Who Is Melvin Soh? What Is The X-Factor Method? Is This Legit Or A Scam? (THE TRUE STORY - EXPOSED!)

Hey, it's Mel ... co-founder of X-Factor Method.

I am excited to meet you and this page is my opportunity to share my 14 year business journey with you.

It's been a long, arduous, often painful, always exciting journey ...

From when I quit uni at 20... till today, coaching many of Asia's top marketers, speakers, coaches and sales leaders.

I have eaten one meal a day because I was so broke and sleeping on the couch of my parents' home (My mom never lets me forget those stories everytime I visit).

And I have made millions for myself, my partners and my clients.

Why am I sharing this story?

Well, two reasons.

1. I think too many people share only the glory stories.

Their highlight reel.

This is NOT my highlight reel.

This is my blooper reel for the most part ...

the lessons I learnt ... and how I turned it all around with grit, hard work and perseverance.

If I can do it, I truly believe you can.

I hope it inspires you :)

My story is packed with lessons too - which I learnt the hard way.

2. It allows you to know I am not some kind of internet "guru" desperate for attention or your dollar ...

But a real person who has invested the money, put in the hard work and genuinely has real lessons and value to share with people.

Me and Jo group coaching our X-Factor clients.

Me and my partner Ken doing our 4-day mastermind at W Hotel Sentosa in Sep 2021

You and I both know there are too many "experts" running around these days online ... many of whom have never done anything at all but are giving tons of rehashed advice.

I am NOT one of them.

The stories I tell are real.

I have the proof.

The witnesses.

The scars.

The photos.

When I share what I learnt, I come from a real place.

This is important to me because I only wish to work with real people that desire real success, and realise you never achieve anything in life without REAL hard work.

With that, please enjoy :)

Part One - Melvin Quits Uni And Decides To Venture Out At 20

My name is Mel and I am a uni dropout.

I was a rebel in school - and never quite followed the school rules growing up.

It caused my parents a lot of headache because I landed myself in a lot of trouble.

That said, the school couldn't expel me because I was also doing really well in grades.

I attended Chinese High and Hwa Chong - which were by Singapore standards pretty good schools.

Did well in my grades but never felt happy or fulfilled listening to my teachers talk about following the "conventional" scholar path of government scholarships, studying overseas or that kind of jazz.

I didn't want to do that, but when my parents challenged me - I didn't have a better answer.

And so after compulsory National Service, not wanting to go overseas despite having good grades, I was courted by literally every local uni there was.

But I wanted to go to none of them.

That of course was a highly unpopular decision with my parents.

I finally settled on Singapore Management University because the image of the uni was a bit more hip and cool.

I remember entering the double degree interview (which they were about to hand me on a silver platter) immediately asking for a single degree.

The interviewers were stunned but agreed.

In my first year of uni, I barely attended school.

I had read that many successful entrepreneurs who made billions were college dropouts.

And I had romantic ideas of quitting school, starting a business and becoming ultra rich.

So I skipped school as I checked out different business opportunities.

There was network marketing - from Agel (a gel nutrition company) to SkyQuestCom (a e-learning platform) and more ...

One of my first failed biz was this e-learning MLM company which flopped

And then there was a gel MLM company which also went belly up

I tried teaching housewives how to sell home-made product too

I tried it all with very limited success.

And then in 2009, I had an idea.

Maybe the reason I wasn't successful was because I still had to attend school.

Maybe if I quit - that would be the answer.

So in 2009, I never went back.

I told SMU I was out.

And I thought - now I can focus and make my billions.

Part Two - It All Goes Wrong And Mel Lives On The Poverty Line

Looking back, it was a dumb move.

Sure I had energy and free time - but I had no clue what I was doing.

I tried doing workshops with my friend Saiful.

This is me and Saif doing our first internet biz back in 2009

We did it for 6 months, made like 7 grand but soon ran out of ideas.

I tried starting a ebay business because that was the rave - but didn't know how to drive traffic or find a quality product.

I even started a online dating product for Asian dudes - and while that made pretty decent money in the first 3-4 months, it soon fizzled out as I didn't know what to do next.

My dating business teaching Asian men how to get their first girlfriend

For the next 5-6 years, I would bounce around in short-term gig after short-term gig ... making a little here, a little there before it ran out.

I had to teach at kids enrichment camps in the June and December holidays to make supplementary money.

Me teaching kids at Supercamp

In a year, my income averaged 800 bucks a month and I often had to eat one meal a day, scavenging on all the food I could find in my parents' house when I felt hungry.

I was now 26 years old, and my mom thought I was a bum.

Go get a damn job - she would tell me daily.

One day, she went told me to do some dishwashing at the nearby Chinese restaurant, 2nd floor of a shopping mall because of how broke I was.

It was a terrible time for me.

Part Three - The Only Silver Lining For Mel During Those Dark Days

During that period of time, the only bright spark in my life was me volunteering at events featuring some of the top speakers in the world.

