Best Jon Matzner Podcasts (2026)

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The Barbell Approach to Everything: Business Operations, Media Consumption, and Life Changes | Lazy Leverage #89 48:10

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3d ago48:10

48:10

Peter admits he's stuck in patterns. He’s not quite burnt out, but feeling the weight of deeply grooved neural pathways at 40. Jon responds with what he calls his "wacko" idea: ketamine therapy as a tool for breaking mental ruts. Speaking metaphorically, he says that Ketamine fills in the snow tracks your mind has carved, giving you a chance to cre…

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How the 37% Rule Solves Hiring, House Hunting, and Life's Biggest Decisions | Lazy Leverage #88 44:03

10d ago44:03

44:03

The secretary problem is one of mathematics' most elegant solutions to a universal challenge: how do you know when to stop looking and commit? Peter suggests interviewing 37% of your candidate pool without hiring anyone, then hire the next person who's better than everyone in that first group. It’s a pretty universal tactic, whether we’re talking h…

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The Single Most Important Business Concept: Theory of Constraints Explained | Lazy Leverage #87 1:15:46

16d ago1:15:46

1:15:46

The Theory of Constraints is arguably the most powerful framework for small business operations. Yet it's deeply counterintuitive. Jon opens by calling this "the single most interesting concept" he's wrestled with in years, one that sits at the heart of everything he does at Sagan. On a more practical level, Peter sees the concept as answering two …

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The Death of Cover Letters: AI, Costly Signals, and the Broken Job Market | Lazy Leverage #86 53:31

19d ago53:31

53:31

AI has fundamentally broken the traditional job application process. What’s an employer to do? Jon and Peter dissect an academic paper titled "Making Talk Cheap: Generative AI and Labor Market Signaling," which examines how large language models have disrupted markets that historically relied on writing as a costly signal of quality. Specifically, …

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Floors & Ceilings: The Anti-Perfectionist Framework for Business Owners | Lazy Leverage #85 42:12

25d ago42:12

42:12

Jon and Peter explore three frameworks that challenge conventional wisdom about running small businesses. They reveal why all-or-nothing thinking kills momentum, when authentic transparency becomes a liability, and how AI is forcing a reckoning with what real value looks like. They unpack what they call the “floors-and-ceilings” concept, which refr…

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Why Your Best People Are 8,000 Miles Away | Lazy Leverage #84 43:04

1M ago43:04

43:04

According to Jacob Kline of Inkline Homes, his remote Filipino team members outperform his local American workers at a fraction of the cost, and they actually ask for more work on slow days. After seven years flipping 300 double wide mobile homes in Florida, Jacob's building something radical at Incline Homes: luxury construction quality at bottom-…

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Building Internal Software That Actually Gets Used | Lazy Leverage #83 13:52

1M ago13:52

13:52

Jon and Anna walk through Sagan's dramatic talent pool transformation. From clunky PDFs to a sophisticated searchable platform, they’re demonstrating what modern internal software development looks like in the AI era. The original concept, simply, is that candidates who didn't get hired were already vetted, interviewed, and qualified. Rather than l…

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The Barnacle Problem: Why Your Business Keeps Slowing Down | Lazy Leverage #82 45:28

1M ago45:28

45:28

Jon and Peter dive deep into a problem every growing business faces: team members saying "I'm too busy" and processes accumulating like barnacles on a ship's hull. More than just a matter of workload management, this issue is about the fundamental architecture of how work gets done. So what exactly makes up these "barnacles"? According to Jon, it’s…

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Radical Candor Across Cultures: High Care, High Honesty | Lazy Leverage #81 20:07

2M ago20:07

20:07

Jon sits down with Sagan’s Head of Recruitment, Sofía Bravo, to talk about what American team leaders often overlook when working with people from Latin America. Sofía identifies the Latin American default: when something goes wrong, the immediate response is performative work: lengthy reports, detailed timelines, exhaustive documentation. These ar…

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Specific, Shared, Supported: The Leadership Standard That Actually Works | Lazy Leverage #80 17:54

2M ago17:54

17:54

Christian Ruf, special operations veteran turned executive search leader, delivers a masterclass in expectation-setting that exposes why most delegation fails before it begins. Effective leadership, according to Christian, rests on four pillars: feedback, accountability, consistency, and expectations. But expectations come first. Without clear stan…

