Post: #1

Here's an article on Tim Ferriss I found from the S.F. chronicle, for anyone who's interested.

http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/Tim-...084466.php

I plan on reading the "4 Hour Work Week", have yet to do so, I know he gets a lot of love/hate on the forum, but I'll try to hold off on formulating an opinion on the guy.

I lack computer skills so the location independent internet based business lifestyle may not be a viable option for me.

From reading the article, some quick thoughts I gathered about the guy are that he must be extremely intelligent, but also extremely lucky.

I found it interesting he's been dating the same chick for 18 months, I'm sure dude could be banging multiple different women if he wanted to. It's also interesting and somewhat admirable that he seems to shun materialism, but spends lots on traveling.

Post: #2

Yeah, he gets flak, but I personally have liked every single thing I've ever read of his. He's got a solid approach to life and it's quite catching.

His book was the one that initially got me dreaming of the location independent lifestyle - it was one of two that I bothered squeezing in my backpack when I first left the states. I didn't have any computer skills at the time, and I'm still not very tech-literate. It's not really mandatory to make cash over the web, believe it or not.

And even if you do need some tech for whatever path you choose, it's just like anything else; if you've got a decent head on your shoulders and are willing to put in the time and effort you can always learn what you need to know.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #3

This guy really is a marketing genius. Whenever a book of his comes out, the entire internet is talking about it.

Post: #4

(12-03-2012 04:13 PM)Roosh Wrote:  This guy really is a marketing genius. Whenever a book of his comes out, the entire internet is talking about it.

If I remember right, he used to hang out a lot at Internet events like SXSW and hustled around a lot there. Which is a fantastic idea, yes.

Post: #5

My problem with Ferriss is that his advice isn't based on what he actually does.

He's selling the idea of "outsource everything," a classic pie-in-the-sky dream that falls apart after about two seconds of reflection. Do you think Tim Ferriss just sits in an office somewhere doing 40 minutes of delegation a day while getting Phillippinos to write his books for him based on set templates? No, he puts in his 60-70 hours a week just like everyone else rich does.

Not only can you not get rich on 4 hours a week, you in fact need to work way more than 40 hours a week to get rich. 60 is what the standard CEO puts in. Lotto winners and other flukes are predictable statistical outliers.


Tim Ferriss has plenty to teach you, but it ain't covered in his books. Watch what he does, skip the content he puts out.

Post: #6

(12-04-2012 09:48 PM)Andy_B Wrote:  My problem with Ferriss is that his advice isn't based on what he actually does.

He's selling the idea of "outsource everything," a classic pie-in-the-sky dream that falls apart after about two seconds of reflection. Do you think Tim Ferriss just sits in an office somewhere doing 40 minutes of delegation a day while getting Phillippinos to write his books for him based on set templates? No, he puts in his 60-70 hours a week just like everyone else rich does.

Not only can you not get rich on 4 hours a week, you in fact need to work way more than 40 hours a week to get rich. 60 is what the standard CEO puts in. Lotto winners and other flukes are predictable statistical outliers.


Tim Ferriss has plenty to teach you, but it ain't covered in his books. Watch what he does, skip the content he puts out.

I am a CEO of a $10 million dollar company. I can tell you that I incorporated a lot of the advice from 4 hour work week. most importantly were:

1) automate as best as possible
2) delegate as much as possible
3) eliminate as much as possible
4) goals and dreams are more attainable than most people think

those four things were worth 1000x the cost of the book

i've also bought each of his other two books for pleasure reads. he is an interesting dude and does a lot of super cool shit.

anyone that hates on him is pure jealous

Post: #7

(12-05-2012 10:05 AM)reaper23 Wrote:  anyone that hates on him is pure jealous

Yep, also: Actively hating on some celebrity is a waste of time (unless you are competing in that celebrity's market perhaps). Just don't buy, follow or read his shit and quit whining.

Or like 50 Cent said: "You should love, way more than you hate."

Post: #8

Yeah the point is he did quite alot of that stuff... like, he actually did run a business online and travel for a while. He actually did the Kickboxing, the Tango, learned 5 languages etc, before the book came out. He has alot of automation going on, with multiple personal assistants in different countries, etc.

IMO now he's doing even cooler stuff. Written two books, investing in Tech startups and making a shitload... check out his portfolio of startups that he bought pieces of or got given pieces of in exchange for advice - now they're huge - Evernote, Twitter, Taskrabbit... etc.

