Lazy Leverage

Jon Matzner and Peter Lohmann
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Talking about using leverage in life and business.

  1. -8 Ч

    Building Software Your Team Actually Uses | Lazy Leverage #75

    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 built $50-100K of monthly value at Sagan using Replit and some API connections. Not by selling software, but by solving their actual constraint: screening 1,000 applicants for a single role. What used to take a week and a half now happens instantly, with AI dynamically ranking candidates so humans can start at the top of the list. Peter's advice for the last 12 years was "conform your business to the tools." Things are a little different now. With AI coding assistants, you can build exactly what you want, how you want it to work. No more spaghetti workflows. No more feature requests. No more conferences. The framework is deceptively simple: identify your constraint, then attack it with AI and automation. For Sagan, it was screening speed. For property managers, it might be lead flow. Jon and Peter then go tactical. If you want to blow past your competitors, have AI monitor their listings, identify the property owner, generate custom direct mail with an impressionistic rendering of their house, and dynamically select messaging based on which competitor they're using. Total cost: $130 in Replit credits. Big companies have thousand-person software teams building internal tools. Now that capability is democratized. Your maintenance guy can get an optimized route with required tools pulled from inventory. Not because you're a 20,000-door operation, but because you spent two hours in Replit. TIMESTAMPS: (01:00) Three Categories: Personal, Internal, and External Tools (02:04) Why Internal Tools Are the Sweet Spot (11:54) Theory of Constraints: Finding Your Attack Vector (18:25) Property Management Lead Flow Constraints (22:04) Building an Owner Portal in Two Hours (25:46) Sagan's AI Screening System: 1,000 Applications Ranked Instantly (39:12) Automated Competitor Targeting with Custom Direct Mail 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

    52 мин.

  2. -6 ДН.

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

    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 calendar five months out and announcing it to his team, Peter creates urgency around solving constraints. First it's password resets. Then payroll. Then exception handling. Each solved constraint buys more freedom. Jon introduces a crucial framework: businesses exist to serve their owners, not the other way around. This isn't about neglecting customers. It's about recognizing that an exhausted, trapped owner serves no one well. He describes entrepreneurship as climbing Maslow's hierarchy: first you make payroll, then get health insurance, then finally ask bigger questions about mission and meaning. Many entrepreneurs get stuck at lower levels, never graduating to consider whether they even like their industry. The discussion pivots to transaction costs and firm boundaries, exploring how falling costs create new business models. Where once you needed McKinsey and a Manila office to hire globally, now you can direct-hire through platforms like Sagan. Similarly, businesses like Yardzen unbundled design from installation, using Facebook ads and remote designers while letting local contractors handle execution risk. Jon and Peter challenge operators to think differently about constraints. Rather than collecting frameworks and tools hoping something sticks, use time freedom as your north star. Every operational decision should answer one question: does this get me closer to or further from my Crane break? Key Topics: (02:09) The Crane Break Concept: Taking a Month Off Annually (07:00) Property Management's Operational Intensity vs Other Sectors (09:23) Constraint-Based Thinking for Time Freedom (12:34) "A Business Exists to Serve Its Owner" Philosophy (15:14) Hierarchy of Entrepreneurial Needs: From Survival to Purpose (25:59) Negative Goals: Knowing What You Don't Want (32:48) The Yardzen Model: Unbundling Design from Installation (36:03) Global Hiring: From McKinsey to Direct Access 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

    46 мин.

  3. 1 ОКТ.

