Jan 24, 2023
The Business of Meetings – Episode 150 – Buy Back Your Time with Dan Martell
We have the great pleasure of speaking with Dan Martell, the founder of the SaaS Academy, today. Dan has just launched a book called Buy Back Your Time.
Dan became a millionaire at twenty-seven and he joins us to tell his story and share his understanding and experience.
We hope you will enjoy listening to today’s insightful and inspiring conversation with Dan Martell!
Bio:
Dan Martell is an entrepreneur, angel investor, thought leader, and highly sought-after coach in the SaaS, or software as a service, industry. He founded, scaled, and successfully exited three technology companies within a ten-year period. In 2012, he was named Canada’s top angel investor, having invested in more than 50 start-ups, such as Intercom, Udemy, and Unbounce. In 2016, Martell founded the SaaS Academy and grew it to become one of the largest coaching companies in the world. He is also an Ironman athlete, philanthropist, husband, and father of two incredible boys.
Dan’s journey
Dan grew up in a crazy environment where his mother was an alcoholic and his dad often traveled and was seldom around. Dan had tons of energy and was always pushing the limits and organizing things like wars with the neighborhood kids. Everything fell apart when he got introduced to drugs at a very young age, became an addict, got put into group homes, crisis centers, foster care, and ended up in juvenile detention. From there, things spiraled out of control until Dan found himself imprisoned for six months. He was released to a live-in rehab center and spent 11 months working on himself. During that time, his mom got sober, his dad was there for him, and he was able to rebuild his family relationships.
Building internet companies
He then used a computer to learn Javascript and became obsessed with writing code and building software. When he left rehab, he discovered the internet and started building internet companies, which became his ultimate self-development program.
Personal development
In rehab, Dan learned about personal development and took what he learned to his business.
Software companies
Eventually, Dan went on to build and exit many different software companies. He also invested in more than 50 billion-dollar technology companies. Today, he runs two eight-figure companies, SaaS Academy and High-Speed Ventures.
An active life
Completing three Iron Mans last year is only one way Dan lives an active life. This year he will do an Ultra and a Spartan. He also spends two-and-a-half months each year traveling and skiing with his two young sons.
Inspiring others
Because of all of Dan’s childhood challenges, he now wants to inspire people to understand that their history is not their ultimate biography. Your mess can indeed become your message.
Buying Back Your Time
The buy-back principle and buying back your time became a way of living that Dan taught privately to his coaching clients for quite some time.
Serendipity
Serendipity has a way of showing up, but it is ultimately up to each of us to answer the call. Dan hopes that anyone listening to this podcast who has to make a life-changing choice chooses the best path forward!
Building a business
People tend to build businesses they grow to hate because they hire people in the wrong order, outsource things in the wrong sequence, and delegate in sloppy ways, according to Dan. That tends to create a prison rather than a life of freedom.
Success
Dan’s philosophy is that success is born of the emotional fuel you bring to your pursuit.
Dan’s book
Dan’s book, Buy Back Your Time, is not only about productivity, but it is also about considering your being-ness in your business, creating more income, and experiencing more freedom.
Spending time with your family
Many people tell themselves they are working hard for their families when those people seldom have the time to see their families, have experiences with them, or be present for significant moments.
Creating more income
You can create more income if you buy back your time. Success does not require more of your time. It requires you to understand and invest in leverage and skillsets, and develop better beliefs and character traits.
SaaS Academy
The book, Buy Back Your Time, was a by-product of Dan’s coaching service. After investing in companies, he would teach the CEOs methodology he’d perfected through the early advising of the CEOs he invested in. This has subsequently become core to the SaaS Academy.
Investing in yourself
Most people won’t buy back their time because they don’t trust themselves or they do not feel worthy of it. They may even believe that building a business requires suffering. Dan points out that feeling unworthy is a decision. If you want to believe in yourself and invest in yourself, you just have to do it.
When you can, you must
Dan has developed the philosophy that when he can, he must, which has helped him build the muscle to keep going when faced with anxiety or adversity.
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