https://www.hulu.com/watch/352863
(Trouble viewing? See Tim Ferriss: A Day In The Life on Hulu. If you’re international, try using Hotspot Shield first.)
I’m often asked, “What does your typical day look like?”
In an attempt to answer this difficult question, I met up with Morgan Spurlock’s film crew for an episode of “A Day In The Life.” The full Friday we shot (I reserve Fridays for in-person meetings) reiterates a point I’ve driven home before: The 4-Hour Workweek is, and always has been, about using time optimally, not being idle.
It also shows how much I love my POS VW Golf, which is having its 10th birthday soon.
To clarify the intro, here’s a mostly complete list of start-ups I advise and have invested in [UPDATE 2014: Here is the most complete list of all my startups, which is kept up-to-date.]:
About.me (acquired by AOL)
DailyBurn (acquired by IAC)
Milk (acquired by Google)
Posterous (acquired by Twitter)
Foodzie (acquired by Joyus)
Uber (The Escalade in the above video was via Uber, which I use whenever parking will be a hassle.)
DonorsChoose.org (educational non-profit)
Schematic Labs (makers of SoundTracking)
Central Kitchen Restaurant (press)
DuoLingo (language learning)
Other investments, including late-stage and publicly traded, include:
Facebook (pre-IPO)
Twitter (pre-IPO)
Alibaba Group (pre-IPO)
SimpleGeo (acquired by Urban Airship)
Unsubscribe.com (acquired by TrustedID)
Digg (acquired by Betaworks)
Basis (acquired by Intel)
Would you like to work together? If so, watch the “Advise This!” video below and tell me about your company in the comments, ideally in 200 words or fewer. Stats are always helpful.
Look forward to checking it out. In the meantime, I have to wrap up The 4-Hour Chef!
It’s shaping up to be a fun one… 🙂
Odds and Ends:
WellnessFX Competition – Would you like to spend 30 minutes with me? I’d love to learn what you’re up to and see if I can help. WellnessFX, featured in the above episode, is sponsoring a giveaway for six 30-minute slots. Click here to learn more.
SXSW – “Advise This” Panel – So, what do start-up “advisors” do, exactly? How do you recruit A-listers to your cause? Or, better yet, how do you assemble and leverage the right team? In the below panel, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Conrad, JR Johnson, Chase Charvis, and I discuss the relationships between founders, investors, and advisors in start-ups. You’ll recognize the now familiar “14 minutes into my 15 minutes…,” which I say to keep my head from getting too damn big. It’s a Seneca thing:
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
So when are you going to release “The 4 Hour Marksman”? 😛
Hi Tim
I lived in China for 2 years during which time I fully adopted your mantra and started a very successful 4HWW business. I ran the business while traveling in South America for 4 months and now live in Thailand.
I have an idea to start a website for travel emergencies (I am a subject matter expert in international medical evacuation). The site will have set input fields such as Insurance Number, Name, Passport Number, Emergency Contact Details and so on. The completed fields can then be translated into any of 14 languages with the push of a button and printed off into a business sized card that can be carried in your wallet. In a medical emergency the card can accessed by emergency services and care provided immediately regardless of language barriers (hospitals need to know who you are and how you will pay before they start treatment)
The idea is so useful to leisure and business travelers that word of mouth advertising through travel blogs would seem highly likely. Offer French, Spanish and Italian for free with a small fee to access Chinese, Indian, Portugese, Russian, Japanese etc.
Hope to hear from you.
Tim Shaw
Only streamed within the US is kind of a bummer I have to say…
Indeed. Would it be possible with a mirror?
It ‘ s not so bad, ahah~!
Too bad it’s US only 🙁
Hi Emil,
You can use TunnelBear. With a free account you’ll be able to watch the whole thing which totally worth the time!
Nice photos btw!
you can watch the vid here guys:
Any chance of getting that video hosted somewhere other than Hulu for those of us not in the US?
Unfortunately Video is not available for those who live outside the States! It would be great to be able to see this video 😉
Watched this video on Hulu and it was awesome– nice shooting, Tim 🙂
Hey guys, if you’re international, try HotspotShield and let me know if that works: http://hotspotshield.com/
If you find a work around, please let folks know!
Tim
Hey Tim!
It works here in Denmark. Thanks for sharing 🙂
/Magnus
Hotspotshield works like a charm and was trivial to install (Mac, The Netherlands). Thanks Tim!
Works in Poland
Has anyone tried Hot Spot Shield in China? I am not there currently, but it would be good to know if it would be a solution next time I pass through (and would definitely beat the $20/month VPN I am currently using).
Tunnelbear.com works great if anyone is having trouble with hotspotshield. We actually just reviewed it on our blog!
Hot spot shield is free however you get blasted with ads and it kind of high-jacks your computer. If you but the software the ads become a non issue.
Works in Italy 😉
Hi Tim, it works in Mexico..cool!!
Hey Tim
Worked in Sydney, Australia on Samsung laptop but not on ipad2.
Love your work.
BTW, had a blood test to check the remaining half of my thyroid the other day. Asked if I could get additional tests done for my reference and the nurse just looked at me strangely and said you will need your Doctor’s referral… perhaps if I had waved cash and said I’ll pay rather than Medicare (gov)..
Andy
Hotspot Shield worked a charm in NZ. Almost the best piece of info in this post Tim. Almost.
Hi Tim!
It works here in Brazil. Thanks for sharing
Please Tim, enable the video so other countries can see too…
Tim,
do you get driven everywhere? lol
Seems like a fun life my friend!
Mike
Hey Tim- Two Degrees Food (www.twodegreesfood.com) would love to work with you in some regards (whether advising, investing or otherwise). We’re the first buy-one-give-one food company; for every healthy snack bar we sell, we donate a meal to a hungry child. We’ve donated almost 500k meals in first 15 months in business, and are in all Whole Foods, offices of HP, Facebook Twitter, Patagonia, AOL, Microsoft, etc. We’re based right here in SF and would love to chat. Thanks
Hulu asked me to pay $7 to watch it on my iPhone. Interesting business model… Instead I walked upstairs to my laptop (I know I should have used the opportunity to make it a 90 second intense exersize)
Unfortunately Hulu now tells me I can’t view this outside the USA. Although I’m confident the video is awesome, I’m not going to install a VPN to watch it 🙂
I’m sure you’re already working on it…
Solved it with Hotspotshield, see Tim’s comment above.