He does have serious marketing / personal branding chops and he's gotten alot out of working those angles. But he also has the substance too IMO.

Post: #9

(12-05-2012 11:01 AM)RichieP Wrote:  Yeah the point is he did quite alot of that stuff... like, he actually did run a business online and travel for a while. He actually did the Kickboxing, the Tango, learned 5 languages etc, before the book came out. He has alot of automation going on, with multiple personal assistants in different countries, etc.

IMO now he's doing even cooler stuff. Written two books, investing in Tech startups and making a shitload... check out his portfolio of startups that he bought pieces of or got given pieces of in exchange for advice - now they're huge - Evernote, Twitter, Taskrabbit... etc.

He does have serious marketing / personal branding chops and he's gotten alot out of working those angles. But he also has the substance too IMO.

I agree that he is very successful and knows what he's doing, more than anybody else in self development. He's clearly not a Tony Robbins style charlatan, but I'm telling you man, what he recommends in The 4 Hour Work Week is much, much easier than the path he himself walked to get to where he is. It's not that it's bad advice, it's just not as high leverage as he leads you to believe it is. It's really elementary marketing stuff. a lot of his success probably rests in his own psychology and he wouldn't be able to explain it or teach it to you.

Post: #10

They actually had him on the victoria secret pre show last Night. I could not believe it. I agree with roosh. It is mostly marketing. He is a prime example of "fake it til you make it." Four hours a week is only after putting in major work. Last nite he was on the set from around 1pm to 10pm. Not even close to four hours. He's selling dreams like most "gurus".

More power to him though he's a best seller and is living the life.

Post: #11

(12-05-2012 12:17 PM)MidniteSpecial Wrote:  They actually had him on the victoria secret pre show last Night. I could not believe it. I agree with roosh. It is mostly marketing. He is a prime example of "fake it til you make it." Four hours a week is only after putting in major work. Last nite he was on the set from around 1pm to 10pm. Not even close to four hours. He's selling dreams like most "gurus".

More power to him though he's a best seller and is living the life.

Agreed.

No hate for the guy, I'd do the same if I were in his position, but he's selling an idea that's easier than the path he himself walked.

Post: #12

I call his books "porn for cubicle dwellers".

It's no exaggeration to say T4HWW is as dangerous to your professional development as being addicted to porn is to your game development.

Like any good scam T4HWW contains some useful bits. Reducing information input, automating and delegating are useful techniques. His suggested "master plan" of developing some sort of get-rich-quick scheme (aka "muse") instead of growing a forward-looking, durable enterprise is what makes it a scam, however.

There are no shortcuts to succeeding in business. Even the media darlings such as Facebook, Google, etc. have been built by people 100% dedicated to succeeding long-term and willing to put in more hours than would seem humane.

So following Ferris is falling for the age-old scam of the "get rich quick", nothing else.

But don't trust me, just google his name and "scam" and see for yourself. For a more thoughtful response than mine go here:
http://charliebroadway.blogspot.com/2011...sited.html

Post: #13

I like some of his stuff but really you never know what the truth is. When I found out that the Rich Dad Poor Dad dude made it all up it was like Father Christmas all over again.

Post: #14

Has anyone ever actually seen a bottle of Bodyquick/BrainQuicken?

I never have.
I've never seen a legit review from a non-spammy website.

Google Jack3D or muscle milk...hell horny goat weed...you'll find lots of regular people talking about it, not keyword optimized affiliate sites.

That's the one thing that has always bothered me about the 4HWW. If it's a solid nutritional supplement seller, you'll see it in GNC, you'll see reviews, you'll see youtubes, you'll have forum people concocting new formulations....

WIA

Post: #15

(12-05-2012 11:31 AM)Andy_B Wrote:  I agree that he is very successful and knows what he's doing, more than anybody else in self development. He's clearly not a Tony Robbins style charlatan, but I'm telling you man, what he recommends in The 4 Hour Work Week is much, much easier than the path he himself walked to get to where he is. It's not that it's bad advice, it's just not as high leverage as he leads you to believe it is. It's really elementary marketing stuff. a lot of his success probably rests in his own psychology and he wouldn't be able to explain it or teach it to you.

Yeah, agreed. He's a very high-functioning polymath and most people couldn't do what he does. Agreed on the marketing too... he's good at that.

At the same time. The book's inspired thousands of people to pick up and travel and automate their cashflows to the extent that they can.

