Seminars

Reliable Education Versus Blue Sky Amazon

This is where I’ll compare Adam Hudson’s Reliable Education, to Sophie Howard’s Blue Sky Amazon. I live in Australia, and I’ll give you a clearer idea about which course is best suited to you.

This has been written with the beginner Amazon seller in mind. In writing this, I’ll assume you…

• Have an optimistic, positive and winning mindset
• Are simply not looking for a get-rich-quick scheme
• Actually are prepared to put in the work required
• Are starting with some capital to fund your FBA business
• Want to do an already established and reputable Amazon course
• You’re committed to learn from experienced Amazon sellers

My thoughts and experiences are based on experience too – I’m a real Australian Amazon seller, based on the Gold Coast. I built to a full-time income.

I worked at this for a while, and the results have been well earned. Yes – financial rewards are possible, provided that you understand that selling on Amazon does take some decent effort.

These really are the 2 best Amazon training courses in Australia and New Zealand. There are others such as Alex Ryan, Brendan Elias and Neil Asher which I rank a bit lower. There are a few other pretend wannabe sellers who have low-quality courses, of which should all be dismissed if you want to get started properly.

The Course Comparison

This full Reliable Education vs Blue Sky Amazon comparison is going to take 10 minutes to read. It’s best to find some quiet time to get through this one. As some of know, having been on the blog before, that I deliver a lot of well-researched content and value.

Before starting, let’s establish some things upfront:

1. What I look for in a course may be different than your needs & wants
2. Both courses are by real Amazon sellers, and students can get results
3. Amazon is the best opportunity to build wealth, so the hype is justified
4. These are merely my personal opinions as a motivated young person
5. Both courses are targeting a different type of person and both are fine
6. I have a higher risk-tolerance than most people who start the journey
7. Your results are dependent on you first and foremost, not the teacher
8. Each course is taught by real Amazon sellers that I absolutely respect
9. Deciding upon an Amazon course starts with how you view the teacher
10. This shouldn’t be taken as absolute. It’s your choice at the end of the day.

With that out of the way, let’s begin…

The Amazon Teachers

I thought I’ll start this off with the teachers. Who are they? What is their experience? It’s wise to know this, to really understand where they come from. You can feel their experience with each delivering lessons and concepts within their respective courses. 😃

Sophie Howard

Sophie and her husband worked within the NZ Government. They then took a course a few years ago on how to sell on Amazon, found some great success (including 1x 7 figure exit) and now teach others how to build businesses on Amazon. Personally, that isn’t enough business experience for me.

Adam Hudson

Adam has been a serial entrepreneur for 20+ years. He’s founded a range of 7 figure companies, and his life-long experiences really do come through in his course. Like Sophie, he’s found success on Amazon after taking a course 8 years ago, and then created his unique Amazon seller training. But also, a thriving community of 14,000+ students mostly based in Australia, NZ and the UK, paired with excellent software for Amazon sellers.

The Course Content

Both courses are unique, yet their content has to cross-over in many ways. Selling on Amazon is both a science, and an art. Both teach sourcing outside of Alibaba (though Alibaba is still great) and you’ll discover how to best engage with the Chinese, plus source in other countries.

Neither course is sub-standard in any way when looking at content. Yet both are at different levels. Adam’s more of a focus down strategy with a few high-quality products, and Sophie teaches more of a go wide strategy with lots of products. Both strategies are unique and will work just fine.

Sophie Howard

Excellent course content! You’ll really do get a full blueprint on how to sell on Amazon. The content is primarily taught by Sophie. There’s some occasional updates to the course, including the weekly webinars.

You’ll learn how to go into less competitive niches. You’ll learn creative branding, packaging and how to improve upon existing products. Yes – you will be competing with existing Amazon sellers still on products.

Sophie teaches to target more lower-priced products. (HINT: Potentially more competition 😞)

Adam Hudson

The course content is 2 steps above Sophie’s. Given Adam’s immense business experience, paired with his affiliations (dozens of other successful Amazon sellers), you’ll find the content to be designed for those who want that premium experience. There’s also a lot more content, with more added every month, with a massive update to his course coming very soon.

