Engineering a “Muse”: Case Studies of Successful Cash-Flow Businesses 443 Comments

Written by Topics: 4-Hour Case Studies, Muse Examples

This post has been in the works for a while.

One common challenge for readers of The 4-Hour Workweek is the creation of a “muse”: a low-maintenance business that generates significant income. Such a muse is leveraged to finance your ideal lifestyle, which we calculate precisely based on Target Monthly Income (TMI).

In the last four years, I’ve received hundreds of successful case studies via e-mail, and more than 1,000 new businesses were created during a recent Shopify competition, but I’ve presented only a handful of a case studies. Here are a few dozen we’ve covered:

How to Sell 10,000 iPad Cases at $60 Each (and Other Lessons Learned)
18 Real-World Lifestyle Design Case Studies [VIDEOS]

In this post, I’ll showcase four successful muses inspired by The 4-Hour Workweek, including lessons learned, what worked, and what didn’t…

In the comments, please let me know: Is this helpful, and would you like more of these posts? What’s missing? If you’d like to submit your own muse for being highlighted, please see the end of this post.

All suggestions are welcome, and I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

“EarPeace” by Jay Clark

Describe your muse in 1-3 sentences.
EarPeace improves any loud live music or nightlife experience. EarPeace is high fidelity hearing protection that turns down the volume without distorting the sound, it’s virtually invisible, comfortable, reusable, and comes in fantastic packaging.

What is the website for your muse?
http://www.earpeace.com

How much revenue is your muse currently generating per month (on average)?
$5,000 – $10,000 per month

How did you decide on this muse?
My muse solved my problem. I spent carnival in Port of Spain with my beautiful Trinidadian girlfriend and danced for days in costume next to tractor trailers converted to giant rolling speaker stacks. We recovered in Tobago and the ringing in my ears was louder than the waves. I turned to her and asked if she had ever seen ‘stylish’ hearing protection. She hadn’t. Right then I found my muse.

After all the research, I was confident I could inexpensively design a better product, deliver superior marketing, and construct an infrastructure that would run itself. EarPeace solved the three major problems that people have with hearing protection – it destroys sound quality, looks stupid, and isn’t comfortable. When you use EarPeace, live music is crystal clear (you can even hear your friends), people can’t see you wear it (color of your skin and very low profile), and they are very comfortable (and reusable – high value!). I could also wrap it in beautiful packaging and keep a reasonable margin. And, it’s small, inexpensive to ship, and easy to maintain inventory. EarPeace has proven itself a winner.

What ideas did you consider but reject, and why?
I was on the verge of opening a yoga studio in Amsterdam. In January 2008, I flew to Amsterdam to do the final walk-throughs, meetings with business attorneys, real estate agents, real estate attorneys, pay roll processors, personnel managers, accountants, special accountants, other people to help me stay in code for the byzantine list of regulations around hiring people and paying them, and the list goes on… TO OPEN A YOGA STUDIO (insert total exasperation). I read half of “The 4-Hour Workweek” on the way out, and the other half on the way home. I knew right then that the yoga studio (especially in Amsterdam) was not the way. I spent the first two weeks of October 2008 in southern China doing factory tours for EarPeace.

What were some of the main tipping points (if any) or “A-ha!” moments? How did they come about?
The main A-ha moment was the realization that I couldn’t be tied down to a space. A yoga studio (as much as I love my practice) makes you immobile. I grew up overseas and the wanderlust is still strong. I have to run my business from anywhere. EarPeace allowed me to do that.

The other tipping points were making the right decisions about staying tethered to the corporate mother ship. Overdoing it on vacation and taking as much unpaid leave as possible were critical.

What were your biggest mistakes, or biggest wastes of time/money?
Over-ordering inventory. This was the biggest mistake. As soon as you get your first run of product, you are already tweaking it and making it better. Bargain and promise the moon on future sales, and keep the inventory low. On the second order (blister packed EarPeace for venues), I over did it. Thank BUDDHA the initial run of boxed EarPeace for internet sales are still almost perfect.

What have been your key marketing and/or manufacturing lessons learned?
Ask as many smart people for their opinion as you can. The forest quickly gets lost for the trees when you are in the thick of operational, distribution, creative, and financial decision-making. Give 5% of the company to a couple of clutch advisers that will give you 1-2 hours per week to review strategy, make introductions, and help drive sales. You CAN NOT do it all by yourself. There are so many marketing communications decisions that make it impossible to do everything alone. And, as quickly as possible, hire someone part-time to do continuous PR.

How did you find your advisers, and what would be your advice to first-timers?
I was lucky enough to have a robust network of professionals and friends that I could turn to for quick advice during ramp up and launch.  My Thunderbird MBA network is INVALUABLE.  However, if people don’t have those sorts of people on speed dial, it’s then a matter of networking.  The American Marketing Association is cheap to join and has several meetings a month where you can meet smart people who are interested in helping budding entrepreneurs.  The SBA has formal adviser programs.  Kauffman Foundation will help connect people.  There are lots of resources, but you need to get out and have lots of coffees, dinners, and beers until you find someone who you trust, who demonstrates the types of core competencies you need, and is willing to be involved / mentor you through the mountain that is starting a business.

How did you find your manufacturer, and what would be your advice to first-timers?
I found my manufacturer through Alibaba.com and GlobalSources.com.  I contacted all of them through my business email, because using a Gmail account will not get you serious feedback.  I started off with a list of 20+ potential suppliers and sent them all emails.  Based on how quickly they responded, the quality of their English, and their willingness to answer my questions, I narrowed that list to about ten.  I sent those ten an NDA and narrowed it further when there was no response or issues with confidentiality.

Then I asked them to demonstrate that they could create what I wanted through mock ups, and further narrowed the list to about five.  After that, I used my MBA network to help find an interpreter that could help me with the factory visits and negotiations.  This was critical – you don’t know what you don’t know, and there is a lot you don’t know about doing business in China.  Having someone who speaks the language and can drive the negotiations is worth the money.  After I found my interpreter, I got on a plane and went to Hong Kong.

Any key PR wins? Media, well-known users, or company partnerships, etc.? How did they happen?
- “A Ringing Endorsement for Earplugs” on Mashable
- Patrick Dierson on the Jay-Z tour
- The Bowery Presents venues in NYC carry EarPeace
- Thievery Corporation has custom EarPeace
- I am making custom EarPeace for SXSW

These all happened through adviser introductions, lots of blind phone calls, and PR. And, being out there. EarPeace had a presence at every major music festival in the late summer. That is a phenomenal work lifestyle.

If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would have brought on advisers sooner, ordered less inventory to enable faster product innovation, and spent more money on PR.

What’s next?!
EarPeace is a great product. I am very proud of it. It really works and it’s designed uniquely enough that competing ‘high-fidelity’ products just can’t touch it for normal lifespan. We’re going to transition EarPeace into a consumer, mass-market product. Right now it’s still relatively niche, but EVERYONE needs this. Foam earplugs are great for sleeping, for instance, but you need hearing protection when you are out and about all the time. Whether it’s the movies, the basketball stadium, a loud bar, a restaurant, or the subway. We still need to hear, we just need to turn down the volume. EarPeace does that, discretely, and in a high value way. I want EarPeace at CVS, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart by the end of next year.

Then, I’m taking a break. I’m going back to my favorite Vipassana retreat in Thailand. When I come out after 10 days of no speaking, 10 hours of meditation and 2 hours of yoga per day, and fabulous vegetarian food… the next muse will have manifested itself.

“Summer Jasmines” by Alissa Kraisosky

Describe your muse in 1-3 sentences.
My muse is a foldable, compactable evening and pedicure sandal. It is patent pending, is launched in the US and currently launching in Japan.

What is the website for your muse?
http://www.summerjasmines.com

How much revenue is your muse currently generating per month (on average)?
$1,000 – $2,500 per month

How did you decide on this muse?
I had read Tim’s book on a flight back from a Paris vacation in 2007. I was stuck in a job that was getting more toxic, and Tim’s book got me excited again – kind of like when I was in college and felt like anything was possible. About a year later, necessity became the mother of invention. My feet were hurting walking back to my hotel at a Las Vegas convention center. I wished there was a stylish shoe I could just pull out of an evening bag and wear for comfort. I also wanted something that would easily separate the toes during a pedicure. I pulled out Tim’s book and re-read the chapters on starting a muse, and voilà!

I also used PRLeads and HARO to gain exposure for the product (as mentioned in the book). The idea was put into motion, and Summer Jasmines has since appeared in the Style Network website, attracted the attention of celebrity stylists, and is in the hands of Paris Hilton.

What ideas did you consider but reject, and why?
I thought about doing something in the medical field (my day job is as a physician-psychiatrist) but read Tim’s experiences with BrainQuicken and decided against it. I didn’t want to do something that was too similar to my day job.

What were some of the main tipping points (if any) or “A-ha!” moments? How did they come about?
I was walking back to my hotel from a convention in Las Vegas and my feet were killing me – that was my “A-ha!” moment. I did not want to walk back barefoot, so I limped back to the hotel with my uncomfortable shoes on. I did some searching online and found nothing similar to what I developed. I wanted a shoe that could be worn in emergencies, but also daily or to pedicures.

What were your biggest mistakes, or biggest wastes of time/money?
I hired a PR agency, but found they needed micromanaging and it was not helpful at all. I did much better with Tim’s recommendations in the book, such as HARO and PRLeads.

What have been your key marketing and/or manufacturing lessons learned?
My product needs to really be demonstrated or else it just seems like another shoe that’s joining the masses.

How did you find your manufacturer, and what would be your advice to first-timers?
Finding a manufacturer was tough, as I wanted to make sure they made the product exactly as I designed it. I searched in the United States with no success, and it took me three months, multiple Internet searches, and a flurry of follow up e-mails before I found a reliable manufacturer. This manufacturer was willing to prototype my designs, with minimal cost initially (around US $300) per style. When I saw that the sandals were generating a good market response, I was able to order in bulk.

My advice to first-timers would be to start with Alibaba.com. It’s fairly easy to find a contact who speaks English (in my case) and I was also able to find some pretty big name established manufacturers (for example, those who work with Disney and L’Oreal). Be sure to ask them if they do private label manufacturing (the acronym ODM–original design manufacturer–is what you’re looking for.) Ask them to ship a few sample items to you (or prototypes) to avoid a huge inventory of something you don’t want.  Some other acronyms to learn are: FOB (freight on board or free on board) and ISF (Importer Security Filing) so there are no nasty shipping/customs cost surprises later!

Any key PR wins? Media, well-known users, or company partnerships, etc.?
Joe Robinson at “Entrepreneur” magazine recently interviewed me on surviving multitasking and setting boundaries. Again, it happened via PRLeads, recommended by Tim.

If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would have not hired the PR firm.

What’s next?!
I want to keep designing more shoes, and figuring out how to integrate this into medicine to increase wellness. I know it will happen somehow!

“Hewley L-Carnitine Shampoo” by Daniel Bradley

Describe your muse in 1-3 sentences.
Hewley products (L-Carnitine Shampoo and Saw Palmetto Conditioner) help men and women combat thin, lifeless and limp hair with a daily 2-step regimen for thicker, healthier hair, as well as new hair growth.

What is the website for your muse?
http://www.hewley.com

How much revenue is your muse currently generating per month (on average)?
$2,500 – $5,000 per month

How did you decide on this muse?
We did research on scientific journals and studies with respect to stimulating blood flow to the scalp. We discovered some exciting results and found that there was a viable niche, and that the pricing of the products allowed for necessary margins.

What ideas did you consider but reject, and why?
Our first muse concept was fish oil. We found a great Icelandic company that has a terrific product that they would sell to us in bulk. We tested the concept using 4HWW tools, but found there was too much competition and not enough differentiation.

What were some of the main tipping points (if any) or “A-ha!” moments? How did they come about?
The main tipping point was finding that we could ‘name’ our product with an exciting and key ingredient and also own the domain (e.g., L-Carnitine Shampoo – the domain lcarnintineshampoo.com was available). Tying together the domain and the product name seemed like a great way to ‘own’ a niche. We then realized that having a ‘brand” (in our case Hewley) would add the flexibility of playing around with our products and product line.

What were your biggest mistakes, or biggest wastes of time/money?
The biggest trouble has been trying to outsource website design work. We outsourced our product label design to a great firm, and are super excited about the results. But in the web design world, we’ve not had the best luck. We’ve tried a few firms on eLance and a couple of Shopify designers, but we struggled with finding a designer who knew how to ‘design’ for maximum conversion. This has been our biggest waste of time and money.

[Note from Tim: This is where advisors can be very helpful. First, have an advising conversion expert help you put together "wireframes" or sketches of pages that should convert (using pen and paper, or something like Balsamiq). Then have a designer implement and add aesthetic flavor, after which you have a developer chop it up and create the functioning site.]

We are still struggling with the concept of a brand.  We probably would have stuck to ‘L-Carnitine Shampoo’ instead of ‘Hewley.’  Getting people to understand what Hewley is will ultimately be a positive for us, but right now it’s just a hurdle to get over.

What have been your key marketing and/or manufacturing lessons learned?
Twitter! There are firms out there that will manage your Twitter account for $1500+ per month (yikes!). We found SocialOomph and a couple other firms that troll for followers for about $50/month.  In one month, they helped us build our Twitter following from 10 to 1,400 followers, and it is now a major source of traffic to our website.

We also used a marketer on eLance to develop a brochure for us. That saved us a lot of time, and the marketer knew how to use clear, concise, and powerful language.  The brochure came out great!

How did you find your manufacturer, and what would be your advice to first-timers?
Once we proved the concept and decided it was time to outsource production, we started playing detective.  In addition to Google searches, we took each shampoo product that we studied during our product development and looked for clues as to where it was manufactured (whether it was made in-house or outsourced).  We also asked each potential vendor to name a couple companies that they thought were competitors. With this multi-pronged approach, we found many more manufacturers that were initially accessible on the web through simple Google searches.

My advice for first-timers: Start today.  Commit yourself to your muse by putting the idea out there as fast as possible.  We know a lot of folks who have read the 4HWW and love to discuss it and their ideas, but time moves on and nothing happens.  Call a potential business partner and share the tasks; tell all your friends that you are launching a product on X date; build your test site and get it out there.  My partner and I have learned that the fastest way to get something done is to commit to it. You always have time to perfect the product later.

Any key PR wins? Media, well-known users, or company partnerships, etc.? How did they happen?
We are going to be featured in an upcoming issue of a magazine with 100,000 readers. It came about by reaching out to a rep from the magazine and showing her the brochure. We have also been approached by other sites looking to add our product, but are cautious to protect our margins (4HWW).

If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
We would have had our product manufactured faster.  We spent too much time in “test mode” by mixing and fulfilling orders on our own. Once this was automated, it was a huge weight off our backs. We could focus on selling and marketing instead of fulfilling.

What’s next?!
We have learned so much since we started.  We’ve been working with a chemist on a much-improved product that includes a concentrated serum, and it’s backed up by some pretty impressive results. We will be rolling this out early next year, and couldn’t be more excited!

“Shred Soles” by Nate Musson

Describe your muse in 1-3 sentences.
Comfortable, canted, performance, snowboard boot insoles.

What is the website for your muse?
http://www.shredsoles.com

How much revenue is your muse currently generating per month (on average)?
$1,000 – $2,500 per month

How did you decide on this muse?
I had the idea for this product in the back of my mind since winter of 2005. After reading 4HWW in 2007, I started to hand-make and test different degrees of canted insoles in my snowboarding boots. I know it sounds cliché, but the idea was kind of like an itch that wouldn’t go away – I just had to keep taking steps towards it, and 4HWW gave me the “road map” along the way! I also felt that this product could fit the 4HWW muse criteria, so I went with it.

What ideas did you consider but reject, and why?
I’d considered making a more versatile, non-canted, non-snowboarding specific insole with cool art printed on it. It would have been way easier to make, but I just didn’t feel that it was niche enough. I really wanted to have something that was snowboarding-specific.

What were some of the main tipping points (if any) or “A-ha!” moments? How did they come about?
First, my own personal testing. I personally made and tried out hundreds of different insoles with different degrees of canting. Second, the affirmation that I was on to something by a professional boot fitter whose classes I’d attended. I kind of had to dance around the topic since I didn’t have a patent at the time. Third, customer feedback! The very first online sale happened before I even had inventory or marketed the site (the site wasn’t even done!).  I had to send the customer my last sample in my size. A couple months later, he emailed me with this unsolicited feedback: “After 2 foot surgeries, I didn’t think my feet would be able to handle snowboarding, but thanks to the Shred Soles, I’m carving up the mountain. Thanks again.”

What were your biggest mistakes, or biggest wastes of time/money?
$600 phone call to a trademark attorney just to have him tell me that “I’ll never be able to trademark Shred Soles.” He was wrong. I just kept pursuing it with the USPTO and it worked out. Paying for services that I didn’t need yet (or ever), like shopping carts, 1-800#, and a podcasting account. Buying business cards too early, and now the info on them is outdated. Getting stuck on patents and trademarks and not moving forward with the rest of the business because I was concerned that they wouldn’t work out.

What have been your key marketing and/or manufacturing lessons learned?
Manufacturing- Keep making calls/emails until you find the right fit. I made 30 or more manufacturing contacts until I found the right one! I had guys tell me that what I was trying to do was stupid, impossible, and that it’s just not the way things are done!

Marketing- Facebook ads and fan page, Twitter, Email list, submitting to product reviews, posting in snowboarding forums, and a little SEO!

How did you find your manufacturer, and what would be your advice to first-timers?
I found my manufacturer through Google, emailing the few that looked decent, then exchanging more emails and phone calls with them if they responded. I decided that most of them were not a “good fit” for what I was trying to make. Finally, I came across a manufacturer that was receptive to my idea! They always responded promptly, while many of the other manufacturers I’d contacted had been very slow to respond.

My advice for the first-timers seeking a manufacturer would be to send lots of emails, make lots of phone calls, and be persistent! Find one that’s “into” what you’re trying to do and really understands the scope of your project.

Any key PR wins? Media, well-known users, or company partnerships, etc.? How did they happen?
I’ve got some big coverage lined up with the #1 snowboarding magazine through a lucky industry connection. Shred Soles has also been covered by the #1 and #2 independent snowboarding bloggers.

If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I’d get set up with a mastermind group from the start! That alone would have made the biggest overall impact in every area of the business, IMO!

What’s next?!
The new site just went up, and it has a much cleaner look! I’m going to add some new items into the mix (socks, for instance), as well as a new secret product!  I’d love to do some kind of information product in the future, and have a couple of ideas on the back burner.

###

IMPORTANT AFTERWORD:

Do you have a successful muse that’s generating more than $1,000 per month?

Please tell me about it! If it stands out (meaning you give specific details of lessons learned and what’s worked vs. what didn’t), I’m happy to promote you and help further increase your revenue. If you qualify and this sounds like fun, please fill out this form here.

Both physical and digital goods are welcome, as are services, as long as they’re low-maintenance, income-generating “muses” as described in The 4-Hour Workweek.

Posted on November 28th, 2010

Leave a Comment or Question

Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration)




443 Comments

  • Vinay — November 28th, 2010, 8:11 pm

    wow! This is an outstanding post, and perfect timing. I have been working on a muse for the last year, started off with an ecommerce store which is going well and now going into info products including teaching others how to build an ecommerce store. Thx for the great post again!

    Reply

    • Gabriel — November 28th, 2010, 8:32 pm

      Vinay… I am interested in learning more about what you did with the ecommerce option. I have been struggling trying to decide which route to take, who to use as the e-platform, sourcing products, etc.. I have run into so many companies offering these solutions, but they all seem pretty sketchy thanks.

      Reply

      • Tim Maxey — November 29th, 2010, 8:57 am

        I had the same problem, but I am a programmer, so I started my own with nopTM.com, not making a lot of money but a great product…

        My issue is, I want to sell something myself, great post, been trying to figure out something myself to sell, anyone want to “hook” up, I can help on the technology side of things, over 16 yrs as a programmer…

        Reply

      • Vinay — November 29th, 2010, 4:57 pm

        Hey Gabriel,

        I actually started my ecommerce store with Tim’s Shopify competition. So I use Shopify to run my ecommerce store.

        I have actually made a Free 7 Day Video Course on how to set up a Shopify store from scratch and get traffic to start selling products. I also talk about sourcing products etc…

        You can check it out here: http://www.eshopwiz.com

        There are other options besides Shopify, there are very cheap options like a WordPress, with a free ecommerce plugin and PayPal as the payment processor.

        It really depends on the number of products you are selling and how complex you are planning to make your whole store.

        The great thing about someone like Shopify, is you can literally have your store up and running in a few days but it is highly scalable if you want to grow down the line. Where as wordpress is not, and you will probably have to hire a programmer to move your store over.

        Feel free to contact me at vinay [at] eshopwiz.com if you have any more questions. Id be happy to share my journey.

        Cheers

        Reply

    • John MacClore — November 29th, 2010, 4:32 pm

      Revenue is irrelevant. It would have been nice to see the profits per month…

      Reply

      • Brent — December 9th, 2010, 1:44 pm

        Agreed, for all future muse stories. Part of the beauty of the whole ‘behind the curtain thing’ is seeing what’s really going on, which is one of the reasons why Tim rocks. 80% margins on $3,000 a month passive is awesome, 10% margins on $3,000 a month doesn’t do much for the lifestyle.

        Reply

  • Doug — November 28th, 2010, 8:18 pm

    Selling information to create a higher functional standard of living (tangibles over sentiment) is the ideal location-independent muse.

    Reply

  • Roger K — November 28th, 2010, 8:21 pm

    Great post!!! These are why I read here. But a confession…… I am self-employed, and have been for 15 years. I like what I do….. so the muse is a back burner for me. But it is fun stuff to read!

    Reply

  • Erik — November 28th, 2010, 8:21 pm

    The video addition at the top of the post was a fun addition to this great post! Looking forward to more of these sorts of posts, the muse is an elusive creature… :)

    Reply

  • David Siteman Garland — November 28th, 2010, 8:22 pm

    Something particularly interesting about these case studies is they all involve a physical product which is awesome. Obviously there are lots of people making money with virtual products, but is great to see people taking a smarter, faster, cheaper approach with physical products.

    Tim – If any of your case studies would be a good fit for my show (like when we had Craig from DODOcase on, let me know.

    Reply

    • Josh Crocker — November 28th, 2010, 8:56 pm

      Agreed David! It seems like there’s no shortage of folks promoting digital products (and how to make/market/sell them), but a vast shortage of physical products being promoted out there.

      By the way, I enjoyed your interview with Tim a few weeks ago. I was kicking myself because I watched it on my flight OUT of St. Louis and it wasn’t until the end that I realized that’s where you’re located. I would’ve loved to hang out even if for a few minutes. Keep up the motivation and the “no fluff”!

      :)

      Reply

    • Pearson — December 1st, 2010, 8:44 pm

      Tim – very timely topic in regards to my creating a muse. Mine is in its idea development stages. The muse I am thinking of is website based.

      David – Could you elaborate on the difference in costs between virtual products versus physical products?

      I saw your interview with Tim as well. Great concept!

      Reply

  • Anne — November 28th, 2010, 8:26 pm

    How do you find an “advising conversion expert”?

    Reply

  • tabor — November 28th, 2010, 8:31 pm

    This post was very helpful Tim. I would love to see more posts like this one. Thanks.

    Reply

  • Ravi — November 28th, 2010, 8:32 pm

    Inspiring to see what others have done, make it that much more real. Thanks!

    Reply

  • Ratko — November 28th, 2010, 8:34 pm

    excellent post! would be great to see this as an on-going series.

    Reply

  • Maxwell — November 28th, 2010, 8:34 pm

    Great Post Tim. I would like to see a lot more like this and I think the next best thing would be to do a case study on a business from start to finish. From brain storming to having the first sale. It would take a lot of work/time but I think a lot of people would benefit from it and be happy to watch how you would go about it from start to finish.

    Reply

  • Chad Howse — November 28th, 2010, 8:34 pm

    Hey Tim,

    Thanks a lot for this article, and the previous ones you’ve written on “muses”.

    I’m a personal trainer by trade and have my own business. I started a blog just under a year ago with two goals in mind: a. develop an online following, and b. sell an ebook with a set of programs and meal plans online.

