Tim Ferriss started by selling people the idea that they could be successful too.
Except that his entire career and success is based on telling people what they want to hear.
First it was "you can be successful and you don't even need to work hard", more recently he's turned his attention to lifestyle advice such as how to lose weight, how to swim faster, how to look better.
Why would anyone take advice from him beats me, but that's another story.
I understand the point you're making. However, consider: Logically, "you're telling people what they want to hear" has no relationship to the merits of what's being told. What people want to hear might be false, or it might be true. For example, if I told my mother "your son loves you very much," it's true that I'd be telling her what she wants to hear; I'd also be telling the truth. On the contrary, if I told that to Rashida Jones, it might be what she wants to hear, but it wouldn't be the truth.
I might also add that a lot of what Paul Graham writes could be classified as "telling smart hackers what they want to hear." After all, the message is: you can get rich and be respected, yes, you; there are few downsides to trying and massive upside, and you need never toil for a big, slow company with a big, slow boss. That's all very much what smart hackers want to hear. But it's also, I think, totally true.
It's wise to be skeptical of advice that conforms to the hopes of its audience. But it's equally wise to be skeptical of advice that doesn't so conform. What people want and what happens to be true don't bear any necessary relationship. If what Tim Ferriss is selling are books full of untrue things, then that's a fair criticism; but it's the only criticism that really makes any sense. And it's not one that I tend to hear. Rather, people react to his attitude, which while understandable, isn't actually an argument.
I admire Tim as a person. He has done an amazing job making a name for himself. Everything he talks about is ridiculously well-researched. He's not a snakeoil salesman. For example, I have a copy of his book 4 Hour Body.. the thing is 600 pages, mentions no less than 50 doctors with whom he consulted while writing the book and endless citations that support what he says.
He has personally helped with some aspects of my fundraising process, despite having been right in the middle of his book launch, and taken the time to listen to me and help me through some situations - both with my startup and with health/fitness advice.
It's the old trick. You get rich by selling people a book that tells them how to get rich. The book says "You should get rich by selling people a book which tells them how to get rich".
It bugs me that the 4HWW advocates finding a "muse" to earn your living instead of creating something of actual value. That book explains why there are so many fitness ebooks written by The Situation and friends.
That being said, "ask for forgiveness, not permission" is great advice. It changes the way you approach problems. Anything that gets you to question the way you think is gold. In that way, the book is awesome.
I do expected to be down voted for what I say, but hey, who cares. Reading a lot fo the comments on this really do disgust me, a bit.
"Tim Ferriss started by selling people the idea that they could be successful too" -- His career was actually started by starting a supplements company. All of the information he gives in the Four Hour Work Week was pre-4HWW. Which means he had to have some income to travel the world, and outline all the feats he does in the blurb.
"Why would anyone take advice from him beats me, but that's another story." -- Because he has a huge amount of previous experience in the topics he preaches. He backs them up with case studies, data and scientific evidence (especially the 4HBody).
A lot of people see a self-help book and immediately cry snake oil salesman!.
This guy may bother a lot of people, but who cares. I know a lot of people that bother me. Ergh, I'm ranting.
"Because he has a huge amount of previous experience in the topics he preaches. He backs them up with case studies, data and scientific evidence (especially the 4HBody)."
What I see is a guy who got lucky once, in an industry rife with fraudulent or borderline-fraudulent claims and huge markups. I'm sure the oily guy in the infomercials selling "colon cleanse" quackery makes lots of money too.
Now, because he lacks more meaningful entrepreneurial skills, he's leveraging that early experience into the self-help field, a field not known for a high barrier for entry, and where the customers are not particularly demanding.
I just don't see any there there. In the universe of accomplishment, "sold snake oil supplements and self-help books amid rabid self-promotion" just doesn't amount to very much, as profitable as it may be for him.
The people on HN think that the world revolves around start-ups and Paul Graham's philosophies. It doesn't. There are a lot more ways of making money in this world.
I am actually shocked that people on this site would buy in to Paul Grahams philosophies. I mean why would they? This is a community site about startups(at least originally), that was developed by PG, for a company who funds startups(YC).
"Make sure that you have your business basics down first. Proper business bank account(s), incorporate earlier, record expenses properly, keep receipts, and get your accounting straight. It’s very hard to switch things over later, so invest some time at the outset and get it right."
How hard is it to switch from sole proprietorship to s-corp/llc if you keep your accounting straight and use your personal bank account?
Are you actually asking?: "How hard is it to switch from sole proprietorship to s-corp/llc if you keep your accounting straight and use your personal bank account?"
Not hard at all. If you are a sole prop, American citizen, paperwork in order then it is very easy and a law firm could do it in a couple of k. Orrick has Start-up docs on their website for free.