If you look at some of the success stories in the back of the book, there's corporate slaves who've moved their work online, cut down to 20hrs a week and hit the road. That's pretty cool. People weren't doing that or thinking it was possible before the book... it certainly wasnt in the mainstream consciousness anyway.

I personally know people who could work four hours a week if they wanted - they have the mobile lifestyle and cashflow systems in place. At the same time... what got them to where they are, is also what keeps them busy and engaged in new projects and ventures.

So you're right, in that it's something of a misleading dream - set a few things up online then kick back and relax on a beach forever. Not realistic.

Buut.. If you get to a hub like Bangkok, you meet a shitload of location independent guys - people telecommuting, running internet businesses, bloggin, investing, freelancing, etc. They've ALL read 4HWW, and yes, they agree he exaggerates and simplifies in it. But the fact is, it was the inspiration for most of them to get out there and make something happen outside of the corporate treadmill. That's huge!

People are out there living the essence of the book...which is mobile lifestyle, owning cashflow streams, and reasonable weekly workload. To me that was huge, even if it simplifies and overpromises (like pretty much all aspirational products, information or services do).

Post: #16

The 4HWW is a funny thing, probably due to the title. Most people miss the point while a minority of people get a lot of value from it. There's mostly 2 types that read a book like the 4HWW:

1) Get rich quick seekers who think they just found the secret to the universe but realize it will take actual work to build an actual business without a clear ABC blueprint and give up
2) Skeptics who read it with the intent of proving to themselves and everyone else how smart they are for not "falling" for the "scam", and go back to a job they probably don't enjoy because they're "realists"

The third category are the people who realize anything worth having is going to take creativity and real work but that maximizing your hourly output with everything the 21st century has to offer can have a dramatic impact on your lifestyle options.

Post: #17

I'll tell you the real 4HWW

Make lots of cash in traditional work. (Business owner, professional, specialized trade, consultant, finance etc.)
THEN...














Collect Dividend payments and monitor the markets that your invested in.

Post: #18

(12-05-2012 01:16 PM)Teekay Wrote:  I call his books "porn for cubicle dwellers".

It's no exaggeration to say T4HWW is as dangerous to your professional development as being addicted to porn is to your game development.

That is exactly how I feel about it.

The scary thing is I have people coming to me who've read 4HWW who think it'll actually work in the real world.

Post: #19

(12-06-2012 05:35 AM)Kitsune Wrote:  

(12-05-2012 01:16 PM)Teekay Wrote:  I call his books "porn for cubicle dwellers".

It's no exaggeration to say T4HWW is as dangerous to your professional development as being addicted to porn is to your game development.

That is exactly how I feel about it.

The scary thing is I have people coming to me who've read 4HWW who think it'll actually work in the real world.

Thing is, it really can work.

Making a plan for action is a lot easier than actually doing it. Just because you "think" it won't work doesn't mean it can't and hasn't actually worked for lots and lots of people.

and all this hating on him for the title or because every single thing in his book didn't work for every single person is ridiculous. it is pure hate. because fact is:

virtually every single one of you guys would trade your life for his in a nanosecond.

aside from my kids, i sure as fuck would and I make over $250k with lots of freedom and independence.

I to this day incorporate things I learned from his first book into my every day practice and while I am head of a medium sized company, I am really just another upper middle class professional dude:

Build systems that don't require you to be the centerpiece.


I have seen so many orgs fail because the founders/leaders thought all roads had to lead through them. They thought that if their phone wasn't ringing they weren't doing a good job. I took the exact opposite approach and built systems that when operating at peak efficiency, don't need me at all.

If my cell phone doesn't ring, then I'm doing my job.

delegate authority under certain thresholds

I have empowered junior staff to make decisions that have cost implications of under $500. this way I don't have to deal with every single fucking thing that comes up and the people that work for me feel like they get to use their brains

automate

build systems. systems. systems. take time to create a system that doesn't involve you but in extreme situations and runs on its own.

telecommute

i manage a lot from my inbox. i can send emails/lead/manage from anywhere in the world. i have taken two week vacations and no one even knew i left the city. i have run my business from singapore with a cell phone and my laptop. it can be done.

travel places where your money goes a long way

find value. you all know this.



these are just the few things that come to mind right off the top of my head.

are they all groundbreaking or even original? probably not. but they were packaged in a way that made sense to me and convinced me to try it out.

i can say without any doubt at all it has been one of the most influential books i have ever read.

people always ask me, "how do you do it??" or they say "You must be sooooo busy!!" but players, I have time to surf the web every day. I workout every single day. I trained muay thai every single day for years. I have seen the world. banged a ton of sluts all the while running these companies with the mindset that I want to do this as efficiently as possible.

could I work even harder and make MORE money? probably. but my financial future is set (real estate portfolio I built from zero) and i'm all about enjoying my life.

scoff as you may at tim ferris but you're just hating. pure jealously.

game respects game, and dude has mad game for life.

