Lazy Leverage

Jon Matzner and Peter Lohmann

Talking about using leverage in life and business.

  1. 3 days ago ·  Video

    He Quit Private Equity to Buy a $5M Pool Business | Lazy Leverage #114

    Jon sits down with Austen Ebenger, a 28-year-old Wharton undergrad and NYU Stern MBA who left private equity in Boston, moved back in with his parents, and bought a $5.4M pool construction business in Orlando. In the first 90 days he lost $200,000 on a permitting disaster. A Zimbabwe hire with zero permitting experience fixed it. Inside: how he found a stale BizBuySell listing, why he skipped Q of E, why he uses global talent to upgrade quality, and his thesis for buying adjacent businesses next.   Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open 00:52 Welcome to Lazy Leverage 01:34 Penn & Wharton Banter 02:18 Austen's Path: Wharton → Stern → PE 04:02 Brought to You by Sagan Passport 05:36 The Self-Funded Search Process 07:09 Why He Avoided Buy-Side Brokers 08:49 Finding the Deal on BizBuySell 10:22 Getting His Florida Contractor License 11:59 Deal Terms: 10% Down, No Q of E 12:45 Service Provider Shoutouts (Benchmark, Hsu, Hettich) 18:23 The $200K Permitting Disaster 20:29 The Zimbabwe Hire That Saved the Business 23:12 Hire for Attributes, Not Experience 25:48 Hard Chargers vs Steady State People 28:24 The 3 Things Orgs Don't Naturally Do 33:55 Sagan Hires: Permitting & Colombian Drafter 36:42 Building an Anti-Fragile Organization 40:03 Notion as the Agentic Brain 42:54 River-Proofing Your Standards Docs 47:23 The Big John Lesson 50:08 The Industry Thesis: Global Talent + Acquisitions 56:03 Two Businesses Inside Every Business 58:32 Closing & How to Reach Austen   References Mentioned in This Episode -    Books: Goldratt, E. M. (1984). The goal: A process of ongoing improvement. North River Press. Guidara, W. (2022). Unreasonable hospitality: The remarkable power of giving people more than they expect. Optimism Press. Roff-Marsh, J. (2015). The machine: A radical approach to the design of the sales function. Greenleaf Book Group Press.   Speeches & Quotes Referenced: Roosevelt, T. (1910, April 23). Citizenship in a republic ["The Man in the Arena" speech, delivered at the Sorbonne, Paris]. Tyson, M. (1987). "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" [interview quote].   Service Providers & Resources: Benchmark International (M&A broker): https://www.benchmarkintl.com/ Eric Hsu, Lawyer 4 SMBs (closing attorney): https://lawyer4smbs.com/ Brad Hettich, Commercial Lending X (SBA loan): https://commerciallendingx.com/ BizBuySell: https://www.bizbuysell.com/   Previous Episode Referenced: Lazy Leverage with Yossi Wachtel (reverse hospitality, Monkey Wrench Plumbing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=295DTy6vOAU   Follow Jon: https://x.com/MatznerJon | https://jonmatzner.com/ Follow Austen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austenebenger/ | https://southernpooldesigns.com/   🌎 Brought to you by Sagan Passport: https://saganpassport.com Schedule a free consulting session: https://saganpassport.com/free-consultation   Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LazyLeverageofficial Follow Lazy Leverage on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/763FBQuzXqTqJ3mb837WbW

