Let’s get straight to the point.
You are broke. Or you’re not as wealthy as you know you could be. You feel stuck. You’re working hard, maybe even following the popular advice, but the results… they’re just not there.
Here’s the brutal, liberating truth: You are likely a victim of the single most expensive psychological scam in the world.
It’s not a conspiracy by the banks. It’s not bad luck. It’s a bug in your brain’s operating system that’s being exploited every single day. It’s called the Bandwagon Effect, and it’s quietly pilfering your potential, your profits, and your peace of mind.
I’m Eben Pagan. I’ve built and sold multiple companies. I’ve taught millions how to escape the middle-class treadmill. And I’m here to tell you that the moment you understand this trap is the moment your financial life changes forever.
What Is This "Bandwagon" And Why Are You On It?
Think about the last big decision you made with your money. Investing in a "hot" stock? Starting a business in a "booming" industry? Buying a course because "everyone" was talking about it?
You felt a pull. A sense of safety in numbers. "If all these people are doing it," you thought, "it must be the right move."
That feeling? That’s the trap.
The bandwagon effect is a cognitive bias where we adopt beliefs and behaviors simply because *many other people are doing it*. It’s herd mentality. It’s the deep, primal wiring in your brain that whispers: "Fitting in is safer than standing out."
In our ancestors' tribes, this was survival. In the modern marketplace, it’s financial suicide.
Let me explain why.
The High Cost of Conformity: Your Wallet Is Bleeding
The bandwagon doesn’t just influence your fashion or your music taste. It dictates your financial destiny. And it does so in three devastating ways:
1. It Makes You Buy High and Sell Low. This is the investor’s death sentence. A stock or crypto coin starts rising. The news covers it. Your friends are bragging about their gains. The bandwagon is rolling, and the fear of missing out (FOMO) becomes unbearable. So you jump on… right at the peak. Then, when the inevitable correction happens and panic sets in, the herd stampedes for the exits. And you sell at a loss. The crowd’s emotion became your strategy, and it gutted your portfolio. The winners? They bought when no one was looking and sold when everyone was shouting.
2. It Lures You Into Saturated, Low-Margin Hell. You see a "gold rush" industry. Maybe it's drop-shipping, real estate investing, or a new social media platform. The gurus are everywhere. The success stories are flooding your feed. The bandwagon is packed. So you invest your time, money, and soul to get in… only to find a brutal, hyper-competitive market where only the established players win. You entered at the point of maximum competition and minimum opportunity. The real winners built their wagon *before* the parade started.
3. It Tricks You Into Believing "Popular" Means "Correct." This is the most insidious part. We confuse consensus with truth. We think, "All these smart people can’t be wrong." History is littered with the wreckage of this assumption—from financial bubbles to failed medical fads. In your life, it means following generic, crowd-pleasing advice like "save 10% and invest in index funds." Is it safe? Maybe. Will it make you truly wealthy and free? Almost never. It’s the middle-class mantra. The crowd’s plan is designed for the crowd’s results: average.
But wait. It gets worse.
The Invisible Prison: Why You Can't Even See The Trap
You might be thinking, "I’m not that easily influenced." That’s the trap talking.
The bandwagon effect creates a self-reinforcing reality distortion field:
- Informational Cascades: You see others acting, so you assume they know something you don’t. You ignore your own research and gut instinct. You outsource your judgment to the herd.
- Normative Pressure: You fear social or professional ridicule for doing something different. "What will my family think if I quit my stable job?" "What will my friends say if I invest in something they've never heard of?" This fear of social exile keeps you in line… and in lack.
- The "Default" Path: The ultimate bandwagon is the standard life script: go to school, get a job, save a little, retire poor. It’s so normalized you don’t even question it. It’s the biggest, slowest-moving bandwagon of all, and it’s headed directly to a life of quiet financial desperation.
So you see the problem. Following the crowd is a recipe for average results, missed opportunities, and financial fragility.
Now, let’s talk about the escape.
Breaking Free: How The 1% Think (And Act) Differently
The wealthy aren’t smarter than you. They are *differently wired*. They have learned to override the bandwagon impulse. They don’t follow markets—they anticipate them. They don’t chase trends—they set them.
Here is your blueprint to break free:
Phase 1: Cultivate Contrarian Consciousness. Your new mantra: "If everyone is doing it, there’s no opportunity left." Start questioning every piece of popular financial advice. When you feel the pull of the crowd, lean into the opposite impulse. Ask: "What is the unseen opportunity here? What is the crowd *overlooking*?" This isn’t about being rebellious for its own sake. It’s about seeking truth, not consensus.
Phase 2: Become an Information Archeologist. The crowd runs on surface-level news and social media hype. You must dig deeper. Go to primary sources. Read quarterly reports, not just headlines. Study industry white papers. Talk to customers, not just competitors. Your goal is to develop an information *advantage*—to know something valuable that the herd does not. This is how you spot value before it becomes obvious.
Phase 3: Develop "Pre-Trend" Radar. Forget chasing trends. Your new skill is identifying *signal* before it becomes *noise*. Look for: small communities of passionate early adopters, solving a real problem in a clunky way, a technology that is 10x better but not yet user-friendly. This is where you plant your flag. This is how you get in before the bandwagon is built.
Phase 4: Build Your Own Wagon. The ultimate freedom is not jumping off the bandwagon—it’s constructing your own vehicle. Instead of fighting for a seat on the crowded "make money online" train, build a system that serves a niche you understand deeply. Instead of investing in the hot IPO, use your skills to start a cash-flowing side project. You create value on your terms. This is the mindset shift from consumer to creator, from follower to leader.
Phase 5: Embrace Strategic Solitude. You must create space to think independently. This means curating your information diet, limiting exposure to mass media panic/euphoria cycles, and spending time in deep, uninterrupted thought. The herd is noisy. Your wisdom is quiet. You must protect the silence where your best ideas are born.
The Invitation to a Different Life
Look, I know this isn’t easy. Going against the grain feels risky. It feels lonely. But let me ask you: What’s the cost of staying *on* the grain? A life of "what if?" A retirement of anxiety? Leaving opportunity on the table for your family?
The bandwagon is comfortable. But comfort is the enemy of achievement. The path to real wealth—the kind that gives you freedom, options, and peace of mind—is *always* less crowded.
It’s walked by individuals who dare to see what others ignore. Who have the courage to act while others hesitate. Who understand that true success is found not in following the map, but in drawing a new one.
Your breakthrough starts the moment you decide to step off the crowded path.
The question is: Are you ready to build your own wagon?
The crowd is waiting for a leader. It might as well be you.
Eben Partridge