Last Updated on February 29, 2024 by Eric Cantu
Is Fullstaq Marketer Legit? What happened to AWOL Academy? Keala Kanae has officially rebooted AWOL Academy and created Fullstaq Marketer. Can he possibly back up his ultra bold statement that you will earn $15k in your first 90 days with this program?
Spoiler alert: there are a ton of red flags to unpack here.
Is Fullstaq Marketer Legit? What Happened to AWOL Academy?
Keala Kanae’s Fullstaq Marketer is a reboot of his now defunct AWOL Academy. AWOL Academy fizzled in 2019 after customer complaints. Fullstaq Marketer follows AWOL’s same pattern of low buy-in with massive upsells and high pressure sales tactics.
Company: Fullstaq Marketer
Price: $99 – $15,000
Years in Business: Founded in 2018
Community: Private Facebook Group
Support: Private Facebook Group
TrustPilot score: 4.9/5
Tools/Resources: 3/5
Training/Classes: 3.5/5
Websites/Hosting: None
Community: 4/5
Free Trial: None
Main Complaint: Unrealistic promises of revenue, massive upsells
Keala Kanae makes the bold promise that you will earn $15k in your first 90 days with Fullstaq Marketer. This is your very first red flag: unrealistic promises of revenue. Let’s take a look and see if Fullstaq Marketer is worth it and if it lives up to Keala Kanae’s promise.
Is Fullstaq Academy Worth It? And Why Did AWOL Academy Need a Reboot?
Fullstaq Marketer is the brainchild of founder Keala Kanae. A seasoned, digital marketeing “guru”, you’re likely to see him popping up on YouTube, social media, and basically anywhere else there’s an audience.
If you listen to his story, you’ll learn he was tired of working dead end jobs at coffeeshops, etc., and set off on a mission to build his own empire. Like him or hate him, in 2015 he did just that with AWOL Academy.
He and partner Kameron George created AWOL Academy. AWOL Academy was a VERY high-ticket digital marketing training platform that promised to take you from zero to hero FAST. The problem with AWOL Academy were the huge upsells and high pressure sales tactics.
With expensive a la carte style training modules you needed to continue to buy to succeed, the unsuspecting customer would buy into AWOL Academy with the first training module at the low price of $99 not realizing the full training would end up costing $15k-$20k.
The reported success rate of AWOL Academy was only 3%. It could be up to debate on what is “success”, but it was easy to see the mountain of complaints from users who were upset with the inflated pricing. The writing was on the wall, and AWOL Academy fizzled out
Keala was determined to make his high ticket training model succeed. He decided to reboot AWOL Academy into Fullstaq Marketer. Unfortunately, he’s kept so many of the red flags and patterns he used with AWOL that the same complaints are starting to stack up against Fullstaq.
It’s important to point out that there’s nothing illegal about Fullstaq Marketer. But that doesn’t stop users from feeling they’re being scammed out of their money.
Sticking with his patterns that work, Keala uses multiple ad campaigns to market Fullstaq Marketer. You may have seen his Digital Freelancer ads across social media along with this Freelance Affiliate Guide review free e-book. He uses both of these as lead-ins to buy his high ticket training courses.
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Fullstaq Marketer’s High Pressure Sales Tactics
Unfortunately, it seems like the high pressure sales tactics that ultimately did in AWOL Academy are still going on with Keala’s current projects. Remember, you’re always in control and no pressured sales call can force you into anything, but these are professionals who prey on the fact that for some it can be hard to say no to someone who is being incredibly insistent.
In any of Keala’s courses if you see a step that’s called “coaching call” or anything like that, make no mistake about it, it’s a high pressure sales call.
I’ve had multiple users describe sales calls where they were asked “how badly do you want this?” before offering to set them up with a LOAN SERVICE so they could take out the large sum of money necessary to proceed.