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Career Transitions Without Burning Bridges | Lazy Leverage #79 47:11

2M ago47:11

47:11

Jon and Peter tackle two challenges facing successful entrepreneurs: being truly present with family despite physical attendance, and navigating career transitions without severing valuable connections. Ever felt "a million miles away at work” when spending time with family? You’re not alone. It’s a common paradox that many an entrepreneur has to d…

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Military Leadership Meets Small Business Operations: Why Former Operators Make Perfect GMs | Lazy Leverage #78 33:47

2M ago33:47

33:47

Jon sits down with Christian Ruf to discuss why labor-intensive small businesses need both affordable global talent and battle-tested leaders who thrive in chaos. Christian’s specialty is recruiting former military personnel. He’s not just thanking veterans for their service, but also solving a specific problem for lower-middle-market companies stu…

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Why Strategic Partnerships Beat Membership Drives | Lazy Leverage #77 51:07

2M ago51:07

51:07

Jon and Peter tackle the hardest pivot for operator-minded entrepreneurs: recognizing when systematic optimization becomes a distraction from strategic leverage. Peter's consulting for AppFolio, a publicly-traded property management software company with thousands of customers in Crane's exact target market. He's speaking on stage with their CMO at…

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The New Manager's Dilemma: Why You Can't Review Every Email | Lazy Leverage #76 30:38

2M ago30:38

30:38

Jon coaches Priscilla, a first-time manager at Sagan, through one of management's fundamental challenges: being accountable for everything while not doing everything yourself. Priscilla manages six recruiters and struggles with the classic new manager trap: when something goes wrong, she pulls control back and starts reviewing every email. Jon intr…

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Building Software Your Team Actually Uses | Lazy Leverage #75 51:40

2M ago51:40

51:40

Jon and Peter crack open the real opportunity in AI for small businesses (hint: it's not what most operators think). Forget personal productivity hacks that save you five minutes on email. Forget launching the next big SaaS product that becomes a customer support nightmare. The gold sits squarely in category two: internal tools for your team. Jon's…

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The Crane Break: Why Taking a Month Off Reveals Everything Wrong With Your Business | Lazy Leverage #74 45:52

3M ago45:52

45:52

Jon and Peter explore how stepping away from your business acts as the ultimate forcing function for operational excellence. Peter's "Crane break" concept (taking a month off annually) isn't about vacation; it's about exposing every bottleneck, dependency, and broken process that keeps you chained to daily operations. By putting the break on the ca…

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The High-Pay Debate: When to Invest in Expensive Talent | Lazy Leverage #73 42:53

3M ago42:53

42:53

Jon and Peter debate their contrasting approaches to building teams in small businesses. Jon champions a "build" philosophy - hiring entry-level talent, particularly global workers, and developing them into leaders over time. His approach is deeply influenced by Marine Corps culture, particularly when it comes to indoctrination, loyalty, and creati…

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Why Your Team's AI Tools Are Still Just Fancy Shovels (And How to Force the Bulldozer) | Lazy Leverage #72 1:00:19

4M ago1:00:19

1:00:19

In this episode, Peter sits down with Jon Matzner to discuss the integration of artificial intelligence in small business operations. They begin by exploring the host’s day-to-day challenges and how to stay on top of AI implementation within his own company. Jon shares how Sagan uses AI to streamline processes and emphasizes the importance of found…

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From Wall Street to Water Heaters: The Counterintuitive Playbook for 4x Growth in 3 Years | Lazy Leverage #71 51:48

4M ago51:48

51:48

Jon sits down with Aizik Zimerman, who bought J. Blanton Plumbing three years ago at $6 million in revenue and has since grown it to a $25 million run rate—without acquiring a single company. His secret? He doesn't think he runs a plumbing company at all. "We're a consumer sales and marketing business," Aizik says. "We just happen to install plumbi…

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Why Cold Calling Property Owners is Like Asking if Their Pipes are Leaking | Lazy Leverage #70 41:23

4M ago41:23

41:23

Why do some businesses thrive on cold outreach and educational content while others find these tactics completely ineffective? Peter draws on his own recent experience where, despite running monthly webinars all year with heavy promotion across multiple channels, his property management company barely attracts 20 live attendees (half being employee…

