Godfather or businessman?
Success lessons were introduced to the Chinese mainland in the late 1990s, during which time many motivational lecturers from Hong Kong and Taiwan began to sell their ideas to entrepreneurs who began to gain their first bucket of gold since the Reform and Opening-up Period.
Chen Anzhi, who is now called by Liu Yimiao as "the little guy from Taiwan," was a motivational lecturer who began in Shenzhen in 1999.
Liu Yimiao was just a salesperson back then, according to Wang Yang, CEO of Menggongchang (Dream Factory), a Shenzhen-based brand planning firm.
Liu went to the US to learn speech techniques from renowned motivational lecturers in 2002, and then he decided to become a lecturer.
The first lesson Liu taught was held in Xingtai, Heibei in 2003, to an audience of 30 some friends introduced by one of Liu's old connections in the province.
According to Sibada, Liu was the head of the "National Research for Citizens Quality," an institute the Southern Weekend failed to find, while the application for an interview with Liu was rejected by Sibada because an "official letter issued by the provincial Cultural Department is needed."
A success lesson for us all
Although Sibada may be one of the most profitable "success-lecture" companies, it is definitely not the only one. It has become a popular trend for businessmen to take one of these "Godfather's success" lessons.
Each one of these "masters of success" promises to improve trainee's potential for gaining better business management strategies, solving problems, and becoming even more successful.
Salespeople's persistence alone cannot drag so many assumedly smart minds into these half-commercial, half-spiritual lessons; they are looking for salvation.
Cui made many new friends at the one week session taught by Liu's apprentices. Many of his 10,000 fellow classmates were just like him！tired and disoriented chief executives of small- to medium-sized companies.
The rapid economic growth in China has given these entrepreneurs opportunities to prove their talents commercially, but on the other hand, it frustrates them psychologically and physically, as they have to strive to keep pace with the development, say psychological experts.
Ma Zezhong, director of the counseling center at Peking University said half of his clients, who are generally entrepreneurs, have family issues such as marital problems, and the other 30-40% say they are under huge pressures as the market is getting more and more competitive.
Ma's line was verified by Southern Weekend, which in an interview with some of Liu's trainees found that many of them are frustrated because of either marital problems or tough rivalry.
Many of them told Southern Weekend that they think "Brother Miao" is a great help to them and will buy more lessons, but failed to specify which theory or statement of his inspired them.
Ma Li, a billionaire from Henan Province, was once a loyal follower of Liu¨s until one day, when she saw a fellow trainee who rushed to "Brother Miao," wanting to kowtow him. The trainee was taken away by Liu's "warriors" and Liu die not even look at him.
For the first time, Ma Li did not attend Liu's lecture, but sat outside the lecture room for an entire morning. "He told us to have 'big love,' but his behavior suggested otherwise," she said.
Once the spell was broken, Ma Li realized that she had once worshiped "Brother Miao," but he was not almighty. "He described a perfect world for you, where you can do better business and live better, but he did not tell you how to get there," she said.
