Parrot Secrets
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Let’s face it, the economy is in trouble and so are the rest of us. Based on the dregs I find in my spam filter that makes this a hot season for folks selling plans for how to make big money on the Internet – plans that mostly aren’t worth what people pay for them. Either these advertised sites are simply scams or they are promoting the obvious — often free government web sites that diligent folks could find on their own. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t legitimate Internet businesses that can be started on a shoestring. So to do my part for the economy I’m going to offer-up what I have always considered to be the cleverest little Internet business of all: www.parrotsecrets.com.
I assume you’ve taken a look at the site and are back now. What makes Parrotsecrets so great? It doesn’t look like much, does it? I’m sure there are a thousand – maybe 10,000 – very similar sites on the net right now. And that’s the point: there is plenty of opportunity to replicate this model.
Before I lose you here’s the literal bottom line on Parrotsecrets. The site sells 15-20 eBook sets per day seven days per week. Using the low end of that range is 5,475 copies per year for gross sales of $437,726.25 from a web site that costs less than $10 per month.
The profit on Parrotsecrets, even after various expenses I’ll detail below, is WAY north of $400,000 per year.
Could you live on that?
Me too.
The thing I love the most about Parrotsecrets is not the great money but that it actually serves a need. People really do have problems with their parrots and there isn’t that much information out there about how to train and care for parrots that is in an easily accessible form. Parrotsecrets not only isn’t a scam, it isn’t even a waste of money. This is a real business doing real good for real customers.
Parrots are apparently a huge financial drain and $79.95 is nothing to pay if it saves a vet visit per year and keeps you from losing a fingertip or having your parrot call Grandma a whore.
The first thing that’s remarkable about Parrotsecrets is how it came about. The owner of Parrotsecrets, for one thing, doesn’t even own a parrot. Rather, the owner set out to find a niche in the information economy that could be filled with eBooks as sold here. The first step in the development of Parrotsecrets, then, was to identify the frustration of Parrot owners.
I’m not going into the fine details of how parrots were isolated as a subject, but it involved a lot of scanning discussion forums and looking for unrequited Google searches. In time it became clear to the entrepreneur that parrots were an untapped market. If you were to undertake something similar you could either isolate a topic you actually know a lot about (either as a master or a victim) or go searching like the Parrotsecrets owner did. Either way, I’m sure you’d soon come up with a topic.
The young and lovely Mrs. Cringely has a particular health problem she darned well doesn’t want me to reveal to anyone including you that I have figured is perfect for the Parrotsecrets treatment. I’ve been urging her to move forward on her own but she just won’t. So if I ever get a weekend off (I’ve waited over a decade so far, which makes that unlikely) I’ll write the darned eBook myself and retire.
eBooks have no manufacturing costs, no inventory costs, and almost no distribution costs. Best of all, it is a GLOBAL business. People are having trouble with their parrots everywhere, you know, not just in the U.S., and Parrotsecrets can deliver anywhere.
But first you must have something to deliver. Having identified a topic, the founder of Parrotsecrets needed an eBook. The easiest way to do this was to post the requirement on one or more of the many freelancing web sites. Writers bid on the job and the original eBook (note there are now four eBooks in the offer) went for around $2500, deliverable in 30 days.
The Parrotsecrets founder ordered from Amazon.com every book on parrots (deliverable to the winning freelancer) then waited a month for the eBook to appear.
That month was used to buy the domain, design the web site, prepare a Google AdWords campaign, and be ready to be up and running as soon as the eBook was finished.
If you’ve been keeping track you can see that starting this business cost substantially under $10,000 and probably under $5,000. The Kauffman Foundation on Entrepreneurism says 95 percent of small businesses are started for less than $10,000. This is one of those.
The web site follows a popular design philosophy. It is a single page that scrolls on and on forever, pounding the reader with testimonials and reason upon reason for buying the eBooks. These characteristics have shown themselves to be very persuasive with the Parrotsecrets target audience, which are older women stuck with (or thinking about getting) naughty parrots. That’s why the figurehead for Parrotsecrets is Nathalie Roberts (“A Parrot Lover For The Last 12 Years”).
