local businesses. Hence, they become digital real estates.
Local lead gen also have low startup capital. With a few hundred dollars, you can build the websites. The profit margin reaches 90% since it has low maintenance cost. And like a traditional real estate, you can own multiple local lead gen sites to rent out. There are 50+ niches you can choose from.
Once local lead gen websites are ranking, the income becomes passive. It’s predictable and has low competition since you’re using local SEO. According to WebFX, 46% of Google searches are about local products and services. So, if you’re looking for a passive and low maintenance business idea this 2024, local lead gen is your best option.
Thank you for this info. I'm so easily influenced by the ones who address problems that concern me, like education and the failure of the American Dream.
Do not do it, is a waste of time and money They charge you about 4k for this course where basically all the information is on YouTube and google and they spend a ton of models only teaching you how you can use their own Entresoftware, which you have to pay $300 monthly or something like that to use it.
they charge you all this money to tell you how to create a new contact, how to add calls on Calendly and just easy basic things you can learn anywhere I'm extremely disappointed with the waste of time and money i do not recommend at all, off course they don't refund your money. my expectations where so different about it i feel i learn only how white label the services, and things everyone know are so easy, but the real information or knowledge to even started to gain some clients
Hi Natalia, thanks for reading and sharing your experience with our audience. Are you still doing affiliate marketing, or are you interested in a business model with less competition and higher profit margins like lead generation?
Hey, Ippei! I’m from Trenton, Michigan. Do you know the area? I know you were around A2 for a while. I bought the Entre program, the one with all the Accelerator courses, almost $4000! I have have only gotten through one lesion of the Digital Agency Accelerator, as they first make you go through their implementation Boot Camp… Which I was pretty off, put by the fact that they try to upsell you on coaching which is up to $15,000, which they really push hard for you to get into debt and finance it! All of that was very offputting to me… And now I’ve read a review that the agency doesn’t give you step-by-step instructions and doesn’t teach you how to do SEO! I am very interested in local lead generation, and thought his digital agency accelerator would give me an idea how to do so, but looks like it won’t, and that it is mostly about how to “consult”. anyway, I am very impressed by you Ippei unlike Entre who tapped me out and it’s a lot of talk talk talk talk talk talk that seems to be all Jeff does.
I absolutely love your blog.. Excellent colors & theme.
Did you develop this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m
trying to create my very own website and would like to find out where you got
this from or what the theme is named. Kudos!