Tim it worked with your solution! Thanks for visiting Japan last week!
Tim have you thought about doing an 80/20 for MMA and BJJ Techniques?
Nice one! It seems like these non-traditional careers where entrepreneurs or anyone has 12 different projects going on, all very successfu,l is what people aspire to these days, but what are your thoughts on dedicating a lifetime to the pursuit of excellence in just one thing because you love it?
Check out the movies “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” or “Bill Cunningham New York.” These are about two guys who have spent their entire lives in pursuit of excellence in one field, the former being sushi and the latter being fashion photography.
Thoughts on one vs. the other?
Hey, I’m not in the US and I can’t watch it! Any way around this?
Hey Tim,
I have an idea to provide online personal training and nutritional coaching on an electronic format. Workouts/Nutritional information are delivered via electronic media, clients are given specific measurable goals/benchmarks and accountability via skype/email/phone/sms. I have a BS in exercise science, I’m a CSCS, certified nutritionist and it is my goal to stop the destructive progress of obesity in the US/World. Thanks for your time
Blake
Thank you for doing this episode, I don’t understand how secretive some tech people are… would be nice to see this sort of documentary about mark zuckerberg, google founders etc.
Thanks for the comments, all! Zach, here are my thoughts:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/09/14/the-top-5-reasons-to-be-a-jack-of-all-trades/
I think focusing on one area and becoming the best in the world is amazing… if you can do it. I just have different hardwiring, it seems!
All the best,
Tim
Tim,
It seems people look down on having a wide range of skills. I’m only 25 so perhaps it’s because people don’t believe how much experience it is possible to have. Anyway, FHWW helped me focus on my media foundation which is going very well now. I have experimented for years bridging modern and traditional worlds. This is the movie crowd funded via kickstarter.
“Within The Four Walls trailer”
http://youtu.be/4ts2IhCGavs
Enjoy
Heyo Tim – I think you’re saying one thing in your response, and another the linked blog. Your previous post is also pretty condescending, in a punchy #humblebrag kind of way, toward specialization.
I think the world is becoming increasingly specialized out of necessity. Your lawyers are specialist. The programmer at startups you advise are specialist. If you watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and visit him the next time your in Tokyo, you’ll be raving about that specialist the to your friends eating that ‘pedestrian’ SF sushi.
The truth is, good sir, you are the weirdo!!! Like you said you’re brain is wired to have a finger and a thought in multiple endeavors, maybe that’s why you are who you are, who knows. But I’d propose most people aren’t wired that way, and that ain’t so bad for their happiness.
Number three – boredom – was the only one of the five that’s relevant to any of this. If someone is bored in what they do or their life, then they’re never going to “maximize [their] peak experiences.” The real problem is in when people know they’re bored, but can’t find it in themselves to change their situation…
Zach. I think your comments towards Tim are very close minded. I would encourage you to open your mind to other perspectives. Many successful entrepreneurs have ADHD behaviors and characteristics, so they’re hardwired differently. As entrepreneurs we all have value and bring something different to the table. Each with our own unique talents and shortcomings. The key is to have the self-awareness of these shortcomings and mitigate them by bringing people on our team with those strengths. Specialization has its unique advantages like everything else, however, some entrepreneurs are happier and more effective by starting several projects or business start-ups at once, and having trusted members of their team handle the detail work and day to day operations. That’s my “2 cents worth” to add to the conversation….
Hey count me in I am a weirdo too !
I get bored very easily and enjoy having multiple skills.
Thanks to Tim I managed free myself from a boring but a very well paid job in the UK.
Been travelling around the world (this month in Bangkok, learning Thai , muay Thai, total immersion swimming, scuba diving, island hopping, and abou 20 more things) with the income from the automated business.
Met quite a few mega rich (almost billionaires) and chuffed to say that I live a more adventurous life. The only downside is when I become friends with people who have to get back to work after their too weak (2 weeks) holiday.
It’s actually possible to achieve TIM (T=Time, I = Income, M= Mobility)
Tim…thought you’d love this quote from Peter Drucker:
“I began to force myself to study afternoons and evenings: international relations and international law; the history of social and legal institutions; finance; and so on. Gradually, I developed a system. I still adhere to it. Every three or four years I pick a new subject. It may be Japanese art; it may be economics. Three years of study are by no means enough to master a subject, but they are enough to understand it. So for more than 60 years I have kept on studying one subject at a time. That not only has given me a substantial fund of knowledge. It has also forced me to be open to new disciplines and new approaches and new methods – for every one of the subjects I have studied makes different assumptions and employs a different methodology.”
Here’s the article from Inc… http://www.inc.com/magazine/19970201/1169.html
It’s had a huge impact on how I go about my learning. Biggest lesson was to learn one thing at a time.
Tim, I wish more of those people you described who “really dislike” you would watch this. As a huge fan, I had no idea how you lived and your perspective on things, even from reading your material. The 14 minutes into the 15 minutes of fame sounded so humble, and I never would have expected that. You are an inspiration and I can’t wait for the book. I’ll be a fan in the 16th minute.
Very interesting Tim & Morgan! Nice to get an inside look like this.
Hey Tim,
I’ve been a fan since 4-Hour Workweek and am currently working on a startup that I would love for you to check out. The idea behind it is simple. Information, opinions and a general consensus for what people think on any given topic. Essentially Wikipedia meets Yahoo! Answers. With a big enough sample size and a large number of questions and answers the site could be a search engine for opinions; one singular place for people to go to see how and what people think. This is something that my co-founder and I have only been working on for a few months part time and is still in the very beginning stages. We have 47 members and have grown from less than 5 visits per day in the beginning of April to a steady amount of over 50. I look forward to hearing back and appreciate your time!
Thanks,
Ryan
Ironically, this guy lives a super interesting life, but he seems bored and talks in a total deadpan. He comes off as more likable and more like a real person in the videos I’ve seen with Kevin Rose.
2 hours of sleep helps with that…
Fantastic Video. I watched it yesterday on Facebook, but better on the round 2. Very cool to see what you do, and it makes me even more excited for the new book.
Side Note: The zombie wasn’t shot in the head.
