Buy Back Your Time is a definitive guide for entrepreneurs at every level, teaching them how to scale their business quickly while avoiding burnout. The book introduces the 'Buy Back Principle,' which emphasizes hiring people to do repetitive and low-value tasks, allowing entrepreneurs to focus on high-value activities that bring energy and fulfillment. Dan Martell provides practical steps, frameworks like the 'replacement ladder' and 'DRIP matrix,' and strategies for outsourcing, automation, and prioritization to enhance both professional and personal life. The book is structured around key frameworks and tools, making it a valuable resource for entrepreneurs looking to achieve a better work-life balance and build a thriving business empire.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a framework created by Marshall Rosenberg that aims to enhance communication by promoting compassion and empathy. The book outlines a four-step process for effective communication: observing what is happening without judgment, identifying and expressing feelings, recognizing and articulating needs, and making clear requests. Rosenberg emphasizes the importance of separating observations from evaluations to avoid defensiveness and promote genuine human connections. The book includes practical exercises, role-plays, and real-life examples to illustrate how NVC can be applied in various relationships and situations, including personal, professional, and conflict resolution contexts. It also discusses how NVC can help in developing self-compassion and resolving conflicts by focusing on the underlying needs rather than the actions that trigger emotions[1][3][5].
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber dispels the myths about starting your own business, highlighting that most small business owners are not true entrepreneurs but rather technicians skilled in their trade. Gerber introduces the concept of the 'E-Myth' and explains that business owners must embody three key roles: the Entrepreneur (the visionary), the Manager (the organizer), and the Technician (the doer). The book emphasizes the distinction between working 'on' your business and working 'in' your business, and provides practical advice on building systems and processes to ensure a business can run independently of its owner.
While a ton of business owners today are chasing the next AI hack or automation craze, Jon and Peter return to a foundational truth: leverage isn’t a tactic - it’s a philosophy.
Today they’re talking about “Matt’s Hierarchy of Leverage,” a napkin-sketch turned mental model that redefines how small business owners should think about time, talent, and tools. Rather than obsessing over AI for AI’s sake, they explore leverage as a quiet system of compounding returns: replacing complexity with clarity, chaos with delegation, and brute effort with thoughtful structure.
At its core, the hierarchy isn’t about removing yourself from the business - it’s about repositioning your energy where it matters most. From global talent to smart systems, from automation to delegation, each rung down the pyramid creates space to climb higher in impact. AI isn't magic; it's just another train in a well-built transportation system, but that system still needs the roads, trucks, and drivers to lay the path.
They challenge operators: What will you do with the margin you earn? More cash? Better product? A month off? There’s no right answer - only trade-offs.
Jon and Peter aren’t interested in glossy tech dreams or lazy business hacks. They’re here for the long game - where leverage is earned, not bought. Where progress isn’t driven by viral trends, but by disciplined execution. And where the true win isn’t freedom from work, but freedom to choose the right work.
In a noisy age of shiny tools, this is a blueprint for quiet scale.
Key Topics:
(02:00) Introducing Matt’s Hierarchy of Leverage
(10:30) Systemization, SOPs, and Hiring B-Players
(22:00) Saying No: The Key to Moving Work Down the Pyramid
(37:12) AI Starts Taking Jobs (For Real This Time)
(43:00) What Will You Do With the Increased Margin?
Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following:
Jon: @MatznerJon on X and at lazyleverage.beehiiv.com
Peter: @pslohmann on X and at peterlohmann.com
Lazy Leverage 