Fullstaq Marketer’s Training Modules
Fullstaq Marketer is made up of 4 a la carte training modules:
- Fullstaq Accelerator
- Traffic Labs
- Conversion Labs
- and Masters Labs.
Each covers a variety of elements for digital marketing entrepreneurs looking to be successful in this very lucrative field. At the time of this posting, pricing isn’t available on the website.
However, by examining some deep parallels between the Fullstaq Marketer site and the old Awol Academy site, we can gain huge insight into both what the training will consist of and the all important price points we can expect.
You should never have to pay thousands per module for affiliate marketing training. There are much, much better options out there.
(For detailed insight on how these training modules are carbon copies of AWOL Academy’s failed training, watch the video at the top of this article.)
Fullstaq Accelerator $997
The first training module is called Fullstaq Accelerator, and it’s actually 4 modules in 1.
- Fullstaq 101
- Fullstaq Onboarding
- Fullstaq Edge
- Funnel Labs
Fullstaq 101
This is your introductory module that covers the foundational elements of your business.
“Fullstaq 101 provides the core elements needed to create a rock solid foundation for your future career in freelance digital marketing. The starting point of your journey is just as important as the destination and Fullstaq 101 assists in providing you with a clear path from point A to point B.”
Fullstaq Onboarding
This module is all about connecting you with support and a large like-minded community.
“Within Fullstaq Onboarding, you’re able to quickly set yourself up with a massive community of fellow aspiring and veteran online entrepreneurs who support your vision of greatness.”
Fullstaq Edge
This module focuses on creating a successful mindset.
“Inside of Fullstaq Edge, you’ll be taken on a “mind bending” ride as Keala unveils the cutting edge mindset shifts that all elite level leaders possess and apply in order to succeed.”
Funnel Labs
This module gets you set up your website, tracking system, lead capture pages, and more.
If you’re familiar with Awol Academy, you might recognize that the description for Funnel Labs exactly matches the description for Awol’s Pro Academy.
This means that we can expect Fullstaq Marketer’s “Funnel Labs” to be an updated version of the training that was available in AWOL Academy’s “Pro Academy”. This pattern continues with the rest of the modules. Fullstaq Marketer is an exact reboot of the failed AWOL Academy.
Traffic Labs (Coming Soon)
The description for Fullstaq Marketer’s “Traffic Labs” is identical to the description of the defunct AWOL Academy’s “Traffic Academy.” We can expect it to cover how to generate a flood of website visitors that convert.
Conversion Labs (Coming Soon)
Fullstaq Marketer’s “Conversion Labs” is the rebooted version of Awol Academy’s “Conversion Academy”. This module promises to deliver an understanding of how “hypnotic” language, story telling, persuasive copy, and more will create an “irresistible” desire for your audience to take action and convert.
Masters Labs (Coming Soon)
Fullstaq Marketer’s “Masters Labs” is the reboot of Awol Academy’s “Masters Academy”. This will cover handling the finances of your business from money management to tax planning, investing, and more.
Here’s an important question to ask yourself. Do you want to be paying tens of thousands for training that still closely follows the same patterns that caused it to fail before?
Fullstaq Elite $9800 $14,800!
My research shows the final module within Fullstaq Marketer will be Fullstaq Elite. Even though this module isn’t mentioned within the Fullstaq Marketer website, it follows the exact same pattern as Awol Elite from Awol Academy and is predictably priced at, you guessed it, almost $15k!
This has been confirmed by users who went through the on-boarding process. Fullstaq Elite started at $9800 and has now ballooned to $14,800.
The pattern of low buy-in followed by a massive upsell sometimes upwards of tens of thousands of dollars to complete the training is a huge red flag for any training platform. The Fullstaq Elite package will include all the training modules PLUS personal, private access to the founder Keala Kanae for private teaching and mentorship.
Fullstaq Marketer’s Affiliate Program
If you choose to, you can decide to promote Fullstaq Marketer and earn up to 50% commissions on all sales you make. 50% commission on such a high ticket item would be substantial. This is a huge reason so many people wave off the red flags in search of a giant pay day.