Hey! I saw this yesterday on Hulu- loved it. Big fan of your books (and lifestyle) – well done:)
Thank you for the glimpse into this day in your life. As an entrepreneur, one of the most frustrating things I encounter is when people ask me to explain what I do all day. Each day is different and my day has no resemblance to my friends and family who go to their jobs. It’s been challenging on my relationships because people don’t understand that sometimes sitting under a tree in the middle of the day is part of the process of what allows me to focus on my work and create. They just look at you and to them it looks like you’re not working or you’re goofing off.
I write content for my book, create products and programs to help people achieve their goals, get in some learning, work on my marketing, get some exercise and work with my coaching clients. That’s a pretty fulfilling and productive day and I’m always engaged in something joyful and interesting to me. At the end of the day, I am energized and actually have real emotion and energy to invest in my loved ones, where I find most who go to jobs just veg out in front of the tv because they have nothing left in their tank. The same people who give me a hard time about not understanding my work day tell me they’re envious of my lifestyle and freedom. Ah the life of an entrepreneur. (I have a feeling I’m going to turn this into a blog post)
Like you, I have a 3-4 month attention span and harness this to my advantage by engaging in short projects that I call a “Goal Blitz.” This allows me to apply freakish levels of focus and energy for short periods of time and accomplish more in 30 days than most people do all year. Then I get a little time to relax, evaluate, ponder and when I’m ready, I’m on to the next Goal Blitz.
Thank you for the peak into your day, Tim.
Live Your Dreams,
Jill Koenig
Hey Tim,
Great episode! I was wondering what book you were reading after the WellnessFX visit and before bringing out the handgun?
Can’t wait for 4 Hour Chef!
Pat-
It looks as if the book Tim is reading is Appalachian Trials ( http://AppalachianTrials.com ).
Thanks Zach!
Yep!
Tim, I’m a Special Operations soldier in the U.S. military and I found a lot of useful advice reading The Four Hour Workweek. I think every a person of any occupation could draw something from this book. Anyway, the video was exactly what I was hoping for, thanks for posting it.
Hi Tim…inspiring to see what you do in a day and how you do it. Loved the ‘smart start’ to your day. Mine is a glass of athletic greens (your recommendation), Wayne Dyers ‘I am’ meditation while I do a little yoga, some strengthening.
I entered your competition off Facebook. I’m the fittest 71 year old I know. Once a passionate and v. good rock climber, I now play inline hockey 3 days a week (love to teach you…you would love the movement …your passion for the Tango). I also am a real estate broker. I want your input on a niche I know that has huge potential. I need assistance/ideas in getting it off the ground. Please include me in your 30 min. interview. I’ll skype or fly out from Boulder, Colorado. 🙂 Best wishes, keep healthy and happy……Peace……….Matt
Visit me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MatteoMak
Wow, your rocking the hockey court at 71.
Kudos man.
Exactly! Amazing. I aspire to be you when I’m that age. Major kudos.
Watching the second video now, about advisors. Around 34:00 you compare the effect of exposure on the Today Show versus a tweet by Robert Schobol(?) on book sales. The latter led to way more sales, even though he probably has a much smaller audience.
Last week someone from Triposo mentioned the same effect in his presentation. He was featured in a Dutch radio show with lots and lots of listeners, but it resulted in far fewer downloads then he got when he was featured on a (popular) blog.
His theory was that audience intent has something to do with it: the people on that blog were looking for new cool apps to try, while people listening to that radio show were interested, but not specifically looking to download something new.
Either way, it’s great that you were able to measure conversion in both cases.
Tim, I really enjoyed this video and would love to see another one. Really made me feel like you are super transparent.
PS: Thanks to the 4HWW, I got in touch with Chase Jarvis and was able to ask him a very important question. He responded to me before making a blog post about my question, found here…
http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2012/03/how-to-become-a-pro-photographer-in-5-easy-steps/
PSS: Know anyone named John Spence? He says he knows you.
Thanks,
Gavin Doran
Tim’s bio suggests that he’s an angel investor in Facebook. I believe he simply bought equity on the second market which anyone with the means could have done.
Great watch. Thank you for sharing this with us! I always find it fascinating to peak into the day to day of others.
I actually remember asking friends what they had had for breakfast in middle school, fascinated by how we took for granted our own rituals. And how different they were.
Probably with different language, being a middle schooler and all.
I love the way this is shot.
It kinda reminds me of the way HBO shoots their launch videos for their mega-pay-per-view fights. Very cool to see beneath the layers of to the boss of the book launch.
Loved the “I know your time is important, but we’re growing 40% – here is my card” line. For the “a day in the life” video, I would’ve been more interested in a day other than Friday i.e., where you don’t have to go around meeting people, but a “normal” day. I’ve been trying to find an optimal “work day strategy” and have been collecting data for 3 years on sleep/work/productivity/etc. Days when you schedule meetings with people are very different from the default days, I think.
Hey Tim,
At the end you were drinking Yerba Mate, I know from one of your previous posts it was one of the top 10 beverages you like to drink. I’ve been wanting to get into drinking it because of the health benefits and just as an alternative to coffee and tea but wanted to ask a few questions since I’m sure you’ve researched it heavily.
First, what are your thoughts on the studies that find that Yerba Mate consumed in large amounts can lead to cancer due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Do you take anything to detoxify your body of PAHs? Or do you just drink in moderation?
Second, I know traditionally its drank from a gourd with a bombilla but can a regular mug do just as well? How do you prepare/consume it? If you have any links that would be great.
Thanks for your time, great little vignette of your life and I look forward to your next book.
-Alex
I second Alex’s questions!
I saw the tea set up at the end and thought it looked awesome! I saw some similar stuff on Amazon but nothing quite as stylish or durable looking…
And thanks for the look into your life. Very cool. I noticed how kind and upbeat you were to everyone, not just your clients. Thanks for managing to still be a cool guy, I think I speak for everyone when I say it’s much appreciated and encouraging.
Ty
I just drink a few times a week, so moderation. Argies etc. drink it all day long, so no surprise there.
On the “off” days, I’ll have rosemary or oolong tea.
For vessel, I use a metal “gourd.” Convenience trumps tradition on this one for me.
