Episode
Ep. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
1:24:47
Published: Fri Jul 11 2014
Description
James Altucher is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. He has founded or cofounded more than 20 companies, including Reset Inc. and StockPickr. 17 have failed, 3 have made up all the difference. He has published 11 books.Join us in this meandering conversation about just about everything. There are some gems to be found.Enjoy! Tim***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
Athletic Greens is offering a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with the first subscription purchase of their all-in-one formula.
00:00 - 03:46 (03:46)
Summary
Athletic Greens is offering a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with the first subscription purchase of their all-in-one formula.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker expresses their interest in interviewing their guest and shares their reluctance to deal with the scorching heat in Thailand.
03:46 - 11:05 (07:18)
Summary
The speaker expresses their interest in interviewing their guest and shares their reluctance to deal with the scorching heat in Thailand. They also ask for support by visiting a web page to keep the show running.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Many of the top performers in Silicon Valley are actually experts at mitigating risk, despite what business magazines may portray about taking wild and brash risks.
11:05 - 16:39 (05:34)
Summary
Many of the top performers in Silicon Valley are actually experts at mitigating risk, despite what business magazines may portray about taking wild and brash risks. Being abundant in something requires gratitude, otherwise it’s easy to take it for granted and lose it.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares their reading habits before writing, where they diversify and read four to five different writers to get inspiration without mixing different materials.
16:39 - 21:28 (04:49)
Summary
The speaker shares their reading habits before writing, where they diversify and read four to five different writers to get inspiration without mixing different materials.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker enjoys reading heavily curated thoughts of good writers, finding the works of Nassim Taleb, Stephen Dubner, Malcolm Gladwell, and the host highly appealing.
21:28 - 31:25 (09:57)
Summary
The speaker enjoys reading heavily curated thoughts of good writers, finding the works of Nassim Taleb, Stephen Dubner, Malcolm Gladwell, and the host highly appealing.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The book The Four Hour Work Week is not meant to be taken literally in regards to only working four hours a week, but rather to provide a toolkit for maximizing per-hour output.
31:25 - 37:51 (06:25)
Summary
The book The Four Hour Work Week is not meant to be taken literally in regards to only working four hours a week, but rather to provide a toolkit for maximizing per-hour output. Other entrepreneurship books often focus on success stories, which may not always apply to every reader.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The episode talks about ways to enhance creativity, including incubation time, connecting ideas, and saying no to distractions.
37:54 - 46:28 (08:34)
Summary
The episode talks about ways to enhance creativity, including incubation time, connecting ideas, and saying no to distractions. It also suggests asking for help and feedback from people with different perspectives.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The fear of missing out has become prominent in the corporate world, especially for people building businesses around you that may lead to push you away from what makes you happy, like writing.
46:28 - 52:53 (06:25)
Summary
The fear of missing out has become prominent in the corporate world, especially for people building businesses around you that may lead to push you away from what makes you happy, like writing. However, staying true to oneself and engaging in activities that promote flow-like creativity is essential to being healthier and happier professionally and personally.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The idea that having more money leads to happiness is debunked as most people who cannot find happiness without money are unable to find happiness when they have more of it.
52:53 - 58:09 (05:16)
Summary
The idea that having more money leads to happiness is debunked as most people who cannot find happiness without money are unable to find happiness when they have more of it. Examples, such as Mark Cuban, showcase how money can bring a sense of freedom but not necessarily happiness.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The second most important word after no is "help".
58:09 - 1:03:35 (05:25)
Summary
The second most important word after no is "help". Building up discernment through all aspects of health, both physical and emotional, can teach us when to say no and how to ask for help when needed.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Saying yes to every opportunity can come with a huge opportunity cost of time.
1:03:35 - 1:08:07 (04:32)
Summary
Saying yes to every opportunity can come with a huge opportunity cost of time. While it might be beneficial in the early days, when starting out, it's important to find a balance and only say yes to opportunities related to your interests.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The trend of outsourcing jobs is not only limited to secretarial works but also to more complex job positions like vice-presidents.
1:08:07 - 1:17:11 (09:04)
Summary
The trend of outsourcing jobs is not only limited to secretarial works but also to more complex job positions like vice-presidents. Large accounting firms, law firms, corporations are starting to outsource their employees through temp agencies.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker enjoys a wide range of musical genres, including classic rock, heavy metal, and rap, with favorite artists including Led Zeppelin, Wu-Tang Clan, Eminem, and Ice-T.
1:17:12 - 1:20:56 (03:44)
Summary
The speaker enjoys a wide range of musical genres, including classic rock, heavy metal, and rap, with favorite artists including Led Zeppelin, Wu-Tang Clan, Eminem, and Ice-T. They also discuss their preference for receiving news through Twitter from trusted sources.
EpisodeEp. 18: James Altucher on Saying No, Failing Better, Business Building, and More
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker faces difficulty in reaching out to others and asking for favors, but has used it as a learning experience.
1:20:56 - 1:24:40 (03:43)
Summary
The speaker faces difficulty in reaching out to others and asking for favors, but has used it as a learning experience. They recommend checking out the work of the person they are speaking to, as well as their new book, and promoting their Q&A on Twitter.