When I discovered that business model sitting on that California beach, I thought I had found the answer.
What I did not realize was that I had only found an answer — and it was the right one specifically for me.
Over the next 35 years, I watched thousands of professionals walk the same path I did. Some thrived. Some struggled. Some built extraordinary income. Some got frustrated and quit.
And I became obsessed with understanding why.
The answer came to me slowly, through story after story of people taking that same leap.
There was a dentist who came from an international country, completely maxed out and burned out by his profession. He did not want a side hustle — he wanted a business he could eventually take back to his country. A way to transition out completely and build something globally with his wife. When he finally understood that he was a Strategic Connector — someone who thrived on relationships and building networks — everything changed. He stopped forcing himself to do things that did not fit his nature and started leveraging what he was actually good at: bringing people together.
Then there was a pediatric nurse — an empty nester, single mom, ready for a different chapter. She did not want to replace her nursing career. She wanted to create an additional income stream that would finally give her the freedom to travel at this stage of her life. When she discovered she was an Impact Multiplier — someone who could only build with purpose and meaning — she stopped trying to force a transactional business model and started creating income aligned with what actually mattered to her.
A financial planning executive came to me completely maxed out, managing high-level clients and teams. He was skeptical about anything that would add complexity to his already impossible schedule. But when he understood the Seven Levers of Leverage — and saw that he could build scalable income using systems and infrastructure rather than his own time — something shifted. He was an Authority Builder looking to expand his influence and impact.
A PR executive with incredible talents and a strong reputation came looking for a way to expand her income without adding another full-time job. She was a Quiet Influencer — someone with credibility and reach but a preference for privacy. Once she understood that she did not need to be visible or pushy to build income, she stopped forcing herself into a public-facing mold.
An entrepreneurial couple came to me looking for a business they could build together — something that included their love of sports, design, and leadership. When they found their model, it was because they stopped asking “What business should we do?” and started asking “What type of leverage actually fits how we want to work together?”
A technology executive wanted to create a business to support her family’s extras — college funds, vacations, security. She was a Lifestyle Leverager in the truest sense — someone who wanted scalable income that grew without demanding more of her time.
A postal service manager looking for an additional income source. A solo entrepreneur with a thriving driving school business but no time to enjoy his brand new baby. Each one came with a different constraint, a different dream, a different version of what “freedom” actually meant to them.
And here is what I learned from all of them:
The ones who succeeded were not the ones following the “right” business model. They were the ones who had found the model that fit them.
The question is not: “What is the right business?” The question is: “What type of leverage actually fits who I am — my strengths, my network, my professional style, and what freedom actually means to me?”
If any of these stories resonated, I put everything I have learned into a short booklet called the Freedom Formula. You can download it free at AnnFeinstein.com.
In the final part of this series, I will show you exactly how to ask that question for yourself — and why three minutes might be all you need to change how you think about your next chapter.
The answer was not about the business itself. It was about understanding how each person was wired.
Some people were natural connectors — they thrived on relationships and introducing people to solutions. Others were quiet influencers who preferred privacy but had incredible redibility. Some were natural teachers who could monetize their expertise. Others were systems thinkers who loved building scalable infrastructure. And some were driven by impact — they only wanted to build income if it aligned with purpose and meaning.
I realized that the people who succeeded were not the ones who forced themselves into a mold.
They were the ones who found the business model that fit their wiring.
And the ones who struggled were trying to build in a way that went against their nature — pushing themselves to be more visible, more aggressive, more “salesy” than they actually were.
That is when it hit me: The problem was not the business model. The problem was the mismatch.
Most high performers never ask themselves: What type of leverage actually fits who I am?
They just try to fit into whatever model is in front of them. And that is where the real trap begins.
So over decades, I started mapping it out. I identified the Seven Levers of Leverage — technology, people, timing, location, language, currency, and buying power. I saw how different professionals could pull different levers depending on their strengths, their networks, and their professional style.
And I watched what happened when people finally found their fit.
They stopped forcing. They stopped pretending. They stopped trying to be someone they were not.
Instead, they built income in a way that felt authentic. Natural. Professional.
That is when I created the Freedom Fit Assessment.
It was not a quiz. It was not a lead magnet. It was a diagnostic tool — something that would help busy professionals answer that one critical question: Which leverage model actually fits my life, my strengths, my professional style, and my goals?
Because I had learned something over 35 years that I wish I had known standing in that corral in New Jersey:
Your freedom is not determined by the opportunity. It is determined by how well the opportunity fits who you actually are.
The Freedom Fit Assessment identifies five distinct profiles:
The Strategic Connector — someone who builds through relationships and trusted networks.
The Quiet Influencer — someone who creates income with low visibility and complete privacy.
The Authority Builder — someone who monetizes their expertise and professional credibility.
The Lifestyle Leverager — someone who builds scalable income specifically around time freedom.
The Impact Multiplier — someone who creates income aligned with purpose and mission.
Most high performers have never taken the time to ask themselves which one they actually are.
Over 35 years I have developed everything you need to find your path — the Freedom Formula, the Freedom Fit Assessment, and the resources that go with them.
Take the Freedom Fit Assessment at AnnFeinstein.com/assessment
Ann Feinstein is The Leverage Queen — a global entrepreneur and mentor who for 35 years has helped executives and solopreneurs build scalable, system-supported income. Connect with Ann to explore whether a strategic partnership or private mentoring is the right next step for you.
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