Founder Series: The Secrets to Working Smarter, Not Harder

In this day and age, we are all interested in increasing our productivity. Both individually and as a team. But what are some techniques that have actually worked in practice and not just in the books?

When I sat down with some incredible business leaders with this question, they shared the productivity hacks that transformed their companies. Each answer was packed with real-world advice that can help any entrepreneur work smarter, not harder.

Here is what we’ll cover this week:

1. Focusing on the Top 4%
2. Your Ticket to More Time and Higher Payoff
3. The Win-Win Approach
4. Success Starts with the Right Tools

Focusing on the Top 4%?

Chris Miles , founder of Money Ripples and known as the anti-financial advisor, has a simple yet powerful approach: focus on the activities and clients that drive the majority of your revenue.?

Inspired by the book The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz, Chris realized the importance of trimming away the small, unproductive efforts to focus on what truly matters.?

He applied the 80/20 principle but took it a step further—narrowing down to his top 4% of clients that created 96% of his revenue.

“I cut my workweek from 50 hours to 5-10 hours a week,” Chris explained, “but I doubled my revenue and almost 10x my profits.”

His key takeaway? Spend your time on the clients and activities that have the biggest impact. For Chris, this meant cutting out unproductive networking groups and refocusing on higher-level tasks that generated results. It’s about working smarter, not harder.

Your Ticket to More Time and Higher Payoff

John Ostenson , founder of Frambridge Consulting, pointed to a strategy that has transformed how his team operates: hiring virtual assistants.?

Six years ago, John started delegating tasks to VAs and saw an immediate impact. “It’s never 100% the way you want it,” John admitted, “but even at 80%, it saves me time, allowing me to focus on high-payoff activities.”

John’s insight highlights a crucial productivity tip—don’t try to do everything yourself. Delegating routine tasks to virtual assistants, even if they only get it 80% right, frees you up to focus on what matters most.?

By leveraging VAs, John created more time for strategy and growth, allowing his business to scale.

The Win-Win Approach

Kevin Wilhelm , founder of Pod Marketing, tackled one of the most common bottlenecks in business: founders holding onto too much for too long.?

In the early stages of his agency, Kevin made the smart move to hire two key executives, one in operations and one in sales. “That decision propelled us forward,” Kevin noted, “allowing me to delegate and elevate.”

One of the biggest productivity gains Kevin saw came from turning account managers into commissionable salespeople.?

By giving his team a financial stake in the success of each client, Kevin created a win-win situation where every account became a valuable opportunity, and the team fought harder to retain clients.?

This not only boosted productivity but improved overall client retention.

Success Starts with the Right Tools

Matthew Passy , co-founder of Custom Podcast Solutions, shared a crucial lesson about investing in the right tools from the start.?

When Matthew was growing his business, he experimented with several project management platforms but didn't commit early enough. Eventually, he settled on ClickUp and saw incredible results.

“Had I automated more things and built better SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) from the beginning, I could have delegated more,” Matthew reflected.?

The key? Don’t wait too long to invest in tools that can help you scale. By systematizing operations and creating easy-to-follow processes, you free yourself up to focus on the bigger picture.

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