Pura vida 🙂
Tim
Happened upon the Day In the Life episode last night. Thanks Morgan and Tim for taking the time to make that episode.
Looking forward to the 4-Hour Chef. 🙂
Hi Tim,
Another great post. Thanks so much for some more great advice.
Here’s my pitch as I think having you on board for direction and advice would be tremendous.
Having fell into digital publishing, primarily for amazon KDP, I have discovered that there are a plethora of people out there who have a story to tell but believe that being able to get published or slef publish is out of there reach. After creating a few ebooks as favours I started to charge for the services and become a business combining my own work and outsourcing various bits using elance. I give people the option of paying to self publish and they keep the rights and royalties to themselves or have me cover all or some of the cost in which case their royalties will be reduced. So far I have personally published/converted around 4o books onto amazon kindle.
I am now taking the same method into print offering a full service for anyone who wants to self publish/part self publish or be published and will be publishing my first paperback early next month.
My aim is really to show that everyone can be publshed or at least self publish and make a pretty good residual income if they just tell there story and experiece. If we decide we want to publish you, you still get great royalties. At the mooment I am specialising in short print runs and digital editions.
Would love your thoughts.
Thanks
Louis
Hey Tim –
Very interesting, thanks!
What’s that book you are reading? (Noticed it around the 7:55 mark). need a new book and thought you’d be a good person to ask!
Hello Tim – Let’s Work together…In short, my family has been growing Panax Ginseng for over 30 years and we are one of the original growers in North America. At this time, there are only 90 farmers supplying the entire world and we are one of them. There is a tremendous market for Ginseng in Asia and potential in North America as well. The size of the markets in China and Taiwan alone are staggering considering no grower has ever gone direct to the Chinese consumer with “value added” Ginseng products. Although our advantages are too much to list in this space, within the Chinese markets, the prestige and credibility of being Ginseng growers (our first trip to Taiwan we were shocked…we are treated like royalty in Asia) could be leveraged and the company could be taken public on one of the Asian exchanges as well.
Anyway, due to your background (lived in China, sports nutrition business, direct marketing background, etc.) I have often thought that you would be a great potential partner to leverage and monetize this opportunity in multiple directions. If this interests you please send me an email. Either way, awesome books…looking forward to the next one.
Regards,
Brad
Great Article Tim, I’ve listened (can’t watch it or I get in trouble with my employer, 🙂 the “advise this video” twice and finally will watch it one more time tonight; As soon as I return back home from my day job I will send you the -200 words proposition.
I’m definitely interested in working together, and hope you too since my project integrates perfectly with: shopify, branchout, taskrabbit, aboutme and trippy on the first stage, and posterous, digg, stumbleupon, facebook and twitter for social media.
BTW, great post the one about the “apps world” prior to this one, I have that designed it (paper) too; but prefer this route. I will post the details whenever I get home tonight.
Hector
I believe one of the best ways to learn is from example, and you’ve just showed us again part of your modus operandi. You are smart, and you are driven, but what I admire the most is the discipline you obviously have. Any advice on how to improve on that particular area? Many writers say, “just write, every day, for an hour at least.” If I could just do that, I wouldn’t even be asking this question. The best way I can describe my lack of discipline is comparing it to a haze I can’t shake in order to focus on something and keep at it day after day until it’s fulfilled. Are there any pointers, techniques, exercises that you can share with us to make yourself more disciplined in any area?
Awesome! What did you eat post-workout Tim (at the restaurant and otherwise)?
Love the video! I’ve always wanted to know what you did with your spare time 🙂
An idea for your question the other day. Even if you had a small 2 man crew, shooting some of your day to day projects, trips, etc. and building that into a weekly or monthly show at $5 an episode would generate a decent amount of cash for your charity work.
+1
Thanks, Allen. Good idea…
Awesome Report! Really enjoyabele. I like how you are still down to earth.
Question: What book are you holding in your hands at 02:20min. The Yellow one?
Greetings from germany
Chris
PS: HotShield is perfect!
The book that Tim is holding is called Appalachian Trials ( http://AppalachianTrials.com ).
Tim,
What are those straps you use to meditate? Are they to help you get into lotus?
Thanks and Good Work!
I second that…what are those straps?
Enjoyed it, thanks!
“Nada chair”
Hi Tim,
Cammpus is a university in a box. Brands can build their own universities in minutes, with no IT, and start to educate their leads. Education is the best way to build trust and respect with your leads and turn them into customers.
Why you should believe us?
1 – We’ve already sold it to 3 customers that paid us $4k upfront and $150 per month.
2 – We’re spinning the product off of an existing business where 2k people have already used it.
3 – Currently working on customer acquisition costs and funnel.
Why the product is awesome?
1 – Clear Target Market: Marketers who are obsessed with showing a profit in the least possible time. Inbound marketers, lead managers, and conversion specialists.
2 – Simple Product + Amazing Analytics.
Because we batch process leads we provide amazingly detailed information like expected PROFIT per course, by SKU, by content and by time after taking the course.
Cammpus creates a marketing ASSET that can run passively and optimizes the bottom of a company’s sales funnel.
Where can you learn more?
The product pitch: http://cammpus.heatspring.com
The company page: http://www.cammpus.com
The existing company where we developed the technology: http://www.heatspring.com
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Best,
Chris Williams
Tim, awesome documentary, you’re living my dream! Do you work standing up, and how many hours are you sleeping now a days?
Hey Tim,
Great post, and I think it shines light for the folks who think you do nothing… except for four hours per week.
You and I have tweeted a few times, and really would like to stay in touch.
We also have some mutual friends in the Austin area.
Keep the good content coming.
Josh
If hotspotshield isn’t working, try http://www.tunnelbear.com. It always works. I watch hulu all the time from Germany.
Do you need a US credit card for Hulu? The address field does not allow for entering a European country and hence the credit card billing address is not recognised : (
Not working for the iPad in the US.
You’ve asked – Would you like to work together? I do.
Hey Tim,
I run a really successful muse – inspired by 4HWW. Would love for you to join as an advisor. Stats – $1,000,000+ in profit in the first year of business. 2012 is shaping up to be a $3,000,000+ year in profits. In 2011, we were also a top 10 shopify stores ranked by revenue along with names like Angry Birds and Dodocase. Look at 2011 Shopify Year in Review and you will see our name.
