Ask Altucher
374 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 8 years ago - ★★★★★ - 426 ratingsHi I'm James Altucher host of The James Altucher Show. I've been a successful entrepreneur, investor, board member, and the writer of 11 books including the recent WSJ Bestseller, "Choose Yourself!" (foreword by Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter). I've started and sold several companies for eight figure exits, sit on the board of a billion revenue company, I've written for The Financial Times, The New York Observer, and over a dozen popular websites for the past 15 years. I've run several hedge funds, venture capital funds, and I'm a successful angel investor in technology, energy, and biotech. I've also lost all my money, made it back, lost it, made it back several times and openly discusses how I did it. That's why I've decided to do another podcast. AskAltucher is my brand new Daily Podcast. Ask me anything, business, investing, self-help, entrepreneurship, publishing, fitness, money, relationships, startups, breakups and so much more.
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Episodes
Ep 369: Product Hunt – Entrepreneurship Lessons From a Blazing Success Story
October 08, 2015 21:03 - 28 minutes - 13.2 MBJames credits at least some of his success to his guest's new company, . Erik Torenberg a founding team-member at Product Hunt, co-founder of Rapt.fm, and associate at Queensbridge Venture Partners joins James today. Product Hunt seems like such an easy idea and an overnight success on the surface... but really it was years in the making. But since its launch, it has been on a true rocket-ship ride. It all started with a relatively small e-mail list... and the brilliant strategy of al...
Ep 368: The Best-Kept Secret in "America"
October 07, 2015 17:36 - 27 minutes - 12.7 MBDo you need a vacation? How about a place that has such a lingering bad reputation that it's the perfect place to get away to? Interested? Today, James and Claudia call our good friend and the original co-host of Ask Altucher, Aaron Brabham, to find out why he's now living there and what else he has been up to. I can't tell you where he is – you'll have to listen to find out. But once you hear his story, you'll know why he has no plans to come back stateside. And what's he doing there? He's l...
Ep 367: Altucher interviews Altucher
October 06, 2015 18:36 - 1 hour - 27.5 MBJames spent an hour interviewing his wife and business partner, Claudia Azula Altucher. They went back to 1999, when Claudia first started to learn about yoga. She knew very little about it, but wanted a discipline that would be physical and get her into a "zone." They went all the way back to Claudia's early childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was raised by a very loving mother, who unfortunately committed suicide when Claudia was only 17. You'll hear the pain in Claudia's voice as she...
Ep 366: James Needs a Therapist for His Public Speaking
October 05, 2015 16:44 - 16 minutes - 7.63 MBJames gives his friend a call today to talk about a subject that scares the heck out of him — public speaking. James asks Mitch about his philosophy on public speaking. Mitch breaks down public speakers and presenting into three styles of music: The first is the "classical music approach," the second he calls the "jazz improve” approach," and the third he calls the "rock and roll approach." Mitch tells a great story about President Bill Clinton, the type of speaker he is, and also what his o...
Ep 365: Chris Brogan – What's the Real Value of Podcasting?
October 02, 2015 19:25 - 18 minutes - 8.55 MBJames gives his good friend a call today to talk about the real value of doing a podcast. James asks Chris... Is podcasting worth the time and effort? Chris says "no... and yes." There's no real money in it, but the other benefits are worth every second you put into it. Podcasting helps you with all your other media by broadening your "umbrella." You can take your podcast and create a blog post or a newsletter article and you can tweet about it and post it on Facebook. Plus, as both James an...
Ep 364: The Art of Fiction, with Screenwriter, Brian Koppelman, Part Two
September 30, 2015 20:57 - 27 minutes - 12.5 MBBrian Koppelman is back today to continue the fascinating discussion he and James started on his last visit. As Brian says, "Non-fiction books answer a series of questions, whereas fiction books raise a series of questions." On the last show, James made a promise to Brian that he would read more fiction. Brian holds him to it today. This is another amazing conversation between two extremely creative people who are constantly working hard to improve their crafts. Listen today and make sure you...
