Business Development & Entrepreneurship
![Dan Martell - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_dan_martell.jpg)
Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire
Learn to conquer the one real hurdle to scaling your company and growing rich: Time
How you use your free time will make or break your success. The secret? It's not about working harder or finding more time to do work. It's about designing the freedom to engage in the high-value work that brings you energy and fulfillment. This is at the heart of the message that has made Dan Martell the world's most popular SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) coach. Now, in his first book, Buy Back Your Time, he teaches entrepreneurs at every level how to scale their business, fast, while avoiding burnout. Trading money for time-that is, literally buying back free space in your calendar-will give you more financial success than you ever dreamed was possible.
With over two decades of experience as a serial entrepreneur and founder, Dan Martell will teach you the secrets to work less and play more while building an empire. He'll dig into the practical steps that will allow you to start buying back time immediately, while also developing operating procedures and hiring practices that will ensure rapid and robust growth. And he will teach you how to invest in your newfound time wisely-at work and at home-so you keep building your empire while living your best life.
Buy Back Your Time is the definitive guide for entrepreneurs at every level on how to succeed in business while enjoying more freedom than you ever imagined.
How you use your free time will make or break your success. The secret? It's not about working harder or finding more time to do work. It's about designing the freedom to engage in the high-value work that brings you energy and fulfillment. This is at the heart of the message that has made Dan Martell the world's most popular SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) coach. Now, in his first book, Buy Back Your Time, he teaches entrepreneurs at every level how to scale their business, fast, while avoiding burnout. Trading money for time-that is, literally buying back free space in your calendar-will give you more financial success than you ever dreamed was possible.
With over two decades of experience as a serial entrepreneur and founder, Dan Martell will teach you the secrets to work less and play more while building an empire. He'll dig into the practical steps that will allow you to start buying back time immediately, while also developing operating procedures and hiring practices that will ensure rapid and robust growth. And he will teach you how to invest in your newfound time wisely-at work and at home-so you keep building your empire while living your best life.
Buy Back Your Time is the definitive guide for entrepreneurs at every level on how to succeed in business while enjoying more freedom than you ever imagined.
Editorial Reviews
"A no-nonsense playbook for how to build a thriving business empire all while living your best life. Dan Martell makes complex systems as simple as 1-2-3."- Lewis Howes, New York Times bestselling author and host of The School of Greatness
"Dan distills a career of building and scaling companies into a masterclass of simple, actionable steps that will help you regain control of your life. The fact that your customers and employees will love interacting with you even more after you read this book is just icing on the cake."- Joey Coleman, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Never Lose a Customer Again and Never Lose an Employee Again
"Buy Back Your Time tells Dan Martell's story of going from prison to successful serial entrepreneur. When the chaos of work threatened to completely overwhelm other meaningful pursuits like family and giving back, Dan devised methods and systems to reprioritize and create balance, crafting the life he wanted to have and also a way to share the fruits of his journey with others." - Eric Reis, author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way
"There are books on 'time management' for entrepreneurs but never a book on ‘time freedom.' This is one-of-a-kind advice from someone who has scaled businesses all while living an incredible lifestyle. A must read."- Todd Herman, author of The Alter Ego Effect
"Dan has read over 1200 business and productivity books, so you don't have to. Buy Back Your Time shows you how to grow your empire without missing family dinners."- Gagan Biyani, Co-Founder of Udemy.com and CEO of Maven.com
"Dan is literally the only coach I recommend to founders, and it's because he is truly world-class. His frameworks are the gold standard. I'm grateful to call him a mentor and friend." - Leila Hormozi, CEO of Acquisition.com
"They say those that can't do teach, but not here.... Dan did it, then masterfully taught it. A book on living a life you don't want to retire from and how to live your retirement dream today."- Garret Gunderson, New York Times bestselling author of Killing Sacred Cows
"This book sits between the E-Myth and 4-Hour Wor...