    57 min

  2. 16 June ·  Video

    The 3 Levels of Buying Back Your Time | Lazy Leverage #113

    You have money. You don't have time. Jon and Peter break down the 3-level hierarchy of buying back your time, pulled from Dan Martell's framework by way of a viral Jeremy Haynes post. Cleaners and food delivery. House managers and executive assistants. A-player specialists who replace you in your highest-earning role. Underneath it: the inherited money scripts that stop business owners from using money to buy themselves a life, and Jon's argument for why he STILL doesn't have an EA. If you've ever felt rich on dollars and bankrupt on hours, this one's for you.   Chapters: 0:00 Cold Open 0:28 Welcome to Lazy Leverage 1:34 Jon's Obsidian + Claude Code GTD System 9:00 Atomic Units & The Morning Brief 11:47 Brought to You by Sagan Passport 13:06 Topic: The Hierarchy of Buying Back Your Time 14:54 Set an Aspirational Hourly Rate 17:56 The Entrepreneurship Floor Strategy 22:44 Level 1: Why People Don't Hire Cleaners 24:00 Money Scripts (Ramit Sethi) 26:56 The Guilt of Having Help 30:57 Using Money to Fill Your Own Cup 39:53 Level 2: House Manager + Executive Assistant 44:09 Jon's "Do Less" Anti-EA Philosophy 51:18 Level 3: A-Player Specialists 56:19 Getting Comfortable With 80% 59:02 Spending Money Is a Skill 1:01:21 Money Doesn't Buy Happiness? Try a Night Nurse 1:03:01 Things That Create Experiences 1:04:44 Closing Thoughts   References Mentioned in This Episode -    Books: Allen, D. (2001). Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity. Penguin. Ferriss, T. (2007). The 4-hour workweek: Escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich. Crown. Goldratt, E. M. (1984). The goal: A process of ongoing improvement. North River Press. Jorgenson, E. (2020). The almanack of Naval Ravikant: A guide to wealth and happiness. Magrathea Publishing. Martell, D. (2023). Buy back your time: Get unstuck, reclaim your freedom, and build your empire. Portfolio. Sethi, R. (2009). I will teach you to be rich: No guilt. No excuses. No B.S. Just a 6-week program that works. Workman Publishing.   Articles & Source Posts: Jeremy Haynes (original "Hierarchy of buying back your time" post that inspired the episode): https://x.com/thejeremyhaynes   Follow Jon: https://x.com/MatznerJon | https://jonmatzner.com/ Follow Peter: https://x.com/pslohmann | https://www.peterlohmann.com/   🌎 Brought to you by Sagan Passport: https://saganpassport.com Schedule a free consulting session: https://saganpassport.com/free-consultation   👷 Join Crane, Peter's community for property management operators: https://www.joincrane.co/   Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LazyLeverageofficial Follow Lazy Leverage on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/763FBQuzXqTqJ3mb837WbW

    1hr 5min

  3. 9 June ·  Video

    The Survival Guide for Outgunned Small Operators | Lazy Leverage #112

    Jon and Peter take MCDP 1 Warfighting, the Marine Corps manual Jon hands every new Sagan hire, and apply it to small business. Why small companies beat bigger ones with maneuver instead of attrition, how commander's intent runs a team better than any process doc, and what to do the next time someone on your team makes a $50,000 mistake. If you're tired of being the bottleneck on every decision, this one's for you.   0:00 Cold Open 1:24 Welcome to Lazy Leverage 2:52 Brought to You by Sagan Passport 4:11 Broker Owner Recap & PM Trends 2026 5:53 Sagan's Async Education Pivot 8:32 Today's Topic: MCDP 1 Warfighting 9:08 Business as a Nonlinear System 12:56 Clausewitz on Friction 15:07 Attrition vs Maneuver Warfare 19:05 Speed and Focus as Weapons 20:43 Surfaces and Gaps 25:12 Building Strategic Positioning (Porter & Blue Ocean) 29:08 Harmonious Initiative 30:40 Defining the Main Effort 32:15 Commander's Intent 36:10 Mission Tactics: The Leadership Promise 42:40 How You Handle Mistakes 46:05 Leadership Death Zones 54:27 Acting Decisively With Incomplete Information 56:18 Closing Thoughts   - References Mentioned in This Episode   Books: Crabtree, G. (2011). Simple numbers, straight talk, big profits!: 4 keys to unlock your business potential. Greenleaf Book Group Press. Gerber, M. E. (1995). The E-myth revisited: Why most small businesses don't work and what to do about it. HarperBusiness. Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Harvard Business School Press. Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. Free Press. Sun Tzu. (2009). The art of war (L. Giles, Trans.). Pax Librorum. (Original work published ca. 500 B.C.E.) U.S. Marine Corps. (1997). Warfighting (Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1). Department of the Navy. von Clausewitz, C. (1989). On war (M. Howard & P. Paret, Eds. & Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1832) Wickman, G. (2012). Traction: Get a grip on your business. BenBella Books.   Reports & Case Studies: PM Trends 2026 Report (Lohmann, Muela, Parsons, Hahn): https://pmtrends.com/ NARPM Accounting Standards: https://www.narpm.org/education/narpm-accounting-standards/ Cirque du Soleil Blue Ocean Case Study: https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/blue-ocean-strategy-examples/cirque-du-soleil/   Follow Jon: https://x.com/MatznerJon | https://jonmatzner.com/ Follow Peter: https://x.com/pslohmann | https://www.peterlohmann.com/   🌎 Brought to you by Sagan Passport: https://saganpassport.com Schedule a free consulting session: https://saganpassport.com/free-consultation   👷 Join Crane, Peter's community for property management operators: https://www.joincrane.co/   Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LazyLeverageofficial Follow Lazy Leverage on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/763FBQuzXqTqJ3mb837WbW

