How to Buy Back Your Life with Less Work Hours with George Rivera

What if the key to scaling to $250 million wasn't working harder, but working less?

In this episode, George Rivera, founder of multiple 7- and 8-figure businesses and creator of the Buy Back Time Formula™, shares his 30-year entrepreneurial journey from a high school supplement business to a $250 million empire. Through the devastating loss of his father to cancer and the life-changing deathbed wisdom "don't miss Leo's games, I missed too many of yours," George discovered that the path to freedom wasn't grinding 100-hour weeks but systematically buying back his time. His mission? Helping entrepreneurs escape the "job with overhead" trap so they can scale their businesses while being present for the moments that matter most with their families.

George reflects on how his father's final words arrived at exactly the right moment to transform his entire approach to business, and why buying back your time isn't just about making more money but about reclaiming your life before it's too late.

 

[00:04:19] The 30-Year Journey Begins

• Started first business in 1995 at age 17-18 while still in high school

• Fell for Don Lapre's late-night infomercial (tiny apartment, classified ads, rags to riches)

• Bought the course, took action, made zero dollars, but the entrepreneur seed was planted

• Parents thought it was a scam, but George kept pursuing home-based business opportunities

[00:05:22] The First Real Business: Supplements & The Internet

• Summer 1995: Started supplement business after seeing space ads in small business magazines

• Connected two trends: GNC's explosive growth + the internet's rising adoption

• First online business launched, didn't go well initially

• 2-3 years into college: Making as much as doctors while studying pre-med

[00:06:46] The Weight Loss Empire & Early Lessons

• Dominated the keyword "weight loss" on GoTo.com for just 50 cents per click

• Built and eventually ran the first business into the ground, couldn't keep up with orders

• Lesson #1: Take your time, build infrastructure so you can scale appropriately

• Built Google AdSense business to seven figures by 2005-2006

[00:08:31] The Digital Marketing Agency

• Started agency helping clients with BSLs and one-click upsells in their infancy

• He was the bottleneck, quality controlling everything, no proper org chart

• Built a job with overhead, not a business

[00:10:44] The $250 Million Supplement Company

• 10 years ago: Started supplement company with $5,000 seed money

• But George was working 100+ hours per week, burning midnight oil constantly

• Would pass out at his desk or stumble into bed, wake up 3-4 hours later and repeat

• "I was like a zombie for a good stretch of a couple of years"

• Money was great, but life was not enjoyable

[00:14:21] The Buy Back Time Formula Birth

• Around 2018-2019: Applied systematic approach to buy back his time

• Removed himself as the bottleneck

• Implemented proper SOPs, documentation, training, and later AI

• Income went UP because he was no longer the bottleneck

• Bought back dozens of hours per week

[00:16:41] Living the Freedom Lifestyle

• Friends noticed: "You're in Germany driving the Nürburgring, business still running, how?"

• 6-7 different people asked him to teach this

• Held workshop at his home to test if the marketplace wanted it

• Amazing response—decided to package it officially as Buy Back Time Formula

[00:18:05] The Father-Son Story That Changed Everything

The pivotal relationship that transformed George's entire approach

• 2015: George's father diagnosed with cancer in February

• Six months later, he was gone. "That's just how fast cancer can take you"

• Dad broke the news when George had just adopted his newborn son Leo

• George spent every day with his dad, driving 1.5 hours each way

[00:20:18] The Deathbed Wisdom

The million-dollar moment that changed everything

• Father's last words: "Don't miss Leo's games. I missed too many of yours."

• Hit George "like a ton of bricks"

• Brought closure—his dad acknowledged missing George's childhood games

• George realized: "I'm on pace to replicate the same mistake"

[00:22:03] What Really Matters at the End

• Father never said on his deathbed: "I wish I'd seen one more patient"

• Never: "I wish I'd closed one more property" (he was in real estate too)

• Never: "I wish I'd taken that client call or upsold them"

• Only: "Are the people I love around me? I just need them right now"

[00:22:52] Training Your Replacement

• Need focused attention on him or he'll get influence from somewhere else

• 2015-2018: George knew he had the problem but didn't have the solution yet

• It took 3 years for the solution to birth itself into something actionable

[00:31:37] The 100-Hour Grind Reality

• Was working 80-100+ hours per week

• Weekends meant LESS interruptions, so worked even HARDER

• Wasn't healthy for mind, wasn't healthy for family

• Not a sustainable long-term strategy

[00:32:33] Life After Buying Back Time

Real freedom looks like:

• Now works 20-30 hours per week when in creation mode

• Can work as little as 5 hours per week when traveling

• Can turn phone off and check back tomorrow, nothing falls apart

• If something breaks, team handles it without him

[00:33:08] God's Purpose Realized

• "I just feel like it's God's purpose of putting me on the planet to help share this"

• Secondary benefit: Make more money and nice lifestyle

• Primary benefit: Being with family for the moments that matter

• Non-negotiable: Not missing games, graduations, or special moments

[00:35:42] Northern Michigan & Homeschool Freedom

• Bought property in Northern Michigan, turned it into successful Airbnb

• Teaching son how to negotiate real estate deals and assess properties

• Son is homeschooled, gets to tag along on their adventures

• Ultimate flexibility: "We're studying the Washington Monument this week. Let's go see it tomorrow"

[00:37:20] The Buy Back Time Formula

• Available at buybacktimeformula.com

• Everyone's unique—different reasons for wanting to buy back time

• Some love working but need to cast vision instead of being in the weeds

• Focus on high-dollar things that move the needle

• Structure and confidence from someone who's been at it for 30 years

KEY QUOTES

"I was like a zombie for a good stretch of a couple of years. Money was great, income was great, but life was not enjoyable." - George Rivera

"It's never too late to say, 'Hey, this needs to change 'cause I've already missed moments I'll never get back, but at least I did something about it.' The longer you wait, those missed moments rack up. We wanna be the one that experiences those moments. Not miss 'em." - George Rivera

"I was inundated and I didn't know how to properly remove myself as being the bottleneck on a lot of things." - George Rivera

CONNECT WITH GEORGE RIVERA

🌐 Website: https://www.georgerivera.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-rivera-53b3296
📚 Buy Back Time Formula: https://www.buybacktimeformula.com

 

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