AA Ep 363: It's Time to Take Care of Your Own Needs
September 29, 2015 19:42 - 11 minutes - 5.36 MBToday's question is a tough one, as one of our listeners writes in... "My girlfriend has decided to concentrate on her career and wants to take a break from our relationship. How can I support her while satisfying my own needs?" James and Claudia disagree a bit on their answers. Listen here and you can decide who you think is right.
Ep 362: Should I Quit College and Pursue My Passion?
September 25, 2015 18:17 - 16 minutes - 7.71 MBToday's question... "I feel like the life I knew is falling apart before my eyes and my next steps are critical. I would deeply appreciate guidance and support. Here is what's happening. I'm a twenty-year-old college student starting an online business, and last week I flew to New York City behind my parents' backs for a business event (with my own money) and they found out and decided to withdraw all financial support. I called my mom to apologize and she exploded, telling me that starting a...
Ep 361: The Best Salesman Ever
September 24, 2015 19:15 - 42 minutes - 19.4 MBjoins James and Claudia to talk about what it means to be a great salesman and John has decided to take it to a new level. Before you can sell you have to get in the door. So he introduces himself with a very special gift. Like the time he brought $7000 worth of Brooks Brothers clothes to a prospective clients hotel room and set it up to shock him. It worked even better than he had hoped. John says, if you’re going to send a gift than send it to their inner circle, their significant other, th...
Ep 360 Jason Zook (aka Surfrapp) Sells His Future
September 22, 2015 17:58 - 41 minutes - 18.8 MBOf all the assets that you could possibly sell, I bet you've never thought of selling your future . . . but Jason is doing just that. Jason Zook (formerly JasonSurfrapp, Jason Headsetsdotcom and Jason Sadler) is a crazy-at-heart salesman . . . beneath that, he's an impressive content creator with a long track record of success. He's not a painter or a musician, but no one would ever say he's not an artist. Is he on to something new here? Listen as James does his due diligence and decides whe...
Ep 359: How to Become a Master at Networking
September 18, 2015 16:57 - 34 minutes - 15.7 MBis the master at networking. Derek says, "Going to networking events is a waste of time." You can go to networking events two or three times a week and never realize how much time you're wasting. Traditional networking isn't working anymore. He still goes to larger networking events, but only if there are multiple ways he can win . . . you need to be very selective. Derek wrote the book on networking, , and he gives James a recap of some of his best ideas. Listen to James and Derek talk about...
Ep 358: What to Do When You're Burned Out
September 17, 2015 18:40 - 12 minutes - 5.9 MBEveryone at some point in their career hates their job. For some people it's just temporary, but for others, it gets so bad that they quit. If you decide to quit, everything suddenly changes. The stability of your old job is gone. Now you're on your own, and it's scary. Give yourself permission to be burned out. Listen to James and Claudia work through how to get through this.
Ep 357: The Secret Mistake ALL First Time Entrepreneurs Make
September 16, 2015 20:51 - 11 minutes - 5.19 MBDo you know what the secret mistake that most first time entrepreneurs make? If you’re an entrepreneur than its so to know it. If you don’t you could already be out of business and not even know it. Listen to James and hear his secret.
Ep 356: The 10 Most Important Books to Expand Your Mind
September 15, 2015 16:20 - 18 minutes - 8.45 MBMost books are "business card" books. A "business card" book is a book that helps the author establish credentials. It works as a business card. But today, James wants to talk about "braingasm" books. Your brain has an orgasm while you're reading these books – they're that good. James recently wrote a post about books like these, called "," and today he's going to review a few of them. Listen to James' list and hear why he thinks they deserve to be on it.
Ep 355: Is There Such a Thing as True Love
September 14, 2015 21:22 - 7 minutes - 3.23 MBJames says, no.
Ep 354 Suicide
September 11, 2015 19:09 - 12 minutes - 5.74 MBJust don't do it. In honor of , Claudia and James felt it was very important to record this podcast. Claudia, being a victim of living through her mother's suicide when she was just a teenager, is passionate about preventing it. Listen to this extremely important podcast.
