Invest Your Time Wisely

At 22, Sean Kirby was newly engaged, unexpectedly expecting, making 11 dollars an hour, and selling to a peer group that had nothing to buy. With no network and no reputation of his own, he started a podcast in a small Indiana town for one reason. It was the cheapest way to get in a room with people who would never have taken his sales call. Six years later, that decision is still paying.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

⚡️ You sell five years up and five years down, which means a young professional has almost no natural market inside their own circle of trust

⚡️ Nobody says yes to a sales call, but almost everybody says yes to an hour of talking about themselves

⚡️ A learning not earning season is a strategic choice, not a failed year

⚡️ Trust built during a slow season is the asset that pays out during a crisis

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - How Did We Get Here

00:30 - A Proposal Paid For With Advances

01:53 - Thrust Into Adulthood At 22

03:22 - No Network And No Trust

04:19 - Dad Buys The Laundromat

05:16 - Quarters For A Hamburger

06:39 - The Nepotism Baby Chip

07:37 - The Learning Not Earning Year

08:33 - Nobody Says No To A Microphone

09:31 - The Year Everything Changed

10:28 - Trust First And Selling Second

QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE

"I had to figure out a way to build trust quick."

"I was in this learning, not earning year of my life."

"They may not have answered my phone call if I called and asked for their business."

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

IF THIS EPISODE LANDED FOR YOU:

If you are building something from scratch right now, drop a comment and tell us what you are doing to earn trust before the sale. We read all of them.

HASHTAGS

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SmallBusinessOwner #BuildTrust #FinancialAdvisor #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurStory #PerformanceFinancial

Sean Kirby hands the microphone to his producer, Darren Cooper, and answers the questions he normally asks other people. Engaged at 22, a baby four weeks later, and no idea how he was going to pay for any of it. What follows is the story behind Invest Your Time Wisely, including the decision to sell a fully finished house because life had gotten too easy, and the millions his father walked away from in 2004 so he would never miss another baseball game. If you are building something for your family and quietly worried you are missing them while you do it, this one is for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

⚡️ You are always sacrificing something. The only choice is whether you sacrifice time with family or time at work, and whether that choice is conscious or accidental.

⚡️ Time freedom has to be funded. Mike Kirby built diversified revenue streams first, which is what made walking away from a travel-heavy career possible.

⚡️ Adding to your plate to buy back time creates new obligations that cost time. Growth is not automatically freedom.

⚡️ The starting point is not a better system. It is honestly knowing where your hours currently go.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Cold Open

00:41 Behind The Curtain

02:08 Engaged At 22

04:20 Learning How To Sell

05:48 The Laundromat Years

09:27 Learning Not Earning

11:21 Podcasting Through 2020

14:39 Life Got Too Goo

19:39 Time Is The Only Asset

21:36 Faith As The Center Dish

24:03 What Dad Gave Up

27:21 Finding The Balance

29:46 Why Balance Is Boring

32:05 Writing The Book

34:29 There Is No Perfect

37:23 What Is Next

40:45 Invest Your Time Wisely

41:41 Connect With Performance Financial

QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE

"You're always sacrificing something."

"This is just too good."

"Be where your feet are."

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

IF THIS EPISODE LANDED FOR YOU:

⬇️ Drop a comment with the one line that hit you hardest.

✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations

📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

HASHTAGS

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #BusinessOwners #WorkLifeBalance #FamilyBusiness #TimeManagement #EntrepreneurLife #FinancialPlanning #Legacy

At 19 he was on academic probation and not welcome back on campus. His friends went back without him. He stayed home, sold vacuums door to door, took a temp job at a plastics plant and started asking questions nobody else was asking.

Sean Kirby sits down with a childhood friend to walk through what actually happens when the plan you were handed falls apart, and why the detour ended up being the education. This segment covers choosing your hard, building market value without a degree, and the negotiation lesson that changes how you ask for money.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

⚡️ You are always choosing hard. The only question is which version pays you back later.

⚡️ Curiosity plus one boring learnable skill can outrun a relevant degree.

