Episode 55: Stop Existing and Start Living: The 700,000 Hour Audit for High-Performers

Episode Summary:

In this powerful episode, hosts Ryan Lang and Brook Bishop dive deep into Ed Mylett's concept of "quality time remaining" and challenge high-performers to audit whether they're truly living with intention or just going through the motions. Discover four critical questions to assess your life, identify the silent killers stealing your time, and learn how to shift from surviving to thriving as both a person and a profitable coach.

Key Takeaways:

• (02:39) Where are your best hours actually going? The shocking reality of screen time vs. intentional living
• (10:18) Who elevates you versus drains you? Auditing relationships and environments that fuel or deplete your energy
• (16:37) Legacy impact: Are you building something meaningful or just maintaining the status quo?
• (25:39) Achievement versus satisfaction: The science of achievement coupled with the art of fulfillment
• (32:37) Silent killer #1: Hanging out too much in the comfort zone where "good enough" becomes the enemy of greatness
• (35:50) Silent killer #2: Being a people pleaser and living reactively to others' priorities instead of your own vision
• (39:07) Silent killer #3: "When then" syndrome - the someday mentality that kills more dreams than fear

Notable Quotes:

• "We will always do the activities of who we truly believe we are. If you believe you're lazy, guess what? Here you go." (06:55)
• "The ultimate failure is achievement without fulfillment." (26:46)
• "We cannot live out a mission if we're playing comfortable." (17:04)
• "When you do hard shit, you feel amazing. When you don't, you feel depressed." (22:25)

Resources Mentioned:

• Ed Mylet's concept of "quality time remaining" - The Ed Mylett Show Podcast
• Chad Cooper's book: Time Isn't the Problem: Four Strategies to Transform Stress Into Success and the Rule of 168
• Tony Robbins' framework: The science of achievement vs. the art of fulfillment
• Cell phone screen time audit exercise (03:06)

Call to Action:

Ready to stop existing and start truly living? Grab a pen and work through the four audit questions from this episode. Then ask yourself: what's one hard thing you can do today to break out of your comfort zone? Your future self is counting on the decisions you make right now.

Connect with Empire Partners:

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share with a coach who's ready to build a profitable, mission-driven business without sacrificing their values.

[00:02] Welcome to the Show Ryan and Brook welcome Michael Hunter, founder of Spiffy Checkouts, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, marketing, and building scalable businesses.

[01:01] The Accidental Marketing Journey Michael started as an entrepreneur at 17 with commission-only sales, got hooked on Tony Robbins, realized speaking was the highest-paid profession, but knew he needed marketing skills first. Spent 13-14 years learning by getting paid to do marketing for others.

[03:39] Why Commission-Only Sales at 17 "Ruined" Him The summer between high school and college, Michael chose Cutco kitchen knives over $15/hour catering work. Became a raving fanatic for a product he believed in, learned consultative selling vs. sleazy tactics. Brook reveals this as one of his top recruiting centers for trained salespeople.

[08:40] The Miserable Three-Year Grind Failed business partnerships, working alone, constantly losing deals to ex-Infusionsoft employees who had credibility but weren't even good at the software. The breaking point that led to a strategic career move.

[11:13] The 45-Degree Angle Strategy Michael took a pay cut to join Infusionsoft for 16 months, not as a direct path but as strategic positioning. "Sometimes the scenic route is actually the fastest path." Left when it got political, returned to agency work with instant credibility boost.

[14:10] Moving in 45-Degree Angles Explained Not direct line from A to B, but strategic sidesteps that accelerate long-term progress. Like taking the Infusionsoft job - wasn't direct alignment but helped reach end goals faster.

[16:43] From Agency Work to Spiffy Checkouts In the trenches building funnels, websites, copy, ads - knew every tool and limitation. Started custom coding Infusionsoft order forms for big-name clients at $2,500 per checkout page. Realized the opportunity to scale this solution.

[19:30] The Agency Hell Reality Check High-stress clients, crossed boundaries, vacations interrupted by launches. "Can't raise families doing this." Identified 20 software ideas, narrowed to 3, chose Spiffy based on highest opportunity, lowest risk to execute.

[20:19] You're Competing Against Netflix, Not Other Coaches Mobile optimization isn't just mobile-ready, it's optimized for mobile experience. Your competition isn't direct competitors - it's the user experience set by billion-dollar companies like Netflix and Facebook.

[22:29] The Irresistible Offer Foundation Before checkout optimization comes offer optimization. No amount of funnel hacking can fix a broken offer. Must have irresistible offer first, then optimize the experience.

[23:16] What Makes an Irresistible Offer People know what's in their product but fail to explain the benefit of getting that result. Your product is a bridge from point A to point B - stop selling the bridge features, start selling the destination.

[25:41] The Four Forces Framework Effort required, speed to value, certainty of result, and urgency. Cost-to-value contrast: charge 1/3 to 1/10 of perceived value. Example: "5-day workshop" vs "5-hour workshop" completely changed conversion rates.

[28:03] The Xanax vs Meditation Example Effort required, speed to value, certainty, urgency - Xanax wins on all four forces even though meditation is better long-term. How can you make your solution more immediate without compromising quality?

[30:54] Marketing the Long-Term Solution Address symptoms first, guide to core problems. Restaurant owner thinks he needs marketing (symptom) but really needs systems (core problem). Meet them where their awareness is, then elevate their thinking.

[35:59] What Separates Successful Personal Brands Don't copy what big names do NOW - that's not how they got started. Michael logged into Brendan Burchard's simple systems and was shocked. Fo

The Coaching Equation Podcast - Fast Five Friday: Growth, Optimization & Leadership Transformation

**[00:00] **Welcome Back: Growth and Expansion Focus Ryan sets the stage for a power-packed Fast Five Friday centered on the driving force behind both personal and professional transformation—growth never stops demanding your attention.

**[01:15] **Greatness Never Goes on Sale The truth bomb: there's no "arrival moment" where everything gets easier. It's a constant battle, and that's actually comforting. Rory Vaden's wisdom: "Success is never owned, it's rented, and the rent is due every day." Stop waiting for the Memorial Day sale on excellence.

**[04:30] **What Are You Optimizing For? The obsession-worthy question that changes everything. Ryan's revelation with his wife: they'd been optimizing for goals that no longer served them. Better to fail at the new standard that serves your current self than succeed at the old standard serving yesterday's version of you.

**[08:45] **Lewis Carroll's Identity Truth Bomb "It's no use to go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." We're evolving daily at a cellular level—personalities, goals, desires, everything. Stop living in the rearview mirror and beating yourself up for past decisions. You're either going forward or backward, never stagnant.

**[12:20] **Your Clients Have All The Answers The week's revelation: no one seems to be asking their customers anything. Four to five business questions answered this week with "go ask your people." Survey for results, satisfaction levels, current problems. Test hooks and titles on your list. The answers you're desperately seeking are right in front of you.

**[15:45] **Elite Practitioner to Transformational Leader The biggest shift coaches must make as business owners—and the one very few ever make. It's not about chasing marketing tactics; it's about identity transformation. Focus on "who" first, then "what." Even if you're leading a business of one, this shift changes everything.

**[18:30] **Vail Event: A Dream Come True Next Thursday in the Garden of Eden (Vail, Colorado in summer). Ryan's childhood connection to this magical place meets his mission to help coaches make the practitioner-to-leader shift. Limited spaces, application required at quantumempire.io/event.

Connect with Empire Partners: quantumempire.io/event