You’ll learn how to go into both less competitive niches, but also, more competitive niches. The average student that joins Reliable Education has more capital to start with, and some are sitting on serious dollars to launch. So going after the more competitive sections within Amazon are possible. Adam’s an advocate of unique design, packagin and ultimately, a fantastic customer experience.

Adam teaches to target mid to higher-priced products. (HINT: Potentially less competition 😁)

The Amazon Support

These 2 teachers and their courses are great, but it’s also wise to consider what’s also included to support existing and upcoming students. This can be a key to long-term success.

Sophie Howard

Sophie’s course comes with mentoring. That’s what appeals to most people when they compare the 2 courses. Unfortunately, it’s 1 hour of direct mentoring, a phone call with one of their team members. It’s minimal, really, barely scratching the surface.

Update July 2019: Sophie now offers 6x 1-hour phone calls with someone and then charges $$$ for more coaching.

Update June 2020: Sophie now offers 8x 1-hour phone calls with her coaches.

There’s also the Facebook community. Questions in her Facebook group often get minimal interaction, as most students are new to Amazon. Weekly group webinars are included in the course, and the past ones have all been recorded. Sophie clearly wins here.

Adam Hudson

There’s no 1 hour mentoring session in Adam’s course, but you will receive a welcome call. I do provide some general support if you decide to use my link to join his course, plus some other excellent bonuses too. You can upgrade to Adam Hudson’s “Platinum Partners” program, but honestly, you don’t need to.

His course is really quite complete, and you’ll unlikely need paid mentoring upon finishing. Adam doesn’t have weekly set webinars, since it’s tough trying to find new topics to cover. You see – his course is jam-packed with content already, with more growing every month.

There’s a lot of student support given in his super supportive Facebook community by the hundreds of people that have already become Amazon sellers.

Update June 2021: Adam now offers 3x 1-hour calls with his platinum coaches.

The Live Events

Live events are where the magic happens. It’s something that I really look forward to. There’s a massive difference in these two courses. Both hold student-only seminars.

Sophie Howard

Sophie’s events are intimate, with only a few hundred students. You might even get to speak with Sophie herself! She’s only run 1 event so far, with another maybe coming up in 2019. Sophie has now run 4 great events with numerous planned in the US, UK, NZ and Australia in 2020. She primarily speaks, along with Mia and a few others covering content in the course.

Sophie’s events (post-COVID, whenever that is…?) are complimentary when purchasing the course.

Adam Hudson

Adam’s events are like Tony Robbins….HUGE! Just without the fist pumps, hugs and high-fives. They’re just more real and tangible. There’s been 5 massive events so far and counting. Adam does speak, plus about 20 others as well, which is just a handful of his hundreds of successful students. Adam’s a fan of community-driven teaching, where we can learn from everyone’s direct experiences. Not just 1 person’s perspective.

Adam’s annual events are in addition to the course purchase. Update June 2021: Adam now offers a monthly 1-day event in his Gold Coast studios with 30 to 40 students maximum.

The FB Community

Each course comes with a Facebook community, where you’ll be able to network with fellow students and actual Amazon sellers. Plus, you’ll be able to ask questions and get support.

Sophie Howard

A great community, though almost all of these are students as opposed to actual Amazon sellers. Sophie’s course has recently come out, and since it’s not so established yet, you won’t find the group so lively. But definitely supportive!

13,000+ students. Student results are relatively unknown.

Adam Hudson

Adam’s group is a juggernaut. It’s thriving, it’s community-focused, and best of all, it has hundreds of actual people who have become sellers, instead of just students that haven’t sold on Amazon before. Everyone’s sharing, everyone’s engaging. The community-spirit and lessons to learn are alive and well within this group!

14,000+ students. Results = Approx. $1.5 billion in accumulative sales.

Refund Policy

This is an important consideration. Can you get your money back if you’re not happy? And how long do you have?

Sophie Howard’s Blue Sky Amazon has a 7-day unconditional refund policy. You call them up or send an email and they’ll refund your money. Done.

Adam Hudson’s Reliable Education provides an unconditional refund to students on the welcome call. This could take place within a few days or you could be waiting a couple of weeks, especially right now as so many people are getting started. You can get through a few modules within that time to ascertain that this program is right for you.

Quite an interesting difference between the two, isn’t it?