⚡️ Never ask for more money. Build the value first, then present it.

⚡️ Two friends went through identical failures at the same time and said nothing to each other. Silence is the real cost.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Growing Up in Pendleton

00:29 - The Script We All Get Handed

00:58 - Partying Out of IUPUI

01:25 - Nineteen and Not Welcome Back

01:54 - Selling Vacuums Door to Door

02:20 - Choosing What Is Hard

03:15 - The Temp Job That Changed Everything

04:13 - Learning Supply Chain by Fire

05:35 - Two Friends Same Struggle No Words

07:02 - Outperforming People With the Degree

07:32 - Never Ask for More Money

08:29 - What Is Your Market Value

CONNECT WITH SEAN:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

CONNECT WITH CODY:

👉🏻LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-branham-5894a1126

If this episode landed for you:

⬇️ Drop a comment with the one line that hit you hardest.

✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations

📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #BusinessOwners #CareerGrowth #Entrepreneurship #SupplyChain #MarketValue #FamilyBusiness #IndianaBusiness

Sean sits down with childhood friend Cody Branham, who went from academic probation at nineteen to founding a third party logistics business that has more than quadrupled two years running. Cody walks through the whole arc, including a divorce, a federal regulatory phone call in an airport, and a first client who found him from a tweet with two likes. Then he gets honest about what the growth actually cost him. This one is for every business owner who has ever answered "how's business" with a number and quietly wondered what that number is buying.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

⚡️ Revenue gets celebrated publicly and regret never does, which is exactly why regret wins by default

⚡️ The real cost of growth is almost never money, it is time, and time is always taken from a specific person

⚡️ Every day you have one hundred percent to give, and if you do not allocate it on purpose, urgency will allocate it for you

⚡️ Build reminders into systems you cannot avoid rather than relying on willpower to remember what matters

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Cold Open

00:33 Meet Cody Branham

01:31 Growing Up in Pendleton

02:28 Flunking Out at Nineteen

04:15 Embrace the Suck

05:11 Learning Supply Chain by Fire

08:52 What Is Your Market Value

10:45 Whirlpool and the Bureaucracy Problem

13:36 You Work for Your Boss Not the Company

15:28 The Phone Call at the Airport

17:20 Chomps and the Next Low

18:48 Revenue Is Loud Regret Is Quiet

21:10 Build a Personal Brand

22:38 The Tweet That Got Two Likes

24:05 Just Google It

26:58 Becoming the Warehouse

31:03 Taking the Leap

34:18 The Chase Comes Back

35:17 The Dad Gang Hat

36:15 Sitting With It

37:12 November 22nd

39:03 If You Feel Stuck

40:25 The Cost Is Not Always Money

42:16 Hitting the Reset Button

43:41 Radical Acceptance

45:08 At What Cost

46:36 Wrap Up

CONNECT WITH SEAN:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

CONNECT WITH CODY:

👉🏻LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-branham-5894a1126

If this episode landed for you:

👍🏻 Give it a thumbs up

⬇️ Drop a comment with the one line that hit you hardest.

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📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #BusinessOwner #Leadership #Humility #EgoIsExpensive #ServantLeadership

Ego does not send you an invoice. It just quietly raises the price of everything. In this conversation, Sean Kirby and his father Mike Kirby break down why ego is the most expensive thing a leader owns, where it really comes from, and how to build deep rooted self confidence instead. If you run a business or lead a family, this one is worth your time.KEY TAKEAWAYS:⚡️ Ego is best understood as edging everyone else out of your story, and it quietly costs you your team, your family, and your business.⚡️ Ego usually grows from insecurity, not strength, which is why ego driven leaders cannot take coaching or feedback.⚡️ Swapping the word I for we is a fast and honest test of whether you are sharing success or hoarding it.⚡️ Real durability comes from a deep taproot of study, faith, commitment, and goals, not from a tall ego.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 — Why Ego Is Expensive 00:45 — Ego Means Edging God Out 01:20 — Ego Starts With Insecurity 02:50 — The Victim Mentality Trap 03:27 — The I Versus We Test 03:56 — The Cliff Before The Fall 04:54 — Servant Leadership Wins 06:00 — Leave Your Ego At The Altar 07:49 — The Taproot Principle 09:16 — Self Confidence Is Not EgoTHREE LINES WORTH REMEMBERING FROM THIS ONE:"Ego is edging God out.""If I'm the smartest guy in the room, I'm in the wrong room.""It's impossible to give more than you get."CONNECT WITH US:👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupINIf this episode landed for you:👍🏻 Give it a thumbs up⬇️ Drop a comment with the one line that hit you hardest.✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.HASHTAGS:#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #Leadership #BusinessOwners #Ego #Humility #ServantLeadership

