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Sticks and Stones
Since the dawn of humanity, we’ve sought leverage.
Early man was limited by the strength of his hands until he picked up a stick.
A simple branch became a lever, allowing him to pry, carry, lift, and build. It turned brute force into exponential force. It turned survival into flourishing.
That primitive stick is more than a symbol. It was one of the first levers humans used to progress society.
We’ve been creating new tools to lever our growth ever since.
In 2018, Naval Ravikant famously stated, there are four kinds of leverage available to the modern builder:
Code (Permissionless, Infinite Scale)
Media (Permissionless, Infinite Scale)
Capital (Permissioned, Scalable)
Labor (Permissioned Scalable)
Permissionless levers such as code and media don’t require approval to access. You need permission to access capital and labor. Permissioned levers also scale linearly while permisionless ones scale infinitely.
All can multiply your output if applied correctly, however.
The challenge is picking the areas of leverage most suited to you or your business.
Also, much has changed with the advent of AI.
While AI could be thought of as a lever itself, in actuality it’s the meta lever. The tool that increases the impact of all other tools.
AI is not at the point (yet) where you can use it as a full replacement for any of the levers. It hallucinates (yes, that is a real thing) so use it carefully.
That’s why it is important to use it with the levers most aligned with your expertise, so you can recognize when it goes off the rails.
Leverage is one of the core lenses I use to design both my business and my life.
In this issue, I’ll break down the four key types of leverage and share how I’m using each one to multiply my efforts, scale smarter, and build with intention.
Code (Permissionless, Infinite Scale)
Software is the most powerful form of leverage ever created.
You write it once, and it runs forever. It doesn’t get tired. It doesn’t take days off.
You might be thinking, “My business doesn’t revolve around software or I don’t know how to code?”
If you can’t create it, use can use it to lever your business by buying it or assembling it with no-code tools such as Zapier.
Build
If you know how to code, or are willing to learn, you can create custom tools, automations, and products that scale infinitely.
Even a simple script can save hours or generate revenue on autopilot.
I launched a mobile app this year, called ImUp on the Apple App Store but it hasn’t been as monetarily successful as Python scripts I’ve written.
Buy
Off-the-shelf software is leverage.
A $49/month tool that replaces 10 hours of manual work is already working for you. Don’t scoff at subscription costs unless you understand how it compares to the value of your time.
Most businesses underutilize the software they’re already paying for so make sure you’re leveraging all applicable features.
Assemble
No-code and low-code tools let you stitch together workflows without writing a single line.
Use them to automate tasks, connect apps, build MVPs, or even launch full SaaS products.
I’ve used Zapier to automate onboarding, schedule emails, and trigger alerts in my newsletter. No dev team required.
Lever Code With AI
If it wasn’t for AI, I would not have finished my mobile app this year (it launched in March).
I recently challenged myself to build something in an hour, completely through AI without editing any of the code myself.
The project? A simple SaaS company valuation calculator. The formatting is rough because I ran out of time but it demonstrates the possibility of building software completely through natural language prompts.
I used Claude AI for this project and the results blew me away.
Media (Permissionless, Infinite Scale)
If I’ve learned one thing on my entrepreneurial journey, it’s that distribution is just as important as the product. With strong distribution, even a mediocre product can get valuable feedback. That’s better than quietly building something no one wants. Good distribution can turn an average product into a breakout success.
Media is one of the most powerful forms of distribution. It is one of the reasons I started this newsletter and have become more active on social media.
A single piece of content can reach millions.
A podcast, book, or blog post spreads your ideas far beyond what your voice ever could.
Like code, media scales without you. It’s always out there. Someone from anywhere in the world can find your content. Create it once and it’s there forever.
Think of each piece of media as a deposit into a diversified investment account. Not every entry will be a winner and not all winners will accrue value immediately. Play the long game and the value of your content portfolio will grow over time.
How to Leverage Media
Short form media:
Write short-form content on X or LinkedIn or share images and video on IG, Facebook or YouTube. One insight, story, or framework per day builds trust and reach over time.
Long form media
Share your journey, teach what you know, or document your process in a newsletter, podcast or vlog. With a newsletter, an email list is leverage you own. No algorithm required.