    What I didn’t expect was the number of new clients I’d get, both online and offline, because of my blog. I’ve easily doubled my client list since starting the site – pretty much accidentally.

    The ebook/program is complete, and due out this week, so that step is now coming into the equation.

    It helps a lot to hear what has worked for others, and what hasn’t, but also to hear where people get their ideas and inspiration.

    Thanks for the great article,

    - Chad

    Reply

  • Cameron Benz — November 28th, 2010, 8:35 pm

    Excellent read Tim. And its got me thinking. I have a 2 products I was going to pitch for licensing but am now considering only licensing one of them and making the other one a niche product of my own.

    Reply

  • Ray — November 28th, 2010, 8:38 pm

    Tim,

    Currently I have a great muse, subscription base (online) that makes around 5K – 6K per month. I have no expertise in this industry but had a partner (50/50) that had the pulse of the industry. I recently bought him out.

    I’m considering partnering with a new industry leader how wants to take the co in a new direction (larger online presence, more touch points, potential advertisers). Should we do a equal split, should I re-evaluate my potenial partnership or should I go it alone; slow growth?

    Open to your thoughts.

    Cheers!

    Reply

  • Johnny — November 28th, 2010, 8:43 pm

    Best 4HWW Post ever! I love hearing about case studies inspired by Tim that work. Thanks Tim!

    Reply

    • Tanya — December 1st, 2010, 7:14 pm

      Same, big fan. I think feeling it out really has a lot to do with it, but can’t be scared . . . gotta go for it if you feel it! Hopefully more of these come soon. The best part of this is the hope it provides, all in all it comes down to you and (think Nike), just doing it.

      Reply

  • Jonni La Force — November 28th, 2010, 8:43 pm

    VERY helpful and very interesting. It’s so important to hear real world examples. Found it extra fascinating that all of these case studies are physical products, and basically new inventions. Curious how much money actually came out of pocket before any income was realized, what was timeline from start to first sale, time from first sale to initial investment returned, and was this the first business they started.

    My favorite part was that case study #1 said if they had it to do over again they’d spend more money on PR, and case study #2 said if they had it to do over again they wouldn’t hire a PR. Excellent reminder that one size does not fit all, the trick is awareness, adaptability, and action.

    Reply

  • John — November 28th, 2010, 8:44 pm

    Does anyone have any resources or recommendations for where/how to find good advisors? Tim, I think a post that explains how to find a good advisor would be valuable.

    Thanks!

    John

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 28th, 2010, 9:09 pm

      Hi John,

      Working on this right now… Thx!

      Tim

      Reply

      • JH — November 28th, 2010, 9:50 pm

        Couldn’t happen sooner :)

        Reply

      • Jim Johnson — November 29th, 2010, 8:55 pm

        Yes, please! Based on your post and on the comments here, more info on advisors and on finding better website designers with a marketing knowledge would help a great deal! (That just so happens to be what I’m really in need of on my team not, too…)

        Reply

      • Tim Maxey — November 29th, 2010, 9:15 pm

        Hey Tim, I’d be very interested in email or other conversation concerning offering my services as a web programmer for % in your readers muses. Or something like that… That could be my muse…

        Reply

      • Ryan Bonhardt — December 1st, 2010, 6:45 pm

        Yes this would definitely be helpful to know how to find the advisers. is there a site to network with possible advisers that have certain expertise.

        Also how to find and contact the conversion experts in which to draw the wire frames.

        However, this is a great post for anyone at any stage in the muse construction process.

        Reply

  • Ronsley — November 28th, 2010, 8:47 pm

    Inspirational is kinda an understatement. I’ve already started implementing the auto-responders and my inbox has become a very good sight to look at (when I do). Started a restaurant (while making a 3 week climbing holiday to Greece), and slowly getting into outsourcing some of my daily activities…. Kudo’s Tim – Kudo’s from down under!

    I like justifying some of my actions using your theories :-)

    I can’t wait to write about this change in lifestyle.

    Reply

      • Cheryl — December 1st, 2010, 6:28 pm

        Hi Tim,
        This is my very first Blog response…. How cool!
        Just had to comment on this fantastic post.
        Yes, it is a spectacular idea and will help people like me no end. Your book inspired me to walk away from my Franchise and set off looking for ‘the holy grail’ of the 4-hour work week.
        (If anyone else has this bright idea – DO NOT DO IT!
        Do what Tim says in his book and do it in stages!!)
        Tim, your authenticity and ‘heart’ and passion inspires me to keep truckin’ in the medium of the Internet – where there are many ‘bright shiny objects’. (Speaking politely!!)
        You provide a ‘lighthouse’ that I come back to and re-focus myself.
        Bless your wee cotton socks! (an Australian expression!)
        Cheryl

        Reply

    • Hesham — January 29th, 2011, 1:08 pm

      how did you start a restaurant while your away?
      this seems like something requiring a lot of physical presence .

      Reply

  • Vincent — November 28th, 2010, 8:50 pm

    This type of post is awesome. It is inspiring and it allows us to have some
    Ideas for creating our own muse too!

    Cheers,
    Vincent

    Reply

  • Josh Crocker — November 28th, 2010, 8:52 pm

    Wow Tim, what a timely post!

    I’ve just ordered my first (small) batch of physical product for my muse business and am waiting for it to arrive. I’m glad I read the advice about PR firms and advisors!

    First question is this: Where can one look to find an advisor? I’m also wondering if location matters. I’m from Rochester, NY. I’ve heard you mention before how your location in SF is advantageous for you as an advisor because that’s a great geographic location for startups, VCs, and advisors.

    Second question is for Tim and maybe more for the readers with muses: What types of legal structures are folks using for their muse businesses? It’s dizzying to read up on some legal terminology and it’s one of the roadblocks that I’ve been experiencing, leading only to frustration and “analysis paralysis”.

    Tim – Thanks again brother. I am a HUGE fan of these types of posts. Sometimes seeing other people who are doing it is motivation enough to continue on and to come up with new ideas.

    Cheers!

    - Josh

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 28th, 2010, 9:08 pm

      Thanks, Josh, and congrats! A few quick thoughts:

      - Please speak with an accountant, but I started with an LLC. It depends greatly on how many people are involved, and if you have investors. I was alone and funded it all myself.

      - Look up the “Entrepreneur’s Organization” and “SCORE” for a first stab at advisors. I’ve sent an email to EarPeace to try and get more information about how they found their advisors.

      Good luck!

      All the best,

      Tim

      Reply

      • Jeremy — November 30th, 2010, 12:15 pm

        Josh,

        I am an accountant and agree with Tim. From the limited information given, an LLC is a good way to go because it gives legal protection and provides tax benefits (taxed as partner instead of being double taxed as corp).

        I would advise you and anyone else to make sure you structure it properly when you set it up because that is where the legal protection comes from. If you have partners this is even more important. You may want to get an attorney to help with this so that you are sure you are covered.

        Good luck!

        Jeremy

        Reply

      • Josh Crocker — December 1st, 2010, 1:52 pm

        Thanks Jeremy! and thank you Tim once again! I was leaning in the direction of LLC, and appreciate your wisdom and experience!

        - Josh

        Reply

  • Chris — November 28th, 2010, 9:03 pm

    All of these involve physical products.

    So my question: are digital products doomed to fail? Are we not at a point where digital products can generate a viable passive income stream?

    Just curious. If anyone has had success with digital products, I’d love to hear about it.

    Reply

    • Yadgyu — November 28th, 2010, 9:23 pm

      @ Chris,

      Digital products are never going to be money-making ventures for people who are not computer geniuses. It is better for most people to focus on products that other people can see and touch. Peope feel connected to products that they can interact with. Outside of Facebook, Twitter, and smartphones, people are not really that interested in technology. Technology usually just becomes too complicated and expensive in the end.

      All of the talk of the digital revolution is a lie and it will stay that way for a long time. The problem with digital is that it requires people to:

      A) Have a suitable power source
      B) Be able to read and write
      C) Have access to a computer
      D) Be able to use a computer

      Most of the world is incapable of at least one of those things, thereby making the transition to all things digital a pipe dream for science fiction nerds. The future is far, far away my friend.

      Reply

      • Tim Ferriss — November 28th, 2010, 9:57 pm

        I agree with some of this, but creating and selling an e-book, for example, doesn’t need to rocket science. The guys I know making seven figures a year don’t know how to code.

        Just another perspective,

        Tim

        Reply

      • Marcel — November 29th, 2010, 9:10 am

        @Yadgyu. digital revolution will come, read kevin kellys new book to get some insight and research dataI.

        Also E-Books dont have to look like Ebooks to get people to really connect with them, i’ve created one in the last two months that can be definately published at a normal publishing house or via books on demand.

        And as Tim said, its no rocket science it’s just getting your ass on the chair and create something great ( that solves a problem)

        Thanks for that post.

        I’ve discussed this same post today with my professor in the FH (german media/Tech/management) school and he said it’s awesome and pointed out that the main reason why people always think they cannot do this or that ist that the don’t know how, or even worse, the don’t see enough other “normal everyday like you and me” people succed with low overhead small businesses.

        psyched for the book, do you have something additionally on sleep hacking in your book Tim would be great ?

        Gruß marcel

        Reply

      • Vinay — November 29th, 2010, 7:16 pm

        @Yadgyu

        Why cant you just outsource all the technical stuff? That’s what 1/4 of Tim’s book is all about…

        Plus you don’t need the whole world as your market.

        0.01% of the US market is waay more than enough to run a successful lifestyle business.

        Reply

      • Anouar — January 28th, 2011, 2:48 am

        The future is here. It’s just not widely distributed yet.

        Reply

  • BrentH — November 28th, 2010, 9:05 pm

    Hey Tim,
    The devil (or deed if you prefer) is in the details. How does one go from concept to touring factories in China? Or how about the initial design prototype (and costs)? I’d like to hear more about these kinds of things as well – it connects the improbable to entirely possible.

    Great book, looking for forward to the new one shortly!

    Reply

  • Shawn Steinman — November 28th, 2010, 9:09 pm

    Hi Tim, Where do I submit my Details of my Muse?

    I can’t wait for the next book!
    All the best,
    Shawn

    Reply

  • karmen — November 28th, 2010, 9:12 pm

    UR Awesome ! ThankU!

    Reply

  • Max Schwartz — November 28th, 2010, 9:13 pm

    I have several ideas for muses all over my evernote but unfortunately college is getting in the way of my muse education. Thanks for this post!

    Reply

    • Daniel — December 1st, 2010, 7:19 am

      It’s the bug that goes aroung called Excusitis Vulgaris. It stops us from doing anything we’d dream about. I’ve been on medication for months now!
      Good luck
      Daniel

      Reply

      • Stacey B — December 2nd, 2010, 4:28 pm

        There seems to be a major outbreak of this bug in my family… hereditary???

        Been suffering myself for many years now, and finally facing what it takes to medicate effectively.

        The biggest resistance surrounding me is those who fear change. Myself included, I find comfort to be… well, comforting ;)

        After struggling for 3 years with a workload-heavy, but income-poor business, I’ve finally let go of, now is the time to accept failure, and admit that the egoic nature of busy-ness doesn’t generate success, just stress.

        Now if only I can convince my culturally pessimistic Australian family to believe that Tim Ferriss knows what he is talking about – or perhaps I just have to take a leap of faith and show them :)

        Thank you Tim for your inspiration, and to those who back up his theories and give the rest of us the kick we need to follow.

        Reply

  • Jody — November 28th, 2010, 9:16 pm

    This is what I/we love about Tim Ferriss: he’s one of the few who actually shines the light on “the nitty gritty details behind the curtain showing you how it’s done” – the nuts-&-bolts, the actionable information, not the usual useless fluff & hype & “go get ‘em” pep talks. Keep doing your thing Tim. Your mark on the world is made & will long be remembered by all those you’ve inspired.

    Reply

  • Chris Fryer — November 28th, 2010, 9:16 pm

    I would be interested to know whether they all tested before invested.

    Great post, thanks for the motivation!

    Reply

  • Seb — November 28th, 2010, 9:18 pm

    Nice.

    I needed this.

    My muse is averaging between 1 and 2 K and I was getting tired of it cos it was short of my dreamline of 4K.

    Good to get some inspiration to keep on keeping on.

    Tack Tim.

    Reply

  • Julie Pianto — November 28th, 2010, 9:24 pm

    I agree with the other commenters Tim – it is always great to hear of people who found their muse and actually implemented.

    Inspiring – like you and 4HWW

    More please :)

    Reply

  • Clifford — November 28th, 2010, 9:25 pm

    +1 for more inspirational stories.

    Reply

  • Tom — November 28th, 2010, 9:26 pm

    Love this post Tim – thanks so much for the motivation and keeping us all pumped up about building muses. All your posts are fun and great to read, and I’m glad you are still including posts like this that are more about what you started with in writing the 4 Hour Workweek, in terms of business. It’s terrific that you are helping and encouraging and inspiring people to strive for freedom. And deeper than that, getting them/me/us to believe that the type of freedom you’ve achieved is even possible in the first place.

    Reply

  • Matt — November 28th, 2010, 9:27 pm

    Hi Tim,

    Great post and very inspirational; I know that your big push has always been to create a product based business. Unfortunately as I’ve been thinking up ideas for muses I always run into the problem of a service model versus a real product based business. Most of my experience has been within the world of the service model and as a result my ideas seem to stream in that direction. Do you have any case studies where people have taken what would traditionally be considered a service based business and turned it into a product based one (I’m not looking for an info products business because for me that niche is too saturated).

    Cheers,

    Reply

  • Taylor Franklin Hide — November 28th, 2010, 9:28 pm

    Tim, this couldn’t have come at a better time.

    Thank you.

    This post is going to blow up.

    tfh

    Reply

  • J — November 28th, 2010, 9:28 pm

    Tim,

    Within the same vein, do you have any recommendations on approaching / finding mentors (outside of strictly the realm of business)?

    J

    Reply

  • Tyler — November 28th, 2010, 9:33 pm

    Hi Tim,
    I really liked this post.
    Please write more posts like this.
    -Tyler

    Reply

  • Adam Menon — November 28th, 2010, 9:37 pm

    Excellent post! Yes, please post more Muse case-studies (I just submitted mine). What I really like is the revenue bracket that you have included. Many times I see a product online and wonder if they really make money from it. These case-studies are a great way to see that yes, it is possible to make money from all kinds of different concepts. Great way to keep motivated!

    Reply

    • Barbara Logan — November 30th, 2010, 7:00 pm

      Me too! It’s great to see some real numbers, as it shows it’d be worth doing, when usually I assume it’s not. It seems we shouldn’t need the reinforcement anymore, but it still always occurs to me that “the numbers must be too small” when I see some if this really niche stuff online. So encouraging!

      Reply

  • Bravo — November 28th, 2010, 9:40 pm

    Yes please post more on muses! Case studies and illustrations give hope and credibility to the possibility of successfully doing it. Thank you this blog (and the book) are great.

    Reply

  • JH — November 28th, 2010, 9:45 pm

    Yes! More case studies please. Very helpful as I am in the middle of 4HWW.

    I also want to know what an “advising conversion expert” is and how to find one.

    Thanks for this, Tim!

    Reply

  • Jason — November 28th, 2010, 9:49 pm

    This is great Tim… just the inspiration I need to keep going and develop my own muse that sticks.

    Reply

  • Brian — November 28th, 2010, 9:49 pm

    Love this type of post just because of the positivity! Yes, we can all read about several case studies in the book, but to continue to see people following through with the ideas is pretty cool. Sounds like all of these muses (? that doesn’t look right) are successful because the entrepreneur picked something that was a problem for them and ran with it. Not sure how many times I’ve read or heard people say that you should focus on the problems you encounter and then find a profitable way to fix those problems for others like you.

    Reply

  • Collin Ferry — November 28th, 2010, 9:52 pm

    Great information Tim. I would welcome more case studies posts like this. How did the product creators from the videos send you their stuff? I thought you were an elusive ninja about being found.

    Reply

  • David Parsons — November 28th, 2010, 9:54 pm

    Thanks for another great post. I thought the dvds were really well put together. They also seem to make the most sense to me because of how cheep they are.

    Reply

  • Yvette Owo — November 28th, 2010, 10:01 pm

    Tim,

    Great post. 4HWW has turned my life in a more focused and exciting direction. This year at work, I put in fewer hours, got promoted, and delivered more high impact deliverables. Outside of my 9-5, I am building an information business providing personal finance / lifestyle information to young professionals.

    One refrain I hear from you and other folks is using vacations to relax and clear your mind for strategic thinking. I’ve taken a month of vacation this year, and it’s definitely paid off in clearer thinking.

    Can you recommend places to go for meditation, quiet, and yoga? Ideally, I want to try Buddhist temple. Would love to hear suggestions from other readers as well!

    Thanks,
    Yvette

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 28th, 2010, 10:46 pm

      Hi Yvette,

      I can suggest wine country in California (not for the wine) like St. Helena, or perhaps Monterey and areas like Esalen. Not exactly Buddhist, but great for recharging.

      Hope you find your spot :)

      Tim

      Reply

  • Tyler Zick — November 28th, 2010, 10:06 pm

    Can never get enough “muse” case studies. Especially ones that come from those who have no prior experience starting a muse or business. Great motivation. Thanks again Tim.

    Reply

  • Diana — November 28th, 2010, 10:13 pm

    Thank you for inspiring so many people!

    I checked up http://www.khanacademy.org yesterday after seeing you tweet about it (made you sound like a bird there).

    I hope you realize the impact of your suggestions and how much you can help generous non-profits like Khan Academy just by suggesting it to people.
    Maybe you can dedicate an entire blog post about sites and people like Sal of Khan to get them more traction? I for one am even more motivated after seeing Sal’s work with Khan through you. It’s awesome to be motivated by seeing how you can help other people with a muse (and other works) and not just by money.

    Thanks again. Great job, Tim!

    Reply

  • Eric — November 28th, 2010, 10:19 pm

    I love the initial idea – ear piece. But most of what I love is how simple it is to come up with something that solves a problem! There are so many annoyances and things that don’t work well in every day life, it just takes paying attention and a desire to fix it.

    Reply

  • Chris Pepin — November 28th, 2010, 10:23 pm

    Tim, any chance you are considering creating a (well moderated\pay per use) forum for muse developers? Seth Godin has a great one (invitation only) on Ning called “The Triiibe” but it doesn’t cover the muse niche. You have such a great following of high-functioning minds and people willing to share experience, it would be great to have a community. We could really use the support.

    Reply

  • Taryn Voget — November 28th, 2010, 10:25 pm

    Tim – thanks for featuring our Think like a Genius series on this blog post! I was inspired to design many parts of the Everyday Genius Institute based on the blueprint you lay out in your book. So, thank you. One day it would be fun to model out some of your strategies of genius.

    Also, I really enjoyed reading the other case studies in this post. I especially appreciated the comments about the mistakes the entrepreneurs made and what they would do differently. I related to many of them, especially the comments about ordering too much product too early on in the product development life cycle. My simple advice to any entrepreneur: iterate versions 1.0 & 2.0 at the lowest possible cost. Early feedback from real customers will give you insights you never even considered in your initial design.

    Reply

  • Landon — November 28th, 2010, 10:27 pm

    My favorite post since the last case studies post. The details are great. I would love to see more posts like this one.

    Reply

  • Jon Sookocheff — November 28th, 2010, 10:29 pm

    Hi Tim,

    Great post, as always. I love how you actually tell the back story to how your case studies get started in all kinds of amazing businesses. There’s a lot of fluff out there (guilty as charged) and your blog is an inspiration.

    I couldn’t agree more on the value of a skilled advisor… someone who’s been there, done that. I’ve had luck seeking out retired entrepreneurs and asking them for coffee. The trick is finding someone with a background in the same business — not always easy. But if you do find that person, it’s worth a million.

    Thanks again Tim. Great post.

    Reply

  • Mark Koning — November 28th, 2010, 10:37 pm

    Tim,

    Great post! I find the posts on Muse generation so valuable.

    Have you ever thought of having a book come out with just case studies?

    I know I’d buy it.

    Mark

    Reply

    • Justin — January 19th, 2011, 5:36 pm

      I know this post is old, but I would buy a book with just case studies as well. Every time I read this stuff it sparks ideas for me. Finding a muse that I am confident enough in to start my business has been the hardest part of starting, as I don’t want to make the wrong decision. More case studies would definitely be a huge help!

      Reply

  • Matthew Bailey — November 28th, 2010, 10:38 pm

    Great Post. I love reading about the various muses people come up with. Some of them don’t seem like they are very automated but none the less amazing businesses.

    Congrats to all!

    Reply

    • Vinay — November 28th, 2010, 10:47 pm

      ahaha damn Tim and his pipe dreams of automated income :P

      This is why I decided to venture into digital products. While I do run an ecommerce store too, the only way I managed to automate (most of it) was to give half of it away.

      I think to Automate it completely, Tim stylez, it needs to be at a decent level first. Like at least 10k per month.

      As you may recall from his book, Tim worked very hard to get his business up to the level it was at, and I think that is the only way. Nothing comes without hard work…

      Reply

      • Gabriel — November 29th, 2010, 2:45 pm

        100% right!!! – it takes lots of work to get started doing research, find your niche or muse, get it going, make decisions as to what, who and where, make money, get the bugs out, and make more money.. and then, you can think about automating… thinking about automating from the start will lead you in the wrong path.. keep it in your radar, however…

        Reply

  • Sean — November 28th, 2010, 10:42 pm

    Hey Tim,
    3 years ago or so I was working as a lifeguard/ Raft Guide for $7 an hour, so I really don’t want to jeorpardize my business in any way by sharing the wrong thing. Otherwise, I would totally volunteer to be a case study.

    I e-mailed amy with a little bit about my company and a question earlier today, and would totally be up for the 2% advisor thing you do if you are still interested in doing that kind of thing next year. It’s basically a muse, so I figure you’d have alot to say and you’re basically the one person I’d trust to tell that much about my business too.

    I also referred Alan from Languagetent.Com to you, He’s my High School Wrestling Coach and a great guy with an awesome idea.

    Reply

  • Gerard Iribe — November 28th, 2010, 10:47 pm

    Color me inspired.

    Tre cool!

    Reply

  • Subin Lee — November 28th, 2010, 10:54 pm

    Thank you for great post. I have been reading your book with passion, yet I was having some trouble finding the muse to create the revenue that I need. I am fairly young dude (24), and this post gave me lots of motivation. I am still having problems of finding the right muse for my future business and one of the main thing is doubt and confusion of prioritizing what needs to be done first. Should I find muse first? or should I set the business entity first (like LLC)?

    Please help.

    Sincerely
    Subin

    PS. I will be opening up my wordpress blog that will showcase the human experiment from your new book 4 hour body!! Can’t wait for it!

    Reply

  • Subin Lee — November 28th, 2010, 10:55 pm

    Sorry…another question, I am bilangual speaking English and Korean. Do you know a website that provides both of those languages? My VA could not find one…

    Reply

  • John Zimmerman — November 28th, 2010, 10:55 pm

    Tim, a great post with great timing. I have a few ideas but I keep making excuses due to school and other things. I look forward to future posts. I have a rather big idea but have little-no idea how to go about it.

    Reply

  • Matt — November 28th, 2010, 10:57 pm

    Great article. There were some real pearls of wisdom in there I’m going to incorporate. So yes this was very useful :) And I would love to read more such posts.

    My muses are a little more volatile. I delegated management of my savings to a group of hand picked day traders. We’ve since had great success testing and finding investors and am setting up the business structure for the business. Our end goal is to not just to meet our TMI but to best our entire net liability (roughly half million dollars) then raise money to purchase a L38 Albotros Fighter Jet Trainer . Seriously lol It’s pretty exciting…

    I also have three additional muses right now, nothing as glorious as in your post but showing promise. All generate passive income (information products) so far. On a good month I’ll make around $100 on them. But I’ve been learning how to promote them better and delegate more so I’m starting to see much more movement.

    It’s exciting stuff… All for the most part kick started by your book :)

    Reply

  • Paul Serwin — November 28th, 2010, 10:57 pm

    Tim, what an inspirational post! Your book changed my life, and case studies like these highlight how you have helped to change the lives of others (and the world in the process.