Ep 353: Why Accomplish Anything?
September 10, 2015 17:22 - 13 minutes - 6.27 MBThis question came in from the Facebook group: "I've been passed over for my next promotion. I feel like 'the poor employee' instead of "the 'rich employee.'" James says being "The Rich Employee" is a mindset, and this person is already acting as a rich employee. He has realized there's a problem and he's taking steps to fix it, but right now he's hurting. He asks himself, "Why should I accomplish anything?" Listen to James' answer in today's show. Regards, David Newman P.S. is now also i...
Ep 352: Do You Have To Pay Your Student Loans?
September 09, 2015 14:53 - 16 minutes - 7.41 MBGet ready – this one is going to be very controversial. You went to college. You took out huge student loans to get your degree. You can barely make ends meet, and your monthly student loan bills are now due. What can you do? Ask for help. Listen to today's show here Regards, David Newman P.S. is now also in paperback.
Ep 351: How to Know When to 'Fire' a Terrible Customer
September 08, 2015 19:38 - 14 minutes - 6.8 MBShould you "fire" a really terrible customer? Well, that depends... If that customer happens to be 99% of your business, you have a big problem. But today, James addresses what to do with those customers who won't break your business. You could delegate that customer to another employee. Sometimes that works. You could have a real, honest conversation with that customer, asking them their advice on how you could serve them better. "Help me help you..." P.S. is now also in paperback.
Ep 350: How to Go From $0 to $100,000 as a Public Speaker
September 04, 2015 16:29 - 55 minutes - 25.4 MBDo you want to be a professional speaker? Does having to get up on stage in front of a group of people scare the heck out of you? Today James and Claudia invite to join them to give us a couple of quick tips to help you if you want to become a public speaker. Brian says you have to get really clear on one topic. Then create a clean one-page that lists bullets points on what you'll talk about, and add in testimonials as soon as you have them. This is a long interview and Brian doesn't hold ba...
Ep 349: Why Did James Self-Publish The Rich Employee?
September 03, 2015 19:57 - 13 minutes - 6.39 MBWhy did James self-publish his new book, ? He wanted total control over the marketing. The old way of the legacy book publishers is to get the author to march around the country doing book signings at the few book stores that still exist. This just doesn't work anymore. Instead, writers should do the "podcast tour". You'll get in front of millions of potential buyers without ever leaving your house. Remember, you should always choose yourself. Regards, David Newman P.S. is out in paperback...
Ep 348: The Rich Employee
September 02, 2015 20:16 - 15 minutes - 7.03 MBWhy did James feel that he had to write his new book, ? He wanted to set the record straight. For the average employee, income is going down while inflation goes up. Industry, knowledge, and management are all being outsourced cheaply to other countries or to technology. Many people mistakenly think that the only solution is entrepreneurship – that "entrepreneurship is the pathway to riches." This is not true. Being an entrepreneur does have great upside but it also has a well-known failure r...
Ep 347 Chris Brogan hosts James today on Blab.im
September 01, 2015 23:05 - 1 hour - 114 MBwas gracious enough to allow us to repost an interview he did today with James to talk about, everything…including the release of James brand new book; that hit the Amazon bookstore today. They jumped onto a platform new to many of us, and did an hour long interview. A lot of people jumped in to ask questions including Joel Comm, Michael Stelzner, Mitch Jackson and so many others. We hope you enjoy this as we play with the best way to deliver you our content. Thanks again Chris and please c...
Ep 346: Dr. Wayne Dyer – Namaste
August 31, 2015 14:39 - 56 minutes - 22.5 MBThis weekend Dr. Wayne Dyer passed away. James wants to recognize the influence Wayne Dyer has had on his life. We're very sad about his passing. Here is one of the last interviews Wayne Dyer has done and it is with James... During that interview James asked Dr. Dyer what he saw as the arc of his career. "What has your message been and how have you seen it evolve?" Without hesitating, Dr. Dyer responded... "Well, it's really been always about self-reliance, in one form or another. I've often...