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

    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 creating a distinct organizational ethos. He’s never hired a six-figure employee outside of commission-based salespeople, preferring to cultivate talent from within. Peter takes the opposite stance with a "buy" strategy, bringing in experienced professionals who command higher salaries but deliver immediate results. His engineering background shaped his preference for expertise and the ability to hit the ground running. Peter argues that paying premium rates for proven talent often delivers better ROI, particularly for critical business functions. Peter's property management company provided predictable recurring revenue, allowing for bigger bets on expensive hires. Jon operated with tighter cash flow constraints, making survival the priority. They explore the role of business coaches and consultants, with Jon skeptical of their value while Peter embraces external expertise. Both acknowledge their approaches have merit, suggesting the optimal strategy likely falls between their extremes, depending on business stage, cash flow, and growth objectives. Key Topics: (01:38) Jon’s “Build” Philosophy vs Peter’s “Buy” Strategy (05:39) Jon's Passion for Training and Developing People (12:43) Marine Corps Culture Influence on Organizational Philosophy (16:51) Higher Floor vs Higher Ceiling: Comparing Hiring Strategies (26:54) The Value of Business Coaches and Consultants (36:10) Building a "Presidential Guard" of Loyal Long-Term Team Members 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

    43 мин.

  4. 12 СЕНТ.

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

    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 founders being actively involved in meaningful AI adoption. They also discuss how to differentiate between tactical and strategic uses of AI to create real value. The conversation dives into the need for a strategic vision to guide AI projects and how to build trust and consistency within the team. They offer practical advice on identifying opportunities for AI implementation by looking at company outputs and SLAs. Finally, the episode covers continuous process improvement, experimenting with new technologies, and rebuilding trust with teams. Listeners will gain key insights into leadership, AI strategies, and transforming workflows in small businesses. Key Topics: (00:46) AI at Work: Transforming Small Business (01:35) When AI Gets You Tangled in Ops-I don’t even know who does what in my company (06:31) AI Beyond the Buzz: Assistance vs Strategy (16:07) If you have AI, what is your manager’s job? (21:31) AI: Still an Art, Not a Science (26:25) Lean Lessons: Fix What Matters (31:40) We should get a factory, Jon! (or not?) (35:18) Strategic Choices and Competitive Advantages (42:48) Leading with Trust and Consistency, not with AI (58:20) The baby formula (better with twins) - final thoughts 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

    1 ч.

  5. 5 СЕНТ.

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

    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 plumbing." This mindset shift explains why he has two full-stack developers, a fleet of overseas recruiters, and runs 10 marketing events per week across Chicago. Jon talks to Aizik about his unconventional approach to the skilled labor shortage. While competitors struggle to find plumbers, he's built a 40-person global team handling everything from inbound calls to permit pulling. This allows him to pay his field technicians $4-6 above market rates without raising prices, creating what Jon calls "labor specialization at $10 million instead of $200 million." They dive deep into the power of obsession. Aizik admits he listens to home services podcasts for fun and treats business like a game where you need to master both consumer branding and blue-collar labor management. As Jon notes, channeling Naval: "It's hard to be the best plumber in the world, but straightforward to be the best plumber-marketer combination." They also break down bet sizing, multichannel marketing density, and why organic growth beats acquisitions when you're printing money. Aizik's approach is to find what works, then do 10x more of it. Key Topics: (05:40) From 20 to 130 Employees: The Growth Story (13:51) Solving the Skilled Labor Crisis with Global Talent (18:56) Single-Task Global Employees and ROI (22:37) Labor Specialization: The $10M Company Secret (25:27) Revenue Stair-Steps: $6M to $25M Journey (32:21) Multichannel Marketing and Geographic Domination (35:17) The Naval Principle: Being the Best Combination (44:21) Bet Sizing and Risk Management 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

    52 мин.

  6. 29 АВГ.

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

    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 employees). Meanwhile, a hastily organized webinar for his other audience of property management business owners pulled 250 attendees with minimal effort. "You can't cold call somebody and say, 'Hey, do you have any leaky pipes?'" Jon quips, making the point that property management marketing differs from other industries. When someone needs a plumber, they need one NOW. When someone needs a property manager, they either desperately need one or they don't. There's no middle ground you can market your way into. Next, Jon and Peter talk marketing economics. With a $45,000 lifetime value but a one-year payback period where they lose money, Peter's property management business faces unique challenges. Jon proposes radical solutions: downselling to free management forever (monetizing through maintenance fees) or creating intro offers that recover customer acquisition costs immediately. They explore the difference between home services (search-driven, time-sensitive, skilled labor constrained) and home improvement (demand creation, higher ticket, schedulable). Property management sits awkwardly between these models, explaining why consolidators prefer acquiring 150-door portfolios over organic growth. Finally, Jon pushes Peter toward more aggressive marketing tactics: exploding offers, upsell sequences, and the Hormozi principle that "sales create sales." While Peter worries about cheapening his brand, Jon argues he's nowhere near that danger zone. Understanding your industry's fundamental dynamics matters more than copying tactics from other sectors. The real work of leadership is setting and showing the standard, whether that's in marketing strategy or morning standups. Key Topics: (04:34) Why Companies Acquire vs Grow Organically (17:23) The 3% Buyer's Pyramid Problem (25:05) Free Management Forever Downselling Strategy (32:05) The Power of Enriched Data Collection (36:50) Hormozi's "Sales Create Sales" Philosophy (42:55) Setting Standards as Leadership 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

