Keith Ferrazzi and his current Nanny

Keith has the most amazing home.  Since he travels so much, and hosts weekly dinner parties, he has to have help. Here’s a wonderful opportunity for anyone in or near LA that wants an amazing with an amazing person (which I honestly think Keith is)- Here is the job posting, followed by an interview I did with the current “nanny”.

Looking for a personal "nanny" (more than just an assistant) for a healthy, crazy busy, fun but very demanding adult 44 year old man.

Skills: Must be SUPER organized, NEVER drops a ball and always finds a way to GET IT (anything) DONE.

Style: Very candid, tough, NO DRAMA. Big nurturing heart, a true caretaker who loves children (none yet).  Trustworthy beyond belief!  Very socially engaging but knows boundaries with many guests and friends. Frugal and a great negotiator.

Special skill: A flair for elegance and throwing parties and dinners.  Able to cook some.

Fairly unpredictable schedule includes many evenings and weekends and some travel required for out of city events.

Please don't waste your time answering this add if even one of these criteria are in question at all.

I’ve met Julie (pictured to the left with Keith), and she is a super hero, capable of all the above listed items… so, I wanted to share what her experience has been for the last 6.5 years working with Keith. Read the rest of this entry »

Setting off alarms, dealing with cat piss, partying with celebs in the highest home in Los Angeles, mingling with some of the world’s top CIOs, and more….

I filmed “a day in the life” – I stayed at Keith’s home, went to his office, saw him lecture at the CIO100,  and rode with him to the airport.  Since that’s got a lot of video, I have to edit it- so I’ll post the whole story soon.

I think Keith is an amazing person, and one of the few who definitely walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

While I’m editing the whole story, here’s what Keith had to say:

Let’s get a few things out of the way.

TJ is 17. I am 33. He has dropped out of high school, and is debating college.  I dropped out of college, and debate on a daily basis what do I want to do next.

I have thousands of hours of audio book listening, couchsurfing with industry experts, reading regular books, and attending conferences on an extremely diverse range of topics (I’ve been to Cosmetics conferences, fishing conferences, manufacturing, modeling, photography, and of course, marketing).

One could say that I have an unfair advantage here. But, I’ve earned my network, TJ wants to get introduced to it, and Ideation is a skill that the strengths finder says he has in his top 5, while it is not listed in my top 5.

That being said, there is a beauty in not having the experience that I have.  Kids often have the best ideas, because they haven’t been told that they can’t do stuff yet.  They haven’t had the school and corporate system crush their dreams and creativity yet.  The same is true with TJ.  His younger age has prevented him from having many of the bad experiences I’ve gone through, and he is not as conditioned and set in his ways as I am.  That, and at 17, he has not killed as many brain cells as I have.

I already get paid to dispense my ideas (consult), and make them happen (implement), which is why this isn’t about me.  This is about giving TJ a chance to prove what he can do, and give people an opportunity to see (well.. hear) what strong ideation can do for them.

That being said, SEO questions , and the like, will not be answered, as TJ had to google what SEO is.  This is about creativity.  If you need ideas- directions to go, personal problems solved, directions for your business, ways of outdoing the competition…. You will get a lot of out this. Kate Buck Jr will be moderating the event.

Ask your questions here in the comment section, and tune in tonight at 11pm EST to http://CouchSurfingRadio.com -  tell any of your friends that are in a bind.

The Couchsurfing Radio Host- Couch Surfing Ori

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All sorts of crazy, but you definitely want to catch the replay!  There’s a ton of awesome SXSW insider info on how to party for free, mingle with the stars, and all sorts of great reasons to go into town… with or without a badge.

My guest, Chase, talks about his pet mountain lion.

I tell jokes.

There’s a lot more– just listen, it’s fun!

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I even include some music in this one– let me know what you think of it.

Tellman is the first person ever to run coast to coast barefoot.

I’m thrilled to bring you guys this interview with Tellman Knudson, while running, as he runs across the country barefoot to raise $100,000,000 to help fight youth homelessness.