    My muse has been to provide advice and acquired knowledge to business owners and entrepreneurs, and one major thing that I’ve learned is that nobody makes it by sitting around or dreaming.
    The rewards of life are given to those that action and are not afraid to take risks, just like the people above!

    Together, we can all make a difference. And a lot of it is thanks to you, Tim!

    Reply

  • miltownkid — November 28th, 2010, 11:04 pm

    Interesting that they’re all physical products. Did you choose physical products on purpose over something digital only?

    I’ve pretty much been exclusively thinking about digital products/services, so a case study on something digital would be cool (eBook, continuity program, membership site, etc.)

    Another cool one to hear about would be positioning yourself as an expert and doing seminars and the like. Perhaps not exactly a 4HWW, but my dream “job” is to fly around the world doing personal development and tai chi seminars. Essentially getting paid to do what I love, hang out with cool people and travel. :D

    Reply

    • Pearson — December 1st, 2010, 9:02 pm

      @ Miltownkid and Haitham Alhumsi

      I love your points. I too have been focusing on digital products/ solutions. My current idea is web based (not launched).

      The more players involved, the greater the liability in the system. I see the goal as creating the simplest, leanest automated machine.

      Reply

    • Anouar — January 28th, 2011, 2:59 am

      Sounds very 4HWW to me

      Reply

  • Haitham Alhumsi — November 28th, 2010, 11:09 pm

    Interesting to see that these are all physical goods based muses… which is different than the direction I took. Still these products have as much innovation.

    EarPeace has DEFINITE traction in the market, I grew up in the rave scene and DJ’d in my younger years, I have partial hearing loss in my left ear from all the fun and games back then… and yes those glowing hyper-yellow ear pieces designed for construction work and job sites destroy the music experience…

    @Tim, hoping to make this list sometime mid 2011… though my revenues are not up to $1000/mo yet I am right now covering my direct expenses from revenue so my burn rate is virtually 0 and in the process of hiring my first V. Assistant …

    I would have asked how long it took from concept to stability?

    My process has been slow with many lessons learned (launched my first product about 18 months to date)… I think people reading this should know how long it takes to go from an ‘A-ha’ to a stable business and what can be done to shorten that period …

    Reply

  • Stephen Hall — November 28th, 2010, 11:27 pm

    Great post, Tim, extremely high value as usual.

    Would love to hear an in-depth from the Guerrilla Drum Making guys like one of the examples in your post today.

    Any plans for that happening Tim at some stage?

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 29th, 2010, 12:08 am

      Hi Stephen,

      Absolutely. More to come.

      Tim

      Reply

      • Ruben — February 24th, 2011, 10:43 pm

        Tim,

        I am so glad you took down one of your recent Muse Case Studies about Guerilla Drum Making. I found him so hypocritical that he was bashing traditional sales copywriting (long sales letter, direct response, specifically) and how he didn’t listen to any of the “so called experts”, yet when I visited the website to see how he was selling, he implemented most of the principles of a long sales letter, including bolding, benefits, wya-out guarantee, credibility, etc. It pissed me off so much that I searched your blog for references to Guerilla Drum Making just to have my voice heard!

        On a brighter note, excellent guest post by Hugh MacLeod. Nothing like smart, focused, planned hard work to get you where you want to go.

        Reply

        • Charlie Hoehn — February 24th, 2011, 10:54 pm

          Hi Ruben- The post you’re referring to was accidentally published by me (Tim’s assistant). I didn’t notice it was still in draft mode, and accidentally hit ‘Publish.’ Sorry for the confusion!
          - Charlie

      • Ruben — February 24th, 2011, 11:21 pm

        Thanks for the info Charlie. I hope my rant could provide for an opportunity for copy editing. Either that or you may have an article ripe for lots of commenting and good discussion. I would prefer to see some editing, but then again, it’s Tim’s blog, not ours, right!

        By the way, it’s one thing to say that old school doesn’t work, and another to state that for his particular market, testing proved that his current format generated higher conversions than an old school salesletter (and the fact that the long salesletter/landing page is frowned upon by Almighty Google).

        Principles are principles are principles, regardless of how you package them for your particular market.

        Reply

  • BT — November 28th, 2010, 11:37 pm

    Best post in ages!

    On the verge of leaving the old day job and plunging head first into a muse.

    Along the 4hww path I managed to secure $500k of government funding with some friends to deliver workshops to small business owners for the last 6-8 months which has been the perfect testing ground for various concepts..at the same time getting paid to do it! (I stumbled into this, law of attraction at work I guess)

    For a lot of 4hwwers we have so many (untested) assumptions about the potential of different markets etc…over the past 6 months what I’ve seen has opened my eyes, so many $$$ in so many ridiculous niches to be made out there that doesnt necessarily have to be a digital product.

    Also made me realise that the gains that can be made through networking and business contacts in the real world usually far outweighs what can be gained through online marketing and online networking alone.

    Reply

  • Eatlaughloveanon — November 28th, 2010, 11:38 pm

    Great post! Thanks Tim. Finding a muse has been the most difficult step for me. I am working on my first product now, after finally having an a-ha moment on Friday.

    I LOVE the EarPeace. So simple, so functional and fulfilling such a need. I am going to order some before my next trip back to Vietnam. It’s so loud there that everyone has industrial deafness. So when the traffic noise dies away you’re hit with the sound of everyone YELLING at each other.

    Reply

  • Scott Dinsmore — November 28th, 2010, 11:46 pm

    Right on Tim! This practical application is exactly what we need to show that this stuff IS reality! Nicely done. Working on a ebook subscription model muse right now and will report back.

    Cheers,
    Scott

    Reply

  • John (Guerrilla Drum Making) — November 28th, 2010, 11:57 pm

    Great post Tim.

    Love seeing the creations and creativity!
    Oh… and thanks for the plug in the video :)

    Reply

  • Lisa — November 29th, 2010, 12:25 am

    EarPeace is such a great idea. I registered a domain for airplane hearing protection but never did anything with it – I am definitely going to buy some of these to support a fellow entrepreneur :)

    Reply

  • Espree — November 29th, 2010, 12:25 am

    Step by step case studies are awesome.

    I like to drill down each point in a case study to specific action items on a mind map using http://www.mindmeister.com in order to develop a clear plan.

    Then I add those steps to my “Things” Mac desktop app (http://culturedcode.com/things/) to schedule out the project on a micro level so that it’s easy to digest.

    Hope this helps!

    Reply

  • Sam — November 29th, 2010, 12:37 am

    Thsi is a great post Tim! I love case studies, esspecially the ones about business and how people have used the 4HWW to free themselves – Keep them coming!!!

    Thanks again

    Reply

  • Leo Tabibzadegan — November 29th, 2010, 1:20 am

    Great Post!

    It’s been a year since I first read the 4HWW which inspired me to make big changes within myself and the universe around me.

    I’ve been spreading the good word about the 4HWW like wild fire. I just can’t wait for the 4HB (going to buy a bunch of copies and give them away as gifts to friends and family).

    Since first finishing the book, i’ve spent thousands of hours all over the web, trying to come up with a simple MUSE model that would earn me at least $1 of automated internet income with the least amount of effort.

    I never did find that MUSE model, but I did get lucky in my quest in the most unconventional way.

    I recently joined teams with one of my extremely wealthy and successful relatives who owns an International Online Pharmacy Business. He is teaching me the ropes of the online pharmacy world allowing me to recreate his business model here in Canada.

    I plan on sharing all the information I have learned in a simplistic digestible readable.

    I’m going to be providing all the key information on how we handled the following:

    -Building a $10,000 website for free using outsourced work and family networking.

    -Convincing rich old school Canadian Dr’s and Pharmacy Owners to partner up with us.

    -Traveled the world trying to find bank accounts that would deal with our business.

    And much more!

    I really hope that I can give back to everyone as much as I have been given by Tim.

    I speak on the behalf of everyone here when I say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the value you add to the world!

    Like Batman, you are one my biggest role models and heroes of the modern day!

    I’d like to leave this comment with a quick MUSE idea I just came up with while writing the post.

    Great Muse Idea of the minute:

    Muse Hunter – A website that focuses on the collective collaboration of various pre-existing MUSE model examples. For everyone that was as motivated and lost as I was.

    Cheers,

    Leo Tabibzadegan

    Reply

    • BT — November 29th, 2010, 3:05 am

      @leo – you should check out the 30 day challenge, http://www.challenge.co (albeit longer than 30 days now)

      It’s free training on niche testing & online marketing and really good quality stuff.
      In a former life I acquired an online retail store for nothing from $100k rev-$1mil/PA and then $1mil-$6.5mil over two years and now do consulting on various ecom projects…30 day challenge is my default goto handball resource for ppl who want to improve/build an online retail presence but can’t afford to pay me for consulting

      Unfortunately when I built my online retail business I fell into the trap of bigger is better and in the quest to grow ridiculously quickly for no apparent purpose the venture ran out of cash and had to be liquidated. I was 24 when I took it over and managing millions in cashflow, imports, stock & taxes is no easy feat even for a seasoned business owner. Thought it was fun at 25/26 years old waking up to another 80k-$100k in the bank account after the weekend’s merchant transactions had processed on Tuesday, at the time it was like magic!

      One of the reasons why 4hww struck a cord with me was resetting the assumption that businesses need to be constantly growing and getting bigger to be successful and considered successful vs serving the needs of the business owner. The dreamlining and actually working out what you want in life was such an ah-ha moment for me to the point where I strongly believe some of this stuff should be taught in school instead of the school->college->work for works sake lifestyle that is programmed into everyone

      anyway…enough ranting!

      Reply

  • Johanna Parnes — November 29th, 2010, 1:31 am

    Exactly the post I needed. I have been struggling with my project for some time now and I really liked this boost. Thank you.

    Reply

  • Michael O. Verano — November 29th, 2010, 1:56 am

    Hi Tim,

    We are the company that is launching Summer Jasmines (Alissa Kraisosky, featured above into Japan).Alissa gave me a copy of your first book (CD version) and I look forward to reading the next. I prowl the USA from coast to coast looking for innovative, patented/patent pending or proprietary USA-made products for our firm to import into Japan. If a USA product is a hit in Japan, it is typically a huge hit. (The market culture there is very fond of cutting edge USA-made, innovative products.) However, introducing a finished product to Japan is quite a vast venture for entpreneurs, as you know. We do the marketing, the translation of materials/labels, Japanese websites, photography (if needed), and we import the products and get the product into widespread distribution in Japan (retail stores, on-line stores/mail order, infomercials and direct sales by us) at no charge except we ask for a few samples and a conditonal exclusive option for our efforts. It would cost a USA firm hundreds of thousands of dollars to do what we do for the rights to import a cool product. Believe it or not finding a USA company that has the finesse and flexibility to cater to the Japanese market is amazingly difficult. Most USA firms are typically slovenly, unresponsive, and ignorant about Japanese consumers or exporting in general. Consider the Osaka prefecture alone has a GDP higher than the entire country of Canada! The best firms that we have introduced into Japan are exactly like the companies you feature: entrepreneurial, surgical strike-oriented. Any featured firms are free to contact us so we can evaluate their product for our product hungry markets in Japan. Work effectively.!

    Reply

    • Andy in Osaka — December 1st, 2010, 5:03 pm

      Hi Michael,
      Are you based in California or in Osaka? I just checked out your company site, as a fellow 4HWW fan, it would be good to talk.

      Andy.

      Reply

  • Darrin — November 29th, 2010, 1:58 am

    Very inspiring to see some in-depth success stories here. My muse is far from where it needs to be to make the kind of impact in the world and return enough value to me to do the things I want to do, but I’m definitely making progress.

    Reply

  • George — November 29th, 2010, 2:09 am

    Hi Tim

    Great post, really inspiring.
    Is it common or rare to diversify your muse into indirect revenue like speaking?
    Or does it tend to come from a much more coordinated multimedia campaign so to speak?

    George

    Reply

  • Michiel Andreae — November 29th, 2010, 2:21 am

    Hi all,

    @Tim: Thanks for this post. I’ve been struggling to set up a muse for 1.5 years and so far it’s not working yet. Adsense is bringing in $250 per month, tops. Info products aren’t selling yet. I know a muse is possible but after 20 flunked sites it’s not always easy to keep faith in my ability to create a muse…

    Looking forward to the new book!

    Cheers,
    Michiel

    Reply

  • Amadeus — November 29th, 2010, 2:31 am

    Hi Tim,

    Great post as always. I picked up your book when I was in Australia and have been trying to come up with a good muse idea ever since.

    My question would be if they whole muse model works for people who don’t live in developed countries with all the support infastructure to back them up, especially for non informational products.

    I’d also like to find out what the average start-up capital for a sucessful muse is in your experience (given the product cost and margins laid out in the book).

    I’m sure like many of your readers in Asia, South America and Africa (the T4HWW has traveled far) I’d really be interested in seeing a case study of a sucessful muse from sombody working outside the Western world.

    Keep up the good work!

    Reply

  • Dan — November 29th, 2010, 2:46 am

    What’s your take on affiliate websites?

    I’m considering building a few, and interested to hear if you think low/high of them?

    Cheers

    Dan

    Reply

    • Tigsy — December 1st, 2010, 10:51 pm

      Yes what is your take?
      I came from the world of affiliate marketing and know a lot about it…the good and the sleazy.
      Do you know the biggest PPC marketers think you’re some sort of demi-god?
      I’m serious.

      Reply

  • Tony K — November 29th, 2010, 2:47 am

    Excellent. Question: Do you see writing a business plan as beneficial to muse creation? Or let the product evolve by itself and let the PR, operational, financial strategies flow as you go?

    Reply

  • Jordan Godbey — November 29th, 2010, 2:58 am

    Tim, this post is absolute GOLD! The reason people keep coming back is your amazing free content that supports you paid books. A model that keeps on giving.

    You could easily be charging for this stuff. I would greatly appreciate a much deeper dive into these successful muses and revealing the nitty gritty details to help the rest of us get from “0-60″ as quickly as possible.

    Thank you so much for creating this community and making it a better place.

    Never a better time to be an entrepreneur.

    Jordan

    Reply

  • Dafish — November 29th, 2010, 3:15 am

    Great post Tim…. Ive been researching digital products for the last couple of months and reading this post made me realise why not provide both! When it comes to buying give your clients the option,,,, digital is cheaper so hear is a discount but if you like folders and CDs you pay the premium,,, i think it will be an “alternative close” that may increase conversion rates…. just a thought…. looking forward to 4HB Tim cheers
    ps, if you picked up on the grammar im writing outside in the dark with a glass of wine,,,,, lovely lol

    Reply

  • Michal Ksiadzyna — November 29th, 2010, 3:54 am

    Tim: I see your activity and quaility of posts have gone up lately. You’ve been saving the good stuff for the 4HB promotion. I wander what you may have stacked there, that will be even better than that? :)

    Btw. how is 4HB promotion going? Will you be posting info on how to promote a book one more time, with more expirience?

    Reply

    • X — December 4th, 2010, 11:42 pm

      @Michal – completely agree! For awhile there it looked like Tim had outsourced everything and then decided to nix the oversight piece, (stickers?!? wtf! My 5yr old daughter likes stickers but she doesn’t read 4hww). Anyway, Tim – thanks for ratcheting the quality back up! Great stuff!

      Reply

  • Brett — November 29th, 2010, 5:15 am

    Hey Tim,
    Thanks for this post. Please post more of these! Any amount of details are welcome, but these are the kind of inspiring posts I enjoy to keep pushing through boundaries and mental blocks. I was rereading your book while home over Thanksgiving break this past week, and it forced me to get back on the product creation bus. The only downside right now is just perhaps being spread too thin. But yeah, please put up some more of these. The cold remedy post was one of my favorites! (also, my sister met Maneesh Sethi in a tango class, several months after I showed her the video of him here…small world)!

    Brett

    Reply

  • Carl-Philipp — November 29th, 2010, 5:36 am

    Great post, very inspiring, and very intimidating as well. People are incredibly smart. I am still working on the bravery to start a muse. Right now my project consumes time and ideas and does not create income, it creates fun though for me.
    I enjoy reading your blog and thanks for putting your work out there!

    Reply

  • Jason Hanley — November 29th, 2010, 6:46 am

    Thanks so much for showing everyone that there are great, successful muses besides digital “info” products! :)

    Reply

  • Valerie — November 29th, 2010, 7:14 am

    I think one of the problems Alissa had, as do many other businesses, is hiring a DESIGNER to create a website that would convert. That’s not what a designer does, converting is more of a marketing thing, design — that’s the artistic function.

    Most designers don’t know anything about marketing, they just makes things pretty.

    The marketing aspect of a website requires a strategy — understanding who your customer is and addressing what problem you will solve for them. Once you’ve figured out what your content needs to be, then your designer can make it look good.

    Just my 2¢… (from a rare web marketer who does both strategy and design)

    Reply

  • Brent — November 29th, 2010, 7:26 am

    Illuminating article and video Tim, thanks. These are cool muses and products.

    I’m curious about the production costs. What’s the net take-home $$$ after production, distribution and marketing costs for these?

    More articles like this would be grand. Thanks.

    Reply

  • Morgan — November 29th, 2010, 7:26 am

    Great Post Tim. I would love to know their mark up and the amount of product they produce/sell/waste/giveaway/etc.
    Thanks
    ~Morgan

    Reply

  • Matt Bray — November 29th, 2010, 7:49 am

    Tim, I’ve been waiting for more posts like this!

    I love the specific help on creating a product and automating the selling process.

    Could you follow up with some more ideas about how to find your niche? I couldn’t figure out what to do with http://www.WritersMarket.com and looking at niche magazines only gets you so far.

    One more question: My muse is basically a specific subject’s curriculum for home schoolers, involving books and video. I want to keep production cost down, but how can I produce high quality video and books without dropping serious dough?

    Thanks so much, and I can’t wait to get my muse rolling.

    Reply

  • jason palmer — November 29th, 2010, 8:08 am

    Just did a deal with a tv exec to get our muse on tv, i am going to be sooooooooooooooooooooooo rich

    thanks for all the tips in your awesome book

    YOUR THE MAN !

    Reply

  • Devin Elder — November 29th, 2010, 8:08 am

    Thank you Tim Ferris!

    My ‘muse business’ generates about $700/mo right now, and my goal is to scale it to $10k/mo in 2011. The best part is that it’s passive and completely hands-off.

    I can’t thank you enough for the inspiration I got from 4hww – it’s the only book I re-read on a regular basis.

    This post rocked – loved seeing the case studies.

    Best of luck with 4 Hour Body!

    - Devin

    Reply

  • Jonathan — November 29th, 2010, 8:14 am

    Great post, would love to see more like this for inspiration!

    Reply

  • Chris Fryer — November 29th, 2010, 8:23 am

    Tim, I can’t stop thinking about how great of a service this post is to all of the readers (including me).

    While I don’t necessarily believe that the best way to learn about entrepreneurship (or muse creation) is by mimicking other people (not the purpose of your post), I think that seeing real world examples of credible products and ideas is so motivating.

    I was so glad to see examples of tangible products because there seems to be a sub-culture of people selling informational products that I would never buy. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it has made me a little cynical about the whole process at times. But seeing these examples of products, of which I can easily see the value, has cured any hint of skepticism or cynicism on my part.

    If it would be at all helpful, I would love to volunteer some of my time to helping profile further muses. I know you probably have enough help with personal assistants working on your team so it may not be of value but it would be an incredible experience and awesome opportunity to give a little back to say the least.

    Either way, thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 30th, 2010, 2:03 am

      Thank you for the offer, Chris! I’d definitely let you know if a chance comes up. I also remember your email exchange with Charlie. Hopefully, this post helps turn some gears!

      Best,

      Tim

      Reply

  • Davide — November 29th, 2010, 8:32 am

    Hi Tim! Amazing post as always…
    but (there’s always a “but” :p)… for me it’s illuminating and frustrating at the same time…
    I live in Italy, where everything seems to be dulled by bureaucracy, logistic difficulties and so on…
    I read your book, I (we) tried to follow your tips, but something here seems to stall everything…
    well… we’re trying doing our best, I can’t wait for the day our muse will be the “4hww: italian case-study” :)

    Ciao dall’Italia!
    Davide.

    p.s.
    sorry for my horrible english :p

    Reply

  • Tim Maxey — November 29th, 2010, 9:01 am

    Thank you so much, needed the inspiration today, I think I’ve been worrying too much on “what” to sell as a muse after reading your book. Still trying to figure out what. Did some thing that failed, but I keep going.

    I have the tech side, hell I can program about anything, but when it comes to niches or products, I’m duhhhhhhhh….

    Anyone wanna help, we can maybe help each other?

    Thank s again Tim, needed this post!

    Reply

  • Keith Leslie — November 29th, 2010, 9:02 am

    Great post, as usual. I love these, would love to see many more.

    Reply

  • Robert — November 29th, 2010, 9:14 am

    Hi Tim,

    First and foremost, thank you very much for this post. I originally read the 4HWW in 2007 and have been trying to create a muse since then. This pursuit has brought me deep into the world or internet marketing, but sadly, not much as materialized.

    This blog post has came at the perfect time as for the past month or so I have been contemplating giving up on my 4HWW pursuit and going back to school again to get a “better” 9-5. This has re-inspired me. :)

    This post has made me realize that I’ve gotten too caught up in the marketing side of things and less on the overall muse/business picture. Please continue to post more like this with the nitty-gritty details of how real people have made it work.

    Thanks again,
    Robert

    Reply

  • Curtis — November 29th, 2010, 9:26 am

    Excellent post, Tim. Showcasing success stories with targeted questions and concise answers is perfect for quickly getting new ideas and inspiration without getting bogged down in the details. (If a person is going to work for only four hours a week, they can’t spend three of those hours reading business blogs, right?) This post is particularly inspiring.

    I live in Mexico and have inherited a successful web-programming biz with US clients which seems to be recession-proof. I’m making enough money to have a very comfortable life here, I’m able to pay my contractors more than they would receive from a Mexican firm, and my clients are happy to receive quality programming and service for less than they could afford with a US firm. So I should be happy, right?

    Good news: I AM happy….and I feel very lucky. Thanksgiving was a day filled with lots of gratitude. But I know it’s fleeting. I didn’t choose this business — I assumed it after a family tragedy because there was nobody else to take the reins and keep it from cratering…I did the responsible thing, and I have no regrets.

    Still, there’s a small voice in the back of my mind that keeps reminding me that this is not my passion (I’m an artist and made my living from my paintings in the past) and I’m tied to a 40-ish hour work-week, stuck in an office with my programmers and the telephone that connects me to my clients (whereas I thrive on daily interactions with lots of people, travel and, more importantly, living in new places). So I need to make dramatic changes or this new life will quickly turn into a rut, because it’s not feeding me.

    Your posts remind me that I need to follow my bliss, something I’ve done in the past with great success and have temporarily set aside. Thanks, Tim, for the swift kick in the butt.

    @haitham Great suggestion to include a “Concept-to-stability” timeframe.

    ……….Curtis……….

    Reply

  • Joel Widmer — November 29th, 2010, 9:56 am

    LOVED the post. Very useful. I’m going through “finding my muse” right now so it came at a perfect time. More case studies w/ nitty gritty details would be extremely useful!

    Reply

  • jason palmer — November 29th, 2010, 9:59 am

    Can we hire tim to be a consultant, I have no idea what I am doing but am on the road to riches without even trying since I read ‘the four hour work week’.

    Reply

  • Mac — November 29th, 2010, 10:32 am

    Excellent post.

    I think case studies like these are the most powerful in affecting action in us! We are social creatures and having an environment (such as this blog for those who don’t have personal business contacts) of people succeeding in implementing the 4HWW advice is invaluable. Keep them coming!

    Reply

  • Eddy — November 29th, 2010, 10:43 am

    Great post, I’d love to see more examples of muses and perhaps even a video which goes into the idea and creation process of muses in a bit more detail than the 4HWW. I find many of your posts fascinating but these studies are definitely what I’m looking for.

    Thanks Tim!!

