Three friends graduated high school together. Same opportunities, same starting point. Fifteen years later, one makes $85,000 working overtime (exhausted), one makes $115,000 through specialization (better income, still trapped by time), and one makes $105,000 total with $30,000 coming from assets that earn while she sleeps.

The difference isn't intelligence or work ethic. It's leverage.

Most Canadians are stuck trading time for money. Statistics Canada reports that over 30% of workers have taken on side gigs just to survive. We work more hours for the same money because we don't understand the three fundamental paths to earning more.

Path One: Work more hours (1X leverage, hard ceiling). Path Two: Increase your skills through education and specialization (3X leverage, higher income but still time-dependent). Path Three: Buy assets that work for you (infinite leverage, no ceiling).

This episode combines Naval Ravikant's principles on leverage with Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad framework—but for regular people, not just entrepreneurs. You don't need to own a business. You can start with $50.

Learn how to calculate your "Freedom Number," open your first investment account, and begin building wealth through Canadian index funds, real estate, and digital assets. Discover why only 3% of Canadians achieve financial independence, and how you can join them.

Golden Hour Challenge: Create your Personal Leverage Map and take your first concrete step toward Path Three income.

Stop renting out your time. Start buying assets.

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/

Before you can earn more money, you need to understand what money actually is. And no, we're not talking about dictionary definitions.

Money is simply a measure of value—nothing more, nothing less. It's the standardized measuring stick humanity invented so we could trade efficiently. Before money, early humans faced chaos: How many eggs is a goat worth? How does a philosopher survive when you can't eat ideas?

The ancient Mesopotamians solved this around 5,000 years ago by creating the shekel—a standard weight of barley or silver. The first actual coins came from the Kingdom of Lydia around 700 BC. Every successful society since has needed some way to measure and exchange value.

This episode breaks down the fundamentals: the difference between money and currency, what "fiat" actually means, and how cryptocurrencies and stablecoins work—all explained in plain language you could share with your kids.

But here's the critical insight: if money is a measure of value, then there's only ONE way to earn more money—create more value. You can do this through volume (more work), specialization (rare skills), or creation (making something valuable to others).

Your Golden Hour task: List what you did today, then write what value each action created for someone else. This simple exercise will transform how you think about your work and earning potential.

Stop chasing money. Start creating value. The money will follow.

Listen now at businessisgood.com

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/

Steve Jobs wore the same black turtleneck every day. Mark Zuckerberg wears gray t-shirts. Tim Cook wakes up at 4 AM and follows the exact same routine. Warren Buffett protects his calendar so fiercely that Bill Gates wrote admiringly about it.

These aren't quirks. They're systems designed to reduce decision fatigue and conserve mental energy for decisions that actually matter.

In this episode, I walk you through a proven framework to identify your Daily Non-Negotiables—the 3-4 specific actions that, if you did them without fail, would make success unavoidable.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

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• Why the most successful CEOs follow strict daily routines (and it's not what you think)
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• The three-part framework: Vision → Priorities → Non-Negotiables
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• How to turn vague goals into specific, measurable daily actions
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• Real examples of strong vs. weak Daily Non-Negotiables
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• Why 40% of your life is already on autopilot (and how to make that work for you)
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• How to build a backup plan so your habits actually stick
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THE FRAMEWORK:

Part 1: VISION - Who are you becoming? Identify the version of yourself one year from now at your absolute best.

Part 2: PRIORITIES - What three areas create the most leverage? Focus on the growth areas that move you toward your vision.

Part 3: NON-NEGOTIABLES - What's one specific daily action for each priority? Build habits that are specific, measurable, brief, repeatable, and valuable.

THIS IS A GUIDED EXERCISE:

I walk you through each step with pauses for you to think and write. By the end of this episode, you'll have your three Daily Non-Negotiables identified and ready to implement.

YOUR GOLDEN HOUR:

Protect your Daily Non-Negotiables. Block the time. Set up tracking. Build the system. Small actions, repeated consistently, compound into massive transformation.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

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• Steve Jobs' wardrobe simplification strategy
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• Mark Zuckerberg's decision-reduction approach
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• Tim Cook's 4 AM routine
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• Warren Buffett's time protection
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• Jack Dorsey's themed days
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• Duke University research on habitual behavior
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• The average person's 35,000 daily decisions
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Whether you're running a $100K business or building toward $1M, this framework will help you engineer success through consistent daily action.

This is BusinessIsGood—practical business growth strategies for Canadian entrepreneurs who are ready to move beyond survival mode and build businesses that thrive.

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/