I've never seen evidence that JB was a brilliant anything, other than salesman for shares.
Even the tape processing operation, where his supposed expertise lay, never made money.
It's always "building for the future", but it's just the same old scheme that was going on long before Ponzi - give me money today and I'll return many times it in the future.
I have no doubt that JB is great at explaining how he will make them rich, and why he's failed so badly in the past. I suspect Heddle and others got fooled early and now are "pot committed", either financially or psychologically. Unfortunately, I don't think chances are any better than they've been earlier. It looks like Heddle may be the last of the true believers and when he loses faith, there will only be death spirals left.
Unlike Marlon Brando, JBI never coulda been a contender.