By Danny Pippin, NEC Advisor
This post originally appeared in Danny Pippin’s Sunday Growth Insights Newsletter — a weekly dose of clarity, leadership tools, and behavioral science to help you lead with more confidence, purpose, and impact. If you want access to 200+ advisors like Danny, become an EC Member today. Or you can join the NEC Advisor Network to share your time, talents, and expertise with local startups and founders! Our advisors are key to helping founders save time, money, and resources on their path to success.
Happy Sunday!
Early in my growth journey, I thought success was about how much I earned.
Then one of my mentors, Bryan Dihigo, recommended I read Robert Kiyosaki’s Cashflow Quadrant and it completely reframed the conversation.
If you haven’t read the book, here’s the simple but powerful breakdown:
The 4 Ways People Make Money
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E – Employee: You have a job and trade time for money.
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S – Self-Employed: You own your job. If you stop working, the money stops too.
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B – Business Owner: You own a system. The business can run without you.
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I – Investor: Your money works for you. You earn even while you sleep.
Here’s the Shift
Most entrepreneurs believe they’re in the B quadrant…
But in reality, they’re often stuck in S—working harder than ever, wearing every hat, and relying on their personal effort to drive every dollar of revenue.
There’s nothing wrong with starting there.
But if your vision includes freedom, scale, and sustainable wealth, you must move into the B and I quadrants—where systems and capital work for you.
The Quadrant Test
Ask yourself:
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If I took a month off, would the business keep running… and earning?
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Am I building a system or just trading one job for another?
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Is my current strategy creating time freedom—or just more pressure?
Growth Insight
True cashflow isn’t just about income—it’s about independence.
And independence comes from building assets, not just working harder.
Whether you’re leading a team of 50 or still in solopreneur mode, your mission is to build the systems, people, and processes that shift you from Self-Employed to Business Owner—and eventually to Investor.
This Week’s Challenge
Take 20 minutes and map out your work week:
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What tasks absolutely require you?
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What systems or hires would allow the business to grow without your constant presence?
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What’s one step you can take toward shifting to B or I this quarter?
Want Help Making That Shift?
If you’re tired of feeling like the bottleneck in your own business, and you’re ready to scale without sacrificing your sanity, I’d love to coach you through the transformation.
Let’s move from grind…to growth.
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Danny Pippin
Helping business leaders assess, optimize, and align people, culture, and sales for growth and profitability.
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