Nathalie (“A Parrot Lover For The Last 12 Years”) looks like someone we can trust.
Nathalie also doesn’t exist.
Nathalie Roberts (“A Parrot Lover For The Last 12 Years”) is like Betty Crocker – a character created to market a product. If you are offended by the idea that Nathalie isn’t real, then start boycotting cake mixes, kids.
EVERYTHING about Parrotsecrets is calculated. Nothing is left to chance. The site is promoted by word-of-mouth (remember it performs a real service) and with Google AdWords. Of course AdWords can kill you if you aren’t careful and that’s part of the reason why parrots were chosen in the first place: there simply isn’t that much competition for the word “parrot.”
According to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, Parrotsecrets has been around since May, 2004 or almost five years, during which it has generated more than $2 million for its owner.
The owner of Parrotsecrets isn’t Nathalie Roberts, isn’t even a woman, and isn’t even American. He’s Indian and lives in India. When Parrotsecrets began he lived (and still lives as far as I know) with his parents, who are both medical doctors. When the site started in 2004 he was 18 years old, making him 23 today.
Parrotsecrets doesn’t run on autopilot. The owner has invested continually in improving the product adding eBooks and free extras to improve the appeal of his product. He (or someone) corresponds with his customers using e-mail. But given that the service is coming primarily from India you can imagine that his continuing costs are quite low.
Imagine what it would be like to make $400,000+ per year. Now imagine what it would be like to be 23, single, living in India, making $400,000+ per year. And Parrotsecrets is not his only web site.
I have known about Parrotsecrets since 2005 when I met the owner in Las Vegas, of all places (a surreal experience — an Indian teenage tycoon on his first-ever visit to America starts with Vegas). In one sense I didn’t want to blow his cover because it is so cleverly drawn. But now I can see the need for a lot of smart people to make a new living as they lose their jobs. I’ve also rationalized that this column may actually drive business his way, not just from parrot owners but also from entrepreneurs who want good examples of a product to emulate.
Go forth and multiply. May the Parrotsecrets be with you.
Wow. You guys really need to get out more.
Next thing you know you’ll be telling me that you think Robert X Cringley is a real person…
Cheers, Pete.
Curiously, I get my Cringley fix in GMail, and none of the adds that appear next to this article say anything about Parrots. They reference Green Business, Home-based Business, eBook reader, Click-bank website, eBook website, and Franchise Broker School.
I wonder how well his Addwords investment is working.
Is there anywhere at all that provides even the slightest proof that this statement is true:
“The site sells 15-20 eBook sets ……sales of $437,726.25 ”
I’m really confused how people can focus on the ethics involved while ignoring the obvious.
Maybe I’m missing something.
A wealthy Indian guy living with his parents in India?
Suitably unverifyable.
Hell…why list specifics? Nothing about this is credible in any way.
Somebody. Tell me why anybody believes any part of this.
I agree.
While I’m sure it seems unbelievable that people make money this way, you need to think about the sheer volume of search on google, and that everything (down to each and every time you put in words and hit “enter”) is verifiable. Do you know that the number one “how to ” search on Google is “How to Tie a Tie”? There is someone that sells video courses on how to tie a tie. Now, If you are getting ready for Prom, and it’s your first time wearing a tie, isn’t that worth $5 or 10.00 to you?
Secondly, when you go to a bookstore, or subscribe to a magazine, aren’t you paying for someone elses knowledge and experience? What is the difference if that book is downloadable versus a hard copy (hello Kindle?). While I certainly know that the internet marketing world is boastful and full of strong willed people, I cannot believe that it’s all hype. There are tons of people making silent money online, the days of questing to be the next Ebay are somewhat over.
My two cents…
how do i know this is not a scam?