Ego is one of the most expensive things a business owner can carry, and most never see the bill. In this episode, Sean Kirby sits down with his father and business partner, Mike Kirby, to break down how ego drains your business, your family, and your finances. You will walk away with a simple test for catching ego early and a sturdier way to build that actually lasts.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ Ego is edging God out, and the bigger it grows the harder it is to attract and keep good people

⚡️ A shallow taproot caps your growth, so build depth through study, faith, commitment, and goals before chasing height

⚡️ Taking the reward before the contribution creates debt you may never have enough hours to repay

⚡️ Serving first keeps ego in check, and it is impossible to give more than you get

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Cold open

00:36 — The big idea, ego is expensive

01:30 — What ego actually is

04:30 — The cliff that ends careers

07:00 — Leave your ego at the altar

08:00 — The tree and the taproot

14:00 — Ego purchases and keeping up

18:45 — The pool, the goal list, and a sign

22:00 — Time, hand me downs, and the repo truck

25:30 — Delegation and ego

28:25 — Why partnerships fail

31:00 — Serve first and the hardest word

THREE LINES WORTH REMEMBERING FROM THIS ONE:

"Ego is edging God out."

"If I'm the smartest guy in the room, I'm in the wrong room."

"It's impossible to give more than you get."

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

👍🏻 Give it a thumbs up

⬇️ Drop a comment with the one line that hit you hardest.

✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations

📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #BusinessOwner #Leadership #Humility #EgoIsExpensive #ServantLeadership

Some of the most successful people can point to one childhood moment that explains their whole career. For Mike Kirby it was selling cantaloupes at 14 by cold calling grocery stores out of the yellow pages. In this segment he breaks down why it was never about talent, and why fearlessness is the trait that actually built his career.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ Fearlessness beats talent. The willingness to make the ask matters more than natural ability.

⚡️ A no is not a wound, it is a step. Get enough of them out of the way and a yes shows up.

⚡️ Confidence can be inherited and practiced, but the real engine is simply not being afraid to try.

⚡️ The trade can change. Farm, welding, insurance. The trait that carries you forward stays the same.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 — The childhood moment that shapes a career

0:30 — Cantaloupes the size of basketballs

0:59 — Growing up on the farm

1:57 — Cold calling grocery stores at 14

2:55 — Where the sales gift came from

3:24 — Get the no's out and the yes shows up

3:54 — The Purdue graduation invocation

6:23 — Why farming was off the table

7:23 — From welder to a different path

7:53 — The leap into business

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

What is the one call you keep putting off? Drop it in the comments, then go make it. Subscribe for more conversations on building a life and a business worth your time.

HASHTAGS:

#Sales #ColdCalling #SalesMindset #FearOfRejection #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #FamilyBusiness #InvestYourTimeWisely #PerformanceFinancial #SalesTips

Sean sits down with his father, Mike Kirby, the founder of Performance Financial, to trace a 40 year climb that most people would call an overnight success. From cold calling grocery stores at 14, to running an insurance company with thousands of employees, to walking away from it all and starting over with a single client, Mike breaks down what it actually takes to last in business. This is the long version of a story usually told in highlights.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ The single rule that determines who succeeds in business is whether you last long enough to get there

⚡️ Writing your goals down and breaking them into a plan focuses your time on what matters most

