How to Get Rich on Easy Mode

Key Takeaways

The fundamental principle of getting rich on "easy mode" is helping other people make money, rather than trying to extract money from cash-strapped consumers
Most successful businesses and high-paying careers involve B2B services - companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta make their real profits by helping other businesses generate revenue
Tying your work directly to measurable revenue generation is the fastest path to higher income, whether you're an employee or entrepreneur
Selling high-value services ($2,000-$20,000) to businesses with money is far easier than selling low-cost products to individual consumers
Skills that sit "close to the money" like sales, marketing, and revenue optimization command higher compensation than skills further removed from direct profit generation
Value-based pricing rather than hourly billing allows you to capture a fair share of the economic value you create for others

The Economics of Getting Rich: Hard Mode vs Easy Mode

Ali Abdaal presents a compelling framework for understanding wealth creation through the lens of "game modes" in capitalism. According to his analysis, society romanticizes the struggle of the passionate entrepreneur crafting handmade products or the artist pursuing their creative vision, but these approaches represent "hard