    Reply

  • anadea — November 29th, 2010, 11:07 am

    BEST POST SO FAR!! keep it coming. these type of post with actual success stories are very inspirational. the book got me very excited and this post is my second wind.

    where I am in my muse development:
    Tim emphasized on his book the importance of doing market research and test cases before moving forward with an idea. that is also my bottle neck. I am currently in the process of finding a company that can provide market research and comparative market analysis for my idea for a phone app. Ive tried elance and got a few quotes but not sure how I can be sure the information they provide is accurate. developing this app will cost about 20-40k and I want to make sure I do it right.

    would love to hear more about market research and competitive analysis prior to product development on the next post.

    Thanks a million Tim and again Great Post.

    Reply

    • Moses — November 30th, 2010, 1:19 pm

      Don’t waste money paying someone to do market research! Do it yourself. Get the relevant phone(s) and start browsing for apps. Check the “most-downloaded” lists and read all the app review sites. You’ll learn more than you would from any market research firm.

      Separate point: Your main problem is going to be app discovery – how customers will find your app in a crowded market-place. So either spend your time and money making the app so amazing that every user will tell his friends about it, or else figure out how to market it in a new way. Otherwise, you’ve got a tough row to hoe.

      Reply

    • Barbara Logan — December 1st, 2010, 6:50 am

      Yes, market research and testing – I’d love to see some details of guerrilla or DIY ! Successful and not!

      Reply

  • Aaron — November 29th, 2010, 11:45 am

    The ideas are AMAZING, and there’s lots of place for GROWTH for all of these ideas.

    Joint ventures would be the quickest way to create large distribution channels without any expenses (AKA, getting the product into stores/clubs etc..)

    Reply

  • MC — November 29th, 2010, 11:46 am

    Tim you should get back to writing these kinds of posts. You have some entertaining material, but I would assume that most of us want to know how to build a Muse and live the 4HWW Lifestyle.

    This is where the core of the following is, so I hope to see more beneficial posts.

    All the best!

    Reply

  • Mikko Kemppe — November 29th, 2010, 11:48 am

    Awesome post! I have been trying to learn more about internet marketing. It has been taking sometime, but I am finally making at least a little bit of money from my affiliate sales. It is exciting because now I know it works and I just have to keep doing it. This was a great inspirational post. Thanks again Tim!

    Reply

  • Matt — November 29th, 2010, 11:49 am

    Thanks Tim.
    Seriously, this is an awesome post.
    I think muse creation is probably one of the toughest aspects of the 4HWW to implement for most people and it’s awesome (and inspiring) to have these real life examples to check out.
    Very rad.
    Look forward to seeing many more of these. I love seeing what people have done and how they’ve done it.
    Thanks again.

    Reply

  • Johanna — November 29th, 2010, 11:51 am

    Excellent post, thank you Tim! This is exactly the kind of more concrete information I need and love!

    I have a few questions for all of you who are already on the road with your physical products:

    I am currently trying to get the manufacturing of my muse going and boy is it difficult. Just like the case studies above I have tried Alibaba but so far I have not found any one I can trust. Does any one have any advice for how to sift through the bad suppliers? And can any one help out with some concrete advice on payment and not getting scammed? I wish I could just fly out and check the suppliers myself but with kids and work it is simply not possible. And as far as getting someone to source for me, that still leaves the payment and trust issues…

    In order not to get scammed, I double check all information a supplier gives me and I then ask for references (if we seem to be getting somewhere ie) but they all seem to balk at that. No one is willing to give references – is it just me who thinks that is perfectly normal to ask for references? I mean if I am going to pay app. 20 000 USD for a first order I want to do everything I can to make sure a supplier is legitimate.

    As far as payment terms – all suppliers want LC. I understand that it is better for them but LC is a pain, at least with my bank, and it doesn’t really protect me. Does any one have any advice regarding payment? No supplier I have contacted accepts Escrow for example.

    For all of you who have taken the step from final sample to production – do you ship from the supplier direct to your fulfillment service? Or do you use an inspection service (and if so are they reliable and worth the money?) Or do you ship to yourself and check the products yourself before shipping to the fulfillment service?

    As for shipping – do you handle it all yourself or do you hire a broker? Or do you use the major shippers like Fedex, even though they are more expensive? Are their services worth it?

    Final question – does anyone use Amazon – web shop and fulfillment? Or do you have other ‘one stop shops’ to recommend?

    I would love your input – and of course I will be more than happy to share my experiences so far if anyone has any questions!

    Reply

    • Andrea B — November 30th, 2010, 4:23 am

      Johanna,
      I find my new suppliers/factories in China and Indonesia with the help of sourcing agents who I trust. In China, the sourcing company is owned by an American (Midwesterner) and his Chinese wife. They are great. They get paid through a percentage of the orders I place with the factory. I have worked directly with factories, but avoiding the delays and problems due to the language and cultural misunderstandings are well worth the fee. In Indonesia, I found a sourcing company owned by a British expat. In both cases, it works well for me because I communicate with local people who speak my language and understand my business culture and methods but also understand how to do business with the local companies.

      I have not gotten scammed by any suppliers and it is not as big a problem as you think it is sitting in a US home office worrying about unknown people in some other part of the world.

      Payment terms:
      in China, all my suppliers require some down payment at the time of the order/when they start producing the product (typically 50%, can go down to 30% after a longer business relationship has been established and the factory has a track record for me, that I do pay up – remember, they are concerned about getting their money as you are concerned about getting scammed) and the remainder payment when they ship. I.e, there is a small risk for me in that I have fully paid for the order before it is allowed on the ship to me. I can pay the sourcing agents to fly to the factory and do an inspection – it’s a calculation you make based on actual cost and risk – and the inspection is part of the Indonesian agent’s fee (which is also significantly higher % of the order than that of the Chinese agents). I’ve never been asked for an LC but that may be because I am able and willing to pay the 50% up front.

      I ship from the supplier to the fulfillment house. Then I have the fulfillment company send me a random sample of each item. That is way cheaper than having the shipment routed to me. (I actually work with two different fulfillment companies. One of them is so fantastic and engaged with my product lines, and know the products so well that I trust them completely to inspect the merchandise and identify any issues and alert me. They do as good a job at checking as I would.)

      I use on the of large international freight forwarding companies who is also a customs broker for shipping. It’s the same principal as outsourcing anything else – they are the experts on moving freight, filing the customs forms etc and I am not. Whether you use FedEx or a freight forwarded depends on the urgency of the shipment to you and the volume/weight. Ocean/shipping is of course vastly cheaper to get the goods than air/FedEx (FedEx is not your only option for air shipments.) Unless you have a product that is extremely time-sensitive, either because there is only one selling season for it (Easter Eggs, for ex) or it is perishable, or it is super light weight and low volume, it is much much much cheaper to ship by ocean. No matter where you are in the business, just getting it off the ground or already making a good monthly income, you need to keep down your expenses and only spend as much as it takes for essentials. Ocean shipping adds one – three weeks to the delivery, but saves thousands $.

      Amazon is a very expensive fulfillment option, i.e, fulfilling through them will take a big chunk out of your profit. Look for a fulfillment house (they are all pretty much one-stop-shops) either close to the harbor where your goods will likely be delivered (for ex, Los Angeles/Long Beach for most shipments from Asia) or close to where you are so you can easily drive there and inspect your merchandise. Cost out the difference in delivery costs from the harbor… the delivery costs from the harbor inland can add a substantial amount to your cost and may not be worth it if instead you can just have samples sent to you.) Check out several different fulfillment companies, each will have a different fee structure. You will pay them by a) the actual amount of warehousing space used and b) for all functions related to your order fulfillment. There will be a difference in how extensive the services of each fulfillment company are. For ex, some will offer including invoices with the shipment (if you sell wholesale to stores, that is important), some may receive payment checks for you and deposit in your bank, and some will even offer Accounts Receivable services (i.e, calling your (store) customers when their payments are overdue. Each of these services costs you money, of course, but also relieves you of the administrative hassles and time sink. I hope this helps, good luck!

      Reply

  • Vergil Den — November 29th, 2010, 12:14 pm

    Tim,

    The eBook is a great example. I cranked one out in 2 months (from thought to publication). Things like outsourcing to low cost providers (eBook Cover, website), freeware (Calibre) and Paypal (fees only with sales) make it an easy low upfront cost route for a non-techie.

    By the way, I even give you a shout out in the book!

    Thanks,

    Vergil Den

    Reply

    • Paul Miller — December 1st, 2010, 5:33 pm

      Vergil, I cranked out an ebook in 3 months this summer…and just got the website set up, using Clickbank to handle sales. But I’ve got an important question…

      How did you first start getting traction and making sales online? I’m trying to get over this critical hurdle, and it’d be very cool to hear how you made it work.

      Awesome post, Tim (as usual).

      ~Paul

      Reply

      • Vergil Den — December 3rd, 2010, 7:48 am

        In the process now as well.

        1. Marketing: Guerilla techniques (blog commenting at sites where my audience frequents, reach out to thought leaders on the subject to get endorsement, etc) and Targeted Marketing (Facebook ads per TF method)

        2. PAYR Model (pay after you read). Introductory offer to get people to read my book. Some readers have paid but its more about reducing barriers to actually reading the book (more on PAYR on my Facebook page).

        3. Book Reviewers: There are people that review books for free. A few are in the process of reviewing mine. Hoping for a good review.

        4.Post on ebook Library: It’s free and it drives traffic and offers an easy way to allow for readers to rate book

        5. eBook community on LinkeIn: Lots of really good info from people that have been through it.

        Best of luck Paul,

        Vergil Den

        Reply

  • Erick — November 29th, 2010, 12:25 pm

    Tim,

    Glad to see a return to how to. I hadn’t given up on the blog but all of the “this is what other people are doing to have fun” while I’m banging my head on a wall was getting old. Thank you so much for this. I am mid start up on a somewhat different type of product (although one of the case studies in the book was in the same industry ) hope to be over the 1000 dollar mark in six to eight weeks. Please keep up the how to posts as the marketing and finding advisors etc is exactly what I need

    Thanks again for all the inspiration

    Reply

  • Nathan Meffert — November 29th, 2010, 12:30 pm

    Tim,

    I’ve created several service-based business and am transitioning to a product-based business. I’d like to model the muse as precisely as possible. It makes sense in every way.

    Reading and watching, I noticed that NONE OF THESE PRODUCTS/BUSINESSES FIT THE CRITERIA YOU DESCRIBE IN 4HWW 100%.

    I KNOW that you didn’t put these criteria in for no reason. You seem like a pretty methodical guy. In my research, I’ve come to understand again and again that the guidelines work – and why they work – which is why I’m trying to “stick to the book” as closely as possible.

    What can you say about this? Specifically, why is NAILING the model exactly so uncommon? What is the value in exact imitation? What is the value in modifying the model? Are there dangers in modifying the model???

    Thanks for the post. Brilliant. Look forward to more. And, of course, to reading the 4HB!

    Pura vida (from Playa Grande, Costa Rica),

    Nathan Meffert

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 30th, 2010, 1:53 am

      Hi Nathan,

      Thanks for the post. In which ways do these products (take EarPeace, for example) not fit the criteria? Please let me know, and I’ll do my best to answer.

      Thx!

      Tim

      Reply

      • Morgan — November 30th, 2010, 7:18 am

        He might be referring to the $50-$200 criteria :-D I think the ear peace is only $12.95. This is a hard rule to follow and most of these cases are just below that mark if not much lower.

        Reply

      • Nathan Meffert — November 30th, 2010, 3:11 pm

        Thanks for the response, Tim and Morgan!

        For starters, I love all of these products. And, I’m really excited about this post and conversation! Also, these are not criticisms. Just observations that led to questions.

        Here’s what I mean by “not fitting the criteria exactly”:

        Everyday Genius Institute

        Is their business success dependent upon creation of more than one product? Or constant innovation?

        Entropy Energy Drink

        It’s under $50.00. And the marketing copy isn’t directed at a niche. Based on this, I’m wondering how important is finding and selling to a VERY specific niche?

        Snowboard Insole

        I’ve investigated this market. Snowboarders were definitely not ONLY reachable by one or two small magazines that cost less than $5000 to advertise in. For instance, “Snowboarder”, which fits the number of readers criteria easily costs $10,500 to advertise in, and while I know and respect the power of negotiation, it still speaks to the priceyness of reaching this market, right?

        Drum Making Kit

        Under $50.00

        EarPeace

        WAAAAY under $50.00

        So, what do you think – how much can a business/product vary from your formula and still hit the criteria for scalability, automation, and location independence? Has your criteria changed? How?

        Looking forward to more!

        Nathan

        Reply

  • Jim — November 29th, 2010, 12:48 pm

    Tim,

    As many seem to be doing, I am trying to find my muse but having trouble. I have scoured your forums but haven’t found the key to my muse yet.

    I have recently been thinking very negatively about the possibility of finding a suitable, practical, realistic muse that works. I love your ideas but have questioned whether an average Joe like me could create a product that would generate more than a few dollars of income. I want to do a digital product but really wonder if I can actually make serious money to change my lifestyle.

    It seems a daunting task but this post gives me a hope (although I sure don’t have the money to travel to China with an interpreter like some people:)

    I also would join in to say we need more posts like this for us average people who need help through our times of questioning.

    Perfect timing. I have been inspired to persevere. Thanks!

    Reply

  • Aykut Icoz — November 29th, 2010, 12:49 pm

    This is an outstanding post, thanks a lot Tim. I have been working on a muse for the last year, started off with an ecommerce store and a business strategy playing and teaching platform. Looking to read more soon. :-)

    Reply

  • Chris — November 29th, 2010, 12:53 pm

    Tim,

    Another very interesting article; really enjoying the content boom lately!

    As a side-but-none-the-less-important note: I just received a UPS notice for the advance copies of the new book! Very exciting!

    Cheers,

    -Chris

    Reply

  • Ritesh — November 29th, 2010, 12:53 pm

    Hi Tim,

    Are we talking about generating $1000/month in revenues or profits? I launched my muse a couple of months ago to test market. It generates 2k/month revenue, but costs about 30% more in adwords cost so far.

    Now that the market is proven, next step is to figure out more and cheaper traffic sources.

    Best,

    Ritesh from your neck of woods (SF bay area)

    Reply

  • Michelle Sevigny — November 29th, 2010, 12:58 pm

    LOVE this post!! The details included in the case studies are extremely helpful and always inspiring to hear from other successful people. More More More please.

    Tim, 4HWW changed my life, I cant thank you enough. While I had already started my business, 4HWW has helped me get more freedom from my business and I will be spending most of December and January on a road trip to southern California for my first mini-retirement.

    I recommend 4HWW to everyone who asks me “how did you do it?” (…leave a well paying job for more freedom…). The funny thing is not many make the changes necessary to make it happen. In some cases, it is not the lack of finding a muse but finding the courage to take the leap.

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 30th, 2010, 1:52 am

      Nice, Michelle! Be sure to stop in Santa Barbara for a day, if you can. It’s a really cute town. San Diego is, of course, always gorgeous. Last but not least, if you have time, drive up Rt. 1 on the coast to San Francisco!

      Have a blast :)

      Tim

      Reply

  • PPC4 — November 29th, 2010, 1:00 pm

    Tim-

    These are the kinds of posts that I constantly hope for on the site. I believe that people come to your blog because they like you and hope to find further inspiration and information to push them over the edge to the NR lifestyle. The decision is easy for some, but my hunch is that most have lived a certain way for so long that there is a huge amount of emotional/psychological baggage that holds them back. These types of post give them something sort of tangible to point or hold on to to keep them striving for it. I know they have for me.

    I got the book, which basically changed everything for me about the way I looked at the world and my life, back when it first came out. It took me the last few years to finally do my first mini-retirement to Panama (stellar, omfg the world didn’t collapse because I packed up the family and left for a month, aha moments over and over and over…Just incredible.). It took me until earlier this year to really commit to muse production in earnest. All of this, I believe, was because I had so many years of something else being pounded into my head. In short, the truth seemed obvious while reading the book (over and over), but getting oneself to take the “actions” proves hard on some weird, deep levels.

    All of the content you produce is entertaining and informative. These tend to be the ones, I think, that really knock it out of the park for usefulness and motivation.

    Well Played Sir,

    Paul

    Reply

  • Rich — November 29th, 2010, 1:08 pm

    Tim,

    This is so helpful and inspirational. Excellent questions that really help with understanding how they did it. The more you can post the better :)

    Hopefully I’ll get off my duff and get one of my many ideas in the market soon!

    Cheers,
    Rich

    Reply

  • James — November 29th, 2010, 1:28 pm

    Awesome, Awesome Stuff….!
    I love to hear success stories..Especially the meaty – how we did it stories.
    I am currently chasing my tail, going from one idea/test to the next.
    I know how to drive paid traffic… fairly cheap and targeted traffic… I just can’t get any traction with affiliate, adsense, cpa… sigh.

    I know I need to focus and execute…but I get distracted by the first shiny object that passes by….

    Help?!

    Reply

  • Stacy — November 29th, 2010, 1:39 pm

    Excellent post, I agree – I love reading the muse case studies, they are inspirational and I love learning about new ideas and resources.

    I’m hoping to launch my muse before I graduate in May of 2011. Otherwise I might actually have to use my degree and become a lawyer, and that would be a tragedy.

    I agree with those wanting to know more about “how long” – in fact it’d be interesting to hear something about the “life cycle” of a muse from the birth of an idea to fruition. I like the Q&A format; I think a timeline format might also be useful.

    I’d also love to hear more about ideas for protecting intellectual property/patents/etc. – I know navigating the patent process is exceptionally daunting, and I have a lot of questions about when exactly it becomes necessary, what’s involved, what you have to have ready, costs to anticipate, etc.

    Reply

  • Robert J. McCarter — November 29th, 2010, 1:47 pm

    Tim,

    I love this kind of post. Please do more. Personally I would like to see a single post focus on a single muse and have them spread out a bit (better for me to focus on one at a time, and I think it would help retention).

    In addition I would like to see some other information:
    1. Profit. Revenues are great, but profit is key for a muse.
    2. Hours per week. Again the great characteristic of a muse is it doesn’t take over your life. Some of these business sound quite complex. Are they really easy it maintain?
    3. More about problems and how they were overcome.

    Many Thanks!
    Robert

    Reply

  • JIm Nesmith — November 29th, 2010, 1:55 pm

    Absolutely fascinating, Tim. Would love to see more.

    Reply

  • David D — November 29th, 2010, 2:25 pm

    Great post — would love to see more like these. Very helpful for those of us who are still “musing”. (Couldn’t resist.)

    Reply

  • BigMike — November 29th, 2010, 2:28 pm

    Tim,
    LOVE this topic and the answers that are answered by these “Muse” creators. It is very helpful in not only information gathering but motivation as well! I have felt stuck in a “Muse” wonderland for some time now and almost lost hope…I am so glad to see this post to kick my ass back into gear and look forward to learning others experiences. One of the best ways to learn other than your own…

    Reply

  • Anon — November 29th, 2010, 2:30 pm

    I launched my own web design business(a tough business to get into with all the competition). I think we bring something different to the table as we donate 10% to charity and have a great referral program. I owe the idea to Mr. Ferriss for getting my butt in gear and to TAKE ACTION!

    Reply

  • Matt — November 29th, 2010, 2:31 pm

    Awesome post Tim.

    I would like to see more examples of digital products.

    Reply

  • Amir — November 29th, 2010, 2:40 pm

    Finally :) Been waiting for a post like this for a while, Tim. Thanks for starting this thread!

    Are you also going to share some nuts and bolts on how you’ve engineered BrainQuicken?

    Reply

  • jason palmer — November 29th, 2010, 2:53 pm

    have no plan

    have big big big margins

    Reply

  • Gabriel — November 29th, 2010, 2:59 pm

    Tim,

    As the others… it is underestimated what you have done for soooo many people, including myself. I grabbed your book from the checkout counter about 3 months ago and read every single word more than once.. keep it next to me at the computer and go over the steps…. everyone should know, this is not a fix it all quick solution… but more of a tool that needs to be followed with patience and most of all, persistence! My head is so full of ideas that I am keeping a dairy of all the ideas.. some seem silly, but look around you,, lots of silly ideas have turned into silly healthy bank accounts!
    I have not made a penny yet from this endeavor, but I find myself working harder than ever and thinking more, and enjoying it more than when I had a brick and mortar business than went belly up with the economy:construction… thanks again… I will find my muse or muses and I share then the outcome..

    Reply

  • marlon — November 29th, 2010, 3:34 pm

    I’m sure many will agree that we’d want to see more of these case studies! I have read the 4HWW few months ago and I’ve been looking for a muse that I can afford to put up but still unsuccessful. I want to hear more of these success stories for inspiration and motivation.

    Reply

  • Josh S. — November 29th, 2010, 3:37 pm

    Tim,

    Love the post, very motivational to see that it is not just a book but a real how to manual seeing these stories is motivating. Having said that these products look like there was some R&D or serious research involved. Did you ask what the Muse testing cost was for these case studies as well as initial investment. I love the post and it really gets me going, but I want to be realistic about what I can do on a shoestring budget. None of these look very shoestring to me, still great though.

    Reply

  • Bob Smith — November 29th, 2010, 4:34 pm

    Why is anybody talking about revenue and not profit, as if they were equivalent? Revenue does not fund your lifestyle, profit does.

    Reply

  • John Marlow — November 29th, 2010, 4:51 pm

    Hey Tim,

    Got a notice in my inbox for this one at 7:26 this morning. So I guess the email sub glitch is gone. Thanks! (Enduring my first media fast–arrggghhh!–so I’m counting this as an email response. See you on the flipside.)

    Reply

  • Gianni D'Alerta — November 29th, 2010, 4:52 pm

    These businesses are great, how were they funded? What was the startup investment for these little muse businesses. It would be great to read, I borrowed X,xxx.xx to fund the first prototype phase, and then blah. Or I got a loan, etc. To get to 5 to 10k, when did this happen, did it take 1 month or a year, etc. Many first time “muse” business makers may not take the first step without knowing that some of these small businesses did not take to much capital to get going.

    Reply

  • Theo — November 29th, 2010, 4:53 pm

    I’d like to see more recommendations of freelancers and marketing firms that can help people who are developing muses (http://www.socialoomph.com was a great example).

    Another thing I am interested in are operational details like fulfilling, patents, setting up online shops, etc…

    Reply

    • Tim Maxey — November 29th, 2010, 5:08 pm

      Yeah, I agree, I am a freelancer and would love to work on a MUSE with someone. I am not too good at “what” to do, but I can sure “code” if needed…

      Reply

      • Pascal — November 29th, 2010, 6:18 pm

        Hey Tim Maxey,
        so you can code? My partner and I have a couple of muses we are working on. We have business education and experience, we have secured VC funding before (even though we prefer the self funded route for our new ventures) and we are great at concepts and getting things done. But…we do not code. Do you want to talk?

        Reply

      • Tim Maxey — November 30th, 2010, 5:10 am

        Yes Pascal, would love to talk… click on my name, goes to my website, can contact me there or email: tim at timmaxey.com

        Reply

  • Beth Avedis — November 29th, 2010, 5:08 pm

    Great post Tim! Yes, I would love to see other muse success stories! It turns into a great forum where people who are launching their first muses can learn from each other! I actually wrote down some new tips from the in-depth information you were able to get by the targeted questions. PLEASE keep em coming!

    Reply

  • Alex — November 29th, 2010, 5:13 pm

    Tim,

    I found this post very helpful and would certainly like more posts about successful case studies of 4HWW businesses. My only advice would be to keep doing what you’re doing. I truly enjoy your blog for the wide range of topics (ie. business case studies, travel, inspiring stories involving Brazilian supermodels and miscellaneous posts such as the recent, fascinating post on Bill Clinton.) So don’t get TOO narrow with your choice of topics and keep up the great work!

    Reply

  • Marcus — November 29th, 2010, 5:45 pm

    Hello Tim!

    I am a reader from Brazil. Is there any other successful case in Brazil, with the exception of Nexus Surf? I ask that because: it´s not so easy to start a company in Brazil; and our currency is not a strong one.
    I work in a company that sells laboratory products, and it is a job that nowadays I don´t like (to say the least!). I read the book more than a year ago, but I haven´t started any real business, although I have some ideas. My wife has started reading the book, and she also has some ideas (in a more advanced stage than mine!). What I did until now was to create a website to offer scientific translations, to Brazilian students who need to publish their papers in international magazines. It is not the ideal muse, since it´s a service and not a product, but in two months it “generated” about $1,000, with only $50 in Google Adwords and a $25 website! And that only in my free hours…
    I am saving some money (we have a three-month boy), but next year I´ll make the big move and start my real business (and so will my wife). Maybe soon you´ll hear again from us!
    Your book was (and is) a huge inspiration to me (I re-read some parts almost every week), although I am still very slow to make the big move…
    Thanks again!