"Dan distills a career of building and scaling companies into a masterclass of simple, actionable steps that will help you regain control of your life. The fact that your customers and employees will love interacting with you even more after you read this book is just icing on the cake."- Joey Coleman, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Never Lose a Customer Again and Never Lose an Employee Again
"Buy Back Your Time tells Dan Martell's story of going from prison to successful serial entrepreneur. When the chaos of work threatened to completely overwhelm other meaningful pursuits like family and giving back, Dan devised methods and systems to reprioritize and create balance, crafting the life he wanted to have and also a way to share the fruits of his journey with others." - Eric Reis, author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way
"There are books on 'time management' for entrepreneurs but never a book on ‘time freedom.' This is one-of-a-kind advice from someone who has scaled businesses all while living an incredible lifestyle. A must read."- Todd Herman, author of The Alter Ego Effect
"Dan has read over 1200 business and productivity books, so you don't have to. Buy Back Your Time shows you how to grow your empire without missing family dinners."- Gagan Biyani, Co-Founder of Udemy.com and CEO of Maven.com
"Dan is literally the only coach I recommend to founders, and it's because he is truly world-class. His frameworks are the gold standard. I'm grateful to call him a mentor and friend." - Leila Hormozi, CEO of Acquisition.com
"They say those that can't do teach, but not here.... Dan did it, then masterfully taught it. A book on living a life you don't want to retire from and how to live your retirement dream today."- Garret Gunderson, New York Times bestselling author of Killing Sacred Cows
"This book sits between the E-Myth and 4-Hour Wor...
Readers Top Reviews
Robert M.Joanna E
I have been following Dan's content for several years. You can tell this book is very thoughtfully put together and based on years of prior experience. I am someone who has struggled enormously with delegation. This book acts as a practical guide to freeing up time to work on the things that are both high value and light me up. I have already recommended this book to several people and will continue to do so.
Victor HerreraVic
I’m being an entrepreneur for more that 10 years. And now (thanks to Dan Martell) I honestly know that I’ve been doing a huge mistake over and over again (for years!). You don’t have to be the super hero of your company. That mentality is holding you and your company away from real success. Dan’s master piece book (Buy Back Your Time) is something you MUST read if you have one or many years of hard work in your own company. And for some reason you just don’t grow. When your start reading all that examples Dan’s talks about is like a mirror of yourself. Every bad decision is there. But the great thing is, you will fond how to solve it once for all.
Chris SmithVictor
I never say this about a book, but this one is life-changing. Within the first two days of reading, I got back several hours each week to focus on doing the things that light me up and allow me to have a bigger impact on my business and family. I keep buying copies for all my clients, family, and friends. This book is incredibly inspiring and eye-opening. I don't care how successful you are. Once you start reading, you will quickly identify where you are wasting time. Most of us as entrepreneurs have bought into the lie that growth in our business had to come at the expense of our freedom. That is different based on what I have experienced with this book. You can grow your business and your freedom at the same time if you know how. Want to have more time so you can do more of what you love and make more money? Want to have more time to make a bigger difference in the world and spend more time with your family? Buy this book.
Jay RodgersJay Ro
Did you ever sell something WAY too cheap....?!? I have. More times than I care to admit. We have ALL sold our time too cheaply at one time or another. I read this book looking for insights on how to 10X my business - and enjoy the process. Martell over-delivers in the best way: insights & wisdom, presented with an actionable plan, delivered with an authentic voice (from a guy with an unbelievable track record - in business and in life). MY BIG AHA'S: * Understanding the BuyBack Loop (moving past pain points that occur in a broken or underperforming business with a straightforward 3 step strategy) * The DRIP Matrix: how to move from trading your time for money to trading your money for more money (while enjoying the process- the ULTIMATE freedom) * Tools for leverage - fast tracking building your PLAYBOOK (something I have struggled with) * The "Test First" Hiring Method * Tons more..... EVERY chapter had value, but the real magic was putting it all together. I felt like I was sitting across the table from a REALLY smart, MASSIVELY successful friend, who was INTENT ON HELPING ME ACHIEVE MY DREAMS.
