Looking to improve your productivity and get more done in less time? Tired of the standard 9-5 workweek? If so, then Tim has some advice for you. This week in our ongoing entrepreneur spotlight series we take a look at Tim Ferriss, who wrote a book on productivity and escaping the daily 9-5 job. Want to know how Tim went from being a unknown to a well established entrepreneur? We’ll look at just how he did it and what he has been up to since the success of his book.
Summary:
Name: Timothy Ferriss
Age: 32
Location: California, USA
Claim to fame: The 4-Hour Workweek (productivity lifestyle book)
Initial cost: < $1000
How He Did It:
Tim grew up in New York and later moved to California where he started a online company called BrainQUICKEN, which sold nutrition supplements. In 2007, he published a book called The 4-hour Workweek, which became his claim to fame. Prior to his book he was considered an “unknown” so to speak. This book introduced the term “lifestyle design” and advocated against the standard 9-5 workweek. He wrote the book himself and self promoted the book all over the internet through his blog and other online communities, which helped the book become a New York Times bestseller. This also helped keep is start-up cost low. The book helped his blog skyrocket to the top 1000 list of blogs over at Technorati. Since the success of his book in 2007, Tim has sold his start-up company BrainQUICKEN to a private unnamed group and has become a full-time public speaker on productivity and lifestyle design. He also now acts as an angel investor, which basically means he invests his own money in other potential start-ups such as twitter for as an example.
Lessons Learned:
- Advertising your start-up doesn’t have to be expensive. (Using your blog or participation in social networks to advertise something is a great FREE method to getting your information out to a large number of people quickly)
- Self-promotion and personal branding are crucial (Figure out your niche, create an image, and stick with it!)
- You can keep your day job and still be a entrepreneur (Most activities whether it be writing a blog, writing a book, or starting your own small business can be done in your spare time.)
- Success in one area can often snowball into success in other areas and create additional future success. (Tim’s book allowed him to pursue a whole new avenue of work in his life.)
- Use your blog to create a book (Blogs with a solid focus/niche can often be turned into a book overtime once a collection of similar entries has been made)
- Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things!
Did you miss last weeks spotlight? Check it out here: The Entrepreneur Spotlight: Kevin Rose
Be on the lookout for our next entrepreneur spotlight article in this ongoing series. In the meantime, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think about the success of this week’s entrepreneur. Did you like this post? Useful example? User of the product? Take a minute and let us know!
Sources:
4 Questions for Productivity Guru Tim Ferriss
The 4-hour Work Week
Tim Ferriss Blog
Time Ferriss Blog #2
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One Response to “The Entrepreneur Spotlight: Tim Ferriss”
[...] me start out by saying that Tim Ferriss is a marketing genius! There is a reason The 4 Hour Workweek remains a New York Times Bestseller [...]