This is one of those questions that has followed me throughout my entire career in internet marketing. Is it legitimate to make money online by teaching other people how to make money online? I have wrestled with this more than almost any other topic, and I think the answer matters for anyone building an online business.
The Criticism Is Understandable
I get it. The internet is full of people selling dreams. You have seen the ads: someone standing next to a rented Lamborghini promising you can make six figures in your sleep. That kind of nonsense gives the entire industry a bad name, and it makes legitimate educators defensive about what they do.
When Pat Flynn used to publish his monthly income reports, someone would inevitably show up in the comments and accuse him of being disingenuous. The argument goes something like this: you are making money by teaching people to make money, which is circular. And since 99% of your students will never replicate your success, you are basically selling hope.
I understand that perspective. But I think it is fundamentally wrong.
Why the Criticism Misses the Mark
Value exchange is value exchange. Every transaction in the economy works the same way. You pay for electricity, groceries, and car repairs because those things provide value to your life. If someone teaches you a skill that helps you build a business, even a small one, that is genuine value. The fact that the skill being taught is “how to make money” does not make it less valuable than teaching photography or plumbing.
Making money and helping people are not mutually exclusive. This is the key insight that took me years to fully internalize. Some people operate from a mindset that says you are either doing good in the world or you are making money, but you cannot do both. That is simply not true. Money is a tool. It builds hospitals, funds education, feeds families. If you provide genuine value and earn income from that, there is nothing unethical about it.
Transparency is what separates the legitimate from the sleazy. The difference between a scammer and a genuine educator comes down to honesty. Do you disclose your affiliate relationships? Do you only promote products you actually use? Do you set realistic expectations about what is possible? Do you share your failures alongside your successes? If the answer to all of these is yes, you are operating with integrity.
My Personal Standard
Here is the standard I hold myself to. I only recommend products and strategies I have personally used. I disclose every affiliate relationship. I tell the truth about how hard this is and how long it takes. I do not promise overnight results because they do not exist for most people.
I started in internet marketing in 2007 because I needed a Plan B. I had a corporate job that required me to lay people off, some of whom I had known for 15 years, and I realized that nobody's job is truly secure. That experience drove me to find alternative income streams, and eventually to share what I learned through the podcast.
The moment that changed everything for me was meeting a listener at an affiliate marketing conference who told me he was there because of my podcast. He had come from another country, his wife was with him, and he ended up winning a major contest at the event. He was building a real business, and something I said on the show had been part of his motivation. That is when I stopped worrying about whether it was OK to make money from this.
The Real Question to Ask Yourself
If you are building an online business and wondering whether it is OK to profit from teaching what you know, ask yourself this: Am I adding genuine value? Am I being honest? Am I helping people achieve real results?
If yes, make the money. Earn it proudly. Use it to build a better life for yourself and the people around you. There is nothing wrong with being compensated for creating real value in the world.
What Has Changed Since 2012
The “make money online” space has matured significantly since I first wrestled with this question. The FTC has tightened disclosure requirements. Platform algorithms have gotten better at surfacing quality content and suppressing scams. Audiences have become more sophisticated and skeptical, which is a good thing.
In 2026, the creators who thrive are the ones who lead with genuine expertise and radical transparency. The era of selling hype is over. The era of selling real, documented results is here.
Listen and Subscribe
Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/.
Mark,
I really enjoyed the podcast. I regret not getting around to leaving my voice feedback on the subject of Pat.
I think we had this discussion via comments last year (I think it was here). I had raised the issue that I view the term Internet Marketer as negative. Therefore, I don’t view Pat as an IMer (though he truly is). As some of the feedback expressed, I see no issue in putting out a video showing how to set up a blog and then saying, ready to get started, try BlueHost. Most people take the approach of, “let me show you how awesome BlueHost is, now go get it.” Pat does do this sometimes, but I feel he’s genuinely vetted the product and believes in it. Others seem to be posting a video/tutorial for the sake of getting affiliate money. With Pat, I feel he wants to help people.
