The work model I use to make $850k/yr working 2 hours a day

Many people believe that to make serious money, you need to work 80-hour weeks and sacrifice family time.

But as someone who owns seven businesses generating over $850,000 in annual profit (and only works a few hours a day)…

I’m living proof that's completely wrong.

It’s not because I’m special or have some secret edge - I just understand leverage.

Let me explain…

The two models

When I was at JP Morgan making good money, I was still stuck in what I call the “traditional work model.”

It looks like this: You → Work → Money.

A simple transaction where you trade your time directly for money.

Even if you’re making $500,000 a year, you’re still trapped in this cycle.

My model is different.

I call it the “leveraging systems model.”

It looks like this: You → Systems → People → Work → Money.

Notice the difference: systems and people between you and the work.

In the traditional model, if you stop working, the money stops.

In the leveraging systems model, the systems manage the people who do the work that generates the money.

This means you can step out of the day-to-day while the cash flow continues.

What I learned from wealthy clients

At JP Morgan, I got to watch this in action every day.

All the clients worth hundreds of millions were using the leveraging systems model, not the traditional one.

They weren’t trading time for money. They were using systems and people to generate wealth.

So I took their playbook and applied it to business acquisition.

My current portfolio

Here’s what this looks like for me:

I own stakes in a SaaS company, accounting firm, ATM route, financial services company, drilling company, trucking company, and engineering firm.

Notice these aren’t fancy Silicon Valley startups.

They’re boring, essential services that people use regardless of economic conditions.

Each one has existing systems, customers, and most importantly, existing cash flow.

I didn’t create any of these businesses from scratch.

They were already profitable when their owners wanted to retire.

I did proper due diligence, confirmed they had good management teams, and acquired them.

Why most people stay trapped

The traditional work model feels safe because it’s predictable.

But it’s actually the riskiest approach because your income depends entirely on your ability to keep working.

The leveraging systems model feels riskier upfront because you’re buying businesses and managing people.

But once it’s set up correctly, it’s far more secure because your income doesn’t depend on your daily labor.

True wealth

Don’t get me wrong, earning $850k a year is great.

But for me, real wealth is being able to be there when my kids come home from school at 3 PM…

And never missing a game, school play, or parent-teacher conference.

If you’re interested in making the shift from the “traditional work model” to the “leveraging systems model”…

I occasionally share acquisition opportunities with subscribers on this email list.

If you want to get those updates, just fill out this quick survey:

👉 I’m interested in buying a small business (or passively investing as a silent partner)

Or if you have a business you’re looking to sell, tell me more about it below:

👉 I want to sell my business

Onward,

— Ben Kelly