Fullstaq Marketer Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Money back guarantee, but not enough time to use it effectively
- Decent early training if you don’t succumb to upsells
- Lucrative affiliate program because of high ticket pricing
Cons:
- Unrealistic promises of revenue: Guarantee of earning $15k in 90 days is a huge red flag
- Too many promises of “Done for You” systems
- Too many “guru” cliches throughout marketing
- Extreme upsells to complete training
- Extreme high ticket pricing (up to $15k)
- Additional monthly costs for ad campaigns
- Based on now defunct training platform
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Final Thoughts
Fullstaq Marketer follows the same exact pattern as its predecessor Awol Academy: Extremely high-ticket a la carte training filled with upsells costing tens of thousands to complete. I would be very cautious with how I spent my money with this program. There is no free version, so tread carefully.
Have you had an experience before with Keala Kanae’s training platforms? Are you here because you had a gut feeling that something just wasn’t right about Fullstaq Marketer?
Share any questions or comments you have in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you and I always respond.
Thanks for your informative article which confirmed my suspicions. I signed up for $99 today and immediately was hit with an upsell of $39 for them to assist me in set up. When one of the questions on the intake questionnaire is how much capital do I have to invest I suspected a huge upsell was coming later.
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. This comment could very well help so many who are so close to making a mistake with yet another Keala Kanae high ticket upsell platform. Thanks so much for sharing!
If you’re looking for a platform that is straightforward, affordable, and actually delivers, I highly recommend checking out my newly updated for 2022 review of the training I stand behind 100%. Watch from start to finish: https://youtu.be/ezmcJvpURSc
Thanks again!
You have a GREAT website! I was reading one article and then kept getting distracted by other awesome reviews and spent about a half hour here. This is a very interesting article. There is something about upsells and high cost programs that totally put me off. If the seller of the program isn’t completely up front about the fees, how can you trust them? That’s when you know it’s a money grab and not an honest course. Basing the “new” course on just updating a little from a crap course isn’t something I would put my money into! Thank you for your honest review of Fullstaq Marketer!
Thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate that! Thanks for the comment!
Damn, this product almost cost 1000 dollars. Thank you, but I think I will pass this one. I also do not like it when they upsell you on even more products. Many of these internet marketers do not even care if you will succeed or not, as making money is the only objective. This product gives off the same vibes as empower network. Are you familiar with empower network?
Yeah, and what’s sad is it seems like so many of these gurus just keep going with this same pattern of high ticket upsells. I can’t imagine trying to start a business like that. Thanks for the comment!
It is incredible how all this type of business replicates the same marketing strategy over and over again and continues to work for them. Taking advantage of people’s needs and their desire to prosper has never seemed ethical to me. If you search well, on the internet you can find quality content and also free, like this great article.
Sorry for my English, greetings from Spain
No need to apologize! I think your points are well said! Thanks so much for the comment!
I was someone who almost got suckered into AWOL and you’re exactly right, the initial buy in turns into pressured sales calls to buy more more more. This guy keeps collecting checks and somehow people keep buying. I saw the ad you talked about where he’s trying to call out people who call him a scam artist. I don’t think that’s a very good idea to make an ad where you have your own name and SCAM in the title. He’s just after money.
Well said. Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for the comment!
Honestly, It’s great you wrote this review as a warning to people because I could see a lot of people being sold short on this. I don’t doubt that it probably has some decent training within the course but at what cost? For this money even the $100 to get started there is better options available I would say by looks of things.
Yeah, there’s way too many red flags here to ignore. Especially when the predecessor is the now defunct AWOL Academy. Thanks for the comment!
Why do so many “training” platforms use the exact same pattern of upsells? Fullstaq Marketer seems to promise more than it can deliver and it’s like all he did with AWOL Academy is change the name. He’s using the same training strategies. And then there’s the high price. Let me read some more about Fullstaq. Thanks for all the information.