    Reply

  • Andy — November 29th, 2010, 5:50 pm

    Tim,

    This is very, very helpful and timely.

    I’d be interested, too, in hearing the process people went through to settle on their muse.

    I know you’re a big proponent of testing and retesting to optimize. Have people taken this route — tested several muses and worked with the best, etc.?

    Even though I haven’t been able to find my muse, I find your posts inspiring. And after implementing the Paleo Diet, I’ve managed to lose 25 lbs., gain energy and haven’t been hungry a bit!

    Thank you!

    Reply

  • Chris — November 29th, 2010, 6:29 pm

    Tim,

    Yes, more posts like this. The hard part is coming up with the product.

    Reply

  • Carl-Philipp — November 29th, 2010, 6:47 pm

    Just knowing that there are so many muses out there, is there even room for me? Thats my question!
    I am worried that I am too late with even thinking about starting a muse. To see so many great ideas put into action is inspiring on the one hand but also intimidating to me. I understand that you (Tim) give everyone the same information and where people take it from there depends on their commitment. I would like to see myself putting action behind thoughts. Is it too late?

    Reply

    • Barbara Logan — December 1st, 2010, 7:16 am

      Carl-Phillipp – it’s never too late! Go for it! Remember that with the whole world as your potential market (electronically) there’s market available for every niche imaginable! Think of the difference between a small town and a New York City for example – a small town might be able to support a grocery and a department store, but an NYC can support specialty brick and mortar stores that sell only one thing (buttons, for instance) just because the size of the market is so much larger. Good luck!

      Reply

  • Scott Asai — November 29th, 2010, 6:50 pm

    I give credit to the 4 examples because of the research they did. It was not an overnight success although it may have seemed like it. It happened fast, but with a lot of hard work.

    Reply

  • steve — November 29th, 2010, 7:42 pm

    nice tim will study this post and comments in detail, one thing i noticed it seems that sometimes your voice seems to be out of sync?

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 30th, 2010, 1:14 am

      Hi Steve,

      What do you mean by “out of sync”? Perhaps you read the muse owners’ words as my own? Any particular examples?

      Tim

      Reply

      • Karri — November 30th, 2010, 3:10 am

        Tim,

        I think Steve is referring that the video you posted is out of sync at times. It goes ok to the half of it, and then goes out of sync.

        Btw, could you add the links to the muses you featured on the video? I’m particularly interested in the “Genius” subscription set, and would love to do more research.

        Thanks for being no less than awesome!

        Reply

      • Charles — November 30th, 2010, 8:05 pm

        Yes the voice over was off for me as well. I thought it might be my broadband.

        Reply

  • James — November 29th, 2010, 8:40 pm

    My muse is writing bodybuilding books and training articles for muscle mags. When I first decided to be a writer in my spare time, success to me in the beginning was just completing an article and getting it on the internet. Then eventually it was to get paid for an article. Then it was to publish a book and make passive income from my passion. Then it was to market the book through my articles and blog.

    Each time I published an article, I leveraged it for a greater opportunity. Editors of high traffic sites noticed my articles on low traffic sites and contacted me to write for them. Then I leveraged my online articles to become a writer for print magazines that pay well.

    It’s given me a nice side income, a little extra cash every month for trips and nice dinners with the wife.

    Reply

  • Justin — November 29th, 2010, 8:45 pm

    Tim,

    As always, a great post.

    I started my first income producing website 18 months ago after reading your book. While it may not be your average muse; it’s producing 1.5-2k a month of totally passive income with virtually no advertising or overhead costs. My plan is to quit my current six-figure job in the next four months and do a RTW trip for a year or two, working on pushing the business to the next level while keeping it completely hands-free. The goal is 10k a month while remaining location independent and away from the rat race. Two years ago I never would have imagined this was possible, but I now know that I can do this. Let me emphasize that again.. I KNOW I can do this. That’s a pretty heady feeling!

    Thanks again for everything you do. You’re changing people’s lives with this message.

    -Justin

    Reply

  • Christine Hueber — November 29th, 2010, 9:36 pm

    Love this, Tim, and it would be great to read still more examples of what works … very inspirational, thanks!

    Enjoy,
    Christine

    Reply

  • Ninja Mike — November 29th, 2010, 9:49 pm

    WOW! This is perfect and exactly what I need. I’m working on starting my first muse right now… well it’s more of idea yet but still I could use a little help beyond your book. So definitely more of these posts! This one is super long so I haven’t gotten through all of it yet. I’m excited though, thanks for tossing this up.

    Reply

  • Can't Say — November 29th, 2010, 11:19 pm

    Does convincing my boss to let me work from home, moving from the middle of Idaho to California, Automating my job to decrease work time from 40 hours to 4 per week, and getting a raise count as a muse?

    The best part? I’m closer than ever to my 1.5 year old daughter!

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — November 30th, 2010, 1:09 am

      I’d say — in all tangible respects — absolutely! The “muse” is a just a step towards lifestyle design, and it sounds like you’ve leapfrogged the need. Congratulations!

      Reply

  • Azstrel — November 30th, 2010, 3:14 am

    This Blog Is All Inspirational!

    Tim! WTF man! You the Bomb! Dig!?

    I mean Jeeze, It’s like Wow! I mean Come on!

    Really I love All that you do as to plant the seeds of liberation and freedom and joy amongst your fellow earthlings.

    Good Job, Man!

    Azstrel

    Reply

  • Marcel — November 30th, 2010, 3:57 am

    Would be great to have more specifics

    can anyone give examples for services that provide PR Leads in Germany which are not extremely expensive ?

    as the examples in the post:

    PRLeads and HARO

    Reply

  • Andrea B — November 30th, 2010, 4:47 am

    Extremely good post! Inspirational for so many, as obvious from the comments.

    However, some of the most important aspects of these muses are not addressed. Newbies need to be aware of them, else their muse can be a very expensive flop rather than the entry to a better lifestyle.

    In my experience (2 concurrent businesses selling several (tangible) product lines) these are:

    1) Cash is king! Cash flow and managing cash flow must be a high priority. You can be profitable yet running out of money and having to close the business after having poured a lot of money into it.
    2) Profit is the number that counts, not revenue. A business may be bringing in $50 k per month in revenue, while costing $48 k/month in expenses and cost of goods. Or $52K…

    BTW, 4HWW was the key to getting me to the more relaxed lifestyle I needed. Running my businesses was taking up all my time, 24/7, even though I outsourced much of it such as the warehousing and fulfillment. Once I realized I was holding on to doing many aspects of the business that I could outsource, too, my quality of life has shot way up. And right now that is especially valuable: though my businesses are in the US, I am writing this from Europe where I am able to spend quality time with a very, very sick family member. I could never have taken that time even a year ago…. thanks Tim!

    Reply

    • Gabriel — December 1st, 2010, 9:22 pm

      Hey Andrea,

      I’m looking to connect with entrepreneur’s who have successfully gone from a service business (aka job disguised as a business) to a muse/lifestyle business.

      I saw your comment, which really resonated with me. I also checked out your website. I would love to spend 10 minutes with you on the phone to hear your process for creating your muse first-hand.

      I’m really looking to build a muse, and looking for guidance from entrepreneur’s who have successfully made the jump.

      Any guidance you can lend would be greatly appreciated.

      You can email me at gkandersoninc at gmail.com

      Look forward to connecting with you.

      Peace,

      Gabriel

      Reply

  • Alex — November 30th, 2010, 6:27 am

    Hi Tim,

    I’m approx 11 months into the start up of my muse. Mines an on-line (software) application for Physiotherapists, Chiro’s and Osteopaths.

    As it’s a ‘digital product’ the running costs are very very low. Personally for me the investment was very much on the front end. I managed to reduce the upfront costs by negotiating a profit share with the developer, who built it.

    I have to say not everything has gone smoothly and there is still much work to do. However long term this is very easy to maintain and very very high margin ‘product’.

    With respect to the case studies I’d love to have more detail on the profits (rather then their turnover), the time investment and other ‘difficulties’ they’ve had to overcome to get there muse up and running.

    Give me till the end of next year and I’ll have mine profitable to the tune of $1000 – $2000 per month.

    As always, you’re a true master at educating us here on your blog.

    Thanks.

    Alex

    Reply

  • Sean — November 30th, 2010, 7:30 am

    Very cool, Tim! Looking forward to more informative posts of this nature!

    Reply

  • Isabelle — November 30th, 2010, 7:49 am

    Hi Tim,

    really great post! Think it outlined muse creation great, and it’s good to see some real examples. May we hope that the next book is more muse focused..?

    One question: do you have any thoughts on the time aspect? As in, are physical products or intangible/e-products easier to get going quickly? Also, is any of them more long-term sustainable?

    Reply

  • Rob Martinez — November 30th, 2010, 8:04 am

    These are the kinds of articles that are priceless. Very motivating to see that other people are getting the info from the book and applying.

    I just started reading the book…I already have a muse. Not it is just a matter of time until I am featured on This blog as well.

    Rob

    Reply

  • Rhea — November 30th, 2010, 9:09 am

    Thank You! Love these examples,…had put this on the back-burner for awhile but with my product arriving in the next week I am very happy to be able to hang out here and be inspired by these as I prepare for the next steps! (And maybe get featured in the next 6 months as I succeed!) Especially like the highlight of the huge variety of muses from virtual to tangible etc. It is so awesome to see how many people have put this into practice! You are truly inspiring people AND they are succeeding. Just awesome.

    Reply

  • Andy in Osaka — November 30th, 2010, 9:35 am

    I’ve just come up with my muse. This will make you laugh Tim.

    It’s 1:10am here in Japan. I’ve woken up with my heart racing out of my chest because of the pumping of my neighbours dance music on the wall in the apartment downstairs.

    After looking through his door’s spy hole, I finally convince him I mean no harm and he opens it on the latch, “What do you want?”

    “I’ve been raped!” says I, wearing just my underwear. His face was priceless. And I quickly corrected my mistaken Japanese.

    “Sh*t!! I’ve just done a Tim Ferriss.” (RE: Tim’s same mistake with his host family years ago.)

    My muse? T-shirts for the foreign community here saying, “Okosu, don’t Okasu people.”

    Reply

  • Chris W. — November 30th, 2010, 10:58 am

    Great post! I’ve built my muse into a sustainable business, but still working to expand it to support me full-time. I meet so many people who would love to leave the rat-race, but few know where to start. Your advice is a great launching point, I just wish I had found it earlier.

    Reply

  • tim s. — November 30th, 2010, 11:21 am

    An especially great post. Seeing all of these start-ups is very motivating. Any time frame on when you expect to roll out a follow up post with the new submissions?

    I imagine it’s a great feeling seeing all of these readers with their own muse’s/improved lifestyles

    Reply

  • Nate Ritter — November 30th, 2010, 11:33 am

    Tim, these are great examples of muses. I think one thing that I’ve always had problems with is (1) figuring out what kind of product people want or need and then (2) figuring out how to “get people in the door” – the marketing tactics.

    If you could address each of these in detail, I would greatly appreciate it.

    Thanks.

    Reply

  • Jake — November 30th, 2010, 12:06 pm

    Hi Mr. Ferriss. Did you ever consider publishing your book as an Ebook?

    Best regards – Jake from Denmark

    Reply

  • Jeremy — November 30th, 2010, 12:37 pm

    Great Post, would love to see more like this!

    I started working on my first muse in September and it is a great learning experience. My problem is similar to what some other commenters have said: I need a good adviser and have had problems with my programmers that I found through VA website.

    A post on how to find a good website designer/programmer seems to be something that would do very well as this has become a problem for many people. I’m at the point where I’m willing to give equity just to have someone good to work with.

    Thanks for the great post! Keep it coming!

    Jeremy

    Reply

  • Akos Varadi — November 30th, 2010, 12:38 pm

    Hi all,

    The most of the muses I’ve heard about via 4HWW are planned to serve that huge demand presented by the USA. How is it possible to implement a muse in such a small market like Hungary? Only 10 million people live here in Hungary… :) Shipping costs and other taxes are too high to deliver a piece of a product to the States for example.
    Or is it a good idea to produce for the EU and develop a website in english?
    Or only digital products are worth to deal with?

    Thanks for your pieces of advice!

    Regards,
    Akos

    Reply

  • Adam — November 30th, 2010, 1:18 pm

    Tim,

    You could sell an entire ebook of stories like these and it would sell like hotcakes. Please give us more!

    Reply

  • Jamie — November 30th, 2010, 1:58 pm

    Awesome post, very helpful and inspiring.

    P.S. The link to the Wired article about your new book from their homepage is broken.

    Reply

  • CM — November 30th, 2010, 2:35 pm

    Great post Tim,

    It will be great to see more posts like this one.

    Thanks so much.

    CM

    Reply

  • Stephen — November 30th, 2010, 3:51 pm

    awesome post, keep ‘em coming!

    Reply

  • Danielle Shugart — November 30th, 2010, 4:07 pm

    I wonder if this kind of success is possible for new artists.

    Reply

  • Masato — November 30th, 2010, 4:28 pm

    Hi Tim,

    I’m a Ph.D. student, who was bored and unhappy with my dissertation project and life in general, until recently, until my encounter with your 4HWW book!

    Ever since, I’ve eliminated many of junk activities, stopped pretending to be busy without contributing to anything, and oiled and streamlined my work process. Now I’m much happier and productive ever.

    So I got tell you, many of your 4HWW concepts works for academics, too! (At least for some open-minded geeks like me, willing to try something outside academia.) I believe we can use many of the concepts you mention in this post for producing information products (like journal articles) and doing research.

    Many thanks for all the inspirations and intellectual stimulations you bring to us,

    Masato

    Reply

  • David — November 30th, 2010, 6:57 pm

    I would like to see more posts like this. It would be nice to see how they implemented the 4 hour work week and profits/revenue if possible.

    Reply

  • Jason — November 30th, 2010, 8:23 pm

    Amazingly informative post…thank you Tim!

    Reply

  • Mac — November 30th, 2010, 8:36 pm

    Please add more questions about time scales; more information on how long it took to get from x to y e.g. how many weeks from: concept to prototype; production of units to sales. Including what could have been improved to make the process more efficient, and thus quicker.

    As a side note: Tim, you always remind me of Wenthworth Miller: both of you went to Princeton, have the typical lowbrow, deep set eye look and articulate your thoughts well. Has anybody else ever said this to you Tim?

    Reply

  • Joe — November 30th, 2010, 8:49 pm

    Yes, please continue with more of these posts. The success stories are hugely helpful. Sometimes I want to ring your neck for showing me the possibilities and making me believe it is all possible. But I realize that it was me who chose to follow internet marketing down the rabbit hole and try to learn everything. I have a bad habit of consuming information for its own sake and not acting.
    Muse creation has been very difficult for me. I’ve had a-ha moments and did nothing or talked my self out of a good idea and I’ve followed some bad ones too. I’m getting clearer and closer and more profitable, but I don’t have a success story to tell yet. I will though…

    Reply

  • The Reactor — November 30th, 2010, 9:23 pm

    This post could not have come at a better time.

    Personally, I am going through some ‘troubled’ times and this post is truly inspirational.

    As some of the other comments alluded to, it would be nice to see a tad more detail in following areas:
    - Start up costs
    - how long they tested for and if they used the PPC method for testing, if so, what some of the details they found ex. CPC, % conversions other metrics

    I think many of the readers are in the constant scurry stage where we are looking to try to find a product mark it up 10x and try to convert it to sales, and could use some advice from people who have already done it.

    I have already tried two separate muses and used the PPC adwords testing method described in the 4HWW, but have not been able to successfully launch either because the #s never made sense in the end.

    With that said, the book is still by my side, I am again re-reading it, and am determined to continue to strive for what a muse could mean for me.

    My one call of action to the readers – To the FORUM!

    Thanks again Tim.

    Reply

  • P.t. — November 30th, 2010, 9:40 pm

    I just want to say that I love you Tim. Just the perfect thing for me to read today. Truly inspired me to go after something I previously thought not doable at my age.

    Thank you for all your wisdom.

    Reply

  • Ben — November 30th, 2010, 10:34 pm

    Tim -

    Though I visit the site often and enjoy many of your posts, it’s posts like these – the muse case studies – that I really look for. Hearing about other people succeeding with what I am working toward is HUGELY inspiring and informative. More! More! More! :-)

    Thanks!

    Reply

  • Electra — November 30th, 2010, 10:46 pm

    Awesome Tim!
    Do I feel a regular “Muse Monday” blog post coming on?
    That would be a great way to start off the week. You could do a short video or just the written Q & A. Please consider doing it regularly!

    Also, where’s the advance book copy love for this Mompreneur who wanted you to tweak your book jacket? :)

    You rock,
    Electra

    Reply

  • Eduardo Pinheiro — November 30th, 2010, 10:51 pm

    Thank you Tim for featuring Entropy on the video portion. (I love the blog, but I don’t usually comment, first time).

    To answer some questions that people asked here, I can offer my experience with Entropy:

    @Haitham, Stability: can’t say yet, we’ve only hit the market for 2 months, so nothing is stable in the financial/sales department yet.

    @gianni, Funding: Entropy was all self-funded. It was more costly than what Tim usually advises, but the rationale at the time for me was that if it’s too cheap to do it, the barriers to entry are too small. Turns out this is not true, even costly things can be done easily because there are easy ways of getting money to do it if the margins are there.

    @isabelle, @mac, Time-to-market: It took about 9 months for the whole process from concept to market. Most of the time was just waiting for the various pieces to fall in place though.

    Thanks Tim, keep up the good work!

    Reply

    • Barbara Logan — December 1st, 2010, 7:29 am

      Thanks, Eduardo!

      Reply

    • Jamie — December 1st, 2010, 5:19 pm

      Hey Eduardo,

      Entropy looks awesome, congrats.

      My brother and I are in the testing phase of a supplement muse. It’s going, but not as smoothly as hoped, naturally :) .

      I was wondering if you’d be willing to chat about some specifics with how you got Entropy off the ground. If you would I’ll be checking back here soon!

      Thnx.

      Reply

  • Mike Ziarko — December 1st, 2010, 12:16 am

    Always phenomenal and inspiring. Thanks for the fantastic post. I needed this!

    Reply

  • Andy Brice — December 1st, 2010, 1:27 am

    Very interesting. But I bet these people are all working closer to 60 hours per week on their ‘muse’ than 4.

    Reply

  • Nikbin Rohany — December 1st, 2010, 2:51 am

    Standing on munichs airport with tons of snow and no derparture permission. But having a great time with your post, thank you so much Tim…

    Reply

  • Vilmars — December 1st, 2010, 3:40 am

    I know that Tim is super mega giga ultra busy (read – unreachable :) ) but maybe someone else could just give me some advices for beginning of online business. I have web page called Blanket for Two dot com. I used till now only adwords. My idea was to make super easy web page, and only after first deal – to actuality improve web page and advertising… After one week – no sales… :)

    The person who will give the best idea – will get one Blanket for free after few first sold blankets! :)

    Reply

  • Farid — December 1st, 2010, 4:31 am

    Very inspirational and informative! More of these please!

    Reply

  • Barbara Logan — December 1st, 2010, 7:36 am

    Thank you, Tim! This post has me picking up the ball where I’d dropped it. :)

    I could use some specifics on low-cost packaging design and production, in my case along the lines of the Genius Series. Who did the design, the production specs, and who produced it? What was the process? and what did each cost?

    Reply

    • Taryn Voget — December 1st, 2010, 11:47 am

      Hi Barbara – I am the Founder and CEO of the Everyday Genius Institute and I just saw your question and thought I might be able to offer some insights.

      From concept of the company to the release of our first product took me about 9 months. I now now have 4 products in the series with more on the way. I did a LOT of the work myself. I found freelancers to do what I couldn’t.

      I should start by saying that branding, design and aesthetics were very important to me, so I spent a lot of time thinking about the right look for the company and the product line. I found my video team, graphic designer and illustrator all through Craigslist. I paid $75 for the ads and found some really awesome people. I am a huge fan of Craigslist. I’m not such a big fan of eLance, but that’s just me.

      Finding the right people to carry out my vision took some effort. I actually hired and fired 3 graphic designers until I found the perfect guy on Craigslist. But once I found the right guy, he helped me come up with the logo, product cover design and overall packaging look that I really fell in love with. This graphic designer worked full time for West Elm and did some freelancing on the side for me. He did a ton of work for just a few thousand dollars. My illustrator (who now does all of the graphic illustrations in the books) lives in the UK and does amazing work for cheap. He illustrated the entire A+ Student book for $1,000, which was a bargain given how much he did. I hired a photographer who did all of the cover photos for about $400 each. And for one of the covers I paid for an image from a high end stock photography site for about $350. My video team has been with me from the beginning. These two brothers freelance for about $350/day each and together we have made all of our DVDs. Making the videos has been the most expensive part because editing takes days and days. And we paid for a lot of stock photography to include in the videos. They are very high quality productions that look far more expensive than they cost. But I did all of the producing, directing and script writing myself (I taught myself how on this project because I couldn’t afford to hire it out).

      I wrote all of the Strategy Blueprints that come with the products (these are 35-45 page books that come with each product). That part was really hard but I couldn’t possibly find anyone else to do it. As for copywriting, it’s been my experience that finding a good copywriter to say what you want is really hard (or really expensive), so I decided to learn how to do it myself. I deconstructed one of the best copywriters in the business, Cory Fossum, and learned his copywriting strategy. Then we actually created a whole product based on his copywriting strategy, which, IMHO, is a must have for anyone who has to write their own web or product copy (it’s called Think like a Genius Marketing Copywriter).

      I found an amazing printing company in San Francisco, Essence Printing, who worked with me on the finer points of the packaging, DVD pocket design, paper weight, etc. As Tim mentions in his book, the set up cost is the biggest expense in printing. The first 500 copies are really expensive, then they get a lot cheaper per unit after that. Everything we did was all custom, which added to the cost. But if you picked standard packaging options, you could do it cheaper.

      I should mention that we have been talking with many big box stores about distribution. OfficeMax is considering carrying our Think like a Genius Straight A+ Student product, but they have very strict packaging requirements, which means we will likely have to redesign the whole package to fit on their shelves if they pick up our product line.

      I’d be happy to share more on the process I went through to create this product line if you or anyone else reading this post would like. Maybe Tim will do a full featured case study and I can share more details than fit here. I hope this helps.

      My best piece of advice: spend the time finding the right people who ‘get’ your vision. Do some small test projects with freelancers before signing up for a full project that will cost you thousands. Expect to ‘waste’ some money but make it your goal to keep this ‘waste’ to a minimum and just know it’s part of the overall cost of making a product. I know many entrepreneurs who have spent thousands on companies to help them design their packaging and they never got what they wanted. Freelancers are far cheaper than firms, but it also means more work on your end to find them and coordinate everyone. Also, do all of your own copywriting at first. Then hire someone to smooth it out if you have to.

      I used many principles in the 4HWW to design the backend fulfillment process. I wanted to create a product line that would be relevant now and long into the future and have a good chance of getting big retail distribution. It’s been a very busy year getting it all going. My goal wasn’t to create a single ‘muse’, but a company that had many ‘muse’ components and was something I really loved to do. In 2011 my goal is to release more products, all while earning automated income to keep it all going. And I really, really love what I get to do everyday so it doesn’t feel like work.

      Reply

      • Barbara Logan — December 2nd, 2010, 10:11 am

        Taryn, this is fantastic! It really helps a lot with my current project – I went through this the expensive “normal” way in the early ’90s and really didn’t want to go that route again… Thank you so much for taking the time to reply – and with so much detail! I really appreciate it and I’m sure so many of us will benefit from it.

        Reply

      • Beth Avedis — December 9th, 2010, 11:49 am

        Thank you so much for all of the detailed information! It is so much appreciated!

