Jason Clegg

My Four Hour Work Week Story Part 2 – How My Fairy Tale Became Reality

This is a true story. I read the book over two years ago and worked like a dog to put his ideas into action. Now, I reveal exactly how it went down in my Five Part Series on the legendary Four Hour Work Week…

New to this blog series? Be sure to read Part 1 first here: My Four Hour Work Week Story Part One.

Reading Books and Chasing Fairy Tales

I started my first business in college. I sold used books on Amazon.com at a markup and made a pretty decent monthly income. I was never going to get rich selling books online, but I learned a lot about building a business and built the confidence I needed to do it again the right way.

After I sold my first business and liquidated the inventory, I knew I wanted to do something totally different. Most importantly, I did NOT want a massive inventory to hold me down. At the rate I was going with bookselling, I would eventually need a massive warehouse with forklifts and a shipping center. Forget it!

That’s when I stumbled upon marketing.

To make a very long story very short, I went from Amazon third-party seller to independent web marketing consultant in a matter of months. At some point, the consulting started taking off and I realized that I really had something to offer. I worked for several years in this capacity and things were going quite well.

Then two books suddenly changed my life: The E-Myth and, of course, The Four Hour Work Week.

• The E-Myth basically taught me that building a business is very different from being self-employed and that most people confuse these two — including me.

• The Four Hour Work Week taught me that building a business is great but so is having a life and that you really can choose to do it the right way if you begin with the end in mind.

These two books made me an entrepreneur. I suddenly understood the difference and realized I had to do things differently if I really wanted to succeed. I had to create a business that did not really solely on me for things to get done or for customers to be happy. I had to start making moves and taking chances if I really wanted to create something big and move beyond my profitable but small local market.

Although both of these books set me on the right path, I have to give far more credit to The Four Hour Work Week for one very essential ingredient, the burning desire to achieve a very clear goal… (more…)

10 Comments Entrepreneurship, Lifestyle Design

My Four Hour Work Week Story Part 1 – What is a Four Hour Work Week?

This is a true story.  I read the book over two years ago and worked like a dog to put his ideas into action.  Now, I reveal exactly how it went down in my Five Part Series on the legendary Four Hour Work Week…

Although most of my writings here at JasonClegg.com tend to cover entrepreneurship and Internet Business topics, I consider these “lifestyle design” issues (a term coined by Ferriss) extremely important.  How we approach our work is almost as important as the very work we do since it defines how we live in this very strange post-office world.  So, enough s’plaining — on with the story!

The Four Hour Work Week Plus Overtime

Tim Ferriss recently released his new updated and expanded version of his immensely popular Four Hour Work Week, which got me thinking about my own experience with this compelling piece of business nonfiction.  Tim released the first version of 4HWW back in April of 2007, nearly 3 years ago.  I picked up a hardcopy and then an audio copy sometime during the summer of 2007 when the book was really starting to take off.  And I’ll tell you what, folks — no single book or “business idea” has shaped my thinking as much before or since.

That said, I think Ferriss’ ideas have been perverted, twisted, and misunderstood by tons of people — this includes some of his biggest fans as well as some of his greatest critics.

The whole “Four Hour Work Week” phenomenon reminds me a lot of “The Secret” — that magical video that got millions of people doing creative visualization à la Shakti Gawain and “pretend driving” Ferraris and Lamborghinis in their bedrooms just before dozing off to sleep at night.

Don’t get me wrong: I think “The Secret” was great.  But let’s face it, success and prosperity does not happen by day-dreaming in your bubble-bath.

Likewise, achieving a Four Hour Work Week is not for the faint of heart (or the lazy, for that matter).  Here’s the deal: I want to come clean on my own experience with the 4HWW concept and explore some of the details of this idea.  My intention is not to suggest that you should do what I did nor is it to make Ferriss look like a superhero or a demon.  I simply want to take an honest look at the ideas behind what I consider to be one of the most influential books of early 21st century business culture… (more…)

6 Comments Entrepreneurship, Lifestyle Design

The Magic of Thinking Big for Entrepreneurs

This past weekend I read a book that has already begun to shape my thinking significantly – The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz. I actually came across this over a year ago in the “recommended reading” list inside Tim Ferriss’ popular Four Hour Work Week. If I remember correctly, this was Ferriss’ top reading suggestion in his original edition.

Let’s just cut to the chase – The Magic of Thinking Big is an incredibly valuable text for anyone looking to rewire their thinking patterns in the direction of success. Entrepreneurs beware: This book is going to change your #@$#@ life!

David Schwartz is one of the most impressive “success literature” writers I’ve come across to date. The guy is 100% straightforward without the bull. He gets right to the core issues that lead most people to failure and a few to success. And as we all know, it’s all in your head.

What’s Your Excuse for Failure?
Right in the beginning of The Magic of Thinking Big, Schwartz lays into the most common problem everybody has with achieving their goals – EXCUSES. According to Schwartz, excuses are the #1 reason people fail. And most people chalk up their excuses to AGE, TIME, HEALTH, and INTELLIGENCE.

Think about it. How many times have you put something off because you are convinced you didn’t have the time to do it? How many times have you decided you couldn’t achieve something because you are too old or too young to make it happen? And how many times have you complained about your health? (Personally, this is my greatest pet peeve. People are always going on and on about how bad they feel. Who wants to hear that nonsense?)

But what I love most about this book is Schwartz gives you nowhere to run and hide. He quickly and effortlessly shows how each and every excuse you create is just an excuse and nothing more. It all boils down to one point – there is only one reason you are not achieving your goals, dreams, and ambitions: YOU.

Entrepreneurship is Thinking Big
There’s so much more to appreciate about The Magic of Thinking Big, but I’m sure you’re not exactly in the mood for a detailed review. If you’re reading this and you’re looking to get more out of life by getting greater control over your thought patterns and taking more control, I highly recommend you get a copy of this book (in fact I URGE you to do it).

Whether your goal is to start your own successful business or to get more out of your existing business, you must remember that entrepreneurship success comes down to the focus and determination of you, the one person who sets and achieves the right goals. Schwartz will help you to think more like a successful leader, to be more forward-thinking, and to get more support and cooperation from the people who matter most on your way to the top.

Audio Books for Lazy Readers
This is a bit of a geek confession, but I’ve always loved books and reading. Somewhere along the way, though, I fell in love with audio books. I’d say 60-70% of the books I read these days I “read” on audio. It’s a great way to enjoy the benefits of reading while driving, working out, or working on other tasks. I’m not a big fan of multi-tasking but I do think audio reading can be a nice way to make use of otherwise idle time.

I highly recommend the The Magic of Thinking Big (AudioBook/Audio CD). Many of the passages throughout the book are read by different voices which gives the audio version an upbeat and dramatic quality. Enjoy!

4 Comments Entrepreneurship, Reviews, Success