Ep 345: Frank Curzio Interviews James Altucher
August 28, 2015 23:36 - 50 minutes - 23 MBA few months ago Frank Curzio interviewed James on his Top 10 iTunes podcast . We thought a lot of our new listeners might have never heard this interview and so I decided to publish it today. I really think you’ll enjoy this interview Regards, David Newman P.S. James is hard at work on his next new project. Stay tuned right here as we’ll be announcing it first on this podcast.
Ep 344: Why Do So Many Small Businesses Fail?
August 27, 2015 17:39 - 24 minutes - 11.3 MBMost small businesses fail. In fact, about 85% of them do. Is it the business, or is it the people behind the business that fail? Listen here today as James talks about how not to fail as a small startup business.
Ep 343: Why Do Anything If You're Going To Die Anyway
August 26, 2015 14:31 - 12 minutes - 5.5 MBWhy do anything if you're going to die anyway? It's an evolutionary thing. Our brains have been setup to reward us for those things that trigger well-being. When the chemical dopamine is triggered in your brain, it makes you feel great. Listen here today and go do something.
Ep 342: Is the Stock Market Crashing?
August 25, 2015 15:39 - 21 minutes - 10 MBChina is having problems... The Fed may raise interest rates next month. And the market is down about 10%. But this is not 2009. The world is not falling apart. Today James gives you some companies you may want to think about. Listen here today and I hope you profit from it.
Ep 341: Why You Should DO IT NOW
August 24, 2015 18:14 - 13 minutes - 6.01 MBBefore you start your podcast, should you have a specific niche in mind? James says no – you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. If it works, great. If not, then you can close it down and start another. Just do it for fun. Listen here today. I hope you enjoy it. Regards, David Newman P.S. For a very limited time, . All I ask is that you cover the shipping costs (just $5).
Ep 340: SPECIAL PRESENTATION: James Altucher Live (Sort of...)
August 21, 2015 21:37 - 1 hour - 30.6 MBI've been saving this recording for the day when James' schedule became so crazy he just couldn't record your daily dose of Ask Altucher. Today is that day... This is a presentation that James gave recently at the NJ Tech Meetup. WARNING: This recording does have a bit of explicit language, so listen at your own risk. Listen here today and I hope you enjoy it. Regards, David Newman
Ep 339: Cassey Ho, YouTube's Biggest Fitness Instructor, Tells How She Did It Her Way
August 20, 2015 20:46 - 38 minutes - 17.5 MBAre you willing to disobey your parents? Cassey Ho came from a typical Asian family. They gave her three choices for her career... doctor, lawyer or engineer. She had to bring honor to her family. But that wasn't Cassey's calling. She had the entrepreneurial spirit, and she just had to follow her dream. Fast-forward to today, and Cassey has almost 2.5 million subscribers to her YouTube channel , with one of her videos now approaching 7.5 million views. And that was just the beginning. She has...
Ep 338: Do You Fear Death?
August 19, 2015 17:04 - 13 minutes - 6.32 MBDo you fear the nothingness of death? That last thought, that last breath... James doesn't. Pain scares him, but not death. Listen here today as he and Claudia discuss the unknown. Regards, David Newman P.S. This Thursday, August 20th, James will be the featured guest on Product Hunt LIVE, a place to chat with the world's most interesting authors, artists, founders, investors, game creators, entertainers, and makers. For more information .
Ep 337: The Power of an Impossible No!
August 18, 2015 21:02 - 19 minutes - 9.04 MBWhat if the consequences of saying "no" are so strong, you feel like you just have to agree? James gives an example: Your boss demands that you change your plans at the last second and spend the weekend traveling for business, instead of doing what you had planned. Can you say "no" to him? Sure, but you'll probably lose your job, and that may not be an option. "No's" do have consequences. So what else can you do? Be prepared... Listen here today as James gives us a few hacks so this doesn't h...
