Christie JungeA Plus Solutions Inc. · CEO | Profit First Professional

Less Entrepreneur More Investor

11 Aug 2013 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

2:15

In this brief segment of the "On a Roll" podcast, host Mike Michalowicz poses a simple math question—whether $10 per hour or $100 per hour is the better option. After humorously dismissing the question as lacking context, he uses the scenario to illustrate a deeper lesson for entrepreneurs. He explains that earning $100 per hour through personal sweat is inherently capped by the limited number of hours one can work, whereas earning $10 per hour by leveraging other people’s work (i.e., acting as an investor) can be repeated indefinitely and scaled without a time ceiling. Michalowicz argues that many entrepreneurs mistakenly label themselves as doers chasing high hourly rates, when they should instead adopt an investor mindset, using their earnings to fund and delegate work, thereby creating uncapped, scalable income. The segment concludes with a reminder that while $10 per hour may seem modest, its lack of a cap makes it a more sustainable path for long‑term wealth creation.

Chapters

Welcome to On a Roll. And now, here's your host, Mike Michalowicz. All right, we're going to run a quick math test. What's better, $10 per hour or $100 per hour? Now, here's your choices. Option A, $10 an hour. Option B, $100 an hour. Option C, you didn't provide enough information, moron, for me to make a decision. Now, while you hang on that, let's first thank my corporate sponsors. Look at this. Invisible string, and there comes Skype. Thank you. American Express. Thank you. That was Grasshopper. Thank you. That one shot by— and DexDigital. Thank you. And here's my boys at Prevendus Group. Thank you. Okay, so what is the best option? A, B, or C? It's actually Answer C, I didn't provide enough information. Now, if you're a typical entrepreneur, most people say, "100 bucks an hour, moron. That's what I want, the big money." But the truth is, it depends how you make it. If you make 100 bucks an hour, but it's on your sweat, that's capped out at a certain point. You can't work more than 24 hours a day. Quite frankly, I've never seen someone able to work 24 hours a day every day. I think it's impossible, but maybe that's just me. $10 an hour, if someone else is doing the work and you're taking home $10 an hour while drinking your mojito, well, now it becomes pretty cool. So here's the lesson. Entrepreneurs often mislabel themselves as the doers, and they're targeting the $100 an hour. I suggest you consider yourself an investor, and that the money you make, you invest in getting other things or other people to do it, so you can net $10 an hour. Now, I recognize you're not going to be a billionaire overnight if you're making $10 an hour and then a little more and then a little more, but do recognize this: if you're not making the effort, there is no cap on those $10 an hour and how many times you can have that. If you're doing $100 an hour, but it's off your sweat, you become capped very quickly. Don't be an entrepreneur who does, be an entrepreneur who invests. Mojito?