        Reply

      • Moneer — March 27th, 2011, 2:00 am

        This reply is for Taryn Voget

        Taryn,

        Thank you so much for taking the time to share that priceless knowledge with us! Not sure if you’ll see this post since it has been a few months but the information you listed is very valuable and greatly appreciated.

        I took a look at your website and your products seem amazing. I feel like I want to get them all!

        I also love the look, the design and the who concept. Great job.

        I am kinda following a similar path. I am in the very early stages but this gives me a lot of inspiration. My focus is towards academic test prep and I think I have a great handle on the content but I am still researching the presentation methods. I will be the presenter of the content but I have been vacillating between doing an “explain-it-on-the-board” type video or doing something more interactive with animations and screen captures etc. My main focus is math.

        Any resources/books that talks about video editing, creating how-to videos, simple animations for videos, etc. will be very useful. Feel free to let me know if you can think of any.

        I agree that Craigslist is a good resource. I made a post looking for a partner who has video experience and I got tons of responses but most of it were people trying to make a quick buck. I am wondering now if I should do the video editing, and finalize the video product myself. It will be a learning experience.

        Good luck with your products and keep up the great work!

        Moneer

        Reply

  • Sesli Sohbet — December 1st, 2010, 9:28 am

    LOVE this topic and the answers that are answered by these “Muse” creators. It is very helpful in not only information gathering but motivation as well! I have felt stuck in a “Muse” wonderland for some time now and almost lost hope…I am so glad to see this post to kick my ass back into gear and look forward to learning others experiences. One of the best ways to learn other than your own…

    Reply

  • Sima — December 1st, 2010, 10:54 am

    Thanks so much! Now I know where to get snowboard boot insoles and awesome ear plugs! Yeah, the girly stuff didn’t appeal to me as much, but please post more of these. Everything is truly inspirational :)

    S

    Reply

    • Kyle — December 1st, 2010, 12:42 pm

      Do you have any examples of people who successfully published e-books that you could either post or feature in another article?

      Reply

  • Michelle — December 1st, 2010, 1:02 pm

    Great case studies! Always inspiring.

    Maybe consider adding approx hours per week spent a. getting their muse up and running and b. maintaining once going. We all know it is hard work to get these off the ground, so an indication of how much hard work would be interesting.

    Great work guys!

    Reply

  • Chris K — December 1st, 2010, 2:12 pm

    Excellent post.

    I would definitely love to see more. Something like this on a regular basis would be great!

    Looking forward to the new book. PreOder: DONE

    Reply

  • Ted — December 1st, 2010, 2:19 pm

    Excellent post–very inspirational.

    Only EarPeace had an affiliate link! Get some entrepreneurs who are fans of Tim (and who isn’t?) working for you guys!

    Thanks.

    Reply

  • Nathan Schmitt — December 1st, 2010, 2:27 pm

    Tim,

    Just got 4HB in the mail. Looks like an amazing piece of work–excited to read and experiment. http://twitpic.com/3bzsmo

    Nathan

    Reply

  • Mark — December 1st, 2010, 3:15 pm

    YES! Give us more. This is what inspires me.

    I’d especially like more about information marketers…

    Reply

  • Michael — December 1st, 2010, 5:03 pm

    Hi Tim,
    Thank you for this incredibly helpful post. In a future round of case studies, I’d be interested in hearing how people tested their products. For some reason that’s where I’m stuck the most.
    Thanks,
    Michael

    Reply

  • JD Pruitt — December 1st, 2010, 6:03 pm

    Great post. This reminds me of the the profiled businesses from Entrepreneur Magazine, but with VERY helpful nuts-and-bolts details.

    Can’t wait for The Four Hour Body! I might have to cryogenically freeze myself until December 14th. :)

    Cheers,
    -JDP

    Reply

  • Michael P. — December 1st, 2010, 6:04 pm

    Tim,

    I was wondering if you have come across anything that might be specific to someone that owns a franchise. I know a lot of what you talk about can be used towards a franchise but I was just curious if you have found anything through the years that is franchise specific. Things like how to make your franchise stand out from your competitors as well as other franchise locations and anything along lines of how to draw in new business. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Reply

  • Gabriel — December 1st, 2010, 7:41 pm

    Hey 4HWW community,

    First of all this was a killer post! Exactly what I’ve been looking for. I really enjoyed reading the comments on this post, and all the others and thought I’d reach out to the community – since there seems to be sooooo many smart people on here.

    I’m really, super, super close to automating my current business as much as possible. I have a great partner who I trust, who is exceptional at handling the day-to-day – and I should have all my operations outsourced by first quarter of next year. I love my business, but it’s stopped being fun and exciting for me – even though I’m good at it. I’m now looking to really create a life, and use my muse to fund it.

    My question has to do with creating my muse. I’ve gone through the 4HWW forums, read 4HWW several times (no kidding at least 5 times now) and I’m absolutely obsessed with figuring this out.

    I spend the daytime putting the systems in place to get my existing business outsourced, and then alah Gary Vaynerchuk style, I do damage in the evening hours trying to research and think of my muse, and come up with ideas. Just jotting down anything that comes to mind.

    I just can’t seem to get a muse figured out. I’ve looked at all my past, and present associations, clubs, etc. I’ve made a list of all the things that I’m good at and what I like to do. I’ve gone to just about every book store in town to look at magazines and have spent literally hundreds of hours looking in the back of them to find products. I’ve googled just about every idea/niche I can think of to find product/muse ideas. This has become a total obsession for me… I just haven’t cracked the code yet.

    I’m a pretty smart guy, with a ton of passion – I gotta believe I can figure this out.

    Any suggestions, feedback, help, etc. would be greatly appreciated. If you’ve created your muse, I would love to hear from you – buy you a cup of coffee (if you’re in so-cal :) ) or just hop on the phone, and am totally willing to get schooled on how you did it, and listen to any suggestions you have.

    Please leave me a comment if you have a suggestion. When I get an idea I really run with it… just need the idea now, and nothings really clicked yet. Maybe I just need another set of eyeballs.

    Thanks in advance – and likewise, if there’s anything I can do to support you/the community… hit me up :) .

    Peace,

    Gabriel

    Reply

  • The Reactor — December 1st, 2010, 8:17 pm

    Summer Jasmines Math

    Product Price: $118
    Keywords:
    touch up shoes: $1.22
    designer flip flops: $1.53
    touch up bridal shoes: $1.31
    touch ups bridal shoes: $1.57
    Avg: $1.41 (Not a weighted avg based on traffic)

    If the COGS = $30

    Here’s the math:
    Daily CPC Budget: $282 (Cost to get 200 visitors, so at least one person buys)
    Website conversion: .05%
    One sales: $118
    Net: – 194 (282+30)-118
    = -194

    Even if the conversion is bumped up to 1% the site still looks like it doesnt pass the test.

    It looks like the testing math as provided in the book doesnt quite work here. I guess this is why Jasmine has lowered the Google ad budget – hoping for other traffic sources, word of mouth – idk?

    Did I miss something?

    This is why every time I try to run a test – I end up paying for 600 clicks at $1.50 and only get 2 actual purchases.

    Am I missing something – i know it doesnt take into effect brand-building, repeat purchases, or word of mouth, but isnt this the right way to test?

    Need some help from the community here.
    Will also look for help on this in the forum.

    The Reactor

    Reply

  • Yadgyu — December 1st, 2010, 9:04 pm

    I have a question for those of you who already have successful cash flow businesses established.

    How would your business function if you were unable to be there to run it?

    I ask this question because it seems that almost all businesses involve the owner(s) to be involved in the business in order for it to run successfully. To me, it would be difficult to set up a business and have it on auto-pilot without worrying about how things will operate.

    I know that most people are honest, but it only takes one person to ruin a small enterprise. I see monetary theft and intellectual property theft as two of the biggest concerns with running a business. It seems that it would be exceedingly difficult for a small cash flow business owner to rebuild after a large sum of money was stolen or the blueprints for the main product were duplicated and sold for cheap. There just seems that there is no safety net to prevent a catastrophic event from taking place.

    How are safety nets built into your business?

    If you have had an unfortunate event happen, were you able to recover?

    If you were not able to recover, were you liable for huge expenses?

    I would definitely like for people to come forth with stories on how to deal with the end of a business.

    Reply

  • Rissa — December 1st, 2010, 9:10 pm

    As always, this was exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks for pulling it together, Tim.

    And, if I may summarize, imperfect action is always better than sitting on our asses stalling. Sometimes, it seems, it’s easier to tolerate than change.

    Here’s to growth!

    Reply

  • lisa/Dan Colon — December 2nd, 2010, 6:40 am

    My brother has done well to create cash streams in WV, PA and OH by installing portable ATMs. [RFS ATMs] They pay themselves off in 4-6 months, or less. Then $2 per transaction from then on.

    If one is in a good foot traffic area, with nearby access to a power source and phone line, this passive income comes in very handy. It’s been recession proof too.

    For one customer this Black Friday, $70,000 was withdrawn. That’s a lot of extra cash. (I just wish I lived a block away by Main St, I’d run cords out to one. If it’s insured-no worries.)

    Reply

  • David — December 2nd, 2010, 7:27 am

    Thank you for the wonderful post. And congratulations to the individuals featured. You guys are awesome.

    It is great to hear about these success stories and there is so much to learn from them. I really enjoy reading posts like this. But when I’m finished reading, sometimes it feels like I haven’t gotten the important real nitty-gritty stuff out of the case study. (It could be just me) Don’t get me wrong. Of course I would love to read more posts about success cases in detail as they are very inspirational. (More about successful online services, please) But I would also like to hear from/of people with muses that didn’t work out and yet to achieve success. Because most people are in that category and will remain there until muse experimentation bears fruit. I think there is much to discuss about that category.

    I also noticed there aren’t many posts on the topic ‘failure’. The post “Harnessing Entrepreneurial Manic-Depression” was only one I remember that remotely dealt with the topic. (I loved the ‘transition curve’ graph) Actual ‘failure’ (not success fondly looking back on the tough times) is the common denominator in both muse creation and entrepreneurship in general. Such examples as bankruptcy, loss of capital, lack of clients and customers, come to mind. It feels like a missed opportunity not to discuss such a common subject. I think it would be a nice balance, along with the success stories and principles, to have a series of in-depth posts regarding to the subject “failure” in the future.

    By the way, I saw your “official trailer” for the 4 hour body on YouTube. Pretty cool. I’m surprised you did not post it on your blog yet, because it is bound to cause quite a buzz. (cool effects. mad scientist/athlete kind of vibe) The only thing I would like to comment is that there are only men appearing in the trailer. It kind of gives the impression that the “4 hour body” is just for men which I know is not the case. I suggest adding some female footage so that you don’t neglect your female fan base.

    Reply

    • Yadgyu — December 3rd, 2010, 12:17 am

      Yes, this is exactly what I want to hear about.

      Failure is important to me. I do not desire for people to fail, but the stories are sometimes more interesting than the success stories. Plus, most people who eventually become successful have a great deal of failed ventures that they sometimes do not share.

      Failure is not the end of the world.

      Reply

  • Jason — December 2nd, 2010, 9:14 am

    Another great post! Still trying to see how I can apply these concepts to a crazy idea my wife and I came up with. A Million Dollar Experience and corresponding blog. Any suggestions would be welcome!

    Reply

  • Wayne — December 2nd, 2010, 12:06 pm

    This would be a great weekly reality TV show. I would watch this and I am sure many others would seeing the groundwork and the people involved I really think would inspire people. Seeing everyday people making their dreams come true and how they did it would be awesome.

    Reply

  • damonthx — December 2nd, 2010, 12:17 pm

    Question for anyone on the Blog: I have a finished dietary supplement with an add-on product that addresses a niche market. Is there a company out there that will basically take over selling it, or producing an infomercial and just pay me a royalty? I’ve been looking, but I figure that maybe someone has heard of one.

    Thanks in advance.

    Reply

  • Leroux Pierre — December 2nd, 2010, 12:21 pm

    Hi,
    I’m a French engineer’s student.
    I’m a big fan off Tim and I want to do the same in France and Europe with one or more Muse.
    I’m looking for a WORKING MUSE to sell it in France, and than in all the Europe.
    I translate everything, I devellopp it in my country just like you do in the US, and you got Royalties without effort.

    Contact me there: leroux (at) ece.fr

    Reply

  • Jeremy K — December 2nd, 2010, 3:08 pm

    I know this is off topic, but you closed comments on the 4 Hour Body video.

    What are your thoughts on Kung Fu hand hardening?
    I was going to try a year of hardening training for the fingers and fist.

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — December 2nd, 2010, 10:54 pm

      Hi Jeremy,

      It’s cool stuff, to be sure, but be careful if you want to do anything else with your hands. I traveled to the Shaolin temple (inside, not the tourist part) and met monks who struck iron with their fingers. Nice guys, and they could break super-hard things with their fingers, but their hands were gnarled messes. No way they could ever play guitar, etc. Just weigh the pros/cons.

      Good luck!

      Tim

      Reply

      • David — December 3rd, 2010, 2:10 pm

        Hi, Jeremy.

        Training fingers must be done very carefully and under direct supervision of someone who knows what he is doing. It’s not just a matter of strengthening your fingers through repeated exercises against hard objects. Various medicines usually accompany these kinds of martial arts training to prevent injury. Even then, many advance practitioners(shaolin monks included) suffer from joint problems which worsen exponentially as they age. So be very careful.

        Reply

      • Uytterhaegen Tommy — March 16th, 2011, 1:45 am

        Hi,

        I’ve recently been to a seminar with Renshi Jeff Driscoll in Belgium (Kosho Ryu Kempo).
        He touched on the subject of fist hardening by hitting ‘hard things’.

        He told us that the main reason they did it was for spiritual purposes, releasing the stress.

        I believe that if your technique is good enough, you don’t need to harden your ‘weapons’. Not hardening will benefit you in the long run :)

        Reply

    • Andy Brice — December 14th, 2010, 11:33 am

      I have heard that some of the old karate masters can hardly open their hands and arthritis has got to be an issue. Is it worth it?

      Reply

  • Dinu — December 2nd, 2010, 4:05 pm

    Tim,

    how about creating a muse from scratch and blogging about the process? Prove to your audience that your principles work! ;-)

    Another idea would be to crowd-source the creation of a muse – or even several muses created by different teams, like a challenge…

    Anybody can be part if it, by investing and/or offering services like web design, online marketing, etc.

    Just some crazy thoughts at midnight…

    BTW: Awesome post!

    Cheers

    Reply

    • Barbara Logan — December 3rd, 2010, 7:37 am

      Wow – cool ideas. It wouldn’t have to be Tim’s, just *a* muse from scratch someone(s) does. It would be valuable to follow along and learn. I’ll bet it would naturally evolve into a crowd-sourced thing given all the passion and creativity in this group! Very cool. Just have to nail down protecting the IP for the brave soul(s) who did it publicly…

      Reply

  • Chris Brisson — December 2nd, 2010, 6:45 pm

    FINALLY! Was wondering when you were going to get into this part and show cases real world case studies of successful muses. Keep it flowin’ Tim…

    Reply

  • Ki'une — December 2nd, 2010, 7:12 pm

    I think I can cross sell Ear Peace with my PICKUPDANCE product!

    Reply

  • April — December 2nd, 2010, 8:57 pm

    I love where this is going. I can’t wait to see more possible muse studies. I am getting ideas already. Thanks Tim for another amazing post. ;)

    Reply

  • Dwight — December 3rd, 2010, 5:22 am

    Tim, I love this post!!

    This is my first time commenting on the blog so forgive me if it’s a little long. I want to just contribute to the discussion about muse development based on my progress in the journey. I added some subtitles since the insight I want to share comes at the end of my comment.

    THANKS TIM:
    This is the first time in a long while that I’ve read every comment made on a post — and I keep coming back day after day to do it; even taking notes from some of the comments. This post helps us and can take the regular visitor like me and make me hit “refresh” thereby leveraging your existing traffic into higher page views and ad revenues. So to echo some of the commentors above; please keep posts like this coming!!

    And thanks to the entrepreneurs for returning to the comments here too and continuing to share from their experience and answer questions.

    4HWW has made such a tremendous difference in my life that it’s hard to express my gratitude. This week at my day job I had a brief conversation about what’s going on with my position in the budget deliberations and what’s happening for the next fiscal period. The budget line for my position has not been approved by the powers that be yet and there is just enough uncertainty to make me unsettled. But because of 4HWW and (the Life Design Case Studies post from last year) I have had some income from writing online that I would not have known about otherwise. So regardless of what happens – I feel so confident that I can move out of America for a little and travel in Spanish-speaking countries while earning US dollars from America. I also know that if my position does get cut there are parts of it that can be done online remotely — and I could try to sell my current company my services as a contractor at a lower cost (but not necessarily lower wage) than I get paid now. In any case, I didn’t expect peace of mind to be a dividend of reading your book or the blog — and yet it is one of the benefits.

    MUSE DEVELOPMENT:
    So anyway, I have made a few hundred dollars in freelance writing online and blogging since I read 4HWW and had some other success with the books concepts. But like everyone else I am still working on developing an autopilot muse to fund my dreamlines — but the difference is that I am a little further up the mountain that some of the other people commenting here. The best piece of advice I’ve read on the topic of product development came from an ebook that said “Don’t find a need and fill it; but rather find an existing stream of money and stand in the way.” And that was a real eye-opener. Like most people here; I’ve been biased towards finding a “NEW” product to sell. But from the dawn of time people with less sophistication and resources than us have been making money with a simply formula; Buy low and sell high. Meaning that instead of inventing a new product — maybe my muse should be an existing product and figure out how to distribute it in a way with better margins. Take manpacks.com for example. it’s a guy selling underwear using a subscription based model — and obviously they didn’t invent underwear. Instead they came up with a better distribution model and then rolled it out really well by getting lots of press and PR that established them as a market leader. Even if I started to compete with them now – I’d be viewed as a knock off based on how well they executed their roll out. So in closing, our muse might not need to be a “better mousetrap;” it can be a better model to get an average mousetrap to the masses. That is the insight I’m going to spend 2011 pursuing.

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — December 4th, 2010, 5:22 pm

      Dear Dwight,

      Thanks so much for the kind words and comment! Totally true: you can innovate in many ways, not just in manufacturing. Distribution and packaging (or combining products) can just as easily make your muse “unique” enough to address a niche. Funny, I was just discussing manpacks.com with someone yesterday. Simple and effective concept.

      Good luck and please keep us posted!

      Tim

      Reply

  • Warren — December 3rd, 2010, 1:35 pm

    I need help with a product idea that is a little more technical. My problem is I see these and they are such simple objects. The hearing one is frankly a real shocker that it makes so much money. But don’t knock it till you try it.

    So is there any specific information for product development that is more tech related. I want to get something like a heart monitor in your watch that will talk to your smart phone and show how much calories you are burning. Or a Diabeties blood sugar monitor that can record the number in your phone and chart your progress.

    This has a hardware And Software component. Are these just too expensive to attempt?

    Reply

  • Roger Ost — December 3rd, 2010, 7:32 pm

    Transmitters are everywhere. I dont see why warren’s idea would have to be particuloarly expensive.

    Reply

  • Roger Ost — December 3rd, 2010, 7:33 pm

    Wireless is everywhere. I dont see why warren’s idea would have to be expensive.

    Reply

  • Jared Heldt — December 4th, 2010, 4:04 am

    Great post. I have a few problems, which Im sure people have had in the past. I have a low paying job and cant afford to take much time off, if at all. I can’t seem to come up with a good idea though. How would you go about this with the very bare bones. I was even told by people on the forum it will take a lot of work with a low paying job like mine unless I get something better.

    I currently make minimum wage but I do have an associates degree, but I don’t want to work in the career field I got my degree in since I felt I was told my career would be one thing, when in reality its something entirely different.

    Reply

    • Warren — December 4th, 2010, 4:53 am

      Jared,
      I got out of the army for the exact same reason. Took me 4 years and two in reserve to get out, but I did get out. MANY jobs are said to be one thing and turn out to be something else.

      Reply

  • Patrick — December 4th, 2010, 11:25 am

    Tim – Loved 4HWW and preordered your new book The 4H Body – cant wait to get it. Very inspired by your site and all the stories from you and everyone else. Still looking for my muse in hope of the freedom from w4w : )

    Reply

  • Brad — December 4th, 2010, 2:17 pm

    How does one go about keeping a low inventory, yet having a manufacturer in China produce their goods? I’m having a problem with my muse that it is only economical in large-scale productions. Is this a red flag? I’d love to keep inventory low, but the bulk orders is where the cost/unit is the lowest.

    Thoughts?

    Reply

  • Chase Bourdelaise — December 4th, 2010, 2:18 pm

    Has anyone had any experience using a “soup-to-nuts” type company that will take your prototype and native files, develop packaging, use one of their trusted manufacturers, handle freight, shipping, and customs — All in one?

    I have come across two good ones and looking into moving forward with them in a few months:

    -Walker World Trade
    -Stephen Gould

    Can anyone advise for/against going this route or share any experiences?

    Thanks, Tim – As always, awesome post and very helpful!!

    Reply

  • Tanya — December 4th, 2010, 7:48 pm

    Hey Tim,

    Honestly, just saw the video (only read the post before), this is truly awesome. Sincerely appreciate it all you do to help people sorta get up and do something, it shows that you have a lot of faith in humans and that’s pretty fantastic (and rare). Keep em coming.

    Loyal follower and member of the 1000 Tim fans ;)

    Tanya

    Reply

  • Shane — December 4th, 2010, 11:35 pm

    Tim,

    So it’s 11:30 at night and your book just told me to take some action so I’m reaching out to someone who’s done what I want to do….you. I’d like to mimic your initial success as much as possible so I’m thinking a supplement company sounds like a great idea, margins are high, private label a product I don’t manufacture or ship. What could be easier? So just set up the website and go for it? Anything I should watch out for?

    Shane

    Reply

  • Benjamin Tincq — December 5th, 2010, 4:43 am

    Hi Tim,

    Thank you for this great post (and a lot of others!)

    Have you ever considered a video series following people through the ideation and development of their muses, over six months to one year?
    Either as a web documentary or a tv show, I think it might be interesting and inspiring for a lot of people!

    Cheers from Paris,
    Benjamin

    Reply

  • Jared — December 5th, 2010, 5:12 am

    Warren,

    I’m glad that you were able to do that and that this isnt an isolated incident. Are you currently working on a muse yourself or something along those lines?

    Reply

  • John Marlow — December 5th, 2010, 5:40 am

    Outstanding! More? Hell yes! You’ve got another book here, or a whole lot of blog posts–and they almost write themselves…

    Reply

  • John Marlow — December 5th, 2010, 5:59 am

    @Nathan Schmitt and anyone else with 4HB in-hand: Where did you order your 4HB? Amazon’s not even shipping yet–maybe I need to shop elsewhere… Thx!

    Reply

    • Bryan — December 5th, 2010, 12:58 pm

      John Marlow,
      I don’t think the book officially launches until dec. 15. I received a copy early from a promotion Tim ran last year. That may be where the others received theirs from. Either way, the new book is worth the wait. I can’t wait to see what offers Tim will have in the next few weeks. I have a feeling I will buying some extra copies for gifts.
      -bryan

      Reply

  • anonymous — December 5th, 2010, 10:53 am

    hi tim,

    after the 4hoursbody,are you planning to do some kind of “4hoursbrain book” in the future?

    Reply

  • yu — December 5th, 2010, 12:23 pm

    Shouldn’t all people here gather around in one place on the web such as facebook group or something of that kind to share information/experiences and encourage each other during this difficult time of muse creation? I think people here would be excellent cheerleaders and critics for each other. Or Tim, can you initiate something so that people can gather and have a productive discussion(s) with each other. Those information and discussions could be accumulated and can be used productively for others to join this wave later. y.

    Reply

  • Martin — December 5th, 2010, 12:33 pm

    I pre-ordered 4HB from Amazon. It will be released December 14. Can’t wait.

    Reply

  • Zack Kielich — December 6th, 2010, 1:40 am

    Some friends and I started a company selling ugly sweaters for the holiday season. It started when we had an ugly sweater party and we realized that there was nowhere online to easily buy them–you had to spend HOURS going to thrift stores. Along the way, we’ve doubled our profits every year for the past 3 years and had a ton of fun.

