Celebrating Author Independence

Happy Fourth of July, 2025!

We are spending a joyful time with family, but I wanted to share some tidbits from the Introduction to the book I just started reading, Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire, by Dan Martell.

After some early troubles with the law, he found his way to starting a business. But only after two failed startups did he begin to understand how to build and scale his next attempt by creating the habits and systems he teaches in this book.

The following lines from Martell speak to me, not just about his specific message, but about why most business owners and professionals should write and publish a book (or two) — and what they can get out of it.

“A core principle of mine is: learn, do, teach.”

That’s what most nonfiction, business-related books are all about. And putting your hard-won knowledge, experience, and wisdom into a book enables you to reach and help a larger audience, while becoming a door-opener to a range of other opportunities to spread your message.

As Martell puts it:

“I knew from experience that I owed all my success to the books I’d read and the advice I’d received.”

He built on his success, founding and selling two more businesses, and then started SaaS Academy, offering coaching and training for software company founders. In describing a typical week in his life now that he applies his own lessons, he says in part:

“This week I’ll spend six hours growing my eight-figure business. [Six hours. Per week. Pause and let that sink in.] I’ll train for an Ironman. I’ll volunteer with inner-city youth. I’ll write my next book. …”

If you visit the SaaS Academy site, you’ll find he’s made good on that “next book” promise, by co-authoring Software as a Science: Unlock Limitless Recurring Revenue Without Losing Control.

The lessons I expect to learn from Buy Back Your Time show the value of reading. The lessons from how Martell uses his books to market his business and open opportunities show the value of taking all you’ve learned and writing a book of your own.

Again, Happy Independence Day!