I see a lot of jealous, self-righteous people in these comments – it’s surprising given the crowd that usually frequents this column. We’re all out to make some money, whether it’s out of sheer greed or a need to support our family. I don’t spend 8 hours a day in an office building because I hope to better the economy or contribute to the world – I need to make a living to support my lifestyle and my family.
This parrot example is simply highlighting an interesting way of making good money on the web. And remember, these people were not forced to buy anything – they read the marketing and testamonials, then make their own decision. I think it’s brilliant, and it’s inspired me to try something similar…I’m thinking, “corn dogs” – history of, recipes, etc.
I have enjoyed reading many Cringely columns over the last couple of years, but this one convinced me to drop it from the feed reader.
Goodbye Bob!
Another unsatisfied customer ….If Bob had dollar for every person who claimed they’ll never read I,Cringely again … he’d probably be able to buy gasoline for about a year!
I’ll be there at this guy’s next comment, going, “Hah!”
Thanks for posting this article on parrotsecrets.com. It increased traffic to our site to almost 2000 visitors last week – just what we have been waiting for.
I can assure you that the owner of parrotsecrets.com, Sumantra Roy, and his wife or partner Nabanipa Roy (aka Nancy Richards & Nathalie Roberts) are scammers from India, and many people have been duped by their businesses. These do not only include parrot sites, but also many dog training sites like dogtraininginstitute.com and .org and trainpetdog.com.
Basically people are lured into signing up for a membership site dedicated to their particular breed of dog, and never receive access information. There turns out to be no office, no email replies, and no help. And there is no information for the particular breed. Now is that not a scam?
The only way to get your money back is to write a letter to India, as it states in the “terms of use” of the sites. How many people believe that is going to work today? In the meantime you keep getting daily mails from which you cannot unsubscribe (scam).
Sumantra Roy was, before he started these scamming businesses, a “well-known” and “well-respected” SEO specialist, publishing and being quoted on sites of Ralph Wilson and Alan Gardyne. We are talking 2001 and 2002. His SEO tools and programs soon disappointed users, and Sumantra Roy created the parrot and dog sites in 2004 and 2005. At the same time he purchased sumantraroysucks.com.
Upon asking Ralph Wilson in 2008 if he was aware what Sumantra Roy was doing with his scams, Wilson replied per email that he barely knew the guy and had met him only briefly in a booth at a conference – even though Wilson has several articles by Roy on his site.
In 2009 Sumantra Roy is still in business, now with a conversionmultiplier tool, listing himself to be CEO of conversionmultiplier.com. We have been watching this business for a year now, and it doesn’t look like it’s not a great success.
It is true: Sumantra Roy found a niche in scamming with the parrot and dog sites. The ebooks may be delivered as promised, but it stands that the membership sites are a scam. The price recently even has increased from $37 to $67 for a membership. Ripoffreport.com has many complaints about the sites. Sumantra Roy does not at all deserve to be model for a successful internet entrepreneur and you failed to do your research, Mr. Cringely.
For more details on scamming by Sumantra Roy, please visit http://www.nancyrichards.org.
Nice article.
Now that we know the problems with this fellow and his other offers, turn off the skeptic and turn on the optimist in you. This is a valid idea and a very valid business format. Thousands of people all over the world are doing exactly what is explained in this article, and doing it successfully.
Some are doing a lot less business from their work. Some are doing a lot better. But – many, many people are busy making this business plan work for themselves, finding what does work, rather than finding what’s wrong with it.
Where else can you spend a tiny amount of money to create a product and a business that will pay you virtually forever with little additional effort?
Well, I can think of quite a few business models that generate income “virtually forever with little additional effort”: drugs and prostitution for example.
In many countries, this “parrots secret” type of marketing is either illegal or at least prosecuted by the authorities as misleading. There is a legal line drawn between advertising that is mere puff, such as shampoo ads and ads that are misleading.
I am a criminal trial lawyer and I am all too often privy to why people engage in illegal activities. Typically these otherwise nice people do not consider themselves criminals and have no or little remorse, take no or little responsibility for their actions and blame it on circumstances beyond their control, such as :
(i) needing the money !