As a fellow student, I believe this to be very fair to the other 14,000+ Reliable Education students on the inside. In the past, some not-so-optimistic people were coming along for a free ride then bailing on day 29. 🙄 They also get rid of dickheads at any time (I’m serious).

If you’re feeling like “I’m so scared and want to make sure I get my money back” then I would choose Sophie Howard as you have a guaranteed 7 days. Most people who go into Reliable Education don’t even think much about the refund policy. It’s just a different mentality I guess. 🤷‍♂️

Social Media Presence

I see this as an important factor. I want to know how deep and established my Amazon teacher is, and who they are as a person. And what others are saying.

Sophie Howard has been on a few Amazon podcasts. She has only a few average Facebook and Trustpilot reviews for her course.

Adam Hudson has also been on a few Amazon podcasts, with 270+ Facebook reviews. Another HUGE difference.

Plus, he’s made numerous national and international TV appearances, with an extensive social media following including daily videos on Instagram. He’s been on stage with personalities such as Robert Kiyosaki and Gary Vaynerchuk, and has put on to his own stages massive icons such as John Howard and Ita Buttrose.

Course Costs

I’m actually not providing perfectly accurate pricing information, as it can change sometimes. For example, Sophie’s course has been seen between $4,000 and $5,445 AUD, whilst Adam’s course I’ve seen mostly for $2,497 USD. So Adam’s course is usually cheaper.

(Obviously, please check with each course provider for their current pricing)

Please note that Sophie’s conference is included in the course cost, whilst Adam’s isn’t. This is because not everyone can make the live events due to time off work and other commitments.

It’s great that this is an additional add-on to keep the actual course cost lower. Otherwise you’re paying extra today for an event in the future that you might not be able to attend. You also need to factor in flights, hotels and transportation costs in your budget when attending.

Sophie Howard vs Adam Hudson – Overall Verdict

Answer: Reliable Education is simply better produced and costs less than compared to Blue Sky Amazon, and you’ll get some excellent BONUSES from me too. I’m still holding out for Sophie’s course to come up to 2021 standards for production-value.

Mind you, Sophie still has a great course for beginners who are new to business.

I really do believe that Sophie Howard has that potential to get close. In fact, she’s already made some changes including boosting the amount of coaching calls from 1 to 6 8.

Adam is way in front for a business course, while Sophie is best for total newbies.

With Adam Hudson, you’ll get…

• A seriously massive Amazon course that takes weeks to get through
• A course built by an entrepreneur, who knows to start, grow and sell successful businesses
• The community of super energetic and winning students and Amazon sellers from around the world (primarily those from Australia, NZ, UK and Europe)
• Access to the optional live conferences that will blow your mind in terms of the success that Adam’s students have had with his system
• Some FREE bonuses from me personally if you decide to use my referral link. You’re welcome to go direct to the course though and miss out on those bonuses.

Summary

I don’t want to create this illusion that Sophie has a bad course. She has a great course actually, and it will work just fine. In fact, I recommend it to most people. 70% of people should choose Sophie for that hold handing experience and regularity of conferences.

So while Sophie’s course is great, it isn’t up to the higher standard that Adam brings to the table.

This review covered the teacher, the course, the community, the support, the pricing, social media and refund policies. Adam won on every point apart from not offering those chit-chats on the phone and weekly webinars for students. Update June 2021: 3x coaching calls for new students.

I really kept this one real and delivered the facts. I personally appreciate the women’s perspective within Sophie’s course. She’s certainly more relatable to some people.

Now, to be fair in this comparison, I had to leave out the gender characteristics in this comparison. I wrote this from the perspective of building an Amazon business that has the potential to take you to a full-time income and beyond.

The Adam Hudson Advantage

Adam sets a high standard for his course, for those who teach in the course, but also the students. He doesn’t want tyre-kickers, and he certainly doesn’t need your money. He already makes a fortune on Amazon.

I know this because I’m one of the very few people in the world who know his exact brand (I’m under NDA) and what he sells. I track his FBA sales every month, and they’re simply eye-watering.

His course is designed for those prepared to work with some capital to start. It’s simply not for those who want to buy for the warm and fuzzy feeling which is evident in some of these Amazon courses. His course is ideally suited for the business-minded person with realistic expectations.

