Independence by Design™ is a framework to help owner-operators get out of the weeds and lead from the boardroom.
I built it because I lived this trap. In 2009, I joined my dad in our $21M family business. We turned it around and sold it for eight figures in 2014 — enough to pay off debt, cover taxes, let my dad retire, and leave me with a chunk of cash at 27.
But the sale gutted our team, systems, and identity. It looked like a win, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I bawled in the driveway.
After 450+ interviews, thousands of owners, and multiple ventures, I saw the real issue: we didn’t know the difference between being owners and operators. Our goals weren’t aligned. And we had no framework to guide us.
That’s why I built iBD — to help owners avoid regret, reclaim their time, grow real equity value, and build a business that gives them freedom — whether they stay, scale, or sell.
This show is the one I wish I had.
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Independence by Design™ is a framework to help owner-operators get out of the weeds and lead from the boardroom.
I built it because I lived this trap. In 2009, I joined my dad in our $21M family business. We turned it around and sold it for eight figures in 2014 — enough to pay off debt, cover taxes, let my dad retire, and leave me with a chunk of cash at 27.
But the sale gutted our team, systems, and identity. It looked like a win, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I bawled in the driveway.
After 450+ interviews, thousands of owners, and multiple ventures, I saw the real issue: we didn’t know the difference between being owners and operators. Our goals weren’t aligned. And we had no framework to guide us.
That’s why I built iBD — to help owners avoid regret, reclaim their time, grow real equity value, and build a business that gives them freedom — whether they stay, scale, or sell.
This show is the one I wish I had.
#449: Ryan Tansom | Understanding the Meaning of Life, God, and Money
Independence by Design™
33 minutes 28 seconds
4 months ago
#449: Ryan Tansom | Understanding the Meaning of Life, God, and Money
This episode is different. No guest. No business mechanics. Just me, reading from my journal and unpacking the questions that have been driving my work, my life, and everything behind Independence by Design™. Watch on YouTube
A few questions have been front and center for me since my first memories. Why are we here? What’s the point of all this work? And how do money, time, biology, and spirituality all fit together? If you’ve ever wondered why I care so much about alignment, ownership, and how we spend our time, this is the foundation. This is the throughline behind the Playbook, the coaching, the podcast… all of it. I talk about:
Why constraints make life meaningful
How dopamine, purpose, and sacrifice tie into love, fear, and fulfillment
What sin actually means (and why it’s about missing the highest aim)
Why money is just stored time—and how corrupt money corrupts life
And how the ultimate game is to turn chaos into clarity, and help the most people we can, for the longest time we can
If you’re on your own journey of trying to make your life and business make sense, this episode is for you. It’s not doctrine. It’s not advice. It’s a flashlight into the questions I’ve been living through.
Chapters:
(00:00) Why this episode exists and intention behind journal reading
(05:30) The game of life: constraints, relativity, and physical world
(13:15) Love, fear, and the aim of life
(22:00) The role of sacrifice and work in creating meaning
(29:00) What money really represents and inflation's spiritual impact
(36:45) Designing a life that works and final reflections
Rate, comment, and share with the owner/operators you know!
Resources: Ryan Tansom Website: https://ryantansom.com/
Independence by Design™
Independence by Design™ is a framework to help owner-operators get out of the weeds and lead from the boardroom.
I built it because I lived this trap. In 2009, I joined my dad in our $21M family business. We turned it around and sold it for eight figures in 2014 — enough to pay off debt, cover taxes, let my dad retire, and leave me with a chunk of cash at 27.
But the sale gutted our team, systems, and identity. It looked like a win, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I bawled in the driveway.
After 450+ interviews, thousands of owners, and multiple ventures, I saw the real issue: we didn’t know the difference between being owners and operators. Our goals weren’t aligned. And we had no framework to guide us.
That’s why I built iBD — to help owners avoid regret, reclaim their time, grow real equity value, and build a business that gives them freedom — whether they stay, scale, or sell.
This show is the one I wish I had.