The real value in Tim Ferriss' work for me is not usually in the actual content (This blog posts talks about where to register domain names rather than nitty-gritty business details, for example) but rather in observing how well he sells himself and understand what people want. He obviously does a lot of research and testing, and his posts are carefully tailored to sell dreams to large portions of the population.
He has two books: One sells you on the dream of world travel with minimal work, interspersed with stories about how awesome he is and how you, too, can be just as awesome if you follow his instructions. Nevermind the fact that he clearly states he wrote the book because he became successful by working long hours and working very hard to make his company successful.
His second (upcoming) book is all about how to 'beat the system' when it comes to eating and fitness. He talks about losing body fat while eating anything he wants using little-known secrets, among other things.
Finally, his blog (and this post in particular) tell a lot of feel-good stories that feel just within reach. He's a master at weaving a narrative that makes you feel like you want his lifestyle, and that it's within reach if you just follow his simple advice.
So what do these all have in common? He's a master at selling people on an idea, even when all of the facts don't quite line up. His works all make lofty promises, but they all seem just crazy enough to still be within reach. He even puts reverse-psychology disclaimers throughout his works to trip up your own sense of disbelief. Meanwhile, he has become wealthy and successful not by following his own advice, but by selling his advice to others.
The takeaway: Learn from his techniques and products, not from his advice. And there's a lot to learn if you step back and look at it.
I understand what you mean... he's earned himself a reputation as a bit of an egomaniac. To be fair though, his book is how I was first exposed to MVP ideas and his approach to life and business changed my life. Granted, it took a lot of work and a lot more digging once I got past 4HWW, but it was an eye opener nonetheless.
I think a lot of blatant self promotion comes across as spammy to "people like me" (for lack of any real description of what that might be), but the more I look around, the more I realize that most people eat it up.
You should have been at RailsConf '09 where he was a keynote speaker. It seemed half the audience walked out and the chatter on twitter was quite negative ... so, to answer your question, yes.
The thing about Tim Ferris' solution to improving your life is that it is built on the base of people who cannot work 4 hour work weeks.
It is like a Multi-Level Market company, except now with time being sold instead of products. Eventually, you will reach a mass of people doing lots of work, for a low cost, just so that someone can outsource the boring parts of his business and tell the world he did it in 4 hours a week, but the true cost, paid by someone else, isn't.
Which if you think about it, is pretty much how the world works. A base of people powering the few at the top.
The one thing that really really irks me, is that people who I've met, and I'm not talking about Tim, who goes with the 4hww philosophy is that they never truly appreciate the work done by the people at the base. They make all the money, but will tell the producers of the work, hey, I can easily outsource this website design to another Indian programmer for half the cost, so you better lower your price or I won't use you.
Some of the questions seem really stupid. ``Where did you register the domain name?'' seriously? How is that ever an issue. It could have been so much better if there had been a real interview. Lazy journalism?
Because HN readers aren't his target audience. Most people have no idea where to go to register a domain or host a site or how to evaluate different options.
Instead they chose based upon what other people have chosen. That's why he asks those questions.
[+] [-] pier0|15 years ago|reply
Except that his entire career and success is based on telling people what they want to hear.
First it was "you can be successful and you don't even need to work hard", more recently he's turned his attention to lifestyle advice such as how to lose weight, how to swim faster, how to look better.
Why would anyone take advice from him beats me, but that's another story.
[+] [-] isamuel|15 years ago|reply
I might also add that a lot of what Paul Graham writes could be classified as "telling smart hackers what they want to hear." After all, the message is: you can get rich and be respected, yes, you; there are few downsides to trying and massive upside, and you need never toil for a big, slow company with a big, slow boss. That's all very much what smart hackers want to hear. But it's also, I think, totally true.
It's wise to be skeptical of advice that conforms to the hopes of its audience. But it's equally wise to be skeptical of advice that doesn't so conform. What people want and what happens to be true don't bear any necessary relationship. If what Tim Ferriss is selling are books full of untrue things, then that's a fair criticism; but it's the only criticism that really makes any sense. And it's not one that I tend to hear. Rather, people react to his attitude, which while understandable, isn't actually an argument.
[+] [-] PStamatiou|15 years ago|reply
He has personally helped with some aspects of my fundraising process, despite having been right in the middle of his book launch, and taken the time to listen to me and help me through some situations - both with my startup and with health/fitness advice.
[+] [-] hugh3|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] clark-kent|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|15 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] anthonycerra|15 years ago|reply
That being said, "ask for forgiveness, not permission" is great advice. It changes the way you approach problems. Anything that gets you to question the way you think is gold. In that way, the book is awesome.