    Beyond the monetary benefits, one of the perks has been that every year we do a model shoot at local bars.

    Next year is the year of reinvention for the site using some of Tim’s suggestions. We’ll see how it goes.

    While on the topic, anyone have a name of a reputable/inexpensive web coding company they have used in the past?

    Reply

  • Aaron Koo — December 6th, 2010, 2:34 am

    Great insight Tim, I wrote a post about this on my blog. Click on my name if you want to check it out.

    Reply

  • Leo Tabibzadegan — December 6th, 2010, 3:21 am

    How the heck do you get through all these comments and have the time to respond?

    I read that Gary V (Crush It) reads every single email/comment, I just can’t wrap my mind around how this is possible!

    I’ve been reading for an hour now, and my brain just melted. :(

    Reply

  • Lewis — December 6th, 2010, 9:59 am

    I was thinking about a volume-reducing device for live music! Obviously Jay got there before me so I ordered 2 pairs. I can enjoy gigs more but will have to think of something else to fund the tickets!

    Reply

  • Miriam Glassman — December 6th, 2010, 12:50 pm

    Finding a muse was a real undertaking for me. It took a while, but I am finally my own boss & running a successful business. Key to me not giving up on finding a business was keeping myself inspired by other people’s successes.

    Reading stories like this is a must if you are already running a business or if you are searching for ideas. Thank you for putting “real” material out there.

    @ Jay Clark – The tips about seeking out advisers & expert opinions was really helpful
    @ Alissa Kraisosky – Thanks for reminding me about PR leads & Haro. Great sandals. Will check them out
    @ Nate Musson – Stick to what you believe. Very inspiring.

    Thank you all & Tim for giving us a place to share “real” information, resources, and tips with like minded individuals.

    Reply

  • Josh Frank — December 7th, 2010, 9:25 am

    Hello Tim and friends on the 4 hour blog. I am an avid reader of the blog and all of Tim’s endeavors. As an independent musician based in NYC, I am learning and absorbing a lot about business, promotion etc from all of your great posts. I feel like I am in a critical stage in getting my independent instrumental music group off the ground and I would love some advice from anyone who is confident in marketing/promotion in entertainment industries.

    We have had a few key PR leads but I don’t think we are getting the real traction we need. Thanks. Looking forward to your thoughts.

    Thank you for letting me reach out to your community.

    Reply

  • Paul H. — December 7th, 2010, 2:40 pm

    I agree that muse stories are inspiring to read. I hope Tim is planning a supplement to FHWW, a whole volume of muse stories/case studies.

    Reply

  • Fawn — December 7th, 2010, 6:17 pm

    Thank you, thank you! I just got to Chapter 9 in your book and I’ve been wondering in the back of my mind, “What is and how the he!! do you have a cash flow muse??” I was getting apprehensive that even with reading the book I wouldn’t actually figure it out enough to use in my life. I am so grateful to see this post and know that more are coming. I’ve often obsessed and focused on one passion or idea or habit to a great extent in my life and they are all short lived. I don’t want my excitement about the lifestyle design you teach to be one of those things that burns bright and fizzes out fast for me, I want to commit and do this. I want my man and I to build the life of our dreams for us and our kids. Knowing that there are more resources here and forthcoming gives me confidence. Thank you for details and REAL info. –Fawn

    Reply

  • Nick — December 8th, 2010, 10:27 am

    Hey, I suppose you could say I am a newly anointed follower, a friend at work (who now has a two year plan to achieve semi-retirement involving a 40′ catamaran half the year and remote work at our office the other half) introduced me to your book, though my wife found it near the same exact minute he recommended it to me two weeks ago.

    Anyway, I got wordy, I apologize.

    The point of this comment is to suggest that you turn these case studies into a dedicated database. Even a really simple database that would allow you to search keywords (like what your trying so you can see what others have done).
    If this exists already and I’m just being a newbie I apologize, but either way it should be in the resources tab at the top of the page.

    Thanks for the book btw, reading it was like having my thoughts displayed on paper in front of me, I find it energizing even to read a few pages.

    Cheers

    Reply

  • Brian Mangines — December 8th, 2010, 10:46 am

    Just wondering if this stuff really works!!! (Actually, I know that it does, but I just have not been able to pull it off yet.) Anyway, as a start I thought I would conduct a little test and see if I can get a quick “shout out” back from Tim himself. Thank you.
    Best regards,
    Brian

    Reply

  • Ryan A — December 8th, 2010, 12:24 pm

    I think everyone loves the idea of a muse, or a “side-business” that is bringing in cash. However, having personally built several business in the past, the reality is that you can’t just pop one of these up and have it be successful without a significant investment in time, start-up costs, marketing, operations, etc… Further, if you don’t dedicate a lot of energy towards it, it will probably never get off the ground. This is true for digital products just as much as physical goods.

    Take for example the energy/sports/vitality drink you have in your video. I imagine the packaging, bottling, production costs are high. What about the marketing/disti. spend? Competing against companies like Coke, Red Bull, etc..

    Once the product was successful, you would then have to manage inventory, accounting, staff, customer service, manufacturing, etc. etc. With all that overhead, you would have to start bringing in revenue to cover that all…certainly $1000/mo. would probably not be enough. Then the question would be, how much do you need to cover your lifestyle, business expenses, employees, offices, warehouses, etc…. 10k/mo., 50k, 100k ??

    Maybe I’m missing something, but would like you know your thoughts on how someone realistically get’s a muse off the ground, without making it their primary focus and/or business.

    Reply

  • John R — December 9th, 2010, 11:35 am

    Tim, Great blog post. If future similar posts would include some more details on marketing (e.g., was blogging done/helpful; SEO methods, etc), and how work hours are minimized that would be helpful. Thanks! John R.

    Reply

  • Tim Ferriss — December 9th, 2010, 2:07 pm

    Hi Jim,

    As long as you’re not using it as lead-gen to spam people (sorry, but I’ve seen it), then it’s totally fine. Thank you for asking and good luck!

    Tim

    Reply

  • Julien Mottet — December 11th, 2010, 3:12 am

    Hello Tim,

    i don’t konw if it has already been mentioned (i don’t have the courage to read all the comments) but when i watched the video “4-Hour Workweek – case studies by author Tim Ferriss”, i noticed that after the first minutes, there is a 1 sec gap between images and sound.

    Wish you best for the next days!

    Julien Mottet

    Reply

  • Devin Gonzales — December 11th, 2010, 1:14 pm

    Wow, a lot of comments on this. I have 2 questions.

    I initially started thinking about drop-shipping products as an option for my muse. I noticed that all the muses here involve manufacturing your own product, and virtually no comments have asked about the drop-shipping option. Is drop-shipping a good route for a muse or would I be better off with my own product considering the effort in either case?

    The second question has to do with the marketing consultant. I am a graphic designer and I would love to walk away from my current 9-5 filling the conversion design niche while I seek out my muse. It would be a great opportunity to learn. I even specialize in wireframes. What might be the best way to get in touch with a marketing consultant to partner with?

    Reply

  • Maciej — December 12th, 2010, 9:01 am

    Great post!

    Reply

  • Jordan — December 13th, 2010, 10:51 am

    These posts are great, but it feels like there’s a common theme: 4HWW inspired these people to create a product they’d been dreaming about for years (nice work Tim), and whether they want to Tango or travel or just be their own boss they got off their ass and started working. Very cool!

    HOWEVER, what would be even more interesting to me would be people who actually created dreamlines and then worked to find a muse that would fund that dreamline. Different than the above muses (I think) and probably less ‘sexy’ since I bet a lot less thought went into the product (months instead of years).

    Equally valuable, but I haven’t seen an example of the later.

    Reply

  • Roger Ost — December 13th, 2010, 11:14 pm

    These case studies are amazing!

    Reply

  • Jeff Sepp — December 14th, 2010, 8:33 am

    Tim,

    I attempted to develop a muse a few months ago, but didn’t put enough effort into making sure the product was niche enough. The margins were there in full force, but margins aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on if you can’t sell.

    I lost my initial investment and some of my ego, but learned a huge lesson.

    After reading this, I am motivated to try again !

    Thanks

    Jeff

    Reply

  • Melanie — December 14th, 2010, 2:30 pm

    I’ve been reading and rereading the 4HWW for months, focusing, brainstorming, trying to come up a Muse vehicle. Frustrated, I took a mental break.

    Yesterday, an idea came to me on the J O B commute. I’m hoping this is my ticket to freedom.

    I’m working on it right now :0)

    Reply

  • Austin — December 14th, 2010, 2:52 pm

    This is a really great post Tim – I love the case studies and hope you are able to write more. They offer ideas and insight !

    Reply

  • Ryan Critchett — December 15th, 2010, 5:46 pm

    This is great! It’s funny I ended up on your site, I am in the process right now of creating something that allows me to freely travel doing seminars. I like the idea of modelling. From learning a bit of NLP, and taking my own creative approach to it, I believe everyone has genius, and anyone can elicit it from them. Keep being deliberate! Talk to you in the future.

    RC

    Reply

  • Chanelle Henry — December 17th, 2010, 8:51 pm

    Okay, perhaps I am missing the big picture, or missed it while reading the book and the comments, but I am having a hard time with a couple things.

    I have no problem coming up with the ideas for muses. A lot of them usually involve inventing a product, even down to some information stuff that I want to sell. The information route is pretty directly understood and explained, but I seem to have a hard time figuring out how to get my idea actually prototyped out (if it even needs to be prototyped), and then manufactured. I understand that I can speak to some companies in China, but in order to that, do I need an example of the product first? (Actually made), or can I just have a technical drawing and they will manufacture it for me?

    My other question is how do you know if you should license a product vs. actually manufacturing and selling the product yourself? It’s always difficult in trying to figure out the best route.

    I also want to hear some Failure stores, it’s always helpful right??

    Reply

  • Syed — December 17th, 2010, 9:19 pm

    Great book Tim! Absolutely life changing.

    Reply

  • David Stewart — December 18th, 2010, 10:25 pm

    Just a note about “EarPeace”: This fella did not invent this earplug. It has been in use for a long time; I have had a set virtually the same as he is selling for years. They’re sold as “musicians’ earplugs,” and available at stores like Guitar Center. His description of what he did is vague–making it sound like he came up with a new product. He seems only to have come up with a name (a name used for other products, as well, such as custom-fitted earphones), colors (if he didn’t just select colors that the Chinese mfrs already make), and packaging. A web search turns up no vendors of EarPeace other than his site, and no reviews, press mentions, or anything else of significance.

    Reply

  • chenda — December 21st, 2010, 11:41 am

    Great post, strange thing is I was brainstorming muses a few months ago and a discrete ear plug was one idea I had – looks like someone beat me to it!! Looks a great product though, I like to wear hearing protection in bars and clubs but its really hard to get a good one which is almost invisible.

    Reply

  • Steven Sashen — December 26th, 2010, 5:16 pm

    Just wanted to report that my wife and I created our MUSE 13 months ago (I just got around to reporting it)… http://www.InvisibleShoe.com — barefoot sandals for running, walking, hiking, etc. (way more minimalist and barefoot-y than VFFs).

    Once I got the idea (really, once someone talked me into turning my hobby into an actual business), it took 2 weeks to launch. And then it took 3 months to turn into our full-time income.

    The “problem” we have now, is that things are going so well, we’re taking what was a nice source of passive income (well in excess of our TMI), and expanding it to something MUCH bigger.

    Thanks for your inspiration (BTW, I was asked to review 4HWW for the Dutch publisher before she bought it ;-) )

    Reply

  • Don Schreffler — December 27th, 2010, 8:35 pm

    First real post on the blog. Currently am a mortgage banker with heavy direct response marketing background. A partner and I are developing a business, maybe not QUITE a muse, in that it currently demands a substantial amount of creative work on their part, but it is a turnkey marketing business for a retail niche (think hair salon, nail boutique, etc). We basically do all their marketing for them, in terms of all the direct response stuff, birthday mailers, facebook and event creation (with traffic from Fbook fans, etc).

    We do think that my partner and his wife will be able to get down to the 20 – 30 hour per week (combined) range of time commitment. I am the CEO and, although much more hands off, will figure myself for at least 10 – 15 hours a week. I am not soooooo concerned with getting DOWN to 4 hours, but really enjoying what I do with my time, and this seems to be a large part of your point.

    It’s only if you are unhappy doing what you do that you would want to limit it severely. Now, the mortgage thing, I could easily be happy donig a lot less of that, from a time standpoint, and am engineering the business with a Jr. Partner to do exactly that.

    The beautiful part is that the product, the turnkey, totally-done-for-them marketing services we provide, bump revenues, on average, about 48% (tested over a year to determine this with a beta site), but it is all driven with automation and templates which can be scaled up to hundeds of clients. Profit is about $700 per month, so 100 clients produces substantial profit for us, 200 is fabulous, etc.

    We have tested the demand, strong, solid and consistent, and the ROI is great for the clients. We have about 8 customers and are now entering into the process of aggressively courting customers through expos, JV’s, etc.

    We use O-desk heavily, and have full time Phillipines outsourced employees. It would not be possible to run the business, or fund start up, without the outsourcing. Will post on the final results of our first 2 monhts of heavy marketing, Jan and Feb. Outsourcing really makes possible the done-for-them aspect of the business. If we had to deal with US wages, costs, insurance, taxes, etc, etc, etc it would totally kill the profitability, at least at current price levels. Thank GOD for the flat earth, in my opinion.

    I read the book on Christmas day, have read it again since, and am aggressively implementing. Here is my process so far:

    - took notes on book, been reading blog and taking notes on other books, gadgets, posts, etc to engage

    - shut off email pop-ups, am doing email now at 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm

    - already had YouMail so almost everything goes to Vmail, seeking to radically limit interruptions

    - changed schedule around, no unscheduled appts, looking for agenda or interest points in every case

    - established set-up with TimeDriver software so all appts are scheduled per my free time to speak

    - have 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM as most important time of day to work on IMPORTANT, REVENUE PRODUCING stuff, not wasting time

    - set up with evernote (have a request out with my current VA to see if they use it to set up full training rather than learing by trying it out

    - next on the list is dreamlining. Spoke with the wife (we have a 3 year old and a 3 month old about dreams of sailing, heavily, a good chunk of the year). She actually is considering how to make it work (have to teach her and the kids how to swim so that was an issue, as you can imagine.

    - starting to look at some trips in the US, longer term, maybe 3 – 4 weeks, to test out the lifestyle. Should have the income to totally “retire”, in the New Rich sort of way, in about 12 – 15 months based on business growth and prospects going forward.

    - researching what it takes to cruise tropical climates, as a family, mostly port hopping in Florida to get comfortable with it. I figure that gives the wife and kids a chance to see if they can, and want, to make this a part of our joint lifestyle.

    This book is really brilliant stuff, Tim, overall. I would think that you probably get bored hearing that, but perhaps not :) . I am a huge Dan Kennedy fan and can see that you have either studied his stuff intently, or have come to multiple similar conclusions along the way. Either way, what works, works, regardless of source.

    Motion beats meditation.

    Don Schreffler

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — December 28th, 2010, 6:37 pm

      Best of luck, Don! Yes, motion beats meditation, 99 times out of 100. Every once in a while, though, the dictum “measure twice, cut once” can be equally helpful.

      Keep us posted on your progress,

      Tim

      Reply

  • StJohn — December 31st, 2010, 4:50 am

    Hi Tim,

    When we started, my wife and I wanted to double our chances of the muse working and successfully funding our lives so we starting two projects in case one was a flop: 1) we negotiated the exclusive rights to a new BBQ invention for N. America 2) we created our own brand of a popular Swedish health product. Both have worked. Just 9 months after launching our sales are over $70k/month and growing fast. I also just read Do More Faster last month which had some great tips as well. Right now, my wife and I are the only employees in our business, almost everything is automated, we supply hundreds of dealers, we offer great marketing support, we operate on high margins, we can work as little as 20 minutes a day (although we actually work much more) and we are installing new tech that might even minimize the time spent servicing the business even further. I think it is possible to 20x our sales without too much extra effort. The next step is to get a VA so we are always open for business and even more free with our time. I want your readers to know that Four Hour Work Week changed our lives – I can’t imagine having to go back to that bus dev job I left a year ago.

    Four Hour Work Week inspired me take the leap back into doing what I love, launching and marketing new products, and I wish I knew how to thank you. I currently spend my time living between Sweden and NY and am loving the freedom of being wherever. For now, I’ve bought Four Hour Body (still waiting for it) and have bought the Four Hour Work Week for many friends. I am now a happier person, better father, and better husband.

    Thanks again.

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — January 9th, 2011, 6:51 pm

      Thanks so much for the kind comment, StJohn! I’m so thrilled for you. The best way to thank me (though I think you did it all yourself) is to keep everyone posted on your progress and lessons learned.

      Keep it up!

      Tim

      Reply

      • StJohn — August 26th, 2011, 2:05 am

        Tim,

        An update on our progress. I will struggle to keep this short. The journey could fill a book. But having succeeded in this experiment for two years now, I am better able to get back to you with some of the lessons we learned and guidelines we followed when building our muse.

        In the last post from December we had just generated $70k in sales for the month, with about $45k in profit. It is 8 months later now and our biggest single month so far has been $300k. I mention these facts to illustrate what can happen. Here you are some thoughts but I don’t think there is anything here that is not available elsewhere…

        Aim to succeed — Failure was not an option for us. We had good fortune of urgency in the form of a job that was fizzling out and no safety cushion to fall back on. Starvation wasn’t appealing.

        Protect against the downside — We started two muses in case one failed. I’m not sure if I would recommend this, but it was our decision at the time. But, it seemed that many of the resources required to make a single muse could be used to make two. The risk was less focus, but the eggs were in two baskets and we only needed one to work. There are times when you have to wait for things to develop and we used that free time to build ourselves a second chance.

        Learn to see opportunities — We focused on finding ideas that we thought had potential to make it big. It is very easy to find these when you challenge yourself to see everything as an opportunity. After 1 week we had about 20 decent ideas and it was then just a matter of pursuing the ones that felt best.

        Have an early money goal — Our goal was simple: breakeven asap. At breakeven, we felt things would be sustainable and we could then build. It felt like a risky distraction to go down the investor road. What if we did not sell our ideas an wasted precious time?

        Action is #1 — Action is everything. We did not have time to be analytical. We believed in our ability to figure out the future when it arrived. Your mission critical thinking was instrumental in achieving a lot in the first 6 months.
        We got the products market ready.
        We put systems in place. (Quickbooks, CRM, warehouse, phones, email, manufacturing, shipping logistics.)
        We got a loan for $20,000.
        We put all our resources into an organized launch event at a trade show and established a base of distribution in 3 days.

        Aim higher than you need to — Initially we were striving for $1 million in sales, thinking that if we hunted a high target then we might just be able to get to the $100k in sales, which is all we needed in order to realize our dreams of working for ourselves.

        Think scalability — Even if you don’t want to be big one day it helps to pretend that you might be. It saves time in the long run. From day one we operated with the thought, “if I have to do what I’m doing now 1,000 times, would I do it differently?” This was instrumental in preparing us for the unexpected and being able to capitalize on the opportunities when they started to work.

        Hunt rabbits, not elephants — we built our business with little resources by getting lots of small dealers to work with us, rather than going for the home-run with a Williams-Sonoma, Home Depot, or Target (all of whom are working with us now). Not only does this help bring in quick revenue, but you are in a stronger position when talking with an elephant if you know that your livelihood is not dependent on the outcome.

        Outsource, at least in the beginning — We outsourced everything we possibly could so that we could do the critical things we needed to achieve. The outsource costs were all tied into our unit sales. So, if we were not selling anything, we also weren’t paying anything. This was critical to being able to do more with less.

        Work with the best you can find — Find the best partners because they will deliver. You will be surprised how affordable they can be if you explain your situation. We outsource warehousing, PR, bookkeeping, some of sales, manufacturing, tech development.

        Re-invest constantly — We take our earnings and use the money to get ready for the future. Improving systems, building inventory, etc. We want this to be the last business we work for so we aim to always make it stronger and more agile.

        Educate and market, don’t cold call — We don’t believe in cold selling, but educating. I have yet to meet someone who enjoys receiving cold calls, so why do it? When the phone rings or when someone comes to our site, they are ready to buy so our conversations are always enjoyable. In the early days, when you are desperate for revenue, we avoided cold calling and I believe that was critical to making it through.

        Always find inspiration — We read books that make us feel good and we actively apply the lessons from them. Cask Flow Quadrant, by Robert Kiyosaki, Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh, and Drive, by Daniel Pink were some others that we enjoyed.

        Find your values/direction — Values free up time by making everyday decision making easy. It also allows you to do the unexpected and make sense of it.

        Be open for fast change — If things are working the way you thought and you need to change something, then do it fast. Try not to get bogged down with earlier wrong decisions, just course correct.

        We have morphed in recent months from a muse – which for us meant being able to row our own boat as a family – into a business, with a goal to change the world. It is no longer about us, which makes it so much fun. Hope this was not too long and boring, but I felt the need to get back to you.

        Thank you again.

        Reply

    • Beth — April 26th, 2011, 3:14 pm

      St. John,
      If you don’t mind sharing, how did you find the 2 products in the first place, and second, how did you negotiate the rights? Did you use an attorney or are there resources out there?

      Any information you would be willing to share would be much appreciated! Thanks!

      Reply

      • StJohn — August 26th, 2011, 2:19 am

        Hi,

        Sorry, I did not set up my post to be alerted with comments so am just reading this now.

        The products we found at a friends BBQ party when traveling abroad. Just keep your eyes and ears open. If you can train yourself to see opportunity in everything then you will be swamped with lots of great ideas and it becomes a matter of choosing.

        The rights we negotiated directly by calling the manufacturer. We only brought in an attorney to formalize what had already been decided. I think we succeeded by pointing to past experience and sharing our thoughts with them on to how the market might be best pursued.

        Hope this helps.
        StJohn

        Reply

  • A.N. — January 3rd, 2011, 2:31 pm

    Really liked your post!

    Look forward to seeing more successful case studies.

    Reply

  • Ali Green — January 5th, 2011, 1:08 am

    Thanks, Tim. This is straight forward and to the point information. Don’t worry about the haters, bro. Your information is definitely the truth. I’ve been living this way for a little while now. I just never had a name for it.

    Sincerely,

    Ali Green

    Reply

  • Dennis Moons — January 5th, 2011, 5:09 am

    Just finished the great post and absolutely amazing comments!

    Seeing these stories is a valuable source of inspiration, got 4-5 new ideas for muses from just reading through. But also some more hands-on advice!

    Reply

  • Gary — January 5th, 2011, 6:52 am

    I’m midway through your book of 4HWW and I must say the content is awesome and I can probably speak for most people as well for myself by saying that it’s much appreciated by giving out this sort of information as for me I’m still in the stages of combining niche/muse together so until then I will continue to read on and more for reference as well .
    thank you tim

    Reply

  • Mohsin — January 9th, 2011, 1:29 pm

    Hi,

    The paradox of choice has currently lead me to a state of paralysis. It has been almost a year since I read the book and am still looking for a viable plan.