We’ve achieved all of this by having an incredible YouTube marketing strategy that I want to share with you because you’ve shared 4HWW with all of us and it really changed my life.
I am flying to San Francisco tomorrow and will be there for a week. I am also meeting w/ a partner of one of the biggest VC firms on Thursday. They reached out to us, his wife is a fan.
Trust me, this will be worth your time. We are just uncovering our potential.
E-mail me with any questions. Looking forward to meeting you.
Alex
Hi Alex, I would love to hear about your youtube marketing. Can you share it with us?
Hi Tim,
I really like what you wrote about saying the 14 minutes thing to keep your head from “getting too damn big”.
I was wondering your honest opinion on something:
As I learn and grow, and try to make changes to my character, I feel like sometimes people from my past drag me back to my old self. They also sometimes seem threatened by my success (however trivial). It would seem I should distance myself from them, in order to succeed. But then, when the world has me down, these are the same people who come through for me.
Given the way your life has turned out, the success you’ve enjoyed, and the failures you’ve doubtlessly endured, what do you think about the importance (or lack there of) of old friends in your life today? That is, the people who knew you before you were famous.
If that’s a it too personal, then I was wondering if you have any suggestions for authors or philosophers who have something to say on the subject?
Hello Ethan, I hope you don’t mind me putting in my 2 cents. I relate to your question. In that past 2 years I distanced myself from 3 toxic people and I am much better off for it. You mention “people from your past sometimes drag you back to your old self”. I used to think this until I realised it was me dragging myself back, not anyone else.
For example: I stop eating wheat because I have bad IBS, but then my friend offers me a cookie. I’m feeling cravings that day and the cookie looks delicious, so I eat it. But then I regret it later when the pain hits, and I wish I had healthier friends. But my friend didn’t force me to eat the cookie. I know this is a very simple scenario but this is how I think it always happens, it’s us that drags ourselves back.
If those same people help you when you are in need, maybe you could ignore the bad and take the good?
This is exactly a type of question I would love to hear Tim answer (and many others probably have the same curiosity)…
Advise This!
Productive Web Apps – (http://productivewebapps.com) is an interactive directory that lets you search, sort, rate and compare hundreds of the best web applications to help you at work and play.
As a bit of background, a small gripe I had with the Chrome Web Store was that there was no ability to subscribe to RSS feeds or receive regular updates when new apps are added each day. This was the main driver behind why I wanted to build the site, I am passionate and love reading about web apps but became frustrated there was not a one-stop shop where I could receive regular updates on new apps with short simple descriptions, a screenshot and an outline of key features.
We’re looking for someone who can help us market our service as a great place to discover web applications and also help people get the word out there about their own web applications.
Currently we’re getting ~50,000 pageviews per month and are focusing on reaching out to tech blogs and news sources. We’ve started to build a good following on social networks which is promising
Social Network Followers
Facebook – ~280
Twitter ~ 565
Google+ ~1400
Pinterest ~250
Email subscribers ~150
RSS subscribers ~380
200 words exactly!
I’d LOVE to work with you Tim, I’m a fan. My startup?
Explaining is tough because it’s hard to grasp and harder to believe, but I promise you it’s worth trying.
Creative geniuses brains are different to normal people. I turn normal people into creative geniuses by teaching them to deliberately change their brains the way creative geniuses do accidentally. You mold your brain by training it and making connections, and those connections are locked in, made into physical hardware with myelin.
CGP is a three pronged approach, the mnemonic being Coaching, Games and Programming. For 10 years I’ve drawn from a diverse range of disciplines to find an approach that works for writing, music and art, and business too, the Higgs particle for creativity, if you will.
First product, 8 hours of audio, is out already but not setting the world alight. But I have a great idea and I’ll keep talking about it till someone pays attention or I sink. I’ve poured all my money into the first product so my kids and I are living on fumes.
There that’s my shot. Would love to tell you more.
warmest regards
Phil South
(Hulu: use tunnelbear.com.)
Hi Tim, I’m Chris, founder of SpinLingo; a language learning social platform using P2P video. We’re hoping to shake up the way people learn languages (and the $billion language learning market along the way!), and apply some of the principles you employ along the way.
We’ve built our prototype with $2000 of our own capital – and in our spare time whilst working our day jobs. All spurred from reading the 4 Hour Work Week!
Would be great to get some advice from you.
All the best,
Chris
Hi Chris, just wanted to let you know that the site may require cross browsing checked up. I’m on chrome and the dropdown menu doesn’t seem to work.
I’m a huge fan of both your books, so I can’t help but wonder what books you read. Around 7:40 there is a book on your table…what is it?
Tim,
Saw you eating Brazil Nuts. Question, do you buy shelled or unshelled?
Selenium levels drop very quickly once cracked
“One unshelled Brazil nut, which you crack yourself, averages 100mcg, says Cornell’s Donald J. Lisk. A shelled nut, found in health food stores, averages 12-25 mcg.”
As a crops nutrition specialist I find your work fascinating.
Thanks,
Craig
Thanks for this great comment, Craig. I’ve mostly eaten shelled, which could very much explain my mixed results: sometimes great, sometimes nada.
I’ll get shelled from now on!
Much appreciated 🙂
Tim
regarding the levels of selenium in Brazil nuts I found the following: As for Brazil nuts, selenium concentrations in any plant should be dependent on the concentration of selenium in the soil in which it grows, therefore, the concentration of selenium in Brazil nuts probably varies. This turns out to be the case, with nuts grown in Manaus-Belem more than ten times higher in selenium than those grown in Acre-Rondia. Someone consuming Brazil nuts may or may not be making a significant increase in selenium intake.
Tim, your apparent enthusiasm for the lifestyle you’ve been living for years has captivated and inspired your audience. I’m sure you also do it for yourself to avoid experiencing the “Hedonic Treadmill” of happiness. Do you have any other small hacks to share to increase baseline happiness?
Wow, that sounded pompously academic. Sorry, last week of the semester! Since you’re always giving, Let me give the first contribution– Every morning I smile at myself in the mirror for 10 minutes. But I’d say it’s only 1/3 as effective as regular exercise.
Can you upload it to a different host? Hotspotshield is a really bad program, lags my computer so much that I can’t watch the video.