(ii) the victim caused it
(iii) if they didn’t, some one else would have
(iv) its common, everyone does it and finally
(v) they are picking on me.
Just plain sad really.
Say it ain’t so, Bob!
I put you in the category of someone I can rely upon for good information and sound reasoning. For example, I seriously looked at home-account.com based solely on your recommendation and affiliation with the site.
But Parrotsecrets? Here is where you lost me: “If you are offended by the idea that Nathalie isn’t real, then start boycotting cake mixes, kids.”
Assuming you are referring to the venerable Betty Crocker, there are some huge gaping (and very disappointing) holes in your reasoning. First, I don’t think anybody would confuse Ms. Crocker with a real person. She has entered the pantheon of brand goddesses and is no longer a mere mortal. And yes, it would be deceptive to represent her as a real live person whom we can and should identify with as a fellow toiler in the kitchen. It’s the difference between Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart. This “Nathalie Roberts” is nothing like Crocker or Stewart.
If I were a parrot-owner, it would mean something to me that a fellow parrot-owner has created a product to help us. Parrotsecrets is being just plain deceptive, and you, upon whom I have relied to shine light on deception, have given them a pass. And it has been left up to your commenters to expose the ugly truth about Parrotsecrets.
I hope you won’t be defensive and can learn something from your commenters.
And I can’t spout off without putting in a plug for my own contribution to economic recovery, MyMindshare.com
mind-share n.
the amount of attention required by something, the time spent thinking about something
1. My mindshare is mine.
2. My mindshare has real monetary value.
3. I have a right sell, trade, or keep my mindshare as I choose.
4. Nobody is entitled to take my mindshare without my permission.
5. Unsolicited and intrusive advertising amounts to mindshare theft.
6. Mindshare theft is wrong.
7. I have a right to resist mindshare theft.
8. I demand media that does not deal in stolen mindshare.
9. I support media that respects my mindshare.
10. The world is better when individuals control their mindshare and their media.
[...] I, Cringely » Blog Archive » Parrot Secrets – Cringely on technology [...]
Simply GOOGLE “ParrotSecret.com scam” and see what turns up.
OMG
I had no idea that Cringely was a pseudonym:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_X._Cringely
That explains a lot.
I just got off the phone with Mr. Cringely himself, which in-and-of itself is cool.
I wouldn’t describe him as defensive, but he did defend his point/position vis-a-vis ParrotSecret. We agreed to disagree.
One of my main concerns was his credibility as a journalist/commentator. The fact that he personally stands behind what he writes and technically is honest somewhat reassures me, even though I may disagree with his view of right and wrong marketing.
I will continue to read Cringely, but I will also read more of the comments he gets as a check on his reportage.
Reading through the comments, I’ve come to the conclusion that the concept that Mr Cringley reports on is valid, its just that he picked a bad example.
It looks like we have a scam here, and perhaps pete (above) is right, and this is just a bad example. So, going through your notes, out of the 10,000 sites that are doing something similar..are any of these 10,000 sites a) generating high revenue, and b) not scams? If there is another site, then what makes -that- site successful?
This is really interesting. While I do not appreciate the type of advertising and marketing that ParrotSecrets uses, I do recognize that it is a successful format. Leaving aside the specific customer management issues that this particular site may have, you have shown us a viable business model that is proven to be successful. Rather than focusing on how we could implement such a program, and address it’s specific deficiencies, everyone seems to be saying that this particular business should not be allowed to operate.
I am truly saddened that in the land of rampant free enterprise, during an economic downturn, so few seem to realize that they could run a similar business. They could make the business even more successful by addressing the quality and “scam” aspects, and make a decent living. Rather than focusing on the possibilities, the discussion seems to be criticism of this specific site. That is disheartening, to say the least.
[...] Роберту Кринджли, сайт довольно успешно делает в год более 0,000, продавая электронную книгу за .95. Автор купил на [...]
