logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2017
2h 7m

#229: Ricardo Semler -- The Seven-Day We...

Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig
About this episode

Ricardo Semler (@ricardosemler) is the former CEO of Semco Partners, a Brazilian company best known perhaps for its radical form of industrial democracy and corporate re-engineering. During his leadership, Semco grew from four million in 1982 to two hundred and twelve million in 2003. His innovative -- but very controversial -- business management policies have attracted widespread interest from all over the world. He is the best-selling author of Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace and The Seven-Day Weekend: A Better Way to Work in the 21st Century (not to be confused with another book titled in an admittedly similar fashion). Ricardo recently started a podcast called LeadWise, where he has conversations with leaders about "challenging assumptions and changing how we live and work." Entrepreneurship and education are just two of the topics discussed in this wide-ranging conversation. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ricardo Semler as much as I did! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by FreshBooks. FreshBooks is the #1 cloud bookkeeping software, which is used by a ton of the start-ups I advise and many of the contractors I work with. It is the easiest way to send invoices, get paid, track your time, and track your clients. FreshBooks tells you when your clients have viewed your invoices, helps you customize your invoices, track your hours, automatically organize your receipts, have late payment reminders sent automatically and much more. Right now you can get a free month of complete and unrestricted use. You do not need a credit card for the trial. To claim your free month and see how the brand new Freshbooks can change your business, go to FreshBooks.com/Tim and enter "Tim" in the "how did you hear about us" section. This podcast is also brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple and world-famous investors. It has exploded in popularity in the last two years and now has more than $5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it's all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams. Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they'll show you -- for free -- exactly the portfolio they'd put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it. Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim.

***

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!

For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss 

Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss

Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss 

YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jul 1
#818: John Arnold with Dr. Peter Attia — The Greatest Energy Trader of All Time on Lessons Learned, Walking Away from Wall Street, and Reinventing Philanthropy
In this special episode, my friend—and fan-favorite guest—Dr. Peter Attia takes the mic as guest host. Peter sits down with legendary trader John Arnold, widely considered the greatest energy trader of all time. Today, through his foundation Arnold Ventures, John applies the same ... Show More
2h 36m
Jun 25
#817: 4-Hour Workweek Success Stories — Charlie Houpert on Building “Charisma on Command” to 10M+ Subscribers, From Charging $10 for Seminars to Making Millions, Living in Brazil, Critical Early Decisions, and The Secret to Freedom
Charlie Houpert is the co-founder of Charisma on Command, a company that helps people develop confidence, charisma, and strong social skills. Originally launched as a 4-Hour Workweek-inspired “muse,” it has since grown into one of the largest platforms for social skills and confi ... Show More
2h 14m
Jun 18
#816: Nsima Inyang, Mutant and Movement Coach — True Athleticism at Any Age, Microdosing Movement, “Rope Flow” as a Key Unlock, Why Sleds and Sandbags Matter, and Much More
Nsima Inyang (@nsimainyang) is a strength athlete, movement coach, and co-host of Mark Bell’s Power Project, one of the top fitness podcasts in the world. He is also one of the most freakishly athletic humans I’ve ever met. He’s a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a professional ... Show More
3h 18m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
Tim Ferriss Opens Up: What I Do In A Day, Unfair Advantages & The "Barbell Strategy"
Episode 576: Shaan Puri ( https://twitter.com/ShaanVP ) sits down with Tim Ferriss ( https://twitter.com/tferriss ) to talk about his latest lifestyle experiments and how to spend a perfect 24-hours. Want to see Sam and Shaan’s smiling faces? Head to the MFM YouTube Channel and s ... Show More
1h 13m
Mar 2024
Sean Feeney - Reinventing the Restaurant Business - [Invest Like the Best, EP.366]
My guest today is Sean Feeney. Sean is the co-founder of Grovehouse Hospitality Group and the owner of Lilia and Misi, two of New York City’s most sought-after restaurants. He left his job in Trading to chase down a dream with Michelin star chef Missy Robbins. Sean leveraged his ... Show More
1h 48m
Jun 2024
TIP639: Buffett's Favorite Business Book w/ David Fagan
On today’s episode, Clay is joined by David Fagan to discuss Don Keough’s book, The Ten Commandments of Business Failure.  Don Keough was the President and COO of Coca-Cola. During Keough’s and Roberto Goizueta’s leadership, Coca-Cola’s stock compounded at 27% per annum from 1981 ... Show More
1h 6m
Jun 2024
Buckets of Rich, Attracting Luck, and Maintaining Balance — with Jesse Itzler
Jesse Itzler, a serial entrepreneur, a New York Times bestselling author, part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks, and an ultramarathon runner, joins Scott to discuss his approach to entrepreneurship, including how it aligns with his fitness journey, and the strategies he implements to m ... Show More
45m 30s
May 2024
MI Rewind: Building Your Life Resume w/ Jesse Itzler
sit down with one of the owners of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, Jesse Itzler. Jesse is a successful serial entrepreneur, having founded Marquis Jet, which he sold to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, and being a partner of ZICO coconut water, which was sold to Coca Cola. He is als ... Show More
22m 42s
Sep 2023
How Anyone Can Become a Great Public Speaker w/ Keith Ferrazzi | EP #65
In this episode, Peter and Keith discuss the art and business of public speaking. Keith Ferrazzi, a renowned executive coach and speaker, shares his insights on building a successful speaking career.  15:33 | Transforming Lives Through Speaking 31:11 | Get Good at Speaking Quickl ... Show More
1h 25m
Jun 2024
"They'll Erase You" - Super Elites, Invention Secrecy Act, Tesla, UFOs | Dr. Steven Greer | PBD Podcast Ep. 429
Dr. Steven Greer returns for a second sit-down with Patrick Bet-David, and you won't want to miss it! This episode of the PBD podcast features one of the wildest conversations yet, covering government conspiracies, whistleblowers, aliens, secret patents, teleportation, Nikola ... Show More
2h 34m
Apr 2024
Tim Ferriss’ Advice To Become “The New Rich”
#82 Working yourself to death? Known for revolutionizing efficiency, Tim Ferriss discusses the balance between hustle and rest, overcoming fear, and embracing uncertainty. In this episode, discover his unique methods for sustained growth and effective self-reflection. This interv ... Show More
1h 27m
Jun 2024
Pat Grady - Relentless Application of Force - [Invest Like the Best, EP.378]
My guest today is Pat Grady, a longtime growth investor at Sequoia and one of the firms senior leaders. Pat has been a part of a long list of legendary investments, ranging from Snowflake, Zoom, ServiceNow, Qualtrics, Okta, Hubspot, Notion, and OpenAI, among many others. There ar ... Show More
1h 30m
May 2024
261. AMMA — The X Factor of Legal Market Domination
Your business is perfectly designed to get you the results that you’re getting. Not satisfied with the status quo? Discover the X factor that propels the nation’s top law firms to unprecedented success. In this episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, Michael and Jessica Mo ... Show More
27m 46s