CoryCoryJay Rodge
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK The content has changed my life and know from the bottom of my heart it can change you or someone that you live. As an entrepreneur, I often feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get everything I want done. In the past, I have felt like I need to do everything myself because no one else can do them better than me. This has led me to work an insane amount of hours and still feel like there is a ton to do. Well....after reading Dans book it taught me how to Audit my time, transfer the tasks that don't light me up to other team members and fill my calendar with tasks that light me up, help drive my business forward and that only I can unique do. This and all the principles in the book have helped me up-level my skills and mindset to a place that I need to take my business to the next level. In that light, I would love to invite you to purchase Dans book for yourself or others you feel this could serve. Dan Martell is one of the people I look up to most. He creates the highest value content out there and I promise this will provide a 100X ROI on your time. Dan has such a special way of teaching concepts that stick and have a lasting impact.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
How I Buy Back My Life
Goals are about the results you want to achieve.
Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.
-James Clear
By the time Sean found me, he was in the fight of his life.
"I can barely leave the house, I can't take a full breath, and I'm having panic attacks regularly. I'm living a nightmare," he told me.
A few months before, Sean had led a major re-architecture of the backend code that powered his company's apps. He worked fourteen-hour days, seven days a week, to see the project through. They finished by Christmas, so Sean took a few days off to bring his wife and her sister to Disneyland. After ten minutes of walking through the park, he felt dizzy, his chest was tight, and he couldn't breathe. He found a bench to rest and assured his family, "I'm fine. Go on. I'll catch up."
Sean wasn't fine. His heart and mind were racing. Am I having a heart attack at the happiest place on Earth? he asked himself. Eventually, Sean got off his bench and rejoined his family.
But when he returned home, reality came knocking, and his symptoms returned. Medical tests revealed his heart was fine. The real problem? Anxiety. This puzzled Sean because he'd never once had a panic attack, until now.
Soon he was having them twice a week. By March 2020-three short months after his nightmare at Disneyland-Sean was in bed most days, paralyzed by his body's fight-or-flight response. His physical state was so low, even joining video calls (which COVID-19 had made standard by then) was impossible. Sean did everything he could. He studied self-help books, tried meditation, and even forced himself to exercise, which was exhausting in his condition. Nothing worked.
Before Disneyland, Sean was a young and enthusiastic entrepreneur: a thirty-four-year-old, well-educated, hardworking businessman. He studied finance in college, worked on Wall Street, and started his second company (which developed a suite of applications that helps small businesses increase online sales) in 2015. Within four years, he had ten employees, a dozen apps, and more than 640,000 active daily users. By most accounts, he was successful.
Like many good entrepreneurs, Sean was immersed in the details of his company. He tackled most tasks himself because "that's how you get things done right." Plus, he had the expertise to back it up. In college, he'd taken accounting, so he knew how to keep the company's books. He also knew how to code, so he touched every piece of his software developers' work. He even booked his own travel plans and scheduled his own meetings.
Sean had built a successful company, piece by piece. Using his intellect and prior experiences, he'd laid the foundation for an enterprise that provided for his family, employed others, and created value in the marketplace. While there were long days and sacrifices, it had all seemed worth it. Until now.
At thirty-four, everything came to a grinding halt. His body had said "Enough is enough." Now his company's growth seemed in jeopardy, and everything he'd worked hard to achieve seemed as if it were resting on a crumbling founder who could barely get out of bed.
I've been able to work with hundreds of interesting people, mostly entrepreneurs who are passionate about their companies. Sometimes, I'm helping them scale their sales teams, or coaching them on finding top talent or where to spend their marketing dollars. More often-and this is what I really love-I'm helping entrepreneurs find what's eating up all their time and energy. Once we unlock that together, I can help them get back to what's lighting them up and bringing them money.
But when Sean, the founder of multiple software companies, came to me in 2020, he wasn't just looking for a growth strategy, a marketing plan, or even a way to save time, money, and energy.
He was looking for a way to save his life.
Breaking the Toxic
"Get Sh*t Done" Mentality
A UC Berkeley study showed that entrepreneurs are significantly more likely to report a lifetime history of depression, ADHD, substance abuse, and bipolar disorder. Most of us founders start our companies with good intentions-to provide solutions, to disrupt the market, or to spend more time with family and friends. With all these plans for a better future, why are we struggling with a litany of physical and mental health issues?