Post: #20

I have applied techniques from Tim Ferriss book and convinced my boss to let me work from home, putting in less hours for the same pay (because i get my work done faster at home).
People are quick to label hima scammer but I would be surprised if any of the doubters actually TRIED some of the methods described in the book.

My income is 90% online now and next year ill move to thailand make all my money from a laptop. Ill realize a dream I had for 8 years but untill 6 months ago I didnt even think would be possible in any way.
His book definitely played a role in that development.

Im not saying his word is gospel or that he doesnt overyhype the shit out of some things or that I agree 100% with him on everything.
But I find that with stuff like his theres usually two kinds of reactions from people who read it.

1) Quick to label him a scammer and disregard it as bullshit
2) Ppl who take the material and make it work


I have belonged in group 1 for a long time but made the decision I would rather be in group 2. I think ultimately it is a decision. Its always quicker and easier to say something is bullshit and doesnt work, instead of finding out the golden nuggets and putting them to use.

Thing is it is way safer and easier to criticize and not even try. if you try you can fail and that sux and your ego wont like it. On the other hand the potential for rewards is much higher if you try something different.

“Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.”
Sibelius

Post: #21

Tim Ferris encourages us to quit our soul sucking jobs, follow our passions in life, create online income, travel, and live life on our own terms...

Wait! I think I know someone that did that!!!



Roosh is living the Tim Ferris dream. And, there are a few other guys on this forum who have done the same thing.

Post: #22

Tim ferris is a cunt.

He worked for 80+ hours for a decade then quit his job and then went abroad because... He already put the work in.

If you guys want to get rich and work 4 hour work weeks the solution is simple. Bust your ass, make huge sacrifices and you'll be worth ~$1M in the future.

All of his books ignore the tens of thousands of hours of work precluding his achievements. Work hard, go through immense pain, suffer suffer suffer and you'll get? The 4 hour work week for real.

If you don't put in the work before ascribing to his model you will struggle to obtain financial freedom. Instead you'll see long-term paltry results. Put the work in and when you finally are so burned out that you can afford to outsource you'll already have the 4-hr work week. Anyone can make $40-50K running online marketing globally. You want real freedom, ie: goodbye and watch cash hit your account. That's the 0 hour work week.

Post: #23

(12-06-2012 03:29 PM)WestCoast Wrote:  Tim ferris is a cunt.

He worked for 80+ hours for a decade then quit his job and then went abroad because... He already put the work in.

If you guys want to get rich and work 4 hour work weeks the solution is simple. Bust your ass, make huge sacrifices and you'll be worth ~$1M in the future.

All of his books ignore the tens of thousands of hours of work precluding his achievements. Work hard, go through immense pain, suffer suffer suffer and you'll get? The 4 hour work week for real.

If you don't put in the work before ascribing to his model you will struggle to obtain financial freedom. Instead you'll see long-term paltry results. Put the work in and when you finally are so burned out that you can afford to outsource you'll already have the 4-hr work week. Anyone can make $40-50K running online marketing globally. You want real freedom, ie: goodbye and watch cash hit your account. That's the 0 hour work week.

Almost every member I've met here in the DR has discussed how to live location independent. None of us are there, but we're all ears. You have an audience.

Post: #24

(12-06-2012 03:29 PM)WestCoast Wrote:  He worked for 80+ hours for a decade then quit his job and then went abroad

Work hard for a decade or so, save a bunch of money, and then go abroad to take advantage of geo-arbitrage?

Wait, I know another guy who has the same plan!!

http://wallstreetplayboys.com/?p=330

Post: #25

Tim Ferris recommends - Work to live, don't live to work.

He recommends taking long vacations to enjoy life and re-charge your batteries. Try to free yourself from the shackles of a traditional 9-5.

Fuck, I know a guy who does that!!!

/user-1580.html