If you want a course that has only recently started, with a smaller community, and with only a few people actually making an income (instead of hundreds), then Sophie Howard is the ideal starting place as the runner up.

It’s also important to note that Sophie gives a softer approach, whilst Adam gives a motivational approach. The F-word comes out with Adam occasionally due to many years in business and straight-forward no BS attitude, and if this is not OK with you, then run with Sophie.

I’m simply outlining that Adam has a significantly better course and is designed for the achievers, hence why his students have sold $1.5 billion so far on Amazon, whilst Sophie is geared for the complete beginner. If you need a hand to hold, then Sophie would be my pick due to those additional coaching calls.

The Sophie Howard Advantage

What I like about Sophie is that she’s more relatable for most people. In fact, only 30% of people should go into Adam’s whereas the other 70% should go into Sophie’s course. Adam can be really overwhelming if you’re a total beginner in the world of business.

Sophie worked in the NZ Government before finding Amazon as a business model. From there she got fully invested just like Adam into her education and found success.

What is interesting is that they both took the exact same Amazon FBA course. They went through the process, invested their capital and found success.

If you’re curious, I generally don’t recommend the course they took as it costs $5,000 USD. Very pricey! You’ll get just about the same in either Adam’s or Sophie’s course for much less outlay.

Sophie has sold a million-dollar Amazon business, unlike Adam. That said, Adam has done at least 1x 7 figure exit with an animation business previously and has since built multiple 7 figure businesses.

Adam hasn’t sold his Amazon business I guess because he still wants to be in the game so to speak.

While Sophie is much less engaged in her Facebook group than Adam, she is more approachable at seminars. Adam’s events are 5x bigger so it’s hard for him to have a chit chat to everyone during the breaks. With Sophie, you’re more likely to engage with her in person for a couple of minutes if you come along to a Blue Sky seminar.

She’s also launched a lot more products, though the bulk appears to be variations of products (i.e. different flavours of tea). Adam recommends keeping just a small portfolio of well-performing products as opposed to a lot to avoid that overwhelm. With Sophie’s experience, her product research phase is quite methodical.

While Adam has a better course, Sophie has launched more products and can be more relatable for most people. It’s designed for the complete beginner, not the existing business person who’s ready for round 2. If you’re the type that likes to fly Business Class, then Adam would be my pick.

At the end of the day, choose the course and mentor that fits best for you and your situation. You may find one teacher resonates more than the other.

I like both teachers personally, especially as they both have results.

Further reading

I hope this Adam Hudson Vs Sophie Howard comparison has opened your eyes to the differences in each course. I’ve provided more information about Adam’s course in this review (including information on the EXCELLENT bonuses) right here…

Read now: https://www.workwithjoshua.com/australias-1-fulfilment-amazon-education-experiences-reliable-education-adam-hudson/

I’ve also provided more information about Sophie’s course right here…

Read now: https://www.workwithjoshua.com/a-review-of-sophie-howards-blue-sky-amazon-training-course-written-by-an-actual-amazon-fba-seller/

Naturally, once again, I’ll mention this. It takes work to build an Amazon business. These courses are merely giving knowledge, and both strategies proposed by Sophie and Adam will work just fine. The responsibility is on you to make it work. ✍️

You’ll put your own money on the line. Trust me…you are going to need some decent dollars to start with. This is a capital and cashflow-intensive business model.

Give yourself 2 to 3 years MINIMUM, before transitioning towards living off that income, provided you research your product, your target buyer and factory well.

It could take you longer. For most people, it will probably take longer. I don’t sell hype around here.

If that waiting time is unrealistic for you, then consider buying an existing Amazon business if you have the funds. You could go from 0 to 100 in 1 month flat.

Aside from the capital, if you don’t have the work ethic to build up from scratch, or you’re not willing to buy an existing Amazon business, then wipe Amazon off your list of opportunities.

Because in life, nothing worth having, comes easy. Otherwise we’d all live the laptop lifestyle already.

Yet a small group of us, including myself, have been able to achieve this. I hope you have the drive and commitment to be next.

My Cliff-Notes

• Adam has a better course and a much more evolved FBA community
• Sophie’s course comes with a phone support service for her students
• Total beginners that need help should really go with Sophie Howard
• Those that are more business-minded should go with Adam Hudson