Tellman Knudson is a really awesome person.  He’s driven, but chill.  He knows who he is, and lives according to that.  People like that are far and few.  He is a very successful marketer, and decidedto do a first.  In this video, he tells the challenges of finding a “first”,  about why he’s doing what he’s doing, and the challenges of it.

He’s gotten to meet my hero, Richard Branson… whose charity (Virging Unite) he’s raising the money for.

I can hardly fathom $100,000,000.00 — I don’t care what your cause is, that’s a lot of money, that can really make a difference! Hanging out with Tellman while at Matt Bacak’s & Mark Joyner’s Survival Tactics for Tough Times was very enlightening and humbling.  What do you think of what Tellman’s doing?

Thanks to Harris Fellman, who’s another successful fellow who’s fun, money was raised just from this jog.

A lot of you remember that I lost 28 pounds in 30 days, and everyone kept asking me how.

The answer is…

Click to see the before after

The Daily Juice.  It was at this place that I first sat down to chat with Craig Allen, and we ate and discussed raw food.

I had always been a brat about salads (ask my mom - she’s newly on twitter!).  I would not eat them (most veggies actually).  But that day, I tried the BBQ Coconut Burrito at Daily Juice.  Mmmmmmmm!!!!

Seriously! It was so good, that I was able to not only finish the meal, but also crush my disbelief that veggies can’t taste good without being fried (Tempura veggies aren’t healthy?? what?).  After that, I had gone on a 30 day raw challenge, and lost 28 pounds in 30 days.

I ran into my friend Lyn Graft, and told him about this contest I’m entering called Live Off Groupon (You get $100,000 if you can spend a whole year living off Groupons-  check their site to learn all about ‘em).  Turns out that not only did Lyn know all about Groupons, but his favorite Groupon Deal so far has been for Daily Juice.

I went in and chatted to one of the staff there today about the establishment, and their experience on Groupon. It was a lot of fun- check it out:

Now you know why this place is a healthy Austinite’s favorite hangout.  If you haven’t been, try it out.

Since I like to share marketing ideas, I recommend that you contact Groupon about being a deal on there. It would take you a long time to sell 1,000 smoothies (or whatever your product is)…. Groupon helps you get the word out about your business quickly. It’s tied into social media.  I even spoke about it as the marketing advice for Couchsurfing Radio Episode 9.

The Couchsurfing Radio Host- Couch Surfing Ori

My first broadcast from a cell phone, and the longest I’ve been on an iphone. I recorded this on the drive to Mardi Gras with Jason Moffatt and Randy Primm.

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Download the episode for home/car/plane/etc.. listening.

The themes are collaboration, networking and… well, you should listen and find out!  Some decent marketing ideas in there too, so take notes

The Couchsurfing Radio Host- Couch Surfing Ori

What did I do in Dallas?

Billboard climbing

Art fair

warehouse party

consulting

met new people

got a speaking and mc gigs for next month

played poker (learned to play poker actually)

There was more… and that’s why you need to listen to Episode 7.  You can hear what the listeners who got their consulting thought, and check out a funny conversation with Jason Moffatt.  That reminds me– this is the first episode to have the word “shit” in it.  I was wondering how long the G rating would last

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Download the episode for home/car/plane/etc.. listening.

I love Shankman's Shirt!

Want free advertising? Want more credibility than you get out of an ad?  You need to listen to Peter Shankman’s interview.

I frequently refer to Peter Shankman as a roll model, ’cause he’s a spaz, funny, adventurous, and successful.  Last night’s call was haunting, because it showed that there were a lot more similarities (even the listeners were commenting on that). We also spoke about many other topics, such as bucket lists, skydiving, flying all over the world, and much more. Have a listen:

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Download the episode for home/car/plane/etc..  listening.

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It seems the show just keeps getting better. The topics are pretty diverse- bankrupcy, falling for scams, fighting back, photography, facial expressions, PR, Peter Shankman, various jokes, and more!

Have a listen, leave a comment!  You can download this, and take it with you.