I didn't have money to attend so the best I could do was to volunteer, serve and stand at the back of the room and learn.

I watched as folks like Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Harv Eker and many more went on stage, inspired thousands and marketed their products.

Whatever you feel about sales - nothing could deny they were really good at their craft.

I took copious notes every time I volunteered, and noticed how they behaved both on stage and behind the scenes.

I was a sponge learning everything I could.

My Lowest Point And Finding A Mentor

My lowest point was when I was 27 years old.

I was tired of making peanuts every month and living from hand to mouth.

I was eating my one vegetable rice meal a day, paying in coins.

My freelance marketing business was making next to nothing.

And I was tired.

Tired of "running a business" for years but having nothing to show.

Tired of being broke and hungry - without a plan to get out.

I needed a mentor.

And I found one online - on the 5th page of Google in a Starbucks one evening.

I saw that a gentleman called Marshall Thurber was doing an event called The Future of Business in Melbourne.

Now let's get a few things clear ...

I had never been to Australia.

I didn't have the money for the event or the flight to Australia.

I had never met Marshall before.

But the ad mentioned that Marshall had been the mentor to giants like Kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, Harv and an entire generation of great entrepreneurs (like Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerrys) ... and had the highest accolades from esteemed coaches like Jay Abraham.

The real reason that propelled me to go frankly was just a gut feeling.

Something within told me to get my ass to this event.

Now, remember the part about not having the money?

I had to borrow that from my girlfriend and my parents.

I scrapped together enough for a flight there and a ticket at the event.

5 weeks later, I was there in Melbourne.

Part Four - The Turnaround Begins

Online, people often mock this idea of having a mentor or a coach.

I get it - there are a lot of folks who over-promised, say how much they care about you when in actual fact they just want your cash.

But my story turns around because I found a genuine mentor in Marshall.

Marshall was 74 years old, tall and frail thin.

He was from Utah and had travelled 28 hours to Melbourne to teach.

But even though his body wasn't as strong, his spirit and wisdom and words had massive punch.

Everything he said hit home with me.

By the afternoon of the first day, I knew I had made the smartest decision to come.

By end day 1, I saw the light. I knew what I had to do to turn my marketing business around.

The 3-day event ended, and before I left - I walked up to Marshall and asked if I could continue learning from him.

And if he could be my mentor.

Me and my mentor Marshall, as he mentored me on how to grow my business

That was the moment my life started to change.

Was there an investment involved? Of course.

Nothing's free in this world, and for Marshall to gift me his time and wisdom without repayment - that would not be fair.

I had to work out an installment deal but I had both the determination to make it work and knowledge that he could help me.

I applied what Marshall taught me and within a few months, my few-hundred-dollars per month marketing business was generating a few thousands dollars per month.

I ended the year close to 5 figures a month.

Not a lot - but WAY MORE than 800 bucks a month.

I never looked back.

I continued to grow my marketing business the following year and things got better and better.

I even took on a gig with Supercamp Singapore, helping them single-handedly with marketing and sales.

Me leading Supercamp and helping them make millions

I used all I had learnt from Marshall and my years before to turn their failing kids camp business around to first being profitable, then making 6 figures ++ in profits. (By the time I left years later, I had made them 3 million in revenue)

My mom stopped calling me a bum.

Part Five - I Bring My Mentor To Asia

Then in 2016, while my own marketing gig was doing good money ... I had an inspiration to bring Marshall to Asia for him to teach what he taught me to folks here.

I couldn't explain why I decide to take on this daunting task.

It was a feeling that came to me - and little did I know how hard it was going to be.

Putting this on meant putting myself out there.

Having to speak to people in public - market and sell - and then organise Marshall's intensive 5-day class.

I knew it was going to be hard work, but I didn't know HOW hard.

But it was something I felt passionate about - after all Marshall was the reason for my turn-around.

And so I did.

By the good graces of God, I found my business partner Jo.

Meeting my biz partner Jo and collaborating to bring Marshall’s work to thousands around Asia … and making millions in the process

And the 2 of us, armed with nothing but passion and energy and some of the principles Marshall taught me decided to embark on this challenge.

I will spare you the painful stories but we made tons of mistakes

We had no idea how to sell to the public back then... and we bombed like crazy at the start We were ridiculed by competitors
Our ads were reported and we even got a legal letter

... and many more.

It wasn't easy but what kept us going was pure passion and a belief that Marshall could genuinely help people.

We managed through sheer hard work to enroll more than 100 people to Marshall's first class and made a very decent profit.

Marshall flew down personally from Utah and blew everyone away - and that was the beginning of us sharing Marshall's work.

Marshall does his Future of Business live class to top entrepreneurs in Singapore

In 2017 and 2018, we travelled the world sharing Marshall's work and folks flew in from all over Asia and the world to attend.

The reviews were outstanding, and 400+ people paid good money to attend Marshall's class held in KSL hotel in JB.

Marshall does his Future of Business live class to top entrepreneurs in Singapore

We were just 2 young guys with one team member putting on these mega-events - relying on all the help we could get from our partners and those who believed in us.