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Why Your 100-Person Newsletter Beats a 100,000-Person Audience (And Commands 10x the Price) | Lazy Leverage #69 49:23

5M ago49:23

49:23

Jon and Peter crack open one of the most perplexing puzzles in modern B2B marketing: why Peter's tiny 15,000-subscriber newsletter drives a significant fraction of what Daring Fireball makes with 2.5 million monthly visitors. And why Shaan Puri, with his top-10 business podcast, converted exactly 6 customers from 550 referrals to Somewhere. The con…

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A Peak into Strategy - Good or Bad Idea? | Lazy Leverage #68 39:43

5M ago39:43

39:43

Jon and Peter dive into one of those ideas that sounds crazy at first but might actually be brilliant: buying luxury vacation properties as a business expense that doubles as a killer member benefit. Jon's been noodling on this concept for months, and it's finally survived his brutal idea-filtering process (which involves annoying everyone from his…

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The StoryBrand Framework: Why Your Marketing Message Is Confusing Everyone | Lazy Leverage #67 1:03:02

5M ago1:03:02

1:03:02

Jon sits down with Wes Gay, a StoryBrand certified consultant who's been living and breathing the framework for almost a decade. He’s here to break down why most business messaging falls flat (and how to fix it). The conversation dives deep into the seven-part StoryBrand framework, which treats your customer as the hero of their own story while pos…

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Why Your AI and Automation Projects Keep Failing (And How to Actually Make Them Work) | Lazy Leverage #66 43:21

5M ago43:21

43:21

Jon sits down with Brian Wilson, a retired Marine Corps Major who now heads Sagan's Knowledge and Automation group, to break down why most business owners are terrible at implementing AI and automation (and it's not for the reasons you might think). Right off the bat, Brian gives us a reality check: most people creating content about AI and automat…

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The Reality of Small Business Litigation: Defense, Offense, and Everything In Between | Lazy Leverage #65 1:07:04

6M ago1:07:04

1:07:04

Jon and Peter tackle one of the most stressful parts of running a business that nobody talks about: getting sued. Or threatened with lawsuits. Or dealing with angry lawyers sending nasty letters demanding ridiculous amounts of money. It happens to almost every business owner, but nobody shares war stories because of shame, legal settlements with ga…

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Don’t Just Solve the Problem - Solve It Forever | Lazy Leverage #64 47:14

6M ago47:14

47:14

Peter unpacks what he learned from taking a full month off (his fourth annual sabbatical) including what worked, what didn’t, and how stepping back clarified his relationship with work, team leadership, and systems. Spoiler: nothing broke. The business ran just fine. And that’s the point. Jon and Peter dive into how structured time off isn’t just a…

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Looking Beyond VAs: Building Leaders, Not Just Task-Doers | Lazy Leverage #63 34:42

6M ago34:42

34:42

Hiring a VA is easy. Turning them into a leader? That’s where most founders stall out. Jon and Binsi unpack how to stop recycling task-doers and start developing talent, explaining why reframing roles is the first step toward long-term leverage. Jon breaks down the difference between delegation and development, while Binsi - Sagan’s newly minted ma…

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Architecting Work: The Blueprint for Scale, Sanity, and Leverage | Lazy Leverage #62 42:11

7M ago42:11

42:11

Jon and Peter explore a deceptively simple but powerful concept: architecting how work gets done. Inspired by Profit Coach and shaped through years of trial and error, it’s more than systems and tools - it’s about intentionally designing workflows that enable scale, accountability, and freedom. They start by defining what “done” looks like, then di…

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The 4-Level System That Lets You Take a Month Off Every Year | Lazy Leverage #61 55:00

7M ago55:00

55:00

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, an…

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Trust at Scale: How Content Compounds When You Do It Right | Lazy Leverage #60 48:42

8M ago48:42

48:42

In a time where brands everywhere churn out content for clout, Jon and Peter make the case that there is power in focusing on niche over noise. They talk about the difference between running a media business—one dependent on clicks, views, and CPMs—and running a business powered by media. The latter isn’t chasing virality. It’s using content to bui…

