Content Growth EngineReviews of shanehummus.com

I joined Content Growth Engine on August 27, 2025, as a working carpenter trying to grow my hands-on YouTube channel, HouseMasters Carpentry. My channel is built around real carpentry, repairs, home-improvement work, and project videos—not primarily talking-head content. One thing I did value was the possibility of working at my own pace. I work full-time, and producing a weekly video also means spending considerable time filming and editing. Flexibility was important to me, and I did not expect anyone else to do the work for me. The money-back guarantee was also a major reason I decided to enroll. I remember seeing and hearing Shane discuss a guarantee in a video and understanding that there was a refund option if the program was not a good fit. I do not remember the exact terms or fine print, but that assurance was important in my decision to join. My main disappointment was the lack of proactive, individualized coaching and follow-up. I expected periodic contact, encouragement, and practical guidance based on my channel, schedule, and niche. In my experience, I generally had to initiate communication. I explained that I work many hours and spend substantial time editing videos, but I did not feel there was consistent follow-up or a clear, workable plan tailored to my situation. I later learned that CGE considers my enrollment to have been a six-month 1:1 coaching program. However, I did not understand at the time of enrollment that my access would end after six months. My understanding from the onboarding and enrollment process was that I would have the flexibility and time needed to work through the program at my own pace. Currently, my profile on the Skool platform shows "Free Membership," and I have not been given a clear written explanation of what coaching access remains or exactly when my access to the training material will end. The format was also difficult for me as a learner. Much of the material felt like watching training videos rather than receiving the interactive coaching experience I expected. I already understood some of the beginning material, such as identifying my niche, but my understanding was that I needed to complete modules before moving ahead. If I misunderstood how the modules were structured, clearer guidance would have helped. The member communication platforms were another challenge. I had never used Discord before joining, and it took time for me to learn. Once I became more comfortable with it, communication shifted to Skool, which was also unfamiliar and difficult for me to navigate. That transition made me less inclined to participate in group discussions. I also no longer have access to my previous Discord conversations, so I cannot review the earlier guidance or communications there. When my access period was nearing an end, I was told by phone that I would receive an additional month if I posted a Trustpilot review. I later sent an email explaining my concerns and asking for clarification about the access period, a longer no-cost extension, and how the money-back guarantee applied. I did not receive a response to that email. As of 2 weeks ago, my channel has grown substantially after I made changes with the help of the AI subscription I have. After changing my YouTube banner, I went from roughly 400 subscribers to more than 2,000 in under two weeks and became monetized. I am grateful for that progress, but I do not attribute it to guidance I received through CGE. CGE may work better for people who are comfortable learning mainly through self-paced video material and seeking help only when they are able to initiate it themselves. For me, I paid for a coaching program with a money-back guarantee—not only a library of training material—and I do not feel I received the proactive support, clear communication, or value I reasonably expected.

I was sold this program being promised that "85%" of members of CGE make 2-5k within the first 6 months. Then one of the very first onboarding meetings one of the coaches tells me that members make 2-5k after their first 6 months. Immediately I thought this was a scam. And I got scared and nervous, but I continued anyways. One of the first assignments is to find out what your channel is going to be about and discuss with one of the coaches. In all caps it says "YOU CANT MOVE ON FROM THIS MODULE UNTIL YOU KNOW EXACTLY ABOUT YOUR CHANNEL." I thought I found my niche and discussed it with their "client success manager." He said it was a good niche and we could go from there. Fast forward to me having all my assignments done, I have less than 100 subs and I'm being told they will extend the program for me and I can have a meeting with Shane. I meet with Shane and we discuss my channel, turns out, over 40 videos later, I AM NOT NICHED DOWN ENOUGH. Which was one of the FIRST assignments I had to do and COULD NOT MOVE ON until my coach and I figured out a niche. Okay so now with the extension I can figure it out? I keep posting videos consistently but the consistency dies because I don't know what I need to be doing. I have another meeting "oh its cause you're not posting consistently." But I'm running out of ideas and have no idea what videos I need to do because even after my meeting with Shane we never locked down a niche for me. They extend my program again, but not before trying to upsell me double the money when I told them I couldn't even afford this program to pay it in full. after a little less than a year I reached 100 subs. Then I start joining the group meetings, they audit my channel, and he says, "stop posting consistently cause you have that down, now you need to focus on making really good videos that's how you'll grow." Oh okay, I was told a few months back I need to post consistently and that's why I'm not growing. Then I have more meetings with more coaches, and a lot of them are starting to contradict each other about videos and thumbnails. I then have another upsell meeting, which, I felt like they forgot I was making payments that I couldn't even afford to pay for this program, and they end up extending the program again and are bringing on a brand new coach that maybe can give me some direction. I have a meeting with this new coach, and after a year and a half of being in this program I felt like I had the most productive meeting about what my niche should be. Then I had one more upsell meeting where I am also being told that this program is about how to do YouTube and not necessarily all about the business side. they told me they would give me until the end of the month to be in the program but by that time, every message I sent on the discord channel would get one response by one coach at 3am. I wanted to like this program, and I wanted to be successful, the tips that the coaches give about technical things like how to do the thumbnail, how to edit were really good, but I wouldn't have taken out a loan of 5,000 just to learn editing. I'm just really disappointed that I spent so much time and effort to leave this program feeling like nobody could really help me, they just wanted my money, money that I do not have. Because there were extensions, but the advice that was given everything was so contradictory. Update and response: I emailed out to them like they suggested, and they told me they would forward it to Murray, the customer success manager. That was going on 4 weeks ago. They got their money and weren't interested on solving anything other than trying to get me to pay them more money. Of course the exact wording wasn't in my discord chat, it was in the given assignments which I looked back on were updated this year. That's interesting, I wonder what could have been edited out. And after a year and a half of extensions by the time I was done with the program I had 450 subs and no clients. I also find it interesting that I talked with Murray in the future? September 9th 2026 isn't here yet, so not sure what that's about. I left the program at the end of May, actually before because again, I would get one coach to respond to me at 3am. There was also no denying that the information I was given was contradictory, so imagine dropping 5k and all the coaches tell you to do something different.