[+] [-] lachyg|15 years ago|reply
"Tim Ferriss started by selling people the idea that they could be successful too" -- His career was actually started by starting a supplements company. All of the information he gives in the Four Hour Work Week was pre-4HWW. Which means he had to have some income to travel the world, and outline all the feats he does in the blurb.
"Why would anyone take advice from him beats me, but that's another story." -- Because he has a huge amount of previous experience in the topics he preaches. He backs them up with case studies, data and scientific evidence (especially the 4HBody).
A lot of people see a self-help book and immediately cry snake oil salesman!.
This guy may bother a lot of people, but who cares. I know a lot of people that bother me. Ergh, I'm ranting.
[+] [-] jonhendry|15 years ago|reply
What I see is a guy who got lucky once, in an industry rife with fraudulent or borderline-fraudulent claims and huge markups. I'm sure the oily guy in the infomercials selling "colon cleanse" quackery makes lots of money too.
Now, because he lacks more meaningful entrepreneurial skills, he's leveraging that early experience into the self-help field, a field not known for a high barrier for entry, and where the customers are not particularly demanding.
I just don't see any there there. In the universe of accomplishment, "sold snake oil supplements and self-help books amid rabid self-promotion" just doesn't amount to very much, as profitable as it may be for him.
[+] [-] away|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mgrouchy|15 years ago|reply
How appalling.
[+] [-] pledgingto|15 years ago|reply
How hard is it to switch from sole proprietorship to s-corp/llc if you keep your accounting straight and use your personal bank account?
[+] [-] jayzee|15 years ago|reply
Not hard at all. If you are a sole prop, American citizen, paperwork in order then it is very easy and a law firm could do it in a couple of k. Orrick has Start-up docs on their website for free.
[+] [-] unknown|15 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] beastman82|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Construct|15 years ago|reply
He has two books: One sells you on the dream of world travel with minimal work, interspersed with stories about how awesome he is and how you, too, can be just as awesome if you follow his instructions. Nevermind the fact that he clearly states he wrote the book because he became successful by working long hours and working very hard to make his company successful.
His second (upcoming) book is all about how to 'beat the system' when it comes to eating and fitness. He talks about losing body fat while eating anything he wants using little-known secrets, among other things.
Finally, his blog (and this post in particular) tell a lot of feel-good stories that feel just within reach. He's a master at weaving a narrative that makes you feel like you want his lifestyle, and that it's within reach if you just follow his simple advice.
So what do these all have in common? He's a master at selling people on an idea, even when all of the facts don't quite line up. His works all make lofty promises, but they all seem just crazy enough to still be within reach. He even puts reverse-psychology disclaimers throughout his works to trip up your own sense of disbelief. Meanwhile, he has become wealthy and successful not by following his own advice, but by selling his advice to others.
The takeaway: Learn from his techniques and products, not from his advice. And there's a lot to learn if you step back and look at it.
[+] [-] fooandbarify|15 years ago|reply
I think a lot of blatant self promotion comes across as spammy to "people like me" (for lack of any real description of what that might be), but the more I look around, the more I realize that most people eat it up.
[+] [-] wyclif|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] callmeed|15 years ago|reply
http://www.railsinside.com/events/285-tim-ferriss-railsconf-...
[+] [-] rhizome|15 years ago|reply
Ferriss is certainly invested in the idea of one-person financial power, but in the laptop-stand case study there would seem to be more to the story.
[+] [-] jscore|15 years ago|reply
I don't understand how anyone can learn anything from someone who has pretty much diluted his work to appeal to the widest possible audience.
I mean the guy has a weight loss book now.
EDIT: Most of his recent posts have been "guest" posts, which I consider the same as "outsourced" since he didn't write it himself.
[+] [-] iantimothy|15 years ago|reply
It is like a Multi-Level Market company, except now with time being sold instead of products. Eventually, you will reach a mass of people doing lots of work, for a low cost, just so that someone can outsource the boring parts of his business and tell the world he did it in 4 hours a week, but the true cost, paid by someone else, isn't.
Which if you think about it, is pretty much how the world works. A base of people powering the few at the top.
The one thing that really really irks me, is that people who I've met, and I'm not talking about Tim, who goes with the 4hww philosophy is that they never truly appreciate the work done by the people at the base. They make all the money, but will tell the producers of the work, hey, I can easily outsource this website design to another Indian programmer for half the cost, so you better lower your price or I won't use you.
The base is dispensable.
[+] [-] madair|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] stygianguest|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ig1|15 years ago|reply
Instead they chose based upon what other people have chosen. That's why he asks those questions.
[+] [-] ojbyrne|15 years ago|reply