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The Hidden Power of Low Leverage (And How to Use It Strategically) | Lazy Leverage #59 58:08

8M ago58:08

58:08

In an age obsessed with scale, speed, and leverage, it’s easy to forget that the best long-term advantage might come from doing the exact opposite. Call it the "Low Leverage Advantage." When you're early in your career—or launching something new—there’s a strong case for diving into the work yourself. Not delegating. Not automating. Just doing. Nee…

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Why Your Business Problems Are Actually Leadership Problems (And How to Fix Them) | Lazy Leverage #58 44:13

8M ago44:13

44:13

Most small business owners think leadership is instinctual—something you figure out once you’re “in charge”. But if your managers act like friends, choke on tough conversations, or drown their teams in bureaucracy—you've got a leadership gap that’s preventing you from taking your company to the next level.. Today, Jon and Peter break down why leade…

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Why “Just Slack Me” Doesn’t Work Globally (and What to Do Instead) | Lazy Leverage #57 44:03

8M ago44:03

44:03

Most business owners don’t think they have a “culture problem.” But if your team misses deadlines, seems afraid to speak up, or quits without notice—you’ve got one. This isn’t a vibes issue. It’s a systemic one. Today Jon sits down with Sagan’s Head of Product, Binsi Das, to break down the hidden culture traps that derail global teams. Here’s what’…

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Why Notebook LM Might Be the Sleeper AI Tool of the Year | Lazy Leverage #56 44:58

9M ago44:58

44:58

Google quietly dropped an AI tool that could replace half your tech stack. Its name? NotebookLM. Think ChatGPT, but with deep integration into your documents and a smarter memory. You can feed it PDFs, YouTube transcripts, Google Docs, or even random web pages. From there, it becomes like a supercharged research assistant that not only remembers wh…

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Stop Using AI to Make Horses Faster: Design for the Future Now | Lazy Leverage #55 46:47

9M ago46:47

46:47

AI isn’t here to replace your team—it’s here to give them time back. Join Jon and Peter as they explore how the right interfaces and integrations can supercharge productivity across your org! Jon kicks things off by sharing his vision: every new client should get a completely customized front end tailored to their needs—think “cars, not faster hors…

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How Lovable Can Save You Hundreds of Hours on Your Web Development | Lazy Leverage #54 55:14

9M ago55:14

55:14

Imagine having a fully-functional website or landing page created in seconds, simply by transcribing your thoughts, turning it into a prompt, then hitting Enter. Oh, and you don’t have to spend a cent to make it happen. Now stop imagining. Enter Lovable, your “superhuman AI full stack engineer”. Today, Jon gives us a brief, yet life-changing overvi…

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Identifying Business Constraints: The Strategic Framework Behind Landy Leads | Lazy Leverage #53 52:30

9M ago52:30

52:30

Ever wonder what happens when an entrepreneur stops trying to do everything and finds the right vehicle? Brandon Parker was juggling multiple businesses when he met Jon two years ago. Now he's running a team of 40+ and crushing it with Landy Leads. In this conversation, they break down exactly HOW that transformation happened. You'll learn why cons…

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Rebuilding a Business with AI and Global Talent | Lazy Leverage #52 51:53

10M ago51:53

51:53

From Northern Ireland to navigating a PE buyback, Cathryn Lavery brings her raw, unfiltered take on building businesses in 2025. Join Jon as they geek out over AI tools, debate the death of the traditional EA role, and reveal why 'smart, hungry, coachable' beats experience every time. Plus, learn why your $85k/year US marketer might be in trouble (…

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When to Cancel Projects and Refocus Your Team | Lazy Leverage #51 44:25

10M ago44:25

44:25

What happens when you tell your entire executive team that all their projects are cancelled? Jon Matzner did exactly that, and the results were shocking. In this episode, Jon and Peter Lohmann dive deep into the art of extreme focus, why most businesses are working on the wrong things, and how to identify what actually moves the needle. Plus: fasci…

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Rethinking Business Communities: What Makes Them Work in 2025 | Lazy Leverage #50 1:03:00

10M ago1:03:00

1:03:00

Want to know what's really happening in the world of B2B communities? Jon and Peter pull back the curtain on how they're building multi-million dollar business communities that are making traditional trade associations obsolete. They reveal their strategy for using AI to circumvent legacy software, share insider tips on community building, and disc…

