I deleted one of your comments because it said the same thing as in this comment.

Now readers know about pyramid schemes, if they choose to read your comment.

I am not agreeing with you by approving this comment, I am just letting it be published so other people looking into The Difference can read your opinion. I did not join so I do not know what was given in exchange for the money pledged. I believe that if there was any of the coaching that was offered it might be nice, but again, I don’t know.

“A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment or services, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, rather than supplying any real investment or sale of products or services to the public. [1][2]A successful pyramid scheme combines a fake yet seemingly credible business with a simple-to-understand yet sophisticated-sounding money-making formula which is used for profit. The essential idea is that a “con artist” Mr. X, makes only one payment. To start earning, Mr. X has to recruit others like him who will also make one payment each. Mr. X gets paid out of receipts from those new recruits. They then go on to recruit others. As each new recruit makes a payment, Mr. X gets a cut. He is thus promised exponential benefits as the “business” expands.
Such “businesses” seldom involve sales of real products or services to which a monetary value might be easily attached. However, sometimes the “payment” itself may be a non-cash valuable. To enhance credibility, most such scams are well equipped with fake referrals, testimonials, and information.
The flaw is that there is no end benefit. The money simply travels up the chain. Only the originator (sometimes called the “pharaoh”) and a very few at the top levels of the pyramid make significant amounts of money. The amounts dwindle steeply down the pyramid slopes. Individuals at the bottom of the pyramid (those who subscribed to the plan, but were not able to recruit any followers themselves) end up with a deficit.
[edit]The “Eight-Ball” model
Many pyramids are more sophisticated than the simple model. These recognize that recruiting a large number of others into a scheme can be difficult so a seemingly simpler model is used. In this model each person must recruit two others, but the ease of achieving this is offset because the depth required to recoup any money also increases. The scheme requires a person to recruit two others, who must each recruit two others, who must each recruit two others.

The “eight-ball” model contains a total of fifteen members. Note that unlike in the picture, the triangular setup in the cue game of eight-ball corresponds to an arithmetic progression 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15. The pyramid scheme in the picture in contrast is a geometric progression 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 = 15.
Prior instances of this scheme have been called the “Airplane Game” and the four tiers labelled as “captain,” “co-pilot,” “crew,” and “passenger” to denote a person’s level. Another instance was called the “Original Dinner Party” which labeled the tiers as “dessert,” “main course,” “side salad,” and “appetizer.” A person on the “dessert” course is the one at the top of the tree. Another variant, “Treasure Traders,” variously used gemology terms such as “polishers,” “stone cutters,” etc. or gems like “rubies,” “sapphires,” “diamonds,” etc.
Such schemes may try to downplay their pyramid nature by referring to themselves as “gifting circles” with money being “gifted.” Popular schemes such as the “Women Empowering Women”[26] do exactly this.
Whichever euphemism is used, there are 15 total people in four tiers (1 + 2 + 4 + 8) in the scheme – with the Airplane Game as the example, the person at the top of this tree is the “captain,” the two below are “co-pilots,” the four below are “crew,” and the bottom eight joiners are the “passengers.”
The eight passengers must each pay (or “gift”) a sum (e.g. $1000) to join the scheme. This sum (e.g. $8000) goes to the captain who leaves, with everyone remaining moving up one tier. There are now two new captains so the group splits in two with each group requiring eight new passengers. A person who joins the scheme as a passenger will not see a return until they advance through the crew and co-pilot tiers and exit the scheme as a captain. Therefore, the participants in the bottom 3 tiers of the pyramid lose their money if the scheme collapses.
If a person is using this model as a scam, the confidence trickster would make the lion’s share of the money. They would do this by filling in the first 3 tiers (with 1, 2, and 4 people) with phony names, ensuring they get the first 7 payouts, at 8 times the buy-in sum, without paying a single penny themselves. So if the buy-in were $1000, they would receive $8,000, paid for by the first 8 investors. They would continue to buy in underneath the real investors, and promote and prolong the scheme for as long as possible to allow them to skim even more from it before it collapses.
Although the ‘Captain’ is the person at the top of the tree, having received the payment from the 8 paying passengers, once he or she leaves the scheme is able to re-enter the pyramid as a ‘Passenger’ and hopefully recruit enough to reach captain again, thereby earning a”second payout.”

THIS IS A SCAM. JACQUELINE BIGNALL IS A CROOK. I WENT TO ONE OF THESE MEETINGS IN EARLY 2008. SHE ASKED EVERYONE FOR $2000 AND TOLD US WE HAD TO COMMIT TODAY OR ELSE LOSE OUR PLACE IN BECOMING PART OF SOMETHING ‘AMAZING’ THERE IS NO DOCO. BIGNALL IS A PERVERSE COOK AND SHE BE LOCKED UP. I KNOW PEOPLE WHO DID SIGN UP AND EVEN AFTER ASKING THEM TO STOP PAYMENTS BEING DEBITED OUT OF YOUR ACCOUNTS. THEY IGNORE YOU AND CONTINUE TO MILK YOU DRY….ANYONE WHO ENDORSE THIS RUBBISH IS PROBABLY ON BIGNALL’S PAYROLL

Thank you for your comment.