Hulu videos don’t stream outside the USA. Psyched up for nothing…
Hi Tim,
I enjoyed the video although I felt I was eavesdropping on you. I really like your flat too and appreciate how you write standing, I saw the previous post on that and I know study standing with better results.
Question: What was the supplement you were taking for obesity? I’m really interested in it. I’m devouring all things I can on health and wellness and conducting an experiment for my personal fat loss – i don’t just want to lose it though, I want to obliterate it!
Thanks for all your efforts and rock on! I remember in a previous blog you had written about wanting to go to check out Orangutans, I had my first mini-retirement two years ago that included visiting Sepilok, I highly recommend it. Had a orangutan walk with me on the boardwalk…so humbling!
Hi Tim, I am in China the Hulu link is extremely slow here in China mainland, I hope u could upload it on Youtube, though I have to clime over the firewall to see youtube, but it is much faster.
Or I can help upload the video in some Chinese video sharing site, it would be much helpful to all the Chinese who will be amazed by your idea of 4 hour work!
Very cool house you have there 🙂
Hey Tim,
I’m working on a startup aiming to bring Website Testing and Optimization to everyone, building a SaaS App that is incredibly simple to use and can be used completely free.
I’ve discovered over the past few years that there are 2 reasons people don’t split test their website. The first is that current software is too difficult to use. The second is that most don’t know where to start or what to change to get results quickly. We think we’ve solved both these problems in the one app.
The way it works is similar to Github, if you’re willing to share your results with the community you can use it free, or there are paid accounts for private testing. We’re then building a test explorer so anyone can explore the results these free users have made and come up with ideas for improving their own websites.
I figured with you being as much of a fanatic about testing and improving as me you might be interested in helping guide the company. We launched a few months ago and are iterating constantly refining the tool for simplicity, building a community around it and working on scaling (our biggest challenge ATM as it’s growing too quick for us to handle).
The website is: http://www.ZenTester.com and my email is the one I’ve used for this comment.
Cheers, Tim
Very interesting, thanks for sharing! As a gun nut, more information on why you chose the S&W, and in .45, would be interesting.
Also, what sunglasses are you wearing?
Here’s something you can check out.
http://flyrightapp.com
We’re about to launch and are based in Australia & San Francisco.
FlyRight is a new “personal empowerment app” that harnesses the real-time social web to empower you with a stronger voice as it enables airlines to improve service.
FlyRight is neither a snarky app nor a complaints board. It’s about collaborating with airlines in real-time to improve things. Win-win.
Tim
You like simplicity. How about something low tech for a change?
In early 2011 I started a Wood Baseball Bat company, http://www.warstic.com. I took a mundane product that is making a comeback in a growing market, used design to make it beautiful, whereas usually design is not seriously considered, sourced the manufacturing (in the USA), self funded with no investors, launched on Shopify for quick start, and in the first year was featured in WSJ, Mens Journal, Uncrate.com, & 50 other blogs. Ended up as one of GQ magazines Best Stuff of the Year for 2011. The income already covers my primary cost of living. I spent $0 on marketing and advertising and sales have grown every month since launch. The company was designed to be run 100% virtually. I did this while still running my 12 year old design and interactive firm…onefastbuffalo.com and living for 4 months of the year in my 1958 Airstream trailer throughout the Western US with wife and 3 young sons. We spend that time mostly surfing, snowboarding, hiking, making art, cooking and meeting new people in small places. As far as Warstic, all we really lack is bigger awareness. Being fettered in ESPN the mag next month. Unsolicited. We are growing organically and I think it’s simply that we have a good product and people talk about it online. Starting to add other products such as training gear and apparel. Using the same formula I launched a snowboard company in 2012 http://www.treadsmith.com. Hand painted, Hand built, nothing like you have seen before in that market.
I now spend only 1/3 the time I did consulting and designing things for clients. I spend the rest of my design energy making my own products/brands. Just saying thanks for helping me realize I could better allocate my time and design ability to things I am genuinely passionate about and that have greater financial upside while carving out more time for enjoying life 🙂
This is me.
http://onefastbuffalo.com/Bio/9/Ben-Jenkins-(OFB-Founder)
Will be in SF this summer on our way up the coast. We camp every night in the summer. Hope to see you around.
Ben, dig the product. I’m a baseball guy also in the startup world and your idea is very cool.
Wow, Ben! I have low-tech biz too. Love yours! I have a feeling Tim will be contacting you 🙂
Ben, thank you for keeping your product Made in USA!
[Work Together]
Hi Tim, my team has a disruptive startup idea which has been around for just over a year dealing with referrals and helping businesses effectively pass, track and manage them using our service. We are based out of Green Bay, WI. PassingLeads.com gives businesses an easy way to reward people who send quality leads there way and automate the fulfillment process. When a referral results in a sale, the business agrees to pay 10%, not to exceed $300, which is then, in part, rewarded to the person who sent the referral as a thank you and we retain a % as well. We are partnering with referral organizations and to date user stats include: 642 referrals passed, $257,000 in completed business and revenue take home can be shared privately. If you are looking to speak with a Midwest startup I’m your guy. Feel free to connect with me on Linkedin “Cody Muenster” or reach me at (email removed) either or (phone number removed). Thank you for the opportunity to freely post about my growing startup as a long time follower of yours.
P.S. This post is 186 words 🙂
Cody
Hi Tim,
If this comment happens to catch your eye, I think/hope you may appreciate what my team and I are doing with this site.
The idea is simple: A clean platform, simple and free to use, for paid work abroad with a minimum of full board.It came to me out of frustration with spending way too much time on something very simple: Looking for jobs abroad.
While out looking for one of those, I soon realised that the internet was infested with a plethora of job offers trying to convince me it was a good idea to pay for voluntary work and internships, because of course nobody would want to pay me for my time! Not to mention the cluttered nastiness of many job sites out there.
Having come very close to throwing my laptop out of the window several times (which I must remember to do some day with a broken one) over this, I nagged to my brother for a while and suggested we should do something about it. I managed to convince him of the market for such a site and eventually even got him excited with the prospect of some ad revenues and possible job posting fees further down the line.
