OK...for the record, I AM THE GUY THAT YOU ARE ALL TALKING ABOUT.
So...hang with me for a few minutes. And, imagine the following...
You put up a website with a good bunch of information. Next thing you know you start getting a string of very interested e-mails with some very solid questions...come to find out that no one realy knows how to get into a flight program, and the recruiters sure aren't sharing any info (imagine that).
So, a whole world of very qualified candidates end up driving trucks because the SSGT down at the recruit depot told them that the "enlisted route" was the way to go.
Then, due to demand, you spend a good bit of your very limited spare time writing a book that you really feel is going to help people. The e-mails really start to pour in...about 50 a day. You decide to record another 5 CDs to answer the most common questions that you get everyday. You put these up for sale, for a pretty fair asking price (for a book, 5 CDs/MP3s, and 6 Reports).
After all of that, you pretty much make about minimum wage hour for hour for your efforts and get to read about how it's all a scam -- from people who should know better.
So...getting to my point. I saw a need and actually did something about it. Kinda one of those Marine Corps virtues right?
As far as the money goes, I am currently on terminal leave and can say from the bottom of my honest Marine heart that this particular project (even when combined with a reserve job) will NOT EVEN COME CLOSE to paying the bills. (In comes conference speaking -- yes the Tony Robbins bit -- btw, that particular speech you saw was initially a no-fee job to a group of referees that I was teaching).
Starting to get the picture? I do this to help. I am not sure how much the critics here know about web publishing, marketing, etc...but it ain't cheap.
And if you want a list over a couple hundred long of people who have taken my advice and made it work, let me know. Until then, I recommend that some of the critics here use THEIR valuable time actually DOING something instead of criticising those who do.
Semper Fi,
Ed Rush
http://www.fighter-pilot.org
P.S. Oh...and this one really cracks me up...the reason I found this thread -- I just had someone buy one of my books and said that he saw info about me on this Air Warriors post. Only in America...