Folks frequently marvelled at how we were able to pull this off in such a short time, with a limited budget and team ... while also keeping to our principles and delivering excellent quality.

They also asked us to teach them these marketing methods because our events were attention-grabbing and making more than established competitors with decades of experience.

We always said no because we were a small team, and focus was essential.

Part Six - The Unexpected Happens ... And The Birth of X-Factor Marketing

Then in Oct 2018, I got an unexpected phone call.

Marshall had a heart attack.

He was still alive but needed a quadruple heart by-pass.

He was gonna make it - but I didn't want him to come back to Asia to do the events because that would stress his health out.

That 3 years of events was done - in one phone call.

I felt sad.

I had found great meaning sharing my mentor's work with people in Asia, and hearing about their transformation.

It was very much a part of my identity and Jo and I had to find what to do next.

That said, we were still bombarded by folks wanting us to teach them our marketing methods.

And so while thinking of what to do next, we decided to hold a class to reveal what we knew.

It was something to do while we brainstormed the next move.

What should we call it?

I came up with the name X-Factor since it was basically the essence of what we did.

Find what made a product/service special and stand out ... and shine that onto the marketplace to attract quality clients.

And that was the birth of X-Factor Marketing.

Our first class had 12 participants and we went there to just openly share what we knew.

There wasn't anything very polished about it as it was less a class, more a sharing of our humbling mistakes, the lessons we learnt and what worked.

I roped in too some of the lessons I had subconsciously picked up in my early days watching some of the greatest sales people and speakers do their thing on stage.

At the end of the 3 days, participants loved what we shared.

They found it raw, authentic, no fluff and straight from the heart.

WHEN'S YOUR NEXT ONE? - they asked.

Jo and I looked at each other.

This was supposed to be a one off.

Were we going to do the next one?

The next few ones we did in Jo's house on his couch.

We placed a flipchart stand in the living room and taught it with the same passion and transparency.

What we learnt, what we knew, what worked.

People really liked it and wanted us to carry on after the class to coach them.

Bit by bit, Jo and I saw that this was something people wanted.

And soon after, we decided to do X-Factor in a more consistent manner and let more people know about it.

Part Seven - What We Do Today, Everyday!

Today, 3 years since the phone call about Marshall ... Jo and I spend our time teaching speakers, consultants, marketers and sales people how to stand out from the pack and attract high-quality clients using The X-Factor Method.

We have evolved our methods since 2018 but we still teach it with the same authenticity and passion.

We make it a point to be ultra transparent with who should come and who shouldn't attend.

We don't teach what we have never done before, and make sure to specify that the class is not for everyone.

We also have zero desire to be a "guru" because we know at heart we are just 2 simple guys who made a lot of mistakes, learnt lessons and discovered what worked after great trial and error.

You don't have to call us "sifu" or "guru" or whatever weird terms people use these days.

It gives us joy that participants attend our session, apply what they learnt and make money.

We also gather great satisfaction working behind the scenes with many top guys in the industry - top speakers, agency leaders, top marketers and more.

We ask them regularly why they come to us when there are so many other loud voices that blare ads non-stop.

The common answer we get back is because they recognise that we are the real deal, that they respect our integrity and we genuinely care.

And so that's what we do everyday now.

We love it - our clients appreciate what we do - and we look ourselves proud in the mirror daily, knowing we are doing good and deserving of our clients' investment and trust.

I hope that gives you an insight into who I am.

If you wish to deep dive into my past, all pics are available in the Albums section of my Facebook profile

>> FACEBOOK PROFILE

I leave it up there because my struggles are part of my past.

So are my mistakes.

And they make up who I am today :)

You can also see here Our X-Factor Client Success Stories

>> See Their Success Here

Our Google Reviews

>> Look at our reviews HERE

I hope to get a chance to meet you.

And if you read this and wish to connect, drop me a PM on either Facebook or my Instagram.

>> Melvin Soh on Facebook

>> Melvin Soh on Instagram

Lots of love and I hope my journey gave you inspiration and insights.

I hope to meet you one day - online or off.

With love,

Mel

P.S. Here are some of the clients we've helped and what they say about us.

HEAR WHAT ELITE PLAYERS SAY ABOUT US

Eugene Cheng

Co-founder of HighSpark Pte Ltd

Forbes 30 under 30

"We made $300k additional to what we usually would make ever since we started X Factor!"

Benjamin Loh

Top 12% of Professional Speakers

CEO of Flare Communications Pte Ltd

"Melvin and Josiah may as well be Asia's best-kept secret in helping their clients scale. In 6 weeks, they've helped me close a $56k deal!"

Alvin Poh

Former CEO of Vodien

Exited Vodien for $30M

"Before coming to X-Factor, I was lost. Now, I have more clarity and a sense of direction thanks to Mel and Jo! Plus, I've already made back the coaching fees for X-Factor and I'm not even done with the year yet!"