Unlocking Your Ideal Life: How to Reverse Engineer Your Dream Lifestyle through Business

As entrepreneurs, we rarely start a business solely for the sake of building a business. More often, we’re inspired by visions of freedom, opportunity, and the ability to pursue the kind of lives we’ve always wanted to live. In this episode of The Ownership Advantage, host Tanner explores a powerful, actionable framework to help business owners bridge the gap between their personal dreams and business actions, ensuring their efforts drive them toward a truly ideal life.

Beyond Profit: Visualizing the Life You Want

Tanner begins by breaking down the importance of visualizing your ideal life. While terms like “dream boards” and “vision charts” might evoke thoughts of luxury cars or tropical vacations, Tanner reminds us that an ideal life doesn’t have to be materialistic or self-serving. For some, the dream may involve travel and adventure, while for others, it might hinge upon impactful community involvement or quality family time. “You get to determine what that life looks like.” The real value lies in a personal, unapologetic assessment of what will bring you fulfillment.

Introducing the DGLPA Formula

To help organize these ambitions, Tanner introduces a five-step framework: DGLPA—Dream, Goal, Learn, Plan, Act.

- Dream: Start broad. Ask yourself, “What do I ultimately want?” These are big, long-term aspirations—the kind that don’t require you to have the “how” figured out just yet.

- Goal: Distill dreams into concrete, actionable targets using the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-oriented, Time-bound). Move from the 30-year vision to 10-year, 5-year, 1-year, and even 90-day benchmarks.

  - Learn: Identify the personal or professional growth required to meet these goals. If a goal doesn’t require you to stretch or learn, it’s not ambitious enough—it’s just a task.

- Plan: Map out the journey. Construct 90-day, 1-year, or 3-year plans comprising the exact steps needed to close the gap between where you are and where you want to go.

- Act: Execution is everything. With a plan in place, it’s time to move forward, adjusting as you learn and grow.

Turning Dreams into Financial Realities: The Math Behind the Vision

After establishing personal and professional aspirations, the next step is crucial: assigning numbers to your dreams. Tanner explains how this transforms abstract desires into a practical, reverse-engineered blueprint for your business.

Start by estimating the cost of your ideal life each year. Include everything: daily living expenses, travel, donations to charity—whatever matters to you. Add them up for a total annual “living number.”

For instance, let’s say your dream life would require $500,000 per year. Next, calculate how much profit your business needs to generate to make this possible, factoring in how much you can actually withdraw after reinvesting for growth (e.g., taking 80% of your net income as a draw). In this example, you’ll need $625,000 in net income per year.

But what does that mean for your sales targets? By dividing the required net income by your net income margin, you’ll arrive at the revenue target your business must hit. If your net income margin is 30%, you’d need approximately $2,080,000 in sales.

From Revenue Goals to Daily Activities

This approach doesn’t just help in setting high-level targets. It allows you to create clear, actionable steps all the way down to daily business activities. By determining exactly how many leads, sales meetings, or conversions are necessary, you can align every team member’s focus with your ultimate life goals.

Reclaiming Purpose—and Control

Many business owners lose sight of their “why” amid the daily grind. The DGLPA framework is a powerful way to reconnect with your original motivation and to ensure that your business growth is always tied to your personal definition of success. Remember, building your ideal life is not just allowed—it’s the true advantage of ownership.

If you’re ready to delve deeper, consider seeking expert guidance or taking advantage of coaching offerings tailored to your unique business and vision.

Final Thoughts

The path to your ideal life starts with a bold vision and continues with practical, math-driven planning. No matter what your dream looks like, your business can be the vehicle that gets you there—one deliberate step at a time.

Catch the full episode for more insights, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re ready to turn your dreams into reality!

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Check out the full episode on YouTube HERE

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