Regards,
Aps
With all the reviews of made, it’s like being stuck in a time loop with how similar they all are to each other with high ticket pricing and never ending upsells. Glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for the comment!
If this is anything like AWOL which it looks like it is then RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AWAY FROM IT
lol Agreed! It’s like all that was changed was the name. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Eric
Are there any answers as to why Fullstaq is taking so long to complete? I noticed your YouTube video is from a while back and yet here we are 2 years later and it’s like Fullstaq is sitting on standby. That can’t be good.
You’re absolutely right about that. I saw the exact same thing when I was updating the article. That’s a huge red flag, especially with Keala Kanae’s name and brand always being in the same breath as scam allegations. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the info before I got stuck. I did not sign up right away. But I got the web site and plugged it in the next day and got your life saving article.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I get messages like this all the time. Very happy to help and I’m glad if I was able to shine some light on this program and save you from spending a ton of money. Thanks for the comment!
Very well written. I don’t have anything additional to comment, I just wanted to applaud your success. Keep it up and good luck to your venture.
I appreciate the words of encouragement! Thanks for the comment!
Hey Eric, thanks for your review of fullstaq. I can’t stand programs that get you in the door for a low cost and then blind side you with the higher priced levels that you are told you really need to purchase if you want the big success. That’s how Awol Academy worked and this follows all the same patterns. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll check out the company you recommend. Cheers man. Robb
Always glad to help. Thanks for the comment, brother!
Hey Eric
Thank you for the review. I am into online businesses and I can already tell this program is not 100% legit.
Any program “guaranteeing” results like this one is very weird and people should run away.
Agreed. The $15k guarantee is a huge red flag. Hard to believe someone as seasoned as Keala Kanae would say that. But maybe it’s all about the shock value. Who knows? Thanks for the comment!
Interesting… I’ve seen the first 8-10 seconds of his YouTube ad hundreds of times right before I can hit “skip ad”…. it comes off a little gimmicky, but he’s killing it so what do I know? The 3% Success rate for AWOL was an interesting factoid… not a stat that you would expect a company would promote if accurate… where did that come from and what was the criteria for success?
Bob
I doubt they’re the ones who promoted it. But when a platform like Awol Academy fizzles, it’s not due to success. I would imagine with a price tag like it had, a “success” would be anyone who came away in the profit zone. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for these educational reviews that help us not to get ripped by the scammers. It clearly shows that Keala Kanae is a scammer. Now he comes up with the same old tricks but renames it to continue with his scam. Such reviews like yours are needed to alert us the public in order not to fall into the trap of these scams. Thanks again for the review.
I wouldn’t call Keala Kanae a scammer, personally. Just because he charges a premium amount for his training doesn’t make it illegal. And scammers are, of course, illegal. But he definitely does follow a pattern with his platforms: high ticket, a la carte training modules, with lots of upsells. Thanks for the comment!
I think at Fullstaq the earnings they promise are too good to be true, even making 1K in 3 months time as a beginner online would be real tough. How can they promise $15k?? Also considering the fact that the past version has a 3% success rate shows that success would be real hard to attain.
The site may not be a scam but I doubt they can be relied on. I’ve been seeing so many ads for these guys I had to check it out for myself. Nice post.
Yeah, it’s a huge red flag when you guarantee earnings like that, especially BIG earnings. Glad to help! Thanks for the comment!
The best one of these type comparison sites I have ever seen.
My first experience online after just throwing up a word press dot com premium site, was similar. Actually put us to work modifying the content already in his mother website, claimng we would be rating in Google. That plan was to actually upsell muti-level marketing plans. While I did make my money (about $500.00 back) the system there was a nightmare of navigation through mutilple apps. The training was awful.
Therefore, I hung on your every word. Your site is genius comparing his prior apples to his nearly identical present apples and exposing the price and scams within.
