Continuing the BizTechDay recap, The think (here) Blog will cover in greater detail the most useful information from the BizTechDay conference for one final week.  Posts will range from speaker profiles to events that stood out.

Tim spoke on the first day in two separate keynotes.  I assume the vast majority of readers know who he is, so I will focus more on Tim Ferris in person than persona (but I have included links at the bottom for the laggards).  On both of the keynotes Tim stuck out like a sore thumb in more ways than one.  Beyond the difference in appearance ( Tim sported flip flops, a v neck shirt, and bright red pants ) it was clear very quickly that Tim was not looking to impress anyone.  He was simply unquestionably, and undeniably himself the entire time.

As he spoke, Tim’s delivery was slow and well thought out.  Too many speakers jump on answering a question the instant it is asked, as if their credibility were dependent on speed rather than accuracy.  Many speakers had notes, Tim had none.  Why?  He knows who he is, through and through.  It is much easier to be yourself than to write down and refer to who you are trying to be.  I think most of the attendees will agree that Tim was one of the best speakers at the conference.

I was fortunate enough to meet Tim, and spoke to him for about five minutes.  You can tell a lot from a person, especially one in Tim’s position, in five minutes.  One thing that surprised me was for someone who was such a powerful speaker, he was an even better listener.  His openness to engage in conversation with myself and other attendees was genuine.  It is one of those things you just cant fake, you either have it or you don’t, and he “has it”.

As our conversation was closing, I watched him handle a situation in person.  The issue: The BizTechDay flyer stated that there were signed books for sale.  Tim knew none of his books had been signed.  Instead of blowing it off, or blowing off a chance for the other BizTechDay attendees to meet him, he created his own solution.  He asked one of the conference volunteers to go get the books, and sat at a table to crank them out.  I am not sure if he was able to finish, as the crowd around him seemed to swell until his departure.

Some might argue his actions in the aforementioned example were fueled by short term monetary intentions (i.e.- sell a few more books).  I disagree.  Yes, he is a business man, but he is a smart one.  He was not focusing on  the bottom line of the short term.  He was thinking about the longevity of his personal brand (although he does not like the idea of personal brands).  Regardless of fault, the fact that a lack of signed books could (in a roundabout way) reflect poorly on him, his image, his brand, made him take action.

I have been a fan of his blog, book, and outlook on life for a long time.  I highly recommend exploring his world via his book, blog, or seeing him speak.  As promised at the beginning of the post, for those who do not know who he is, he wrote the bestseller The Four Hour Work Week, he is an angel investor, and his blog focuses on “Experiments in Lifestyle Design”.  Click here to see his blog.