But that’s not what I was going to leave feedback regarding. The #1 reason I hold Pat in high regard is that he stated he had been working on his own product for several months and was close to releasing. Then Penguin hit. He stopped work on the product because he was not comfortable not knowing how effective it would be in this new environment. Pat is one of the few who makes a ton online without pushing his own product (over and over). I’ve recently unsubscribed from a few lists that I used to view highly and look forward to seeing in my inbox. Once people started bailing on the Marketers build a niche business products after Panda/Penguin, they started pimping Authority Sites, Kindle Books, Forget Google – Build Up Your Facebook Traffic, and the slimiest of all – Check out this awesome WSO!. No Thanks! (OK, enough with the Pat man crush)
Finally, awesome approach using the voice feedback. The questions/comments practically write the outline for your show. Just add your opinions/answers and the shows almost ready. Should make it easier to achieve your goal of one per week. Keep it up!
Thanks for the comments.
I especially agree with you about the product. I was amazed when he put that on hold — amazed an impressed. The product that he is working on will be an amazing success — and will easily sell hundreds of copies (probably thousands). So we are talking about tens or more likely hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But what Pat seems to care about is the people buying the product — not just the money. Go figure. Hell of a way to run a business.
Thanks again, Jason
I think it’s perfectly fine to make money in the “make money online” space, as long as you’re making money online in some other manner than teaching others to make money online, e.g. Pat’s Green Exam Academy & Security Guard Training sites.
I’m finally making a little bit of money online, and I’m certainly planning on teaching others how I did it.
Excellent Tim. Keep us posted on your progress.
Mark
I agree with that totally. People who haven’t made any money online yet shouldn’t be teaching other people how to make money – it’s that whole vicious cycle that landed internet marketing with a bed rep in the first place. If you know it, share it. If you don’t know it, learn it first before you tell people you know it.
Hi Mark, I heard your explanation of Pat and the foundation, and I think it’s easy to feel it’s OK because it’s popular because in Pat’s case it got the most downloads. Popularity is the opiate that will lead Pat and many listening to these guys down the wrong path.
The foundation sounds like a cult, or even a pyramid scam…too good to be true and in today world, it’s obvious that there are herds of listener ready to join these groups or buy something through Pat’s links that is really only selling hope – these people have just as much chance at winning the lotto, or should put their money into the slots at the casino. Chances are the odds are about the same.
Even casinos have winners such as Pat, the rest just get hooked on buying hope. You also mentioned your podcast friend (don’t recall his name) that donated sales, I wonder if he would have done this without getting the publicity or name recognition?
They all make a living selling hope, even Pat, he just the nicest and most genuine which makes him more dangerous). Just giving you my opinion – beware people, you work too hard for your money!
Scott
Hey Scott;
Thanks for your comments.
Regarding the Foundation — I do agree that Dane is really popular right now, and that popularity like Dane is experiencing will influence people’s decisions. So you are right to suggest that evaluation of The Foundation (and Pat) should be based on data and facts — not on crazy popularity.
While I do see a “cult like following” forming around Pat and Dane — this following is something that Seth Godin would call a Tribe. Dane is definitely selling hope — the hope that if you pay money to belong to the foundation, you will become financially free. It’s exactly the same hope I had when I went to college. I personally think hope is great as long as there is something to justify the hope. So the question for me is “does Dane actually deliver”? I don’t know. All of his business suggestions seem sound to me. I am just not sure how often they work, and how many people will quit before they are successful.
As for Pat, I really do think he is just telling his story. Yes, he tells it with affiliate links. And yes, his audience is comprised of people that want a better life. Unlike Dane, Pat is not promising a particular result. He is just telling his story.
I agree that Pat’s story is a shocking 1-in-a-million story. But it would be hard to repeat exactly what Pat has done — but Pat is not teaching that. Pat is teaching marketing fundamentals. Pat’s most popular posts are about link building and facebook landing pages. Not how to get rich with them, but how to DO link building and how to BUILD facebook landing pages.
I see that as a major difference between Pat and other who are actually (as you suggest) selling hope.
What’s the alternative?
1. Pat stays silent and no one benefits from his journy
2. Pat goes completely non-profit and can’t afford to invest time in telling his story?
I kind of like the status quo personally.
Thanks again for your comment. I really do appreciate the point of view.
I guess the question for me is; If I wanted to get the fitness back that I had before children and turning 40, (where DID the time go?) would I seek the advice of someone at the same level of (un) fitness as me, or someone who has put in the hard work to achieve their goals.
The same goes for getting advice on how it is possible to attain some level of financial freedom.
Now, back to the treadmill
That makes sense. Thanks for the comment Mark, and enjoy the treadmill.