I’m more familiar with this… http://www.teachyourparrottotalk.com/
as an eBook success, it’s under $40.00 I’m not ordered it so I can’t speak
as to its validity.
This is a great way to make money on the Internet and has a lot of potential. I myself have written eBooks in a niche that needed problems solved and made one page websites like that for it. I even had a pen name for privacy reasons.
This person used a ‘ghostwriter’ to make his eBook and there’s nothing wrong with that. I made mine with basically zero cost because I wrote them myself, based on my own experiences and extra research was from the library, etc. From doing this, I can see that this business has A LOT of potential to make A LOT of money. The reason I didn’t continue with it is because it didn’t suit me personally and I found a different way to make money online which does very well (and it’s in the parrot niche too).
Running this type of business properly is win-win. You make lots of money and you get to help people with their problems. My readers have emailed me thanks for helping them.
However, I am against using fake testimonials (real ones only… even if it means asking people to read your book for free and give you feedback and a testimonial if it helped them and they think you deserve one) and false promises. People wanting refunds should be able to do so easily.
Great business model, wish people would stop complaining about the concept.
Cringe, did you catch this:
http://www.wisebread.com/how-a-teenager-started-a-multi-million-dollar-online-business-with-a-parrot
This is nothing more than another SCAM and an opportunist and exploiter….parrots never have and never will make good pets. They are genetically programmed to SCREAM and BITE; they are flock birds that never should have been placed inside a cage. They have wings and should be flying free with other parrots. People never cease to amaze me with their greed and evil motives. If this person is Indian, then they believe in the here and after, and I hope you will return as one of those caged parrots forced to spend 80+ years in isolation and living in terror. There is no amount of “training” that can force a parrot to be a good “pet”. Who in their right mind wants a “pet” that bites and screams.
“If the person is Indian, then they believe in the here and after”.
No, thats just stupid. Anyone with a brain doesn’t believe in the “here and after” and just because you are Indian doesn’t make you stupid.
[...] This was one of my favorite recent posts on the “The Business of Software” discussion forum on Joel On Software. [...]
I can handle fake testimonials and personas. What drives me crazy is short weighting. Geeez… a 40 pound bag of dog food is down to 31 pounds and a 16 ounce container of ricotta cheese has been 15 ounces for as long as I can remember.
Oh… and don’t get me started on product formulations… like American Cheese. There is absolutely no way that what the Feds define as American Cheese could be interpreted as cheese.
Why can’t we live in a world where all marketing is required to be absolutely literal without any variation from the literal truth?
Would that be a problem?
People would be better served, for free, by following the advice of such REAL parrot experts as can be found on mytoos.com and Sally Blanchard of companionparrot.com
It someone is willing to invest money in their bird, it would be better spent by a trip to a qualified avian vet and consultation with an expert who has an amount of objective credibility (original research, and a resume full of references).
Reading this article about those scammers made me sick… and it bites that the real experts in the parrot niche haven’t been so marketing savvy!
Cringley,
I don’t see any replies to the comments above. Do you interact with your audience? I ask this with all due respect. I can imagine being involved in a blog where the author does not interact with his audience. Thanks
Best
Jose
[...] Parrot Secrets column economics of tightly focussed internet ebook publishing since 2005. Comments paint site as [...]
OMG check out this guys article, he’s totally ripping off your post! http://www.wisebread.com/how-a-teenager-started-a-multi-million-dollar-online-business-with-a-parrot
[...] I, Cringely: “The owner of Parrotsecrets isn’t Nathalie Roberts, isn’t even a woman, and isn’t even American. He’s Indian and lives in India. When Parrotsecrets began he lived (and still lives as far as I know) with his parents, who are both medical doctors. When the site started in 2004 he was 18 years old, making him 23 today. …Imagine what it would be like to make $400,000+ per year. Now imagine what it would be like to be 23, single, living in India, making $400,000+ per year. And Parrotsecrets is not his only web site.” I hear that this article caused outrage (more like ‘white rage’). [...]
