Action Academy | Millionaire Mentorship For Your Life & Business

Episode: The 4 Ways To Actually USE Cashflow To Become F.R.E.E.

Host: Brian Luebben
Date: December 8, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Brian Luebben dissects one of the most overlooked topics in financial freedom: not just how to generate cash flow, but how to use it to create a life of genuine freedom, fulfillment, and scalable impact. Drawing from his journey of building an eight-figure business and replacing his corporate income, Brian introduces his "FREE Framework"—a step-by-step approach for leveraging business and real estate cash flow beyond the basics, aimed especially at high performers eager to replace their jobs without burning out or getting stuck at a new plateau.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The False Ceiling of Financial Freedom

• Cash Flow ≠ Automatic Freedom:
  Brian opens by sharing his personal realization that earning more each month did not automatically mean less work or more freedom—instead, it often brought more stress and hours ("The more money I made, the more I was working, the more I was stressed and the more I was hating my life." — Brian, 00:23).
• Premise Shift:
  Most listeners aren’t just looking to “retire on a beach” but are high performers wanting to multiply their net worth and impact, not become “a freaking couch potato or a beach bum” (02:01).
• Common Trap:
  Many think covering monthly living expenses with passive income = freedom, but neglect redesigning their use of time as income grows.

2. The FREE Framework: Four Levels of Using Cash Flow

Brian introduces his system:
Foundations → Relief → Execution → Expansion

I. Foundations (03:51–05:17)

• What it is:
  Using cash flow to simply cover bills and essential expenses for yourself/family.
• Common stopping point:
  Most newcomers stop here, thinking “10, $20,000 a month, I'm set for life.”
• Memorable moment:
  “This is going to be your mortgage, your rent, your food, your wife having Amazon packages arrive at the front door, your husband having Amazon packages arrive at the front door…” (04:10)

II. Relief (05:17–07:57)

• What it is:
  Using cash flow to buy your time back, mainly by hiring a virtual or executive assistant.
• Key insight:
  “The more money you make, the more you can afford to be left the hell alone.” (05:30)
• Quote:
  “If you don't have an executive assistant, you are an executive assistant to yourself.” (05:56)
• Practical advice:
  Start with hiring a virtual assistant (VA) from the Philippines or Latin America for ~$2,000–$3,000/month to offload 80% of admin tasks.
• Notable moment:
  Suggests doing a "time study" to identify and delegate tasks you don’t want/need to do.

III. Execution (07:57–11:30)

• What it is:
  Using cash flow to scale by hiring talent and building a functional team so you’re not the bottleneck.
• I do → We do → They do:
  A $100M business framework Brian learned from a mentor:
  • I do: You learn and run every function first.
  • We do: Train others by doing it together; have them document processes in real time.
  • They do: Team members operate independently, freeing you.
• Insight:
  “If you do not know how to elevate, design, delegate, automate, and lead a team, it doesn't matter how much profit the business is printing out.” (08:41)
• Dan Martell Quote:
  “80% done by somebody else is 100% effing awesome.” (10:47)

IV. Expansion (11:30–13:50)

• What it is:
  Use cash flow to hire better people — leaders who can drive growth beyond your skill set.
• Level up:
  At this stage, new hires bring in specialized expertise and propose profit-driving initiatives.
• Goosebumps moment:
  Brian describes a team member pitching a new process with the promise: “This will add $5 million to your bottom line. I just wanted your permission to run it.” (12:01)
• Crucial insight:
  “Once you get to expansion, the company is actively growing without you. If you jump back in, you're getting in the way.” (13:19)
• Advice:
  The minute you hire your first six-figure person, “you will never hire another five-figure person again,” emphasizing the value of high-level talent over saving on payroll (13:56).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Core Problem:
  “We talk about how to generate cash flow, but we don’t talk about how to use cash flow.” — Brian (01:05)
• On Foundational Freedom:
  “You buy a business, you build a business, you build a real estate portfolio. And now here we are, we have that base level of financial freedom—until all of a sudden, you look around, and you’re like, ‘What the hell? Now I’m working a hundred hours a week in my own business.’” (04:20)
• Regarding Virtual Assistants:
  “If you don't have an executive assistant, you are an executive assistant to yourself.” (05:56)
• On Process Creation:
  “The most important part of the execution process of cash flow is that you have the person sitting there with you, or on a Zoom call, documenting what you are doing every single waking moment of the process.” (10:18)
• Dan Martell’s wisdom:
  “80% done by somebody else is 100% effing awesome.” (10:47)
• Empowering Your Business:
  “The faster that you can go through these four utilizations of cash flow, your life will change.” (13:26)
• On Company Growth and Letting Go:
  “Once you get to expansion, the company is actually actively growing without you… You are now getting in the way.” (13:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:23] — Realization that cashflow doesn’t equal freedom
• [02:01] — High performer mindset; not about “beach bumming”
• [03:51] — Introduction of the FREE framework
• [05:17] — From bills to buying time: Why relief comes next
• [05:56] — “If you don’t have an executive assistant…”
• [07:57] — Getting into Execution: Building a team
• [09:25] — “I do, we do, they do” framework explained
• [10:47] — “80% done by somebody else …”
• [11:30] — Expansion: Hiring leaders smarter than you
• [12:01] — Real-life story: $5M process added by team
• [13:19] — When founder involvement actually hurts the business
• [13:56] — Impact of hiring at the six-figure talent level

Actionable Takeaways

• Don’t stop with covering expenses—reinvest surplus cash flow for leverage and growth at each phase.
• First, buy back your time through delegation and hiring.
• Systematize everything as you do it: have new hires document your processes for you.
• Move from “doing” → “delegating” → “visionary oversight.”
• High-level hires (six-figure+) drive exponential business growth.
• Real freedom is business growth without your daily involvement.

Final Thoughts

Brian's episode is both a blueprint and a personal challenge—urging listeners to not just chase cash flow, but to use it intentionally to architect a life of purpose, time freedom, and scale. The FREE Framework offers a stepwise path that any business owner or high-income earner can follow, making the leap from solopreneur or landlord to empire builder not just possible, but systematic.