With the site launched and in spiffy working order, the only hurdle left is
exposure. Although like every self-respecting 20-something I have a fair few Facebook friends, they are nowhere near enough to get things off the ground properly.This is me trying to take a shortcut 🙂
Since we launched the site, the positive response from people has been overwhelming which has confirmed there is a clear niche for this which, now it is filled, has the potential of saving a lot of people a lot of valuable time.
Since I am the one responsible for doing all the job-searching legwork, and having better things to do with my time (such as working like a dog to finish my masters degree in ecotourism), it is very much in my interest that people start adding job offers.
That’s where you (could) come in.
If you like what we’re doing and you think it fits within your brand, we would love, love, love the exposure you could provide us through social media.
And when it proves a success, it may even deserve a link in the 4HWW 😉
Either how, thank you for your time, even just for indulging me by reading this.
Keep on being awesome,
Laurelin
http://www.payformystay.com/
https://www.facebook.com/payformystay
@payformystay
Do you play poker often? Do you tend to win? Your face is very expressive and was more interesting to watch than the video itself. (Not trying to be creepy, lol. Just something I noticed.)
Tim, you’re awesome but get a better car.
Creative design for creative people.
Link up creative freelancers to combine on large projects and mutual rewards. Kind of like an artist commune.
I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that means and how it could work.
Can’t watch the video from outside the US 🙁
Got the video working perfectly in the UK using Hotspot shield… great stuff, inspiring and I think I’m going to adopt some of the ideas – morning meditation somewhere ‘quiet’ will be the challenge!
France, outside of the US. Frustration 🙂 A quick Youtube upload? (and thanks for sharing valuable content as your previous guest article on apps development!)
My day goes a bit like this:
8:00am: Somatic Exercises
8.30am: Omelette (thanks, 4-Hour Body)
9.00am: Cold Shower (thanks, 4-Hour Body)
9.30am: Work on muse project – book + DVD bundle – (thanks, 4-Hour Workweek)
1.00pm – Bedtime: Lunch, then activities.
Thanks for your inspiration, Tim.
Safety Warning!
This is of upmost importance! You cannot kill a zombie by shooting in the chest! You must hit the brains! Just thought I’d tell you in case you get caught in the next Zombie Apocalypse.
Great video Tim thanks for sharing!
Did the Slow Carb from 4 Hour Body for LENT for 40 days and it worked great…got back on fruit and beer some but will be making it more strict again soon.
I have a start up in the works with my wife that may be right up your alley…will visit with you soon.
Cheers!
Mike
Hey Tim,
You once wrote at the end of a blog not to hit you up with business ideas unless they were 7 figs. Fair enough. So here’s the idea – us. The Adventure Couple. We are a personal brand bringing the gift of adventure to the world, only we need some structured development help. You normally invest time and/or money in the start ups you advise for a ROI. It would be the same with us. And we can talk about it while we kite ski across Greenland or drink rum and play dominoes in Cuba. Hit us up, it would be cool. BTW, the car kicks ass … we’re about to buy an old hearse. Highly recommended. Cheers ~ Sharkman
Thank you, Tim, for everything that you do. You change lives, bro: You’ve changed mine. Jason
Why do you turn a movie on mute while writing?
I want to know this too.
So I don’t feel super isolated at home late at night. It makes me feel like other people are around and helps avoid weird head games.
I have the same problem late at night so I bought a couple of manequins, went to the thrift shop and bought them some clothes, one of them was a sit down manequin so I just put him on the couch.
Tim, When I was in school taking a lot of classes where I had to write a LOT of papers, I used to put on a “TV on DVD” disk, and set it to keep playing episode after episode with out interuption. Mostly, I’d use shows like Seinfeld, Friends or Mad About You (my favorite) the idea being that I had seen them all a million times. I was never able to really focus with out that background sound on. Now, I write mostly for my self or my little blog, but I use the same process and it still seems to work best for me. If i write in a completely empty and quiet house, I get distracted and usually get nothing done. Cheers!
Piktochart is a web app to help make information beautiful. I am a non-designer and find it so tough to get something that beats Powerpoint/Prezi at creating presentations that don’t suck at describing data. So we created one – the output comes in the form of infographics.
We are looking for partners and advisors.
Thanks Tim, you’re a great inspiration!
Hey Tim. Hmmmm. Would I like to work with you? That would be a big YES. I follow all your work.And the 4-Hour Body and 4-Hour Workweek are regular gifts for the people I know who would actually appreciate them.
Sorry, I know you want this short. So here you go…the project is called Bedtime Travels, a developmental adventure series that explores the wonders of our world and teaches important relationship building skills in kids. We are on Kickstarter right now and could use all the support that a man like you can offer.
Here is a link to the project – http://kck.st/Bedtime_Travels
It’s a big dream. Thank you
Tim you converted me, I’m now a huge fan. The show on HULU completely changed my perception of you and what you stand for.
You are a hardworking inspiration!!
Great vid Tim! By the way, do you recommend standing up while typing without supporting your elbows? I was thinking of shifting to a standing desk but I’d imagine the strain on the shoulders would be a bit too much if I didn’t have a table top to lean on.
Hey Hassan,
Great to see you here!!
Hey Tim,
I’ve been commenting and an avid reader here for the last four years, and started a muse back then at 21 and traveled for a while. It’s done pretty well and I’m trying to evaluate it for a small exit this summer, and am currently a partner and early funder in 2 early stage startups, one in the language learning sector with 2 physicist programmers (one of whom went to MIT and has a one million person social site under his belt) and another using software to create an innovative product in the construction industry’s white space. I know language learning is one of your passions and we would absolutely love if you were interested in advising or referring us to someone else. The live beta should be up this week, I know you are really busy but I’d definitely like to e-mail you or Amy a link once it’s live.
Tim,
Great video!
One comment on your marksmanship. I notice you shoot with your weak eye closed. While that makes for better aim as a beginner, it’s not a good habit to keep if you really want to get good at shooting. This is especially important if you want to use these skills in real world situations (stuff gets in your eye, peripheral vision etc…)
Keep up the good work!
Sam
Advise Us. FatStax has thousands of B2B field sales people using our mobile sales platform based on the iPad including multi-national companies that sell tens of thousands of products across the world.
Why? FatStax makes it really easy for sales people to find detailed product information for their prospects when they are meeting in person. Plus, we make it really easy for companies large and small to deploy a sales app on the iPad in 4 weeks or less.