    57 min

  4. 2 June ·  Video

    We Stopped Building Software. We Build LEGO Bricks Now. | Lazy Leverage #111

    Jon sits down with Zaki Mahomed, Sagan's President of AI, to expose the LEGO brick strategy behind 50+ AI agent deployments. Why most AI projects die before they launch, the $500 agent that beats $25,000 SaaS contracts, and the brutal gap between weekend vibe coding and actually shipping AI inside your real business. If you've ever thought your business needed AI but had no clue where to start, watch this.   Chapters: 0:00 Cold Open 0:30 Welcome to Lazy Leverage 2:33 Brought to You by Sagan Passport 3:53 50+ AI Agents and Counting 6:15 From SaaS to SMB Land 9:55 The LEGO Brick Strategy 15:50 Why $20K Scoping Sessions Are Dead 17:50 One Brick at a Time 20:30 Agents vs SaaS: The Real Difference 25:35 The Inverted Onboarding Insight 27:05 Go-To-Market Lessons SMBs Are Missing 30:25 Tactical Plays: Photo Aging & License Numbers 33:10 Point AI at the Right Constraint 35:10 The Weekend Vibe Coding Gap 38:55 Closing Thoughts   Follow Jon: https://x.com/MatznerJon | https://jonmatzner.com/ Follow Zaki: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakimahomed/   🌎 Brought to you by Sagan Passport: https://saganpassport.com Schedule a free consulting session: https://saganpassport.com/free-consultation   Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LazyLeverageofficial Follow Lazy Leverage on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/763FBQuzXqTqJ3mb837WbW

    39 min

  5. 26 May ·  Video

    Until You Manage Time, You Can Manage Nothing Else | Lazy Leverage #110

    Peter and Jon go deep on the one system that everything else depends on: time. They get into why every other tool, system, or hire is downstream of your ability to manage time, how to say no to almost everything, and why creating white space in your calendar is more valuable than filling it. Plus why AI makes this both better and much worse if you're not careful.   Follow Jon: https://x.com/MatznerJon | https://jonmatzner.com/ Follow Peter: https://x.com/pslohmann | https://www.peterlohmann.com/   🧠 Brought to you by Crane: https://www.joincrane.co/ 🌎 Brought to you by Sagan Passport: https://saganpassport.com   Schedule a free consulting session: https://saganpassport.com/free-consultation   Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LazyLeverageofficial Follow Lazy Leverage on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/763FBQuzXqTqJ3mb837WbW