    I wonder if you can post a muse story from the Middle East? It is rather difficult to get a novel minimum investment idea of the ground here. Licensing, legalities and other issues come in the way…

    Reply

  • George Capen — January 9th, 2011, 2:01 pm

    Tim,
    I am 47 year old male and read Porter Stansberry’s research. Anyway, he wrote that he was going to lose 20 pounds and listed your 4 hour body as a tool to accomplish this. On a whim, I bought the book and decided to do the same. Note: I am a white male. 6 feet tall and weighed 198. Now 196 in 5 days. Anyway, I was on the slow card diet for about 3 days when I had chest pain, numbness in my left arm and tightness in my jaw. This then happened the next night almost at the exact same time 2am, and I called 911 and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. I was scared and didn’t want to mess around. They tested me and I didn’t have a heart attack. They then did cardiac test including echo, nuclear medicine test via injecting me with radioactive die one before and after a standard stress test on treadmill and the result was my heart is strong and fine. I asked if changing my diet could have caused this, they said no. I think it could have to some degree as I increased garlic, etc that can lead to general heart burn for me. I also might have been pushing it too hard lately. IE stress. They also said my cholesterol is too high about 147. I had also drinken some Pu erh tea the days of my scare. They also asked if I am on a cholesterol statin. I said, I had stopped taking it (simistatin) as I thought it was affecting my brain. The cardiologist then said statins are like ice cream, you might like chocolate and I vanilla, but don’t stop taking them as they are very efficacious and my cholesterol is high. So now I am on Crestor and continue with your diet and am adding kettle bells. What are your thoughts on statins in general and specifically taking them on slow carb? Or any other insights with regard to Cholesterol and statins? Still on diet. Never been on diet before. Always have researched myself, but not as targeted as you. My journey started with finding out my cousin was not in a cult as I was told when I saw him usually at Christmas gatherings, but was in fact practicing TM (he is in still doing this to this day as his “job” and lives and works for the Maharishi on the Indian-Tibetian border and works on his transcendence for life. So I started to do TM. I used this yesterday, to deal with stress of the stress tests in hospital. But with bad time management and lack of excuses had fallen out of consistent practice. What do you think of this stuff for health? Now my goals are still lose the weight and decrease stress. I was also told that walking my dogs didn’t count as exercise and the cardiologist prescribed 30 minutes of exercise a day, six days a week. From reading 4 hour body, it sounds as though exercise it not specifically required for fitness. Am I getting this right?Any insight would be valuable. Thanks, Keep it up dude, GCB Long and strong.

    Reply

    • Tim Ferriss — January 9th, 2011, 4:39 pm

      Thanks, George. Geez, that sounds terrifying. For statins, I could be wrong, but I believe they deplete (or lower absorption of) Coenzyme Q10. I’d suggest reading “Transcend” and also seeing the common drug side-effect sidebar in 4HB.

      Offhand, I feel like the Pu-Erh, as it’s a strong stimulant, could have had something to do with your episode. If I were you, I would have a coronary scan and consider seeing a neurologist, as the arm numbness should be taken seriously.

      Best of luck — I’d keep in close touch with your doctors.

      Best,

      Tim

      Reply

  • Stacy Berman — January 9th, 2011, 3:36 pm

    Hey guys maybe someone can help me out with some questions. I run an outdoor bootcamp in NYC and get bombarded with 100s of nutrition questions on a daily basis. I thought it would be a great experiment to follow the techniques in the book to see how my body reacts.

    I have a blog of my own and will be posting the results, before/after photos, measurements, etc. If my goal is to loss about 10lbs of fat should I be doing the slow carb diet or the one in “The Last Mile” chapter? In a typical day I eat: 2 eggs with grapefruit for breakfast, 1/4 cup almonds + pear (snack 1 & 2), can of tuna with huge salad for lunch and maybe 1-2 tablespoons for dinner. I workout 4 days a week for about 1 hour each time to a pretty high intensity.

    Any suggestions or pointers would be greatly appreciated!! I would love to share positive results with my classes.

    Reply

  • Benjamin Barnett — January 9th, 2011, 6:14 pm

    No offense intended to all, but I follow this blog for the “Four Hour Work Week” discussion, and lately it’s been almost nothing but Four Hour Body, which I’m not interested in in the least. I don’t have a problem with Tim promoting his book, but please keep in mind the reason that most people follow this blog. Those ideas are great – please don’t dilute it with material that’s only marginally related.

    Reply

  • John R — January 12th, 2011, 1:26 pm

    Anyone have any thoughts on a good speech-to-text software for Mac that will handle writing emails, as well as in Word?

    “Everyone” mentions Dragon speech, but reviews I found on the internet, as well as, from my laywer, are mixed.

    Any comments would be helpful.

    Thanks!

    John R

    Reply

  • Aurelius Tjin — January 12th, 2011, 10:45 pm

    Very interesting!. Bottomline is, if we feel that we have something really exciting where we can earn money from, we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work, not tomorrow but now, today. And the secret to earning fast is knowing whom to work with…knowing when to delegate work, whom to delegate it to ( benefits of outsourcing), and simply putting a system to what we are doing ( organization, automation).

    Reply

  • Ulrik Ask Fossum — January 13th, 2011, 4:12 pm

    Thank you for mye Ferrari!

    Hey Tim.

    When I was 17 (2009) I listened to David DeAngelos intervju with you. That day I desided to make my Ferrari-dream come true. I used your outsourcing methods to earn and save up a lot. When I was 18 I graduated and bouth my Ferrari.
    Thank you so much for opening my eyes!

    /Regards, Ulrik form Norway!

    Reply

  • Francesco — January 14th, 2011, 7:54 am

    Hi

    I’d be interested to know how people deal with product design, in particular with packaging and choosing proper materials. I have seen some impressive design in this post and I’m curious about whether people did it their own, relied on some existing catalog (in which case I’d be interested in where) or outsourced it altogether.

    Impressive stuff btw!
    F

    Reply

  • Todd — January 15th, 2011, 12:00 pm

    Greetings Everyone,

    I’m in the process of creating my muse and I feel that I have an excellent idea but I’m running into a little snag, hopefully someone can answer my question. My muse idea is a kitchen product; I’ve done some browsing online and while there are products that do the same thing, they don’t do it like my idea does (quicker, easier, safer etc…). The only problem I can see is that it is based off of a product/ tool from a completely different industry and the product/ tool has a patent on it. Am I completely screwed or are there ways around these hurdles? Anyone know of any online resources for inventors? Free online legal advice?

    Thank you in advance.

    -Todd

    Reply

  • Dr. Reality — January 16th, 2011, 3:45 pm

    Yea. A whole lot of fake it till you make it around here. I dont buy this for a second

    Reply

  • Degree — January 22nd, 2011, 4:59 am

    Hi Tim,

    i didn’t find another/more direct way to contact you. That is why i try it via this comment. I bought your book and entered the “readers only area” on your page. There is one excel spreedsheet (keyword generation) what cannot be used because there is a mistake within the visual basic code. I already found out what the problem is and fixed it. If you are interested i can sent you the fixed spread sheet via email…

    regards, Degree

    Reply

  • Dale — January 26th, 2011, 3:41 pm

    I thought this research would be of interest:

    http://www.ThermoAthletics.com

    Reply

  • craig — January 27th, 2011, 7:05 am

    Hi I am in the UK and ordered and received a hard back copy of the 4hr body from the states via Amazon market.

    I would like to have another copy on Kindle, but i note that for some reason this is only available in the Amazon.com – i.e. US site. I have the 4 hour workweek on kindle, so i wonder why there is no kindle edition of the 4hb in the UK? Will this be available and if so any ideas as to when?

    Cheers

    Reply

  • Karl — January 27th, 2011, 7:29 am

    I’m late to the party and reading 4 Hour WorkWeek now. Following Tim on Twitter I backed into this post. Has anyone out there had any success with a software muse, something that could be licensed and sold to box developers to be standard in their OS. I’m not a code guy. I consult small businesses on growth and cost control, so out of my field. I have spoken to Invent Help and other similar sorts, and am told that they steer clear of software standards. I notice that Nintendo and Sony have suggestion forums for people to give them free ideas, but their legalese states explicitly they don’t want to hear any licensing ideas.

    Would love to hear success on this front and methods of presenting ideas while not losing your Intellectual Property.

    Reply

  • Greg V. — January 27th, 2011, 1:19 pm

    I just started the “diet” 3 days ago, also trying to boost my testosterone levels. I have been doing long distance running, triathlons, 1/2 marathons, etc. I normally run 4 to 5 miles a day 5 days a week. I also do resistance training 5 days a week. Even with all of that I have not been able to get my ” problem fat” off. Should I cut back during the diet, or change anything? I enjoy running and don’t know if I could give it up, even though I am at a big Plataea.

    Greg

    Reply

  • Debbie — January 27th, 2011, 5:13 pm

    Tim:

    I have a question about the 30 grams of protein first thing in the morning within 1/2 hour. Does it matter if you are a man or woman? Should you eat 30 grams or 20 grams if you are a woman?

    Reply

  • Anouar — January 30th, 2011, 12:46 pm

    For a case of a “downloadables-muse” check http://mixergy.com/free-apps-interview/
    The website (mixergy.com) contains loads of cases with internet-entrepreneurs. You will certainly find something interesting, including two interviews with tTim Ferriss.

    Cheers,
    Anouar

    Reply

  • Warren — January 30th, 2011, 3:47 pm

    Hi Tim and all fellow 4HWWrs!

    I recieved the 4HWW in the mail just prior to christmas, I dont need to reiterate what an amazing and inspiring piece of work it is, you’re already here, you already know :)

    I’m interested to know if anyone is interested in potential partnership/collaboration opportunities (looks like some of you are!)
    I have a number of niche-oriented muses/projects under development that would represent turn-key opportunities for the right partner/s. (I have ideas in abundance, but there are only so many hours in a day!)

    No money/investment required for the majority of them (i have a number of online platforms already developed/in development), just your input and passion are required.

    It would be great to be able to work with some of you to make these muses a reality and then in turn to report progress back to the 4HWW community as case studies and hopefully inspire others to action.

    All the best,
    Warren

    Reply

    • Anouar — January 31st, 2011, 5:27 am

      Hi Warren,

      What niches are we talking about?

      Reply

    • Farid — January 31st, 2011, 6:51 am

      Hi Warren,

      I just checked your site.

      I like the overall designs. Some improvements I can suggest:

      1) What is the bulb for? One has to think for a bit before they can associate it with (perhaps) the “smart” way of doing sth.

      2) Maybe some graphics could explain how your systems work. I just think there’s way too much text on your landing page.

      3) Your opt-in form is reverse! Why is the email field above the name field. BTW I have realized that people are more willing to opt-in if they are asked for their “First” name only rather than their entire name. (Yeah, I know they can only put their first name but this way, you can save them a bit of thinking)

      4) Could you perhaps explain the rationale behind the naming? Flipping via social media (and Twitter)?

      5) Correct me if I’m wrong. But don’t you need a privacy statement on your site esp. for making google happy?

      Good luck with the launch!

      P.S. I’m curious about your muse ideas too.

      Reply

      • Warren — January 31st, 2011, 2:07 pm

        @Anouar – feel free to drop me a line through the link. The muses under development currently are mainly online-oriented service platforms or niche market focused.
        That said there are quite a few ‘offline’ ideas as well, though these are product ideas that would require some R & D to bring to fruition.
        Always open to collaborative ideas though!

        @ Farid – thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback.
        The name was inspired by a combination of terms ‘Flipping’ and ‘Tweeting’ – you’re quite right, the concept is a mashup of Website/Domain sales/promotion meeting social media/networking, but with a community/free standard services twist/focus.
        Great points too, I have added the Privacy Statement/Terms and conditions and will look into the other suggestions you made, thanks again – and happy to give you a shout out on the front page if it will be of use to you :)

        Reply

    • Jason — January 26th, 2012, 3:36 pm

      Hi Warren
      I am definitely open to do some collaborative work and make the Muse a reality. the link on your name is not working for some reason so feel free to drop me a line at jasondochoa@gmail.com

      Reply

  • Gabriel — February 2nd, 2011, 6:40 pm

    Iv been looking at funding my lifestyle through selling 3k+ information products.
    anyways i was looking for reasorces on such products. since you have such
    a massive audience i was hoping someone could name such products as to help
    with my research.really i want to know what you receive in what media types for a 3k product…ie how many books cds dvds ectect thank you for your help.

    Reply

  • John Childs — February 5th, 2011, 1:23 pm

    Anyone know the best way to ship goods manufactured from China?

    Reply

  • iyas — March 5th, 2011, 2:20 am

    I hope this will not be folly, as most of what I’ve seen involves singles or couples rather than families.
    On March 31 I finish my current 12HWD lifestyle with an amount saved, take 3 months out to find and start a muse, before going to South America to travel for 6 months with my wife and 4 children. 3 months to find (or choose) a muse which I can implement as I travel and transition to 4HWW and spending more time on my passion. If nothing else, it will be an adventure.
    Feasible? Anyone taken the leap with a family in tow?

    Reply

  • Ivan Skobe — April 6th, 2011, 8:24 pm

    I am an Australian trying to develop my first muse. I read the book a few months ago and can’t stop trying to come up with an effective muse. My area of expertise is logistics and my passion is travelling. I just can’t seem to come up with a way of combining the two to come up with either a service or physical product. Any ideas folks?

    Reply

  • James H. — April 8th, 2011, 8:12 am

    Awesome video and post Tim. I just visited entropydrink.com and it states that Entropy is no longer available. After contacting them via e-mail, the founder emailed me back personally stating that they are no longer accepting orders via the website. Are they still in business?

    Reply

  • Travis Walker — April 24th, 2011, 5:49 pm

    Ok, Tim…

    First, let me say that you crack my a** up. I’ve been a prankster my whole life and think your book and this blog are an absolute riot – well done.

    I read 4HWW back in 07 when it first came out. I remember like it was yesterday, but I was doing some consulting work for a complete BIT** of a client on the other side of the country, had to take an extended lunch just to get some quiet time away from her, and went to Borders. Found your book and realized that when I thought I was creating a “muse” back in 2000 when I started my consulting work, I either chose the wrong group of people to work with or was simply fed up in dealing with needy clients. I guess the reason I kept doing the work was because the income was awesome and I only had to work about 4-5 months out of any given year.

    Here’s my point: I only figured out 1/2 the time freedom solution when I thought I was going to be traveling, having fun, and making money when I started consulting back in 2000. Even when it started to become draining (I work with a very small sub group of business owners) because of the emotional state of my clients, I had the wherewithal in 2004 to write a book about all my knowledge, the system I had created, made it digital, put up a sales page, got a bunch of affiliates, and thought my consulting days were numbered!

    Lesson #1 was learned when my book went over like a turd in a punch bowl, and I quickly realized that the ebook could be most useful at simply generating more leads for my consulting.

    Lesson #2 was when I started to bring on other consultants to help out, then I started to not only be on the road (albeit, not as much), but also babysitting a bunch of middle-aged consultants who were constantly needing my help, AND the clients still calling me!

    Lesson #3 was when I tried to hire and train someone to field calls, but that flopped like a big fat pancake because they didn’t seem to know the intricate details I knew.

    I then realized that I had created a “job” which defeated the purpose of what I wanted: time to sail, sky dive, workout, fly, etc.

    It was time to start figuring out a new plan….

    Fast forward a few years back to 07 when I found the book….I still hadn’t figured out my new “muse” but I was getting closer.

    Still having a great time in life, but also still having to deal with a few “eccentric” clients.

    ’09 I finally decided on the new venture. 120 websites, and dozens of outsourced help later, I realized that residual web income is kinda cool, although they still didn’t satisfy my quench for 90%+ automation, so I decided to look for and eventually found the perfect “product” that I could follow a model more closely to yours [Tim].

    It took me a while, but I found I don’t have to be scared sh**less to quit….it’s better to quit sometimes (technically I still have my consulting business, but I’m VERY selective with who I work with and sometimes only work once or twice a year with clients. Over the years I’ve quit enough things to always have something new coming across my plate.

    Now I just have to master the art of elimination. You were SO right, man…getting rid of “special” clothes sometimes IS like deciding which child lives and which one dies ;)

    I wish I could make it to your book event you’re doing, but timing is bad. I do, though, hope we cross paths one day.

    Reply

  • Shlomo — May 1st, 2011, 8:47 am

    Hey guys,
    This post is great, but I know the hardest thing to do is bringing people to your website. it seems like you need ot pay a fortune to stick out there.

    I’d be happy to know more about traffic struggle.
    thanks,
    Shlomo

    Reply

    • Kate — July 25th, 2012, 7:45 pm

      This was my issue. I am paying too much right now for google and facebook ads. They are bringing traffic but that does’t always result in sales.

      Reply

  • Chris — May 13th, 2011, 7:52 am

    Great post.

    Just curious, is a business plan essential? If so, any suggestions for a template/samples or outsource options?

    Thanks so much.

    Reply

  • Timothy Wheeler — May 16th, 2011, 7:33 am

    Great ideas, I do have a question and I hope for some good feedback. I already have a fb fan page of inspirational quotes that grows with a following daily. I’m wanting to create of 365 daily inspirational book of positive quotes and pictures to go with it. Thoughts?

    Reply

  • brinda — July 21st, 2011, 8:09 pm

    “Yet another wireframe clone! Here we proudly present the super clone of all mockup/wireframe applications – MockupTiger”

    Reply

  • Diana Lyn Lopez — July 27th, 2011, 4:10 pm

    Thank you for these info. You never fail to deliver information we can use right away.

    -a fan based in Thailand!
    Diana Lyn Lopez

    Reply

  • Eric — July 30th, 2011, 11:49 pm

    My experience, passion and love is for a graphic display product that only has about a 50% mark up and I have to sell direct to customers. The difference my site offers is that we specialize in the highest quality displays and have the experience designing and creating only them so WE Know what we are doing. My problem comes to how to make money at it and drive traffic and conversions to my site. Un-fortunetly the products have a slightly high $ amount being around $450 – $2,000 so it may be a tough buy for some when they can go on the cheep for $150 – $1,500.

    Reply

  • Liz — August 16th, 2011, 2:02 pm

    These are so great and inspiring to read. I just read 4HWW cover to cover in one sitting and am obsessed with finding my muse…I’d love to hear from people about the process (beyond Tim’s suggestion in the book) for figuring it out. Maybe it takes time, but if people have processes they went through that were really helpful it’d be great to hear about them.

    Reply

  • David — September 1st, 2011, 9:54 am

    @you, yes, you!

    I hope that still a lot of you are subscribed to that thread :)

    Currently I am in the process of promoting my very first business idea which hopefully will turn out a nice muse. I am participating in a contest for new business ideas. My concept is now offcially in the contest and you could vote for it. It would mean a lot to me if you voted for it, really every vote counts here! The link to my idea is http://e-preneur.de/socialmediatank The content is only in German but you can still vote. Next to the title ‘Social Media Tank’ is a box which contains the current number of votes. Click ‘vote’ on the bottom part of the box and your vote will be registered.

    Already now I say thank you very much for your support, it really means a lot to me. I really want to win that price (basically only a metal sculpture) as you can see from this approch (which, by the way, is not against the rules of the contest) and this way make my first step towards ‘doing my own thing’.

    Best regards from Greece!
    David

    Reply

  • Brian Hvarregaard — September 11th, 2011, 11:00 am

    Being a software developer i thought muse generation was for reselling or somehow producing a simple product to sell via a webshop.

    Instead i focused on one of my existing products, a digital signage software, and started to redesign a part of that to be aimed at another audience than the orginal software was. I slowly realized that i was creating a muse – both for myself and for my own company. I think this is a very important lesson in trying so hard to force yourself to think out of the box when the solution is right under your nose. Modifying your existing products to suit the purpose of other customers – this is especially for software development i think. I now have a small very cheap digital signage solution aimed at the small retail market – this was not my primary aim with the software. I was trying so hard to find something else instead of focusing on what i was alredy good at, and then simply using that knowledge in a new market.

    Thanks for a very inspiring book (both of them, 4HWW+4HB)

    Reply

  • Jason Wingfield — September 29th, 2011, 11:26 pm

    Very inspiring post, thanks again Tim!

    I would love to see more behind the curtain on how to take an idea to the production stage…through to shipping the first online sale.

    All the best,

    Jason

    Reply

  • Adam Dudley — October 12th, 2011, 2:07 pm

    Thank you for sharing these, Tim. They are inspiring, informative, and full of actionable information. Keep it coming in the areas of PR wins, advice to newcomers, and resources and tools.

    Reply

  • Mahmudul Islam — October 25th, 2011, 4:42 am

    Wow, i am really inspired reading the article. though i have not yet read the book 4hww, i think now is the time to buy and read it.

    Reply

  • Joan — November 15th, 2011, 12:46 pm

    Thanksgiving is coming up and my normal cheat day is Sunday – is it ok to switch it to Thursday for just one week? That would mean going only 3 days between cheat days on one end and then 9 on the other end. (instead of 6 and 6). Will this affect my results?

    Reply

  • Josh — December 21st, 2011, 12:23 am

    These muse examples are a really great idea. Inspirational and a great read. They’ve inspired me to create a website where I hope to document many more similar stories. If you liked these I’m sure you’ll get something out of the site so feel free to check it out (by clicking my name to the left).

    Thanks again Tim

    Reply

    • David — December 21st, 2011, 11:14 pm

      Hey Josh!

      Good success with your site! The 4HWW community can’t get have good and inspiring examples of entrepreneurial action, even better if those businesses were started with 4HWW in mind.

      Check out also our site http://www.4hwwsuccess.com if you will, where we try to interview people who have a 4HWW Success Story to tell.

      Regards from Greece and have a good Holiday Season!
      David

      Reply

  • Kate — July 25th, 2012, 7:31 pm

    I am trying not to be a Wantrepreneur! Read your great book, Tim. Promise I will read all 433 posts above to get some creativity going. But I had been drop shipping a product a couple years ago so thought I would try it again using the “new and proven” techniques in the book. Thought I was doing everything right but after spending $300 on google ads and Facebook ads – not one sale! Disheartening. Made changes to my site every week. Too expensive, not enough info, Hmm, better pics….Nada. I used to sell many of these. Getting enough site visits but as expected, as soon as I stop the Google ads all my traffic disappears.

    I can certainly change products but need to connect with someone with more creative ideas than mine.

    Reply

  • Drew Taddia — August 9th, 2012, 3:34 pm

    Tim,

    Where can I send my muse to so you can have a look at it?

    Reply

  • nicholas — September 25th, 2012, 12:52 am

    Hey Tim, I am 20 and just recently ending my career as a submariner in the u.s. navy. i just wanted to thank you for putting out all of the information that you do because it is helping me to realize that i dont want to begin the unfulfilling chore of being a employee. not to say that it cant be enjoyable, but i feel as though owning my own businesses is more in tune with the life style thai envision for myself. i read your book cover to cover one weekend when i was on leave and it changed my life…thank you and i hope to meet you some day so i can thank you in person.

    Reply

  • Matt Cauthorn — October 30th, 2012, 6:34 pm

    I love this post, and I come back to it frequently. I’ve just recently launched my own, and I can only hope for so much success. I’m in the process of slogging through ad campaigns, getting my conversions up. It’s been a fascinating ride, and my first sale was one of the best feelings of my life :)
    –Matt

    Reply

  • Kyle — November 6th, 2012, 2:52 pm

    I read your book over a year ago Tim, and even though I owned a successful business before I read it, you totally changed my perspective, especially on how much time I was wasting on things that weren’t making me money, and less on the things that were. I also have outsourced nearly all operations of my company and have been freed up to start new businesses and do more things.

    Reply

  • Robert — December 17th, 2012, 5:06 pm

    Tim,

    In your book, you say to test your product before manufacturing it. I’ve come up with an idea that, unfortunately, is not niche, but it seems like an obvious next step to improving an everyday product we use. This presents the issue of whether I can direct traffic to my site and sell these units in a saturated market. I’m worried that even if I can create the product to be elite, the way I envision it, I could struggle to sell it because the market for this common product is so competitive. Obviously, I don’t want to spend money creating a prototype if I can’t sell the product, even if it is an elite product. Should I create a website and use a stock photo(s) and advertise it as the product I imagine it to be before developing the product or do I need to create a prototype before testing? I appreciate any assistance you can give me.

    Thanks

    Reply

    • Atlantis Sirki — January 5th, 2013, 4:03 am

      Good Admin Made changes to my site every week. Too expensive, not enough info, Hmm, better pics….Nada. I used to sell many of these. Getting enough site visits but as expected, as soon as I stop the Google ads all my traffic disappears.

      Reply

  • Tim Carpenter — March 19th, 2013, 10:09 pm

    I like the idea of a 4 hour workweek. With a little effort, awesome ideas, and good timing, anyone can find their muse!

    Reply

  • Oasis Garcia — May 24th, 2013, 5:00 pm

    I’m a newbie still in the brainstorming stages for a new muse. Reading about people’s experience is extremely helpful but I do have a recommendation for improvement. The third question, “How much revenue is your muse currently generating per month (on average)?”, does not provide a complete picture of the success of the product if it does not account for costs. Since profitability is ultimately what’s important, is it possible to refine this question to read,”How much profit” instead?

    Reply

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