Ep 336: Dominating a Room with Your Body Cues
August 17, 2015 20:22 - 41 minutes - 19.2 MBWhat if someone told you that your behavior was controlled by a powerful, invisible force? Nick Morgan, the author of , joins James today to tell the fantastic story of how, after a serious concussion that left him in a coma for about 10 days, Nick lost the ability to read other people he knew. He could no longer read their body language. He couldn't read the cues. After a couple of months of agony, something switched back on. That experience awakened in Nick a lifelong interest in body langu...
Ep 335: Q & A Day
August 14, 2015 19:40 - 17 minutes - 8.05 MBWhat's an effective way to deal with complainers? James says help the complainer focus on other things, and if they're a chronic complainer, then just remove yourself from the conversation. You'll notice the complaints will slow down. Why doesn't James have any external advertising on his blog or podcasts? James gives his honest answer and breaks some new news. How does James pick a book subject that he knows there is a demand for? He doesn't. Listen here today as James explains. Regards, Dav...
Ep 334: How to Make a GREAT Book
August 13, 2015 16:22 - 19 minutes - 8.81 MBAre you writing a thousand words a day, every day? You better be if you want to write a great book. Are you doing great research? Have you immersed yourself in the story? Are you writing everything down? James says you should start off with a moment of fear. Ask yourself, what are the 10 questions everyone is going to have? Good luck, and if you want James' guide to self-publishing, . Regards, David Newman
Ep 333: I’m Obsessed with Being Rich
August 12, 2015 20:53 - 17 minutes - 7.78 MBWe’re not talking about having enough money to take care of your human needs; we’re talking about getting rich. Today’s question comes from a twenty-year-old who says that’s all he can think about. The key to getting rich is to ask, who did I help today? Regards, David Newman
Ep 332: Ask Mollie
August 11, 2015 20:51 - 12 minutes - 5.78 MBJames delves into the mind of his 13-year-old daughter Mollie today. We start off with James asking Mollie about her favorite music, movies, and TV shows. They then talk about school. James has made Mollie an offer: She will never have to go to school again, if she'll just read one book a week and talk about it with him. She says... No thanks. to hear Mollie's answers. Regards, David Newman
Ep 331: How to Remember Everything You Read
August 10, 2015 19:40 - 17 minutes - 7.93 MBClaudia "The Snake Killer" has today's question, which is, how does James retain the information from all the books he reads? James usually reads about five books at the same time, making it through 20% of each book daily. If something interests him, he'll highlight it and write it down. And then he'll try to teach it to someone else. Listen here to hear James on the "mind palace" technique to memory recall. Regards, David Newman P.S. We're looking for a few great affiliates to help us get Ja...
Ep 330: How to Survive a Really Terrible Job
August 07, 2015 16:10 - 13 minutes - 6.36 MBI hate my boss. He's a real tyrant, but I can't quit because I need the money. James says, in order to become the rich employee, you need to tie your success to the success of the company. Encourage the people around you, as hard as that may seem. It will make you feel better. And, as intimidating as it may seem to leave your job, you need to start to take action. Start working today on finding another job. You could take courses online and learn new skills. Invest in yourself, starting today...
Ep 329: How You Can Get Your Dream Job
August 06, 2015 18:01 - 14 minutes - 6.71 MBWhat's the best way to get your dream job? A listener wrote in to say that he has been sending his "out-of-the-box ideas" to his company, but he hasn't heard back. Suddenly, the company has posted a job opening for something similar that he can do. He's wondering if he should just go through the normal routine and apply for the opening through the normal channels, or if he should get very creative, like Claudia did when she "applied" for the CEO position at Twitter. James says he should do bo...
Ep 328: Who Are the Gatekeepers in Your Life?
August 05, 2015 20:38 - 13 minutes - 6.33 MBToday, James, Claudia, Mollie, and Josie are podcasters in cars going to Whole Foods. Often, the biggest gatekeeper you'll run up against is in your own mind. You believe you have to use gatekeepers to become successful. What if you want to be a star in Hollywood? Do you need an agent (i.e., a gatekeeper)? The short answer is: no. Listen here to hear James and Claudia offer proof that you can do this yourself. Regards, David Newman P.S. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? A grea...