    53 min

  6. 19 May ·  Video

    From One Truck to 100 Employees: The Hospitality Obsession Behind Monkey Wrench | Lazy Leverage #109

    Jon sits down with Yossi Wachtel, owner of Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric in Los Angeles. Yossi built from one truck in 2007 to 100 plus employees in one of the hardest markets in the country. They get into his obsession with hospitality and what he calls reverse hospitality, how Nexstar changed everything, why global talent sharpened his accountability, and why deep industry expertise combined with AI curiosity is the real competitive edge of the next decade. This one hits different if you're in the trades.   Follow Jon: https://x.com/MatznerJon | https://jonmatzner.com/ Follow Yossi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yossi-wachtel-70a81412/ Learn more about Monkey Wrench: https://www.monkeywrenchplumbers.com/   🌎 Brought to you by Sagan Passport: https://saganpassport.com Schedule a free consulting session: https://saganpassport.com/free-consultation   Follow Lazy Leverage on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/763FBQuzXqTqJ3mb837WbW Follow Lazy Leverage on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LazyLeverageofficial

    1hr 4min

  7. 19 May ·  Video

    Theory of Constraints: Everything You Got Wrong | Lazy Leverage #108

    Peter and Jon take a fresh look at Theory of Constraints through Justin Rothmarsh's book The Machine. The big reframe? You don't find your constraint. You select it. Plus why architecting your business to attack its constraint with AI and global talent might be as valuable as raising capital.   Follow Jon: https://x.com/MatznerJon | https://jonmatzner.com/ Follow Peter: https://x.com/pslohmann | https://www.peterlohmann.com/   🧠 Brought to you by Crane: https://www.joincrane.co/   🌎 Brought to you by Sagan Passport: https://saganpassport.com Schedule a free consulting session: https://saganpassport.com/free-consultation   Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LazyLeverageofficial Follow Lazy Leverage on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/763FBQuzXqTqJ3mb837WbW

    42 min

  8. 5 May ·  Video

    Fire The Resume: Why 1 Out of 75 Senior Hires Has Industry Experience | Lazy Leverage #107

    Christian Ruf and Jon break down why experience-based hiring is failing in an AI era. Christian placed 75 senior leaders last year at world-class organizations. 1 had industry experience. He hires for attributes. They get into commander's intent, why permission to fail gives teams the freedom to move fast, what task saturation does to a CEO running a growing company, and why nobody knows AI for roofing yet. If you've ever rejected a candidate because they didn't have the right tool on their resume, this one's for you. Follow Jon: https://x.com/MatznerJon | https://jonmatzner.com/ Follow Christian: https://www.uncommonelite.com/ 🌎 Brought to you by Sagan Passport, the global talent partner built for CEOs and founders who are done settling for less. Sagan screens hundreds of candidates so you only meet the best. Full-time, loyal team members from around the world, at a fraction of US hiring costs. Paralegals, designers, accountants, EAs. Vetted, trained, ready to plug in. 👉 https://saganpassport.com 🛢️ The WTI Crude Refund: If WTI crude settles at or above $175 on any trading day on or before June 30, 2026, we refund your Sagan Membership. You keep all the benefits. → Your annual membership dues. Refunded to you. You stay a member for the rest of the year. → Your direct-hire team members. They stay on your team. Nothing changes. How to claim it: Join Sagan, or renew and pay in advance, by May 18, 2026. Fill out the form with your receipt attached. Submit your claim → https://www.saganpassport.com/backstop#promise Want to talk through your hiring needs first? Schedule a free consulting session 👉 https://www.saganpassport.com/free-consultation?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=ll Follow Lazy Leverage on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/763FBQuzXqTqJ3mb837WbW Follow Lazy Leverage on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LazyLeverageofficial

    35 min
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About

Talking about using leverage in life and business.

Information

  • Creator
    Jon Matzner and Peter Lohmann
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jon Matzner and Peter Lohmann
  • Show Website
    Lazy Leverage

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