I was walking through the trade show floor at SXSW and was blocked by a long line of people holding the same book. The following conversation took place with a person in line.“What is this line for?”, I asked.
“Porn stars signing autographs.”
“Seriously? For what company?”
“No, just kidding. We keep getting asked that, but we are waiting to meet Tim Ferriss.”
“Well, you aren’t too far off then. He publicly strokes himself. But hey, have fun with that.”
I was obviously referring to Tim’s well known ego - you only have to read his acclaimed best seller The Four Hour Workweek to know Mr. Ferriss is really in love with his own opinions. I have nothing to say about his personal life, and don’t pretend to know the guy. I don’t begrudge his fame either, as plenty of people that didn’t know about virtual companies, outsourced secretarial help, Inbox zero concepts, and Google AdWords probably benefitted from his work. But I don’t get - and never have - why people must create celebrities.My path may cross, and has before, with someone of great success, but I don’t have the gene mutation or upbringing or whatever it is to elevate these people to such status. Yes, good book. If a best selling author and I have something to talk about, that’s fine too. But to wait in an hour long line during such a busy time as SXSW to do the flip my iPhone over and try to line it up to take a picture of me with Tim Ferriss and still be able to tap the camera button on the back which I can’t see but hang on I think I got it dance for 15 seconds of conversation is, to me, a giant waste of time. Ironic, of course, since 4 Hour goes to great lengths to encourage people to make maximum use of their time and be efficient.The most remarkable thing about the Tim Ferriss line was that SXSWi is full of people that are equally, or some cases wildly more, successful than even a best selling author. I met 3 or 4 venture capital people, for example. These people can write checks the size of the annual budget of a small nation. Their opinions make and break fortunes, steer industries, and create jobs of all types. But they are anonymous. I shared a cab with a guy from a Menlo Park venture firm, and while he was reasonably well dressed - in a hipster, on the way to the gym, way - you’d never suspect him as someone that could turn your web app into a Google acquisition target or IPO candidate.Others you meet are angels in waiting for small startups, like vested employees of popular search engines that are barely old enough to drink but will spend the next 60 to 80 years without any pressure to make a living. These are powerful connections, and when you find them - generally by themselves or in small groups of people - and the last thing they usually would converse about by choice is work, or even technology.
“Porn stars signing autographs.”
“Seriously? For what company?”
“No, just kidding. We keep getting asked that, but we are waiting to meet Tim Ferriss.”
“Well, you aren’t too far off then. He publicly strokes himself. But hey, have fun with that.”
I was obviously referring to Tim’s well known ego - you only have to read his acclaimed best seller The Four Hour Workweek to know Mr. Ferriss is really in love with his own opinions. I have nothing to say about his personal life, and don’t pretend to know the guy. I don’t begrudge his fame either, as plenty of people that didn’t know about virtual companies, outsourced secretarial help, Inbox zero concepts, and Google AdWords probably benefitted from his work. But I don’t get - and never have - why people must create celebrities.My path may cross, and has before, with someone of great success, but I don’t have the gene mutation or upbringing or whatever it is to elevate these people to such status. Yes, good book. If a best selling author and I have something to talk about, that’s fine too. But to wait in an hour long line during such a busy time as SXSW to do the flip my iPhone over and try to line it up to take a picture of me with Tim Ferriss and still be able to tap the camera button on the back which I can’t see but hang on I think I got it dance for 15 seconds of conversation is, to me, a giant waste of time. Ironic, of course, since 4 Hour goes to great lengths to encourage people to make maximum use of their time and be efficient.The most remarkable thing about the Tim Ferriss line was that SXSWi is full of people that are equally, or some cases wildly more, successful than even a best selling author. I met 3 or 4 venture capital people, for example. These people can write checks the size of the annual budget of a small nation. Their opinions make and break fortunes, steer industries, and create jobs of all types. But they are anonymous. I shared a cab with a guy from a Menlo Park venture firm, and while he was reasonably well dressed - in a hipster, on the way to the gym, way - you’d never suspect him as someone that could turn your web app into a Google acquisition target or IPO candidate.Others you meet are angels in waiting for small startups, like vested employees of popular search engines that are barely old enough to drink but will spend the next 60 to 80 years without any pressure to make a living. These are powerful connections, and when you find them - generally by themselves or in small groups of people - and the last thing they usually would converse about by choice is work, or even technology.
So while its all fine and good to post on your blog that you met Tim Ferriss, it may not be what you need to meet the dreamlines he suggested you create for yourself.