Package your knowledge:
Templates, checklists, playbooks, and guides can reach thousands and position you as an expert while you sleep.
Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose:
Any of the above content can be transformed into the other.
Lever Media with AI
Idea Generation
I use AI to generate ideas for newsletter topics and social media posts.
Editing
Upon completing the rough draft, I will provide the link to my article to ChatGPT and ask it for recommendations on grammar, clarity and conciseness.
Repurposing
Once a newsletter is published, I will ask AI to generate example social media posts or templates from the article.
Personalization and Localization
I use AI to suggest templates for posts depending on the platform (X, LinkedIn, etc.)
Distribution & Optimization
I use AI to help discover target key word terms to use in advertising campaigns.
Capital (Permissioned, Scalable)
Money is the oldest form of modern leverage.
Deploy it well, and it multiplies.
But access is gated by trust, reputation, or prior success.
Capital flows to those who’ve proven they know how to wield it.
The classic forms of capital leverage are raising equity for your business or borrowing money to accelerate growth.
Used well, financial capital buys time, scale, or speed.
But there’s a form of capital we often forget about that we already own.
Your Skills Are Permissionless Capital
The most overlooked form of capital is your talent stack—your unique blend of skills, knowledge and experience.
Unlike financial capital, no one needs to approve it.
You can reinvest, compound, or reallocate it any time.
Lever Capital with AI
AI extends both forms of capital; financial and personal.
Multiply your skills
Use AI to augment what you’re already good at. A good writer becomes a faster content machine. A 10x software developer can become 100x.
Stretch your budget
AI replaces expensive services like design, writing, analysis, or editing allowing your financial capital go further. I use it for the brainstorming phase of design projects before handing it off to an expert, saving time and money.
Run smarter experiments
Use AI to simulate business models, test ideas, and generate MVPs saving you from wasting capital on dead ends.
Accelerate learning – AI shortens the time it takes to build new personal capital, whether that’s learning to code, speak, write, or sell.
People (Permissioned, Scalable)
Hiring others to work on your behalf is a powerful form of leverage.
But it comes with friction: coordination, communication, and cost.
Humans require training, motivation, and management.
This is the leverage of empires, but also the source of bureaucracy.
How to Leverage People (Intelligently)
Start small
Begin by outsourcing low-leverage or time-consuming tasks like formatting, design, or admin work.
Be specific
Assign clear, outcome-based projects with defined deliverables. Vague asks create management overhead.
Systematize before you scale
Build SOPs and automate repeatable tasks. People are most effective when plugged into efficient systems.
Make AI your first hire
Treat tools like ChatGPT, Notion AI, or agent-based tools as your “junior staff.” Let them write drafts, summarize data, or prep materials before handing them to a human.
Lever People with AI
AI can reduce your dependency on human labor and make your team radically more productive.
Draft before delegate
Use AI to write outlines, briefs, and documentation that humans can then refine or execute.
Build tooling that augments people
Create internal tools or GPT agents that support your team (e.g. auto-summarizing Slack, drafting emails, prepping reports).
Lower your hiring threshold
You may not need to hire a full-time employee. With AI + fractional help, you can build a high-output team without high overhead.
Train your team to co-work with AI
A small team that knows how to pair with AI outperforms a large team that doesn’t.
The Next Step
Leverage is how you do more with less.
It’s how you stop trading time for money and start multiplying your outcomes.
You don’t need all four types of leverage to begin.
You need one.
Media turns your ideas into scalable distribution.
Code builds systems that work while you sleep.
Capital accelerates what’s already working.
People multiply your output if you know what to delegate.
AI is the meta-lever that amplifies each one. It lowers the barrier to entry, speeds up execution, and extends your capabilities.
Start where you are.
Pick the lever that fits your strengths and commit to pulling it with intention.
The future doesn’t belong to the busiest.
It belongs to the most leveraged.
My goal with The Leap is to provide you each Saturday with the knowledge, tools and lessons learned to help you get started and keep going toward building your future.
Whether you are making the leap to startups, solo-entrepreneurship, freelancing, side hustles or other creative ventures, the tools and strategies to succeed in each are similar.