Ep 327: The 11 Funniest Movies Ever
August 04, 2015 16:27 - 17 minutes - 7.98 MBGood television tells great stories... In fact, James believes television is the best art form out there right now. It's better than the best movies and even better than most books. But they both do love to watch funny movies Here's a list of the 11 funniest movies ever, according to James and Claudia: 1. Superbab 2. This Is the End 3. The Hangover (James), Liar Liar (Claudia) 4. Groundhog Day (James), Trainwreck (Claudia) 5. Ben Stiller movies – Meet the Fockers, There's Something About...
Ep 326: Is Society Dying Because of Lack of Character?
August 03, 2015 13:54 - 10 minutes - 4.89 MBFirst, what is good character? A person who takes responsibility has good character. to hear James and Claudia talk about whether society is dying because of a lack of character. Be impeccable in your word… Regards, David Newman P.S. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? A great new resource shows a clever way to start a business, get a new job, find a retirement career, publish a book, make extra money in your spare time,
Ep 325: The One Question More Valuable than Money
July 31, 2015 15:06 - 13 minutes - 6.34 MBWhen is enough enough? Whenever money is your main goal, it will always disappoint you. At the end of the day, it's more important to ask yourself: "Who did I help today?" Regards, David Newman P.S. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? A great new resource shows a clever way to start a business, get a new job, find a retirement career, publish a book, make extra money in your spare time,
Ep 324: Super Nova Thursday
July 30, 2015 17:04 - 14 minutes - 6.5 MBJames answers a few questions in rapid-fire fashion. The first question is whether you should edit as you write. James says never. Your first draft is always terrible. Just race to the end. Write it, write it, and write it... Race to the end, and then sculpt it when you're finished. A listener writes in to ask James if he, as an author, should start using Quora. Another wants to know how to avoid taking criticism personally. Plus, someone wants to know more about why James doesn't read or lis...
Ep 323 How Has James Survived Being Married to Claudia for Five Years!?
July 29, 2015 22:22 - 19 minutes - 9.04 MBJames and Claudia celebrate five years of marriage on today's show. They talk about what marriage is really all about. It's not about your sex life, the money, or almost anything else... It's about becoming friends and handling problems. If there is love underneath... any problem can be solved. Because you will have problems... And to read James blog post on , click the link. Regards, David Newman P.S. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? A great new resource shows a clever way t...
Ep 322: The Hustle
July 28, 2015 19:04 - 38 minutes - 17.7 MBJames recently hired someone to completely rewrite Fifty Shades of Grey using a thesaurus to change every word. Unfortunately, he found out there are laws against this, so of course, he never published it James' guest, , joins him today to talk about a friend of a friend of his who claims he makes about $15,000 a month through the Amazon Kindle store selling books he "writes." He finds other people's books about dating and social relationships, reads the comments to see what people like and d...
Ep 321: How to Deal With Unrequited Love
July 27, 2015 15:54 - 12 minutes - 5.76 MBLove can be tough – especially when it's unrequited or unreturned. We've all been there... Are you sure that what you're feeling is love? If you truly care about someone, then you want the best for them. The best for them may not be the best for you. Love is not a gift that has to be returned. Regards, David Newman P.S. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? A great new resource shows a clever way to start a business, get a new job, find a retirement career, publish a book, make ex...
Ep 320: What is the Difference Between School and Real Life?
July 24, 2015 15:41 - 15 minutes - 7.03 MBIn school, in order to get an "A" you have to get 90% of the questions right. But in business, if you make just 50% of your decisions correctly, you're an "A+" leader. Do most of you really need to learn trigonometry, algebra or geometry? Why to they keep teaching this to everyone? Real life business is about strategy, persuasion, and writing. Writing is a critical skill to learn, but most schools never spend enough time focusing on it. Instead, students read Shakespeare and Homer and write r...