I’ve decided to write a Nine University review. It’s a been a very long time since I’ve posted to this site. I’ve been busy with a lot of different things over the years, but one thing that’s remained constant has been my Amazon business. As of the date of this post, I’m selling over $3 million per year on Amazon annually. I also have additional revenue coming through wholesale sales.
Why My Nine University Review Matters
I don’t expect that most people reading this know the history of this site, but I used to post regular reviews of different courses that teach you how to sell on Amazon. This started with reviews of Amazing Selling Machine (ASM). However, I soon expanded my reviews to include a lot of the copycats.
There were some solid courses out there, and I made an effort to thoroughly review as many as I could. Now, my process was different than most reviewers. I would actually purchase the course I was reviewing and go through it in pretty significant detail. This provided an in-depth viewpoint that you can’t get from someone who’s just generic, publicly available information in hopes of generating an affiliate commission.
However, I’ve since removed all of these reviews as they are all outdated at this point. Frankly, it wouldn’t be fair for me to leave up outdated info. I also don’t have the time or motivation to continue doing a deep-dive into multiple courses.
Where I am Now
However, that brings me to where I am and the point of this post. Although I was out of the ‘reviewing’ game for a while, I never stopped being an active Amazon seller. As such, I always enjoyed going to industry events and interacting with other sellers. That’s how I came to know Kale and Taylor, the owners of Nine University (and the subject of this post).
I could quickly tell that they were doing something different. I decided to join as a paid coach in early 2020. To be honest, I make very little money working for them as a coach. I very much enjoy helping others, but the big benefit is being part of an active group of sellers. The Amazon space changes very quickly, so I can still learn a lot from others, even those who are relatively new.
So, what did I see in 9U that made me want to commit time to being a coach?
Given my experiences having reviewed so many courses and having spoken with hundreds of interested buyers over the years, I’ve got a pretty good sense of what makes a good course. This is why I decided to post a Nine University Review. In my opinion, a good course comes down to 3 things:
1) Clear and Complete Core Training.
There will always be things that core training can’t cover, but the course should provide a comprehensive high level overview of the process in a clear and concise format. Ideally, it should also explain the thought process behind various actions as much as possible.
2) A Community with Active Leadership
It’s not enough to just have a community that’s active with members. You also need to have active leadership so buyers aren’t just interacting with other new sellers. Students will begin to feel “lost” if they don’t have the opportunity to interact with successful sellers. A good community also helps foster discussions and relationships between other members and this support can provide people with the confidence to take action. An active community is probably the most important thing I like to see.
3) A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that Differentiates the Course
It’s not uncommon for someone to launch a course that’s basically just a repackaged version of something that already exists. Unless a course can offer additional value in some other way, the community should be what drives your purchase decision.
Well, let’s dive into how Nine University meets these criteria, but before I do that, I’d like to get something out of the way.
Important Disclaimer About My Nine University Review
I’m a coach, so I’m obviously biased. I’m also including affiliate links in this post, so I’ll get paid if you click on my link and make a purchase (although this is paid for by the company and doesn’t cost you anything extra). That said, I’m a $3M+ seller and very little of my income comes from working with 9U. While additional income is nice, it’s not really what motivates me.
As I mentioned above, I like helping people and being a part of the community provides value to me as well. While being an ‘insider’ means there’s an inherent conflict of interest in this review, I hope the fact that I’m not really working with 9U for the money provides some comfort. It’s also worth noting that I also get to see a lot of the inner workings that most don’t, so you’re getting the benefits of an insider’s perspective as well.
So, let’s dive into the Nine University review.
What is Nine University?
Well, not quite yet…one more thing before I get into the review. This is important, because Nine University isn’t an “Amazon Course”. There are actually different levels of membership that offer varying levels of training and support. This isn’t the place for me to outline all the differences, but I can’t provide a quality review without acknowledging that what you get depends on the membership level you purchase.
Even the most basic includes enough to be successful. However, I’ll do my best to make a note of anything that’s a paid addition or only included with more expensive membership levels.
Detailed Nine University Review
Now we’re ready for the review!
Nine University Training / Content
Most people think this is the most important part of a course, but it’s not. The content certainly has to be good quality and easy to understand. Aside from outlining the steps, you want a course that describes the WHY.
This business is just a series of decisions. At some point, you’ll have to make a decision that isn’t covered in the course. However, if you understand the rationale behind what you’re being taught, you’ll be able to more easily reply those lessons to the real world.
Nine University does something a little different by offering a ‘Bootcamp’ as well as the main course. Both are included with your purchase. Bootcamp is essentially a mini-course that covers high level content. It’s much shorter than the main course, so it gives you an opportunity to figure out if this is the right kind of business for you. The main course goes into more detail for those who feel it’s right for them.