Your presentation is tantamount to microscopy. Focused right in and the content clearly states the trouble with Fullstaq as the trouble with it’s founder and a cereal scheme to his last. Thank you for sharing this Eric this will convert many who have been once bitten are twice shy and the authority your content exudes is a blessing on the world. Thank You. CQ.
I very much appreciate the kind words. Thank you for the comment! I’m glad I could help.
Hi, this is a good way of doing a negative review of a bad product. Clear, concise, honest, and you explained it well. Good and experienced job you have done. I had seen many ads about this on my social media and I’m glad I was able to find your review. Cheers
Thanks so much for the comment!
I heard of awol academy and there’s a definite pattern here. I have to say that the price tag is very expensive for this training program. Is it intentionally that way? (High ticket seller). How do people afford this? i think I am going to have to pass. Thanks for the review!
Agreed! High ticket platforms like this just aren’t a good investment for someone just starting ESPECIALLY when there are solid mentoring communities out there that let you try their training free to see if it’s for you. Thanks so much for the comment!
Eric- any ideas on when these “coming soon” modules are coming? Why does he price his training so high? Were you a member of Awol? What kind of money back guarantee does he offer? I really appreciate your review by the way. Exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you.
looking forward to more articles!
There’s no timeline as of yet for the upcoming modules. His AWOL training was priced even higher. I jumped in for $99 and quickly realized there were MANY upsets coming and knew I had to look for a better option. Luckily I didn’t spend another dollar. His money back guarantee only lasts for 14-30 days depending on what you buy, and you have to go through another “coaching call” which is obviously someone from retention to try to convince you to stay. It’s just not enough time to actually see if the training is worth it for an investment that huge. Thanks for the comment!
I found on the Internet a lot of commercials and advertising videos about Fullstaq Marketer and I am glad that I found this article which gives us these informative explanations. For me it is a big disadvantage that there is no free version. Even though Fullstaq Marketer has a solid affiliate marketing program, I think it would be difficult to get people to buy it with this high price tag.
Thanks a lot for this and i really hope to read many article from yours.
Agreed. The affiliate program has the potential for great commissions. However, getting people to make those expensive purchases when better, less expensive options are out there is easier said than done. Thanks for the comment!
One thing that would have been perfect was it this platform had allowed for us to be able to try this one for at least 7 days before joining but then again comes the lie that one can make up to 15k which is another round of lie. Unfortunately again, there are more red flags than there are pros to this. I feel the company can actually do better because it looks very well structured and the price should be brought down if there’s not going to be a free trial.
I think 7 days would still be too quick to decide whether the rather large investment needed for Fullstaq’s training would be of benefit. If you’re going to make a guarantee of $15k in 90 days, I would think at the end of that 90 day period you should offer that money back guarantee. Unfortunately, the money back guarantee they do offer expires much earlier. Thanks for the comment!
Awesome. Went through a similar experience and recognize the red flags you warn people away from. Thank you Eric. Chris Queen.
Glad to help! Thanks for the comment!
For me I don’t think anyone should use programs like this, I have a lot of experience with them I must tell you none of them was good I’ve been in this business for roughly five years,so I have little bit of experiences, it’s not that they are bad but there’s no enough proof of legitimacy as all they have said are just lousy claims.
I’m right there with you. When I heard Keala Kanae guarantee $15k in 90 days, I just felt like it was such a mistake to make yet another crazy claim like that for an online opportunity. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Eric,
Thank you for writing about this topic direct to the point. I am now feeling stress-free because I have been searching for an article that will explain this Fullstaq thing well and I thank God that I have got this comprehensive article.
I was definitely worried about the expense of it all. There’s just no way I would be able to afford it moving forward..
Thank you, Eric
I hear you, man. I felt exactly the same way about its predecessor Awol Academy. It may have been upgraded with a fancy name like Fullstaq Marketer, but it’s still some expensive training. Thanks for the comment!