{"id":623,"date":"2014-10-06T17:00:05","date_gmt":"2014-10-06T17:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.thinkapps.com\/?p=623"},"modified":"2015-01-15T15:27:27","modified_gmt":"2015-01-15T23:27:27","slug":"top-10-takeaways-tim-ferriss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/entrepreneurship\/top-10-takeaways-tim-ferriss\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Takeaways from Tim Ferriss"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cA cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how The New York Times\u00a0sums up<\/a>\u00a0author, entrepreneur, and investor Tim Ferriss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Perhaps best known for his books\u00a0The 4-Hour Workweek<\/a>,\u00a0The 4-Hour Body<\/a>, and\u00a0The 4-Hour Chef<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 all of which hit No. 1 on the\u00a0NYT\u00a0bestseller list \u2014 Ferriss is also a force to be reckoned with on the startup scene. Ranked by CB Insights as\u00a0No. 6 on its 2014 list of \u201cTop 20 Angel Investors,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0he\u2019s an investor or advisor in\u00a0dozens of companies<\/a>\u00a0including Uber, Facebook, Twitter, and Evernote.<\/p>\n

On Sept. 26, Ferriss sat down for a fireside chat with Jason Calacanis for a\u00a0This Week in Startups LIVE event<\/a>\u00a0in San Francisco. What followed was a captivating conversation, with Ferriss dropping knowledge on entrepreneurship, pitching investors, writing, meditation, and more.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the key points Ferriss shared with the audience, or what I like to call \u201cThe Top 10 Takeaways from Tim.\u201d<\/h2>\n

1. Meaning of The 4-Hour Workweek<\/h3>\n

While \u201cThe 4-Hour Workweek\u201d certainly made for a catchy book title, Ferriss clarified that the concept is not necessarily about working just four hours per week but about being 10x more productive. It\u2019s also about setting priorities. As he explained, “It’s about thinking about what your life looks like in as focused a way as you think about your IPO.”<\/p>\n

2. Taking Smart Risks<\/h3>\n

By most standards, Ferriss is pretty extreme when it comes to experiments, serving as a guinea pig to test nutritional theories, cutting-edge medical procedures, and more. To be sure, these experiments don\u2019t always go as planned (such as the time he got a staph infection from having stem cells injected into his arm in an effort to alleviate tennis elbow.)<\/p>\n

But Ferriss made one thing clear: he doesn\u2019t take risks blindly. Instead, he emphasized that he does a lot of research and carefully evaluates the potential benefits and consequences before undertaking any experiment, prompting Calacanis to dub Ferriss \u201cSteve-O<\/a>\u00a0with research.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Valuing Your Reputation<\/h3>\n

As a result of his books, as well as his popular\u00a0blog<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0podcast<\/a>\u00a0(frequently\u00a0rated No. 1. across all of iTunes<\/a>), Ferriss has amassed a serious fan base. And, as much as he values the startups he\u2019s invested in, he revealed that he actually places an even higher premium on these fans.<\/p>\n

Why? Companies, especially startups, will come and go, but as long as you\u2019ve built trust, your fans will stick with you through thick and thin. If that trust were broken, it would be extremely challenging to rebuild, which is why he\u2019ll only promote products he truly believes in.<\/p>\n

4. Syndicating via AngelList<\/h3>\n

For Ferriss, the decision to begin angel investing was largely motivated by a desire to diversify, both in terms of his financial assets and his identity. (No one wants to be the \u201c4-Hour\u201d guy forever!)<\/p>\n

An\u00a0advisor to AngelList<\/a>, Ferriss has become a power player on the platform and believes the introduction of\u00a0syndicates<\/a>\u00a0has only improved the landscape for angels. He said, “A-list VC firms are now playing nice with angel syndicates because syndicates have the power to drive up the price.”<\/p>\n

5. Pitching Tim<\/h3>\n

Beyond AngelList, the most effective way to pitch Ferriss is through a\u00a0founder of a company in which he\u2019s already invested. But it\u2019s not enough to track down a founder and persuade him or her to send Tim an email; you also have to convince the founder to become an advisor, join the board, or, even better, invest in your company. As Ferriss explained, if the founder isn\u2019t going to have some skin in the game, the intro doesn\u2019t mean much.<\/p>\n

6. Pitching Tim 2.0 (#Fail)<\/h3>\n

When Calacanis asked for the worst ways to pitch him, Ferriss had an immediate response: when he\u2019s in the midst of using the bathroom or is out to dinner with his girlfriend.<\/p>\n

It should be obvious that bathroom visits and dinner dates are not the right occasions to launch into your elevator pitch. But both scenarios have happened to him multiple times, so it seems like some folks need a reminder. Everyone got it now?<\/p>\n

7. Making Your Writing Effective<\/h3>\n

Ferriss admitted that he doesn\u2019t have the most beautiful prose in the world but thinks he’s found success as an author in part because he is an effective teacher. By explaining concepts in clear terms and providing sufficient detail without unnecessary fluff, he makes it easy for the reader to replicate his experiments and implement his advice.<\/p>\n

8. Making Your Writing Interesting<\/h3>\n

Of course, having an effective writing style would be pretty useless if the content itself were dull.\u00a0Thankfully, Ferriss has a long list of experiments and adventures under his belt, all of which provide him with rich material. He advised, “If you want to have interesting writing, do crazy, interesting stuff.”<\/p>\n

9. Becoming Focused<\/h3>\n

Ferriss explained that one of his motivations for writing is to clarify his thinking. This applies to his books and blog but also to his daily practice of \u201cmorning pages.\u201d Each day upon waking, he sits down and writes three pages. The topic doesn\u2019t matter; the purpose is simply to clear his mind so he can be more focused throughout the day.<\/p>\n

10. Meditating<\/h3>\n

Speaking of clearing one\u2019s mind, Ferriss discussed the benefits of meditation. He explained that, although it can feel challenging to squeeze it into your schedule, if you don\u2019t set aside adequate time each day for quiet and reflection, you\u2019ll just wind up having to make even more time for it down the road. Paraphrasing a\u00a0Zen proverb<\/a>, he said, \u201cIf you can’t make time for 30 mins, you\u2019ll need three hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more advice from Ferriss,\u00a0watch the full interview on This Week in Startups<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tim Ferriss dropping knowledge on entrepreneurship, pitching investors, writing, meditation, and more. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[365],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTop 10 Takeaways from Tim Ferriss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tim Ferriss dropping knowledge on entrepreneurship, pitching investors, writing, meditation, and more. 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