The Couchsurfing Radio Host- Couch Surfing Ori

Couchsurfing Radio Episode #2 was a fast-paced humor-filled, inspiration laced ride!  It’s hard to believe that just last week I spent an hour of going “uhhhhh”- and harder to believe that yet again, I threw it together!

At first, neither I nor my listeners could get on! I set the settings wrong, and we had to move the show to 11:30pm EST, instead of 11. But from that point, everything was on track.

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This time, I had two guests.  Hottie adventurer entrepreneur Ingrid Vanderveldt who races motorcycles, jumps out of a plane, is building up a company valued at $100,000,000, and knows the value of being unique, and seeking mentors. I find her inspirational, and she tries to empower women-entrepreneurs. Read the rest of this entry »

http://BlogTalkRadio.com/Couchsurfingori -  I’ll be answering some questions, talking about couchsurfing, what it’s like being a couchsurfer, some of my goals, some of my adventures, my strange take on terrorism, and more….  join in!

When I was a kid, I used to love Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!  They had these cool books, museums, and eventually they even had a strip in the Sunday Comics.  Now they have their own radio broadcast called The Ripley’s Radio Oddcast.  I was extremely honored to get a call from them, inviting me to be on their show.

For your listening pleasure– here’s my appearance on the Ripley’s Radio Oddcast… where they declared me the world’s foremost couchsurfer! Read the rest of this entry »

2 videos in this one… both short. The 1st is what we like to call “Social Proof” – here’s a millionaire telling you how damn cool I am… he’s making 7 figures, so he must know something… therefore I must be cool.   The second video is his story. I hope it inspires you to DREAM BIG.  Jonny not only was homeless, and living out of his office for over a year… but while that was going on, he also fell victim to identity theft! He had to close down his bank accounts, and start using those check-cashing places. But… I’ll let him tell you his story. Read the rest of this entry »

The most fun I’ve had on an interview so far has been with Ingrid Vanderveldt on her show On The Road With IV. I discovered her while CouchSurfing with Caleb Jennings in Phoenix. She was friends with him, and I saw her picture, and when asking about her, I found out that she’s just all sorts of amazing!  IV skydives, races motorcycles, starts businesses, and has her own show. I said hello, then I got interviewed, and I then had the pleasure of meeting her in person!  Here’s my interview of her! (I write more after the video, so keep scrolling dang it!)

I gotta admit – I have a theory or two about relationships.  I’ve dated some amazing women that were smart, gorgeous, funny, had a sense of humor (an absolute must when spending time with me), and were caring.  But, it’s never worked out (I’m still not married, and at the time of this posting, I just had a relationship end up).  My thought is that I need to date someone like me.  I often say, “Someone crazy like me.” Though, recently I realized that perhaps it’s not craziness, but rather all the girls I’ve dated have had jobs… perhaps I need someone who’s entrepreneurial.  Entrepreneurs by definition take more risks…  So, IV is one of 3 women whom I’ve met who are crazy like me.  She’s hot, funny, laughs at my jokes, runs businesses, travels…. so…  If you know someone just like IV, let me know!  I think that she’s awesome, and meeting her proved that I’m not hallucinating.. that this type of woman really does exist.

Now off to send this to my folks so they can know the type of girl I may travel with some day

I thought that my interview skills improved because I’ve been doing so many of them… It turns out that part of it is the chemistry that you have with the interviewer!

Meet Ingrid Vanderveldt: she’s hot, she races motorcycles, she starts companies, she jumps out of planes, she interviews famous entrepreneurs (like me   ), she laughs at my jokes!  What else can you ask for?  I got it– she gives great interview!  I learned that when you get along with your interviewer, you have a fun interview!  This is my most fun (set of) interview(s) thus far. Read the rest of this entry »

Meet my friend Allison Nazarian.  I met her back in the day… before Twitter… Before I couchsurfed!  But, we became buddies over the last year.  Now, she’s like a sister. This is a fun video we shot while I was couchsurfing at her place (instead of my parents’) when I came to visit my bro for his graduation in May.

This is one of my favorite radio interviews….  Why?  Because they called me “The most highly skilled Hobo in History!”  What a great title.