⚡️ Growing faster than you can build your team is a trap, not a win

⚡️ People stay when they have opportunity, a good environment, and money, including ownership

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Cold open

00:42 — Why Mike came on the show

01:40 — Selling cantaloupes at 14 with no fear

05:33 — The graduation invocation that taught him to speak

07:50 — Why farming was off the table

09:01 — From welding to a first sales job

11:43 — Goal planning and the rule that changed everything

16:30 — Becoming a CEO too fast

18:55 — Walking away to be present for the kids

23:43 — Folding a farmer's laundry after flying private jets

25:52 — Starting over with one client

30:20 — How clients compound over time

34:48 — Opportunity, environment, and money

37:14 — Systems over telling people what to do

40:00 — You just have to last

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

👍🏻 Give it a thumbs up

⬇️ Drop a comment with the one block of time you are protecting this week

✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations

📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #PerformanceFinancial #BusinessOwner #FamilyBusiness #LongTermSuccess #FinancialAdvisor #Entrepreneurship #LegacyBusiness

Sean Kirby unpacks what real wealth actually looks like, and why most family men get it dangerously wrong. Through the story of his grandparents working brutal swing shifts at Pittsburgh Plate Glass, a 92-year-old client who still carries the same battered photograph of his late wife from when she was sixteen, and a borrowed sermon framework that has reshaped how he thinks about legacy, Sean reframes wealth as something far bigger than your net worth. Walk away with a clearer answer to the question every busy leader should be asking before it's too late.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ The most valuable inheritance is rarely money. It's the wisdom, character, and time that get passed down through stories and example.

⚡️ Eulogy qualities matter more than resume qualities, and you can only build one of them at full power. The math doesn't let you ace both.

⚡️ Robbing Peter to pay Paul with your time is the quietest and most expensive mistake high-earners make. It compounds until it's too late.

⚡️ Real wealth often hides in unglamorous places. A swing-shift job. A pocket watch. A battered photograph carried for seventy-five years.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 — Pittsburgh Plate Glass Swing Shifts

1:00 — Trading Manure For Tax Prep

1:50 — Listening Through The Window At $11 An Hour

3:00 — The Day Grandpa Walked In And Got Me Hired

4:00 — The Coon Skin Cap And The Pocket Watch

4:40 — Time Is The Real Wealth

5:30 — The 92-Year-Old And The 16-Year-Old Photo

6:50 — Eulogy Qualities Over Resume Qualities

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

⬇️ Drop a comment with the one block of time you are protecting this week

✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations

📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #PerformanceFinancial #RealWealth #EulogyQualities #FamilyFirst #LegacyOverMoney #FinancialLegacy #FatherhoodAndBusiness #SeanKirby

What if a single sheet of paper could end most of the money fights in your marriage? Sean Kirby walks through the Master Dream List, the one-page tool his dad has used since 1982 to keep couples aligned on the long-term goals that actually matter. It's the document that stopped Sean from buying a pool he couldn't afford, and it's the same document he hands every young couple who walks into Performance Financial.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ The Master Dream List is built on five prompts: I want to be, I want to learn, I want to do, I want to go, I want to achieve. Five lines. One sheet. Dates next to each item.

⚡️ Couples fill it out independently first, then merge into one shared list. The combined list becomes the burden of proof for every future spending decision.

⚡️ "Plans are in pencil. Goals are in ink." Reassess plans yearly. Keep the goals constant.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — The Pool Question That Saved Us Thousands

00:55 — Robbing Peter To Pay Paul

01:24 — The Master Dream List Explained

02:20 — Why Couples Fill It Out Separately

03:12 — What's Our List Say

04:41 —Point To The Document Not The Person

06:25 — The Generation Shift From Stuff To Stories

07:20 — Reassess Every Year

07:49 — Goals In Ink Plans In Pencil

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Email: [email protected]

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations

📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

⬇️ If this episode hit home, leave a comment with the one item on YOUR dream list this year. We read every one.

HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #MarriageAndMoney #GoalSetting #FinancialPlanning #DreamList #FamilyFinance