The answer?
We've subconsciously slipped into a pit of deception: The more I work, the more productive my business will be. On the surface, this makes sense. Work hard, stay ahead. That's the enticing part-the reason we get tricked. But over time, a hard-work ethic can lead entrepreneurs to believe one thing: more in...
How I Buy Back My Life
Goals are about the results you want to achieve.
Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.
-James Clear
By the time Sean found me, he was in the fight of his life.
"I can barely leave the house, I can't take a full breath, and I'm having panic attacks regularly. I'm living a nightmare," he told me.
A few months before, Sean had led a major re-architecture of the backend code that powered his company's apps. He worked fourteen-hour days, seven days a week, to see the project through. They finished by Christmas, so Sean took a few days off to bring his wife and her sister to Disneyland. After ten minutes of walking through the park, he felt dizzy, his chest was tight, and he couldn't breathe. He found a bench to rest and assured his family, "I'm fine. Go on. I'll catch up."
Sean wasn't fine. His heart and mind were racing. Am I having a heart attack at the happiest place on Earth? he asked himself. Eventually, Sean got off his bench and rejoined his family.
But when he returned home, reality came knocking, and his symptoms returned. Medical tests revealed his heart was fine. The real problem? Anxiety. This puzzled Sean because he'd never once had a panic attack, until now.
Soon he was having them twice a week. By March 2020-three short months after his nightmare at Disneyland-Sean was in bed most days, paralyzed by his body's fight-or-flight response. His physical state was so low, even joining video calls (which COVID-19 had made standard by then) was impossible. Sean did everything he could. He studied self-help books, tried meditation, and even forced himself to exercise, which was exhausting in his condition. Nothing worked.
Before Disneyland, Sean was a young and enthusiastic entrepreneur: a thirty-four-year-old, well-educated, hardworking businessman. He studied finance in college, worked on Wall Street, and started his second company (which developed a suite of applications that helps small businesses increase online sales) in 2015. Within four years, he had ten employees, a dozen apps, and more than 640,000 active daily users. By most accounts, he was successful.
Like many good entrepreneurs, Sean was immersed in the details of his company. He tackled most tasks himself because "that's how you get things done right." Plus, he had the expertise to back it up. In college, he'd taken accounting, so he knew how to keep the company's books. He also knew how to code, so he touched every piece of his software developers' work. He even booked his own travel plans and scheduled his own meetings.
Sean had built a successful company, piece by piece. Using his intellect and prior experiences, he'd laid the foundation for an enterprise that provided for his family, employed others, and created value in the marketplace. While there were long days and sacrifices, it had all seemed worth it. Until now.
At thirty-four, everything came to a grinding halt. His body had said "Enough is enough." Now his company's growth seemed in jeopardy, and everything he'd worked hard to achieve seemed as if it were resting on a crumbling founder who could barely get out of bed.
I've been able to work with hundreds of interesting people, mostly entrepreneurs who are passionate about their companies. Sometimes, I'm helping them scale their sales teams, or coaching them on finding top talent or where to spend their marketing dollars. More often-and this is what I really love-I'm helping entrepreneurs find what's eating up all their time and energy. Once we unlock that together, I can help them get back to what's lighting them up and bringing them money.
But when Sean, the founder of multiple software companies, came to me in 2020, he wasn't just looking for a growth strategy, a marketing plan, or even a way to save time, money, and energy.
He was looking for a way to save his life.
Breaking the Toxic
"Get Sh*t Done" Mentality
A UC Berkeley study showed that entrepreneurs are significantly more likely to report a lifetime history of depression, ADHD, substance abuse, and bipolar disorder. Most of us founders start our companies with good intentions-to provide solutions, to disrupt the market, or to spend more time with family and friends. With all these plans for a better future, why are we struggling with a litany of physical and mental health issues?
The answer?
We've subconsciously slipped into a pit of deception: The more I work, the more productive my business will be. On the surface, this makes sense. Work hard, stay ahead. That's the enticing part-the reason we get tricked. But over time, a hard-work ethic can lead entrepreneurs to believe one thing: more in...