I woke up about 2 minutes before they called… but it still came out as one of my faves. Read the rest of this entry »

Sexy Nurse Elisha at your service

When I showed up in Mesa, AZ to speak at Dr. Ben Mack’s event, I had no clue that I would find adventure (defined by me as: New Experience) in a burger joint (n ot to be confused with a Tea Joint). The Heart Attack Grill is an honest interpretation of what fast food is.  If you weight 350 pounds or more, you get to eat for free.  The fries are advertised as fried in pure lard, and you get unlimited refills.  The burgers are called the single/double/triple/quadruple bypass.  If you get a triple or above (which I did, of course, after eating 2 whole bowls of fries 1st… to the person who tweeted me that I look fat, that’s probably why), you get a ride to the car in a wheelchair. Did I mention the nurses? Read the rest of this entry »

The Titos Vodka Dinner Food/Drink Menu

Food can be cooked in Vodka.  Drinks can be made from Vodka (Duh!).  Fun can be had with Vodka.  Burt Butler Beveridge II, AKA Tito, makes the best Vodka.
I was quite honored to have a seat for free at this $60 per seat dinner at Z-Tejas, a fine dining establishment in Austin, TX.  People gladly paid (it was sold out), to have a chance to not only have the delicious food that Z-Tejas is known for, but also to meet Tito in person.  Tito is quite legendary, and rightfully so. That said, I was quite pleased to find out that while many people had to wait all evening to have a minute of Tito’s time, I was seated on his immediate left.  So… here’s how dinner worked: Read the rest of this entry »

Gary Vaynerchuk

I am so proud to bring you Gary Vaynerchuk.  This guy not only motivates and inspires onstage, and on camera, but he has proven to me that he is a champion.  I will tell the story… ’cause it’s my damn blog, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to be here (or you can just scroll down and hit play…. but what kind of person does that make you?  I mean… really!  I travel around, putting thousands of miles on my car, endangering my life by driving more than 16 hours at a time.. just to bring you these awesome interviews with such great people, and you’re not even taking the time to hear why these people are so cool?  I mean.. come on.. that’s like showing up to a wedding ’cause you like cake (but not the people getting married)).  Read the rest of this entry »

My 2009 “Non-stop” travels began with my trip to couchsurf at Perry Belcher’s place in Austin, TX. I met Perry Belcher at a marketing event that Matt Bacak was hosting. Matt Bacak introduced him as “You should all listen, because the following speaker has sold more product in the last 10 years than most people in here combined!” I found Perry to be hilarious, and even better… he made me feel dumb. Yeah… that’s right… Mr. Know-It-All had to quickly rip out his notebook, and ferociously take notes! This guy knew his stuff! That particular lecture was on copywriting, and was the VIP-day lecturer on social media (Perry is often in the top 100 twitterers on Twitter.grader, and has(at the time of this writing) 62,000 followers on twitter).   But… for me… I noticed his crazy shirt, his candor, and his humor.  This was a funny dude.  So… Read the rest of this entry »

“Don’t talk to strangers”  <– what a terrible thing to say to a child! It’s a great way to destroy their future.  What better way is there to make them shy, anxious, jealous, and miserable.  The one who has the most friends is often happiest, and most successful (give or take some points for actually being a good person too).  I’m violating a lot of those parental rules by staying with strangers, meeting strangers, accepting candy from strangers, etc..  And I’m (literally) having the time of my life doing it.  So when I pulled into Plano (near Dallas), people on twitter saw that, and one invited to treat me to breakfast the next day.  Free meal!  Hooray!  Actually, I can afford food   The concept of meeting someone new is always fun, so I accepted. Here’s what happened: Read the rest of this entry »

I had such a blast being on the Nick Digilio show! It’s like calling in to a show, only better. Nick’s show, for those who don’t know it, is very entertaining. Basically, it’s another talk show on AM Radio. It’s entertaining, informative, and (I think) intelligent. They were very organized, very on time, and even provided me with a CD of the interview immediately upon walking out. Nick and Andy were very friendly – which helped calm my nerves. How did the interview go? You decide- here it is:

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