Honestly, I don’t know.

While 5.2 million dollars is a lot (a HUGE amount) of money, when one is running a business there is always business expenses. But it seems with all the traveling and things they did they could have just financed the movie themselves and still allow people to be the collaborative force. Because from what I understand the unique thing about it was the collaboration NOT where the money came from.

The cleverness of their target marketing group is always pointed out, because it is true. That is really how they draw people in. I mean the name ALONE is a hook.

I think YOU are the one who has contributed most in regards to answers. And unfortunately you just brought up questions . . . which in themselves are kind of answers. Hmmmmmm.

I got caught up in the energy, but I didn’t let my wallet get caught up. I didn’t see the dollar value in it. And at the time and presently I am doing more giving than I can afford, so I NEEDED to see a monetary value and I didn’t. The advertising portion was a big draw to me, but I could put a Youtube video up for free.

I am certain that people that participated in any type of group discussion and collaboration got SOMETHING out of it because the energy alone was amazing, but beyond that feel good feeling, I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything else. In fact, I used to look regularly but at one point the site was down. Then when it went back up there was even less information. And you know it could be that Jacqueline really wanted to do this and it was genuine, but then it turned out to not be as easy as she thought? I don’t know. The possibilities are endless. If I ever hear anything I will post about it so people can have answers, but, as I said, I stopped actually looking because I was getting tired of never finding any information. Again, thank you for commenting.

Oh, and if you ever learn more, come back and let us know.

Just go out and be the difference yourself!

In my very humble opinion The Difference film is no closer to being produced than it was when I joined.
Perhaps that is OK, because maybe the difference is in AWARENESS!!
I don’t claim to have the answers, but I do have questions that I would like answered.
If anyone has more information, please contribute.
Jae

I have only heard from people that have NOT signed up. Mostly because they think it is a scam. I have not heard from anyone that has signed up and can tell me what they are actually getting for their investment.

**********************

And, yes, “Ghandi”, there ARE many tools that people can use to make great little movies getting the word out about their product and services and changes to the world they want to see. It is amazing, isn’t it?

I am sorry that you are having a bad experience. Are you in business for yourself? Were you hoping to promote your business through the interview?

Thank you for sharing your story here. I don’t have access to my paperwork at the moment but is there something in the signed contract that would enable you to remind them that they are breaching the contract? Are they breaching the contract? I remember having the vague feeling that there wasn’t enough information in the paperwork I was given to make me feel comfortable giving them that kind of money so I don’t know if there is more information when you do actually sign up.

I recently found out that one of the women that was at the briefing with me did sign up. We had met once before after which we became friends on FaceBook. When I learned that she was a collaborator on the difference I asked her if I could interview her because I am interested in hearing what a collaborator is getting–at this point–for their contribution. She was on her way to a meeting with “The Difference” people and she said she would get back to me. She got back to me with a question which I “answered” by sending her the link to my blog post. I have not heard back from her. I was wanting to give someone who actually in involved a chance to speak since up until now (and you) the only people commenting are people who have only gone to the briefings.

It could just be that their schedule has been delayed and they have not yet had a chance to get film crews out to you. I mean even though this is a business and Jacqueline has had a few businesses this all is new to them and they might be struggling with how to handle it all. I don’t know . . . . I am just trying to give you hope that you still might get what you thought you would and it might work out.

Thank you again for sharing your story. Please come back and let us know how things are going. I am going to contact the collaborator again and see what she wants to share.

I was recently reading a blog I commented on and my comment was on there three times, so I know how that is. I wasn’t sure, so I was tentative in my reply.

So you actually know someone that is a collaborator? And she is being involved you say. That is good. If she is enjoying herself that is what is important. As long as she is getting out of it something she is happy with, that is all that matters.

I tend to think that the way they are selling it makes a lot of people leary. While I was in the briefing the big “sell” was the the collaboration and the interview, but from the explanation of the collaboration your ideas might never make it into the movie. And the six minute interview is only going to be shown on internet tv with 6000 other ones so there is no guarantee that it will even be seen. For some, the thought process was that shooting a video yourself and putting it on YouTube now would get a lot more viewing than something that won’t even be available for two or three years. Plus, I really think that some people had no idea it was a sales pitch. They were shocked when paying for this was brought up. In other words a lot of it could have to do with expectations. People were not expecting to be asked to open their checkbooks, so they were shocked and disappointed when that happened.

So you are saying somewhat the same thing that I have been saying. You are saying that your friend is enjoying the journey and the things that have been offered in addition to the “collaboration” and interview. I have said that if they deliver on their promises of “extras” you are going to receive as a collaborator then that is really what you are paying for.

Also, I understand that the people that are involved are feeling a difference being made, but again (‘cuz I think I have said it before) I don’t see this making a difference for every single person in the world. Although it has already made a difference in my life because I have made some connections because of it.

Thank you, Lolly. If your friend ever lets you know when they put more stuff . . . more updates up on the site let me know. I don’t check it, but I would if someone pointed out that there was progress on the project.