Best Version Media Reviews

Cons

Personally, I have none. But as always, not everyone is a fit for every job, here or anywhere else. If you are going to be a Publisher, you must be a self-starter and have drive, but if you trust the program and avail yourself to the resources management provides, you will succeed! They will give you all the tools, knowledge and support to succeed but ultimately YOU have to do the work.
Is that a con? I don't think so.

Cons

If your not a motivated person who can follow a program that is proven then this is not a good fit. You have to have a higher why to be successful at this.

Cons

The negatives of working here exist ONLY within us, programed from birth. We are shown how to look at ourselves to eliminate barriers we self-generate. Our CEO has a goal to help us become greater than he is. That is the sign of a true leader. He gives us the wings of opportunity and it is up to us to learn to use them.

Cons

If you're not the entrepreneurial type of person this may not be for you because the biggest obstacle will be yourself. this company will test you to your limits to become the best version of yourself

Cons

It can be difficult to to transition out of mainstream salary based positions into this build your own commission position. However, the long term benefits to your community and business are extremely viable.

Cons

The cons are really with ones self. You must be willing to follow the program and put the time in on a consistent basis. Slackers are not rewarded. This is not really a con but I think the point is clear.

Cons

Very shady . Publisher miscalculations of commission is common. Office manager keeps 90% of leads that come in. Computers are old and outdated. Unable to update Google Chrome since 2012 because system is outdated! Desks are plastic picnic tables ! No fridge and Editor has banned food in the office! They are misleading their advertisers by stating they are distributing 20,000 papers each day when they are only distributing approximately 11,000. The paper is loosing ground and I predict will be out of business in the next five years.

Cons

Tough in the beginning before print, but well worth it after that. This is not for a slacker, so if you don't have the self discipline to succeed... get better!

Cons

BVM rolls out the information (to new publishers) in a way that hides information. Specifically, they say that their private magazines are for small neighborhoods, and that is true about the sample magazines.

However, when you see a non-sample magazine, the cover is very very misleading. It says "Exclusively serving citya, cityb, cityc, largeneighborhood1, largeneighborhood2, etc." This is a huge area, over 10 square miles. This is totally against the business model.

The business model is small neighborhood magazines, mailed to just that neighborhood's homes. The sample magazines are all like that, the ones they show you in training. When I saw this other magazine, it was shocking after the training.

Dave Durand says, repeatedly, "bend your experience to the business model", yet, they are doing the opposite, in practice. The sad part is I asked the CEO directly about this and he gave me the authoritarian response, basically "mind your own business". It is doubtful people realize what is happening until after they sell a lot of ads for this company and get it "to print", so it is very scammy for them to do this.

The concept of the company seems so good, manipulation like this seems unnecessary, except for greed. And then there are the religious references by Dave, to his religion, dropped during training, probably to build trust. I was taken in by how legitimate the company appears, only to find out later that they are manipulative, they are doing things that are 180 degrees different than what they say in training.

It is doubtful that a "neighborhood" magazine that has all these cities listed will be read by that neighborhood. I doubt the magazine is getting read because it appears not to be a private magazine, which is the excuse for not showing the magazine when selling ads. When a potential ad buyer wants to see the ad, they can't because its a private magazine for the neighbors. However, the magazine's cover says it serves over 10 square miles, so it could not possibly be a private, neighborhood magazine. This blaring inconsistency is one the CEO, Dave Durand is fine with, I asked him directly and he basically said, "mind your own business".

They asked us to protect the culture. When I hear that, I hear "protect the mission statement, the business model." What BVM means is "protect us". When I hear "bend your experience to the model", which business model? The stated one or the one that is 180 degrees different (the hidden aspects of their business practices).

Perhaps I do not understand the advertising industry. Perhaps this is what it takes for make money. But I doubt it. The company could do very well by doing what they say they do. Perhaps this is greed, on top of a sound, less profitable business model. Why not have an honest, profitable business instead of putting on the layer of greed? Deception seems unnecessary if you have a good business model.

Cons

You need to sustain yourself for a few weeks without pay. You need to be able to stick to a schedule and a plan to get the important things done first!