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Content, Consulting, and Franchising: A Discussion with Patrick | Lazy Leverage #49 46:17

10M ago46:17

46:17

In this candid conversation, Patrick (formerly known as Franchise Wolf) opens up about his evolution from anonymous content creator to co-founder of Frandawgs. Learn why he initially hid his identity, how he grew his audience through strategic storytelling, and the unexpected lessons he learned about monetization in the B2B space. A masterclass in …

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Why Your Best Hire Might Know Nothing About Your Industry | Lazy Leverage #48 29:05

11M ago29:05

29:05

Ever hired someone with 'perfect experience' only to watch them fail? Justin Brown, Director of Operations at Zen Windows, shares how they transformed their hiring process by focusing on three key attributes instead of industry experience. Learn how they turned a guy with zero window knowledge into their Installation Manager superstar in just 7 day…

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The Daily Brief Method: Adapting White House Systems for Business | Lazy Leverage #47 47:56

11M ago47:56

47:56

Ever wonder how the President stays on top of everything? Jon and Peter break down how to adapt presidential-style daily briefs for your business, plus share raw insights from their recent entrepreneur retreat. From brand building to managing global teams, they reveal what actually works (and what doesn't) in running a growing company. Timestamps (…

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Organization Without Perfection: A Practical Look at GTD | Lazy Leverage #46 54:00

11M ago54:00

54:00

This is a follow-up conversation from episodes #38 and #39. Stop drowning in your inbox and start taking control of your workflow. Jon and Neel tear down the myths around GTD and show you exactly how they implement it in their multi-million dollar businesses. They reveal their personal systems for managing everything from quick tasks to complex pro…

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The Power of Operational Efficiency in Modern Business | Lazy Leverage #45 50:28

11M ago50:28

50:28

Think disrupting real estate is impossible? Amanda Orson, founder of Galleon, explains how being an outsider gives her the edge to challenge a 112-year-old industry. From military school lessons to ancient philosophy, discover how unconventional thinking drives innovation. Jon and Amanda dive deep into operational efficiency, the future of AI, and …

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The Role of Context in Remote Team Performance | Lazy Leverage #44 1:08:26

11M ago1:08:26

1:08:26

Ever wonder why some businesses seem to run like clockwork while others are constantly putting out fires? Jon and Peter break down the real reason - it's not what you think. From customer avatars to remote team management, they share battle-tested strategies that actually work in the real world. Plus, they reveal a game-changing approach to buildin…

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How This Youth Soccer Franchise Owner (Soccer Shots) Unlocked Global Talent | Lazy Leverage #43 48:40

12M ago48:40

48:40

Discover how a Buffalo-based youth soccer program is revolutionizing their operations with global talent. Jon breaks down the journey from local to global teams, sharing practical strategies for elevating your senior staff while maintaining quality. Learn the 'Gordon Ramsay method' of letting your best people focus on high-value work. Timestamps (0…

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Building an Efficient DSO Through Global Talent with Dr. Dave Ensley | Lazy Leverage #42 57:54

12M ago57:54

57:54

"We can't find enough dentists" is the cry echoing across the industry - but Dr. Dave Ensley's group is crushing it with a revolutionary approach to talent. In this episode, discover how his DSO grew to $70M by reimagining traditional roles, leveraging global talent, and embracing automation. Dave breaks down exactly how they built successful teams…

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Leading Global Teams: Context Over Control | Lazy Leverage #41 59:56

12M ago59:56

59:56

Think remote teams can't be as effective as in-office ones? Think again. Jon and Peter break down the counterintuitive strategies that have helped them build world-class remote teams, including the game-changing '10/80/10 framework' and why context matters more than control. Plus, they reveal the innovative ways they're using AI and rotational assi…

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Finding Balance: A Year-End Reflection | Lazy Leverage #40 51:03

12M ago51:03

51:03

What happens when you strip everything away except your top two priorities? Jon opens up about his year of extreme focus, sharing both the wins and uncomfortable sacrifices. Then, he and Peter geek out about the digital power tools revolutionizing business operations, including their secret weapons for automation and productivity. Whether you're st…