Timothy Ferriss - The 4-Hour Workweek - Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich - Expanded and Updated

Jing Project (www.jingproject.com)and DimDim (www.dimdim.com)

If you’d like to record the actions on your screen for video tutorials, both of these free programs will get the job done. If you need advanced editing features, Jing’s big brother Camtasia is the industry standard (www.camtasia.com).

Licensing Ideas to Others for Royalties

InventRight (www.inventright.com) (800–701–7993)

Stephen Key is the most consistently successful inventor I’ve ever met, with millions in royalties from companies like Disney, Nestlé, and Coca-Cola. He is not high-tech but specializes in creating simple products, or improving on existing products, and then licensing (renting) his ideas to large corporations. He comes up with the idea, files a provisional patent for less than $200, and then lets another company do the work while he collects checks. This site introduces his fail-proof process for doing the same. His techniques for cold-calling alone are invaluable. Highly recommended.

Guthy-Renker Corporation (www.guthyrenker.com) (760–773–9022)GRC is the 800-pound infomercial gorilla. It brings in more than $1.3 billion per year in sales with mega-hits like Tony Robbins, Proactiv Solution, and Winsor Pilates. Don’t expect more than a 2–4% royalty if you make the cut, but the numbers are huge enough to make it worth a look. Submit your product online.

Searching Patents for Unexploited Ideas to Turn into Products

United States Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov) (800–786–9199)

Licensable Technologies Developed at Universities (www.autm.net;see “view all listings” under “Technology Transfer Offices” )

Inventors Groups and Associations(call and ask if members have anything to license) (www.uiausa.org/Resources/InventorGroups.htm

Becoming an Expert

Prof Net via PR Leads (www.prleads.com)and HARO (www.helpareporterout.com)

Receive daily leads from journalists and TV and radio producers looking for experts to cite and interview for media ranging from local outlets to CNN and the New York Times . Stop swimming upstream and start responding to stories people are already working on. HARO offers select leads at no cost, and you can mention my name with PR Leads to get two months for the price of one.

PRWeb Press Releases (www.prwebdirect.com)The press release is dead for most purposes, but using this service has some serious search-engine benefits, such as appearing at the top of related Google News and Yahoo! News results.

ExpertClick (www.expertclick.com)

This is another secret of the PR pros. Put up an expert profile for media to see, receive an up-to-date database of top media contacts, and send free press releases to 12,000 journalists, all on one website that gets more than 5 million hits per month. This is how I got on NBC and ended up developing a prime-time TV show. It works. Mention my name on the phone, or use “Tim Ferriss $100” online, to get a $100 discount.

LIFESTYLE DESIGN IN ACTION

Bon Jour Tim,

I was in Barnes & Noble at the help desk this past Saturday, April 25, waiting for an employee to get a book for me (Tropic of Cancer if you must know). While I was waiting, I noticed a copy of 4-Hour Workweek on the counter that someone else had ordered. Not one to be shy, I reached over the counter and started reading their copy. As you might guess, I had the employee go back and get me my own copy. Haven’t finished Tropic of Cancer but finished your book …

… On Monday I got a yes when I asked my boss to work two days remotely per week. I start next week.

On Monday I also booked the most stunning apartment in Paris for the month of September, at a cost of half of the rent I pay in Southern California. I plan to increase my remote time now through August so that September will be an easy ask to leave for remote work. If the answer happens to be no (which I now doubt), I will be prepared to quit my job.

Now at work on my Income Autopilot project.

Tim: amazing. My life has changed in three days. (Plus, your book was funny as hell.) Thank you!!! —CINDY FRANKEY

21. There are a few limited exceptions, such as online membership sites that don’t require content generation, but as a general rule, products require much less maintenance and will get you to your TMI faster.

22. Muses will provide the time and financial freedom to realize your dreamlines in record time, after which one can (and often does) start additional companies to change the world or sell.

23. Distributors are sometimes also referred to as “wholesalers,” depending on the industry.

24. It is illegal to control how much someone sells your product for, but you can dictate how much they advertise it for. This is done by including a Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) policy in your General Terms and Conditions (GTC), which are agreed to automatically when a written wholesale order is placed. Sample GTC and order forms are available at www.fourhourblog.com.

25. The Wall Street Journal , July 18, 2005 (http://www.technologyinvestor.com/login/2004/Jul18–05.php).

26. This was a new product category that I created to eliminate and preempt the competition. Strive to be the largest, best, or first in a precise category. I prefer being first.

27. If you decide to resell someone else’s higher-end products like Doug, especially with drop-shipping, the risk is lower and smaller margins can suffice.

28. “Back-end” products are products sold to customers once the sale of a primary product has been made. iPod covers and car GPS systems are two examples. These products can have lower margins, because there is no advertising cost to acquire the customer.

29. “Cross-selling” is selling a related product to a customer while they’re still on the phone or in an online shopping cart after the sale of a primary product has been made. For a full marketing and direct response (DR) glossary, visit www.fourhourblog.com.

30. This also refers to owners of copyrights or trademarks.

31. Said casually and with confidence, this alone will get you through surprisingly often. “I’d like to speak with Mr./Ms. X, please” is a dead giveaway that you don’t know them. If you want to up the chances of getting though but risk looking foolish if they call the bluff, ask for the target mentor by first name only.

32. I use this type of lead-in whenever making off-the-wall requests. It softens it and makes the person curious enough to listen before spitting out an automatic “no.”

33. This answers the questions they’ll have in their head: “Who are you and why are you calling now?” I like to be a “first-time” something to play the sympathy card, and I find a recent media feature online to cite as the trigger for calling.

34. I call people I’m familiar with. If you can’t call yourself a longtime fan, tell them that you have followed the mentor’s career or business exploits for a certain number of years.

35. Don’t pretend to be strong. Make it clear you’re nervous and they’ll lower their guard. I often do this even if I’m not nervous.

36. The wording here is critical. Ask them to “help” you do something.

37. Just rework the gatekeeper paragraph for this, and don’t dillydally—get to the point quickly and ask for permission to pull the trigger.

38. End the conversation by opening the door for future contact. Start with e-mail and let the mentoring relationship develop from there.