Six Figure Mentors Review (2026): What SFM Really Costs Beyond the Free Account

The Short Version

Six Figure Mentors (SFM) is a digital business training membership founded by Stuart Ross and Jay Kubassek, operating since around 2010. It begins with a free account and video tutorials, then moves to a paid membership at about $97 a month, with higher "Elite" tiers and Digital Experts Academy (DEA) packages that range from $2,500 up to $20,000.

We rate it poorly. It has an MLM-style structure where many members earn mainly by recruiting others into SFM. This review lays out the tiers, costs, refund terms and the main concerns.

Who Founded Six Figure Mentors?

SFM was co-founded by Stuart Ross and Jay Kubassek. Kubassek also co-founded earlier programs, Pro U and Carbon Copy Pro, and that he and Ross co-founded Digital Experts Academy. The founders' past involvement with MLM-style companies that faced legal trouble is a red flag, and their earlier programs did not do well. SFM has also been marketed under its own brand for many years, and its higher-ticket training is sold under the Digital Experts Academy name.

What Six Figure Mentors Offers

Here are the tiers. Prices have varied over time.

Basic startup fee$297

Essential membership (first year)$1,200

Elite (yearly fee)$2,500

Top DEA package$20,000

The Essential membership costs more than $1,200 a year, even with a $100 discount offered for 72 hours after signing up for free training. It also notes that the "thousands of courses" promoted come from LinkedIn Learning, which you could subscribe to separately for about $30 a month.

How Members Are Expected to Make Money

SFM teaches affiliate marketing and digital business skills. In practice, the affiliate training focuses mainly on promoting SFM itself using paid Facebook ads, and students appear to earn mostly by recruiting others. There are affiliate levels named silver, gold, platinum and black, and Elite members become eligible to sell the system.

SFM works like an MLM-style recruitment business. When the main product is the opportunity to sell the same membership, most of the money tends to flow to the people at the top.

Hidden Costs

One student reportedly spent $4,000 on ads before seeing returns. Promoting high-ticket memberships with paid ads can require a large budget, and the ad spend is not refundable.

Refund Policy

There is a 30-day refund policy on the core membership that appears to be honored, but bonuses and monthly fees are non-refundable, and that DEA products have only a three-day refund window. On a multi-thousand-dollar DEA package, three days is very little time to judge value.

Reviews and Red Flags

User reviews are mostly negative, and SFM works like a high-ticket, MLM-style affiliate business. Similar training is available free on YouTube, and the application fee and consultation feel like pressure toward Elite.

The red flags include hard upsells, hidden ad costs, testimonials without specific earnings, heavy lifestyle imagery, and the founders' history with MLM-style programs.

Is Six Figure Mentors a Scam?

We found no FTC action against SFM in our search, and it has operated for well over a decade, so we are not calling it a scam. But we are negative about its value and structure. The MLM-style emphasis on recruiting, expensive upsells to $20,000, and short refund windows on high-ticket products are serious concerns for any beginner.

Where the Money Flows in a Recruiting Model

When a training business pays members to sell the same training, the economics change. Each new member pays fees, and part of those fees goes to whoever recruited them. That can look like an opportunity, but it means your income depends on finding a steady stream of new buyers for a high-priced membership, often with paid ads.

This is the main reason to be wary of SFM. Selling products people want for their own sake is usually a more durable business than selling the chance to sell.

The Upgrade Path, Step by Step

A typical progression looks like this:

1. Sign up for a free account and watch the introductory videos and webinars.
2. Speak with a consultant, which can feel like pressure toward higher tiers.
3. Pay an upfront fee and the monthly membership.
4. Get encouraged toward Elite, which unlocks eligibility to sell SFM.
5. Get offered Digital Experts Academy packages and events costing thousands.

Each step may seem reasonable on its own, but the total can climb quickly. Before each upgrade, write down what you have earned so far and what the next tier will cost, including ad spend.

What You Could Learn Elsewhere

SFM's large course library is licensed LinkedIn Learning content, and much of the training is available free on YouTube. The core skills SFM teaches, such as affiliate marketing, funnels, email and paid ads, are widely covered by lower-cost courses without a monthly membership. Our Wealthy Affiliate review and Savage Affiliates review cover two such options.

How to Evaluate Any Membership Like SFM

Six Figure Mentors is one of several long-running digital business memberships that combine training with an affiliate opportunity. The same questions help you judge any of them:

• Would you buy the training if you could not resell it? If the answer is no, the opportunity is doing the selling, not the education.
• Are income claims specific and verifiable? SFM testimonials often lack specific earnings.
• What happens to your income if you stop recruiting? Durable affiliate income comes from customers who stay because they value the product.
• What is the refund window on the most expensive product? Short windows on the highest prices shift risk to you.

Paid Ads: The Cost Nobody Puts on the Price Tag

SFM's affiliate training focuses on paid Facebook ads, and one student reportedly spent $4,000 on ads before seeing returns. Paid ads can work, but learning them costs money. Every test campaign, every new audience and every ad creative uses budget, and only a portion of campaigns are profitable. If you join a program that teaches paid traffic, set a firm monthly ad limit before you start, and stop when you reach it until you understand why campaigns are not converting.

Pros and Cons

Questions to Ask Before Joining

1. What is the total cost of the tier being recommended to you, including monthly fees?
2. Which refund window applies to that product: 30 days or 3 days?
3. What share of current members' income comes from recruiting new SFM members?
4. How much ad spend do successful members use to promote SFM?
5. Could you learn the same skills more cheaply elsewhere?

Our #1 Recommendation for Making Money Online in 2026

If Six Figure Mentors isn't the right fit for you, here's what we suggest instead.

After comparing hundreds of programs over the years, we know what works and what doesn't. In fact, most of the business opportunities are either instant cash grab schemes or scams or they require experience. However, this beginner-friendly system stood out and is our #1 recommendation for 2026.

Other Programs Readers Compare

• Legendary Marketer review: another digital business education ladder.
• Four Percent review: a membership with an MLM feel.
• Multiple Income Funnels review: a referral-driven membership.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Verdict on Six Figure Mentors

Six Figure Mentors has been around for years and offers a free starting point, but its monthly fees, upsells into the thousands, short refund windows on high-ticket products and recruiting-heavy model make it a poor first choice. Consider our #1 recommendation for making money online instead.