As an entrepreneur for well over a decade, I’ve seen how the pursuit of working less and earning more is one of the most misleading and frankly dumbest goals floating around the internet today. Don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing wrong with wanting freedom. But if you’re in this for the long haul, the real goal isn’t to work less and earn more; it’s to build leverage.
If you’re in the process of building a business or already have one that doesn’t require much of your day-to-day attention, let’s talk about how to build leverage in a meaningful and strategic way.
Why “Work Less and Earn More” Misses the Point
Let’s face it: working less isn’t the endgame. I’ve worked with countless entrepreneurs, and I know that eventually, you’ll get to a place where you have more freedom. But here’s the catch: you can only golf so much, and you’ll eventually crave meaningful work. If you don’t know what to focus on, that freedom can feel aimless.
So, what should you focus on? The answer is simple: build leverage.
The Three Types of Leverage You Should Build
1️⃣ Labor Leverage
Labor leverage is when you have other people doing work for you. But don’t be fooled—it’s not as simple as just hiring someone. You have to develop your leadership skills and build a team that can operate independently. I’ve seen this firsthand across multiple businesses I own—where I’m not the CEO and don’t even own 100% because I understand that giving up some control is worth the leverage it creates.
Building labor leverage is like building a great marriage—it takes intention, attention, and effort. This is the hardest type of leverage to build, but once you have it, you’re no longer the bottleneck. You’re free to focus on bigger and better things.
2️⃣ Capital Leverage
Once you’ve nailed labor leverage, it’s time to start investing the money you’re making. This is where you start putting your personal income into assets that generate income on their own. I don’t recommend trying to build capital leverage if you’re still struggling to generate consistent income. Get your labor leverage in place first, then start investing.
For me, this meant buying single-family homes and other assets that continue to pay me. When you have passive income from capital leverage, you can afford to take bigger swings in your business without risking everything.
3️⃣ Content (Media) Leverage
The final type of leverage is content—creating assets that continue to work for you even when you’re not actively involved. This blog post, for example, is part of my content leverage. I’ve spent years building businesses through paid ads, email newsletters, and podcasts. But now, I’m investing time in building content that compounds over time.
Content leverage takes years to build, but it’s worth it. It doesn’t have to be a YouTube channel like I’m doing—it could be software, writing, or any asset that helps your business scale and build leverage.
Why Building Leverage Matters
The whole idea of working less and earning more? It sounds great, but it’s not about doing nothing. If you’re truly building leverage, you’ll have freedom, but you’ll also have purpose. Building leverage gives you more time, more financial freedom, and more opportunities to take risks that grow your business.
And if you’re ever unsure what you should be doing as an entrepreneur? The answer is always the same: build leverage. Go back to labor, capital, or content leverage and start building. That’s how you create long-term success.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Time-stamped Show Notes:
- [0:30] Introduction: why “work less, earn more” isn’t the real goal
- [2:00] My story about an entrepreneur who got stuck after “achieving freedom”
- [3:10] What is leverage and why it’s the real focus
- [4:05] Labor leverage: the hardest but most important form of leverage
- [6:40] Why labor leverage is like building a great marriage
- [8:10] How giving up equity (or paying high salaries) creates more leverage
- [10:00] Capital leverage: when and how to start investing
- [12:45] How capital leverage gives you flexibility and freedom
- [15:00] Content leverage: why I’m focused on building it now
- [17:40] Why content is a long-term play, but worth it
- [19:00] Bringing it all together: build leverage to build freedom
- [20:00] Closing thoughts: focus on labor, capital, and content leverage to build the life you want