Book Club - Buy Back your Time

At the Keller Group, PA we work with small business owners in the Greenville, SC area everyday. We see the stress, long hours and the constant balancing act that owners play between growing a business and maintaining a healthy personal life. That is why Dan Martell’s book Buy Back Your Time is a must read for entrepreneurs. Last year we reviewed the E-Myth and we find this book to be an excellent companion. Read them both!

Book Club – E Myth Revisited — The Keller Group, PA

Dan Martell is a successful entrepreneur and coach and lays out the premise that if you are feeling overwhelmed at work, it’s not because there is too much to do, it is because you are doing the wrong thing.

I admit - when a friend first recommended this book, I thought the last thing I needed was for someone to tell me to hire someone to cut the lawn, wash your car, etc. It was nothing like that. It is a clear map on defining what you should and should not be doing in the context of your business.

Here are a few key takeaways that we feel can be transformative for small business owners:

The Time-Energy Audit

Before you can make changes, you have to understand where your time is going. Martell introduces the concept of a Time-Energy Audit: track your activities for two weeks and label each task based on whether it gives you energy or drains you.

TKG Insight: This is the time equivalent of a cash flow analysis. Just as we help clients identify money leaks, you need to identify time leaks. Once you know where your low-value tasks are, you can begin to delegate them—and spend more time on high-leverage, revenue-driving activities. I personally did this and it doesn’t take long to get to the point that you don’t want to right down what you are doing - or you catch yourself doing something that you know is not an efficient use of your time.

The Buyback Loop

Martell introduces a framework he calls the Buyback Loop: Audit → Transfer → Fill. It’s about systematically removing yourself from tasks that can be delegated, outsourced, or eliminated. Martell suggests taking your annual net income and divide by your hours worked to determine how much you earn per hour. Any task that can be hired at 25% of your rate should be done right away. For example. If someone makes $300,000 per year, that is equivalent to approximately $145 per hour. Tasks that can be hired out for 25% of that rate ($36 per hour) should be done. This allows the owner to focus on higher value added work.

TKG Tip: Think about your own value per hour. If you're doing $20/hour admin work but your billable rate is $200/hour, you're effectively losing money. This is especially true when it comes to bookkeeping, payroll, and tax prep—areas we help clients buy back time every month.

The Replacement Ladder

Dan encourages business owners to hire in a smart order—start with a personal assistant, then an executive assistant, and eventually operational and departmental leaders. You don’t need to build a full team overnight, but you do need to start.

TKG Perspective: The replacement ladder starts with an owner hiring for Admin Tasks. The rungs of the ladder are stated below:

• Admin

• Delivery

• Marketing

• Sales

• Leadership

After successfully delegating administrative tasks, the owner should look at the next rung of the ladder - Delivery. Start eliminating and replacing your work in the business. Each successive rung is managed in the same way until the business owner finds themselves living only in the leadership quadrant. At this point, the owner has built a business that can operate without the day to day sweat of the owner.

Final Thoughts

Buy Back Your Time isn’t just a productivity book. It’s a playbook for scaling your business and your life. As your CPA firm, we see the impact this mindset can make: less stress, more profitability, and a clearer path to the life you actually want.

If you’re ready to start buying back your time, we’re here to help you understand the numbers behind the strategy—and free you up to lead.

Need help buying back your time through better accounting, payroll, or tax planning? Let’s talk.

At Keller Group CPA, we help small business owners run like a well-oiled machine—so they can grow without burning out.