We have positive revenue as of Q1 and, we have never lost a customer.
We could use your help in growing our business via your marketing connections, finding the right partners (financial and channel), and helping us ruthlessly cut out what is not working.
Thanks for your consideration.
Can someone please rip this to youtube!
Tunnelbear and HotspotShield is not working for me
What sitting apparatus were you using during your meditation?
Hi Tim,
What is the lower back support you were using during your morning meditation?
Muito Obrigado,
– Rich
Hi Tim,
My name is Doug, I’m a 22 year old writer/entrepreneur who started a fiction magazine called eFiction. I’ve grown the company to have around 1000 subscribers. From a numbers perspective, I am not the person you want to advise.
But I believe my company is leading the charge on the new age of publishing and I am seeking someone to give me advice to launch the magazine to the mainstream.
Thank you for your consideration.
-Doug
Hi Tim,
I am 18 years old–a freshman at the University of Virginia. I’ve casually followed your progress from 4-Hour-X to The Random Show and advising startups. As an aspiring entrepreneur (I am starting to not like how overused this word is becoming!) I am always looking for cool people to get in touch with. And needless to say, you qualify for that criteria. I am going to be in the UK, Greece, and the U.S for different parts of the summer, and would be more than happy to lend a hand in any of the everyday stuff that you guys may need.
As for my background, I worked briefly with Charity:Water on a print ad campaign (http://bit.ly/GVEamU) that eventually became a mural at UVA. I was featured on TEDxYouth in Athens during my senior year in HS. As someone who had to struggle to even to get to college, I realize the importance of resourcefulness and leveraging one’s resources and environment to fulfil a certain goal.
I can assure you that I am hungry and eager to learn, and would love to speak to you more on the phone or via email
Definitely looking forward to hearing from you!
Cheers
Greg
about.me/gregkalai
HULU is such a pain when you live outside the US. I had Hotspot Shield installed but didn’t like it. This time I used TunnelBear. Still quite a workaround.
Great banter happening in the vid, some real good nuggets to take away with it. I haven’t heard Gary speak much, I’m starting to really like the guy!
Tim, I’ll have a chuckle when you work with us, at the all-star team assembled! Including Bill Guthy & Greg Renker of Guthy-Renker, Steven K Scott (Total Gym etc) and Greg ‘The Shark’ Norman, having achieved ~$200 million revenue the first 4 years, in just 4 countries
The fields of nutraceuticals is moving focus from exogenous products to focusing on supporting previously untouchable core endogenous functions and genetic expression, and we own prized patents.
It dovetails nicely with your health interests and WellnessFX. I met the PhD Molecular Genetics co-founder of SmartDNA.net.au who also recommends this pro-drug technology above all else. . There’s plenty of standout clinical trial stats and results to match (and a laundry list of high profile athletes setting world records and doctors onboard already) A friendly challenge, can you find/know any better comparable clinical results?
1st gen product clinicals presented at the 2008 A4M conference. 60 days use:
276% increase in intra-cellular glutathione
46% increase in DHEA, 41% increase in IGF-1
62% decrease in TNF-a
2nd gen just out with the core ingredient 300% more effective. Developed by the medicinal chemist who also created the new 3 minute cyanide antidote for the US DoD
The mastermind vision – bring in your expertise, advice and status to help create and be positioned with viral marketing systems to realise the peak growth potential and see the company doing billions in the next few years and see tens of thousand with significant health breakthroughs. Great cross-promotion possibilities to WellnessFX and any other health tech up your sleeve.
Tim, hit me up by email for a sample and a quick technology+people overview session
Cheers!
Dan
Hi Tim! I’d love to work together. I run http://www.pizzazzerie.com (not pronounced pizzaria, haha). It gets 500,000 hits a month and growing. We feature entertaining ideas. I work with brands like Frito Lay, ConAgra, Sierra Mist, etc to share how their products are great for entertaining purposes. I’ve been overwhelmed with brand partnerships and could definitely use some help as far as how to manage things!
Wow great site design!
hey Tim,
I think you’re great. I recognize something deep in you – intelligence and soulful and more. Read 4 hour work week a few years ago. I still re-read it.
Don’t mind the haters – that just comes with the territory as you gain popularity.
Love you!
R
I launched my company, NOVO watch, 5 months ago. We are a fashion watch company that caters to extreme sports such as MMA (main focus), snowboarding, skateboarding, biking, FMX etc. With the rise of these “extreme” sports into the mainstream we see a huge opportunity. We are a watch company that is directly involved in what we market to, not a large company trying to get a share in what’s popular. I know you have a good understanding of MMA and the best part about it is that it’s always happening which will allow companies to stay relevant and visible. Other sports are awesome and we will still be involved, but the reach is nothing like what MMA has now and what will have in the future.
I’m a chiropractor and wellness adviser in Santa Monica. I’m intrigued by the issues of motivation to make change and compliance for wellness recommendations, and I discussed it in one of my blog posts entitled ‘Is healthy boring?’; http://chirorookie.com/is-healthy-boring/ (not a plug for my blog, as most of you will not be interested in the content.)
My hope is you’ll be interested in what follows in this comment. It’s well documented that fear of loss trumps prospect of gain, and with that idea in mind, I hope I win your Facebook sweepstakes, and that you’ll consider discussing my start-up with me.
I’m calling it The FUYA Project, and I’ll spare the details, but it’s based on an idea that I read in Outside Magazine’s interview with you: affirm a target and metric, ante money up, and get a return from good behavior. I’m launching a small test within my practice in the next two months. Send me an email or pick me as your sweepstakes winner to discuss further. Thanks for reading.
Hi Tim,
I am sure YOU would love to work with my wife and I (well, especially my wife!)…
We are currently developing a kind of autodidact tool to HELP people reach one of these 2 goals: LOSE WEIGHT or STOP SMOKING. It will “entre autres” support the 4HB regiment!
The tool will be web-based, and the tool is being developped with the principles of NLP (my wife is a certified post-master practician).
She was able to help hundreds via her private practice. Now we would like to help thousands, even MILLIONS.
Wanna join us for the ride?
It will be a pleasure to work with you!
Frederik
p.s. the cellar is full of great wines!
thank you sir for content