Don Lapre
The name Don Lapre is one that is familiar to anyone who had problems sleeping during the nineties. His infomercials were always on after Seinfeld, and it was either that or the Home Shopping Network back then.
The one I am most familiar with is the ad where he claims to have made $50,000 in one month out of a one bedroom apartment. He promises to show how this is done so that you too can be living the easy life in one to three months. He parlayed these concepts, which never really did measure up to their TV promises, into a company called New Strategies. New Strategies offered to make a person rich using methods that while being basically business sound, were easily and far more cheaply available in other places such as the library and later the Internet. While initially a lot of people signed up for this program, it didn't take people long to realize that they weren't getting all they had paid for. The authorities started taking an interest in Mr. Lapre. The next few years were rocky ones for Don Lapre. He found himself in court several times over questionable business practices like not properly registering his business, and not paying the correct state taxes. He was bought out of the business he had started by Universal Business Strategies in 1999,which then continued to use Mr. Lapre's image in their advertising campaign. Mr. Lapre's infomercials continued to air, though he had in fact already left the company. In 1997, Don Lapre decided to make and market a nutritional supplement. He contacted Doug Grant, who was already known in the field. They formed a company in 2003, to market their new product. It was called "The Greatest Vitamin In The World" Mr. Lapre began to appear on early morning infomercials again, marketing his new product. He made claims that "Nothing like this has ever been seen before in the history of the world" Other extravagant claims soon followed with Mr. Lapre claiming that his supplement helped with conditions like diabetes, depression and cancer, just to name a few. The FDA was quick to warn Mr. Lapre against making such statements, which were basically untrue. He was cited by the FDA in 2005 and 2006. As of the time of this writing the websites for Mr. Lapre's product were down. Mr. Doug Grant was arrested for murder in the year 2005. His product has been pulled from stores around the world, as well as widely criticized by media and medical professionals alike. There isn't much else to say about Don Lapre. I can say with a certainty that I wouldn't buy anything he was selling. I was one of those insomniacs in the nineties who saw Mr. Lapre on TV claiming to have made $50,000 from his one bedroom apartment. And I have been around the block enough times to recognize a snake oil salesman when I see one. Where I come from we all work hard for what we have, and are proud of the things we do own. There was just something about the easy promises and the fact that you didn't have to do anything at all, that just didn't sit well with me, as well as most of the people I knew at the time. I am sorry if I have injected negative views into this article. But after all I learned it is hard not to. Mr. Lapre is not a very good businessman, nor is he a very smart one. If you're looking for a real opportunity without all the hype and B.S., then simply join my newsletter and I'll help you avoid the potholes and show you how I work the business of my dreams... it's a lot easier than you think and you can do it too!
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