Each membership level gets access to Bootcamp and the main course. The more expensive options also come with an additional Facebook Ads course.
Beyond that there’s not much to say here other than Nine University does a good job with their content. However, there are a lot of courses out there that do this as well, so truthfully it shouldn’t be your determining factor when making a decision.
What you really need to be looking at when reviewing any course is the level of support you get. That’s where the community and USP come in…
Nine University Community
This is something that Nine University does extremely well and takes a lot of pride in. Their success means they’ve attracted a lot of students and they have a very active, supportive community. This includes leadership, which is exactly what you want to see. Most other gurus / courses get this wrong, and you end up with new sellers talking to each other, while the experienced ones stop participating so they can focus more on their business.
Nine University makes an effort to put successful sellers into paid leadership positions so they are incentivized to continue helping new students. The opportunity to learn from others is where the real value is. I can tell you with 100% honesty that there are some really sharp people in this group that are now in community leadership positions. This is the main reason why I’m involved with Nine University as an already successful seller.
Even if you decide not to purchase Nine University, I urge you to avoid any course that doesn’t have a strong community. This is not easy to see as an outsider, but something you should watch out for during the refund period of whatever course you purchase.
Nine University Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Support.
This sort of ties into the ‘Community’ section, but there’s much more to it. There are so many ways to get the assistance you need to succeed.
Now, this is a good point for me to pause and say success is not guaranteed. This is a business. You still have to put in the work and make good decisions, but there’s a tremendous amount of support to help you. Let’s break it down.
- Community – I already mentioned this above
- Live Streams – My gosh, there are so many. You can’t possibly watch them all, but the fact that they are available is so valuable. Live streams give you the opportunity to have your questions answered in a group setting. This means you also benefit from hearing questions that others ask, which is also very valuable.
- Fast Track – you have 24 hour access to coaches through a messaging system (not phone). This is available for free for a short time when you first join, and available for purchase thereafter. Higher level plans
Other Paid Addition
- Boost Nine – This is Nine University’s proprietary software that was developed by Kale and Taylor. It’s a product research tool that compares to Helium10 and Jungle Scout.
- Additional Exclusive Facebook Groups – Each membership level comes with access to it’s own exclusive group (as well as access to all groups below it).
- Face-to-Face Live Streams – most other courses provide regular webinars that are listen-only, with the opportunity to post a question in a chat box. This provides you with the ability to ask questions (in relatively small groups) face-to-face with a successful seller. You can actually have a dialogue, which is a HUGE advantage. Only available to higher membership levels. I personally host one weekly for top level members.
- One-on-One Coaching – You get a limited number of one-on-one sessions with a top coach. This is only available for some membership levels.
- The Academy – these are deep dives into specific topics by successful members. They come at an additional cost, but are a great way to enhance your knowledge in areas where you want more detailed content. These aren’t necessary to be successful, but they are available if the topic interests you. The good thing is they are very specific, so you can pick and choose what’s right for you.
- The Dollar Club – Every month I personally host the $1 Club. It’s a popular livestream that will cost you $1 per month and provides the opportunity to ask me questions. You post them in a chat box, but I’ll answer them live, and we usually give away tons of prizes.
- Complimentary Listing Evaluation – just what it sounds like, but this is only available to higher membership levels.
- Fast Track – I mentioned this above. You can purchase a monthly subscription to this once your free period runs out. Unlimited lifetime access is also available for some membership levels.
Frankly, there’s a bit more, but you probably get the point by now. This is a Nine University Review, not a thesis. Essentially, the lowest membership level provides you with everything you need to be successful. Higher levels give you more resources and support. As you can see this support is very significant and very valuable.
How Much Does Nine University Cost?
I know this is a Nine University review, so you probably want to see the price. However, I’m purposely not going to mention it. As noted above, they have different membership levels at different price points and varying levels of support.
I hesitate to mention the actual cost of each membership level here, because my goal with this post is to talk about the value itself. Nine University isn’t cheap. You’ll find less expensive courses out there. However, Kale and Taylor invest A LOT back into the business. This is why students get an unmatched level of support, especially as you get into the higher levels. It’s also the reason why I find it valuable to be a part of the team myself.
This means it’s important that you really understand what you get at each level. You need to reach out to them directly to go through your options.
As you consider this, think about which of these resources you’d find value in. In this Nine University Review, I hope I’ve covered why I think it’s so valuable and why I’ve decided to join as a coach. However, I encourage you to do a little more research on the Nine University official site, and decide if it’s right for you.
I’m a real person and I try to always make myself available to answer questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.
-Dax
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