    41 мин.

  7. 15 АВГ.

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

    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 conversation starts with their origin stories - Jon's 2009 CrossFit philosophy blog that got him flown places at 24, Peter's Twitter journey that Moses Kagan pushed him into -but quickly evolves into something more profound. They're seeing a fundamental shift in how skeptical business owners make purchasing decisions. The old playbook of interrupt marketing, Facebook ads, and growth hacking for maximum eyeballs is dying. Replacing it are high-trust vertical communities where people actually pay to participate. In fact, Jon says that he’d rather own a vertical community than a vertical SaaS right now. In an era of AI-generated content slop, business owners will increasingly retreat to closed communities for their most important decisions. Jon and Peter dissect why generic business influencers fail while niche operators thrive. The secret sauce isn't just authenticity - it's having skin in the game and being willing to piss people off. As Jon puts it, channeling Chappelle: "You don't always have to be funny, but you always have to be interesting." Key Topics: (08:15) The B2B Marketing Crisis: Why Vendors Can't Reach Customers (11:00) Shaan Puri's 1% Conversion Rate Problem (19:29) Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (22:58) Why Vertical Communities Beat Vertical SaaS (27:57) The Peter Playbook vs. The Media Playbook (32:21) Authenticity and Showing Up Online (35:47) The Michelin Guide Strategy for Customer Acquisition (41:00) Having Skin in the Game: Why Business Influencers Fail (45:46) Final Thoughts: Automatic Blinds and AI Customer Databases 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

    49 мин.

  8. 9 АВГ.

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

    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 CFO to random Twitter buddies until the bad ideas die off). Here's the pitch: Sagan would purchase several properties—think ski chalets, beach houses, maybe something in Mexico—and offer them to members at 50-75% below Airbnb rates. The kicker? Thanks to bonus depreciation and some creative tax structuring, the whole thing could essentially pay for itself while adding a premium benefit that helps with member retention. Peter initially pushes back hard on the operational nightmare this could become. Nobody wants to field calls about broken ice makers or dirty towels. But as they hash it out, the vision gets clearer: professional property management with multiple layers between Jon and any actual guest issues, properties strategically located for both vacations and corporate retreats, and a focus on serving their high-trust member base rather than random Airbnb guests. Successful entrepreneurs develop strategy not through formal PowerPoints and weighted decision matrices, but through relentless debate, pattern recognition, and asking "will this actually f***ing work?" over and over until the answer becomes clear. Key Topics: (01:49) The Art of Business Ideation: Volume Shooting vs. Analysis Paralysis (11:56) Introducing the Vacation Property Concept for Sagan Members (15:29) Bonus Depreciation and Tax Strategy Explained (21:29) Solving the Property Management Problem Before It Starts (27:51) Facilitating Global Team Meetups at Member Properties (31:11) Location Strategy: East Coast, West Coast, International (34:06) Building the Management Structure and Avoiding Operational Headaches 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

    40 мин.
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Talking about using leverage in life and business.

Информация

  • Автор
    Jon Matzner and Peter Lohmann
  • Годы выхода
    2024 - 2025
  • Выпуски
    75
  • Ограничения
    С ненормативной лексикой
  • Авторские права
    © Jon Matzner and Peter Lohmann
  • Сайт подкаста
    Lazy Leverage

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