Business By Hormozi #167: The Profit in Systematizing Time

Evan and the Unlikely Business Opportunity

Evan had been in the business world for years but had yet to find that one idea that truly clicked. He’d tried a variety of ventures, from tech startups to freelance consulting, but something always felt like it was missing. The potential was there, but the spark hadn't ignited.

One day, while sitting in a coffee shop working on his laptop, he overheard a conversation between two businessmen. They were discussing the time they spent on mundane tasks—tasks that took up hours of their day—tasks that Evan knew could be done faster and more efficiently. These tasks weren’t necessarily difficult; they just consumed time, and in the world of high-income earners, time was precious.

It was at that moment that the idea hit him. What if he could systematize these tasks for others? What if he could help busy, successful people spend less time on routine tasks, freeing them up to focus on what truly mattered?

Evan’s mind raced. People pay for convenience and efficiency, and the wealthier the person, the more valuable their time was. He didn’t need to sell a product—he needed to sell time savings. And it didn’t have to be anything revolutionary; it just had to be something that people were already doing, but in a more efficient way.

The Birth of the Time-Saving Service

Evan started small. He began by offering to automate simple administrative tasks that took up a lot of time. Things like scheduling, email management, and organizing workflows. Initially, he focused on a specific group—entrepreneurs who were already making money but struggling to manage their time effectively.

He wasn’t just offering them a tool or a product; he was offering them a system—a streamlined process that would save them hours of work every week. And he didn’t just make the process more efficient; he made it personal to each client’s needs.

It was a game-changer. Instead of selling products that could be found anywhere, Evan had created a bespoke service that saved time and increased productivity. And he knew the key: the richer the customer, the more they valued their time. The difference between doing something themselves and having someone else do it efficiently was far greater for them. And Evan was charging them for that difference.

How Systematizing Time Creates Profit

Evan’s business grew quickly. He didn’t have to reinvent the wheel—he simply looked at what people were already spending their time on and found a way to do it more efficiently. He then turned that into a product by offering his system to others, saving them time in ways they hadn’t even realized was possible.

By systematizing these tasks, Evan was able to take something that would have taken others hours and do it in a fraction of the time. That saved time became the product he was selling. And as his business expanded, so did his pricing. As the customers’ income levels rose, the price difference between doing something themselves and hiring Evan to do it grew even more.

Evan learned a valuable lesson: time is the most valuable resource people have—and the richer they are, the more they’re willing to pay for someone to save them that time. By systematizing everyday tasks and automating what people already did, Evan was able to offer an irresistible value proposition: spend less time on mundane tasks, and you’ll have more time to make money doing what truly matters.

The Takeaway

Evan’s story shows that if you’re looking for a business idea, you don’t always have to come up with something entirely new. Look at what people are already spending their time on—then find a way to make it more efficient. The wealthier your target customer is, the greater the difference you can make by saving them time.

Your business doesn’t have to be about creating something that didn’t exist before—it can simply be about improving something that already exists. And the best part? You can charge for the time difference, not just the product itself.

Systematizing time is one of the best ways to build a profitable business, especially when you target those who understand the true value of time—successful people who are willing to pay for efficiency.