[...] Niche The quirky, yet insightful, technology blogger Bob Cringely recently highlighted a site making a tidy $400,000 per year selling e-books on parrot care and training. What niche uses of [...]
“parrots never have and never will make good pets. They are genetically programmed to SCREAM and BITE; they are flock birds that never should have been placed inside a cage. They have wings and should be flying free with other parrots. People never cease to amaze me with their greed and evil motives. If this person is Indian, then they believe in the here and after, and I hope you will return as one of those caged parrots forced to spend 80+ years in isolation and living in terror. There is no amount of “training” that can force a parrot to be a good “pet”. Who in their right mind wants a “pet” that bites and screams.”
That is just a totally ignorant statement that is being made from someone who has either never owned a parrot or is upset that they failed at keeping one because they never took the time to properly research the parrot and considered the time and money involved in keeping a healthy parrot. I have seen dozens of beautiful healthy and tame parrots that make wonderful pets, yes you must know going in that the make noise, that is what parrots do, but it can be controlled with attention. Wise up.
[...] that through ebook sales and other revenue streams can make up to $100,000 per year, or the parrot owner’s site that can make $400,000 per year. The key is targeting your message to the relevant market and [...]
[...] that through ebook sales and other revenue streams can make up to $100,000 per year, or the parrot owner’s site that can make $400,000 per year. The key is targeting your message to the relevant market and [...]
Bob,
This article inspired me to try my hand at the same business model. Just launched my site. There are some really cool tools out there. E-junkie stores my ebook, performs the transactions via Paypal and distributes the ebook with the customers information watermarked in the upper left corner of each page.
Hi Drewby,
Good for you!
I’m happy that you took action to make money online. There is no cheaper or easier place to own a profitable business than it is on the net.
Indidentally, what is the site you started if you dont mind sharing?
Koorosh,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I visited your http://www.hiddenmindsecrets.com site. I’m following the same formula as you, however, my site (http://www.trybuntu.com) lacks some of the pizazz.
Now that the book is written and the site is up and running, I’ll be learning the search engine ranking game and possibly adword campaigns. Any suggestions you can offer to promote sites and products would be greatly appreciated.
You have inadvertently driven so much traffic to his site that it appears that his host has suspended his account.
Hi,
Sumantra was not 18 when he started this website. He was in his mid-20’s and now he is around 30. So, he was not a teenager. Yes he is Indian and works from Kolkata. Though he has made a lot of money, but most of his products are failures as the dog and parrot ebooks do not offer anything unique and most of the customers are not happy and there are many who ask for a refund. His SEO & PPC services were also a failure as in most cases, he could not deliver the traffic (10,000 clicks for $ 500 in the PPC plan). His latest venture http://www.conversionmultiplier.com has been a failure too.
I can tell you all this because I have worked as a senior employee in his company for quite a few years.
Оригинальная идея. Только вот интересно сколько времени на это потрачено?
realy sexy voice, i like it.
[...] Блестящий пример этого перекоса – http://www.parrotsecrets.com и его изнанка (кратко – анонимус из Индии втридорога впаривает [...]
Подписался на Ваш блог. Спасибо Вам за интересные публикации
Сегодня отличный день для хороших постов
Автор молодец, все бы такие посты писали
Браво, великолепная идея и своевременно
[...] Parrot Secrets Review [...]
Their affiliate program: http://www.parrotsecrets.com/affiliates.php
“You will earn high commission rates of 50% on all sales of my training course that you generate for me!”
So, I imagine a lot of their revenue goes to pay affiliates.
yes the subject of the is dubious BUT
good and extremely rare to read a blog that has a high quality of reader comments.
thank you commenters
Благодарю!полезная инфа щас копирну!
Людям важнее найти что-то интересное для релакса, ежели что-то более важное и глубокое по смыслу.
Очень четко написано, очень понравилось. Не жалею что прочитал
Hi,
I have just read your post and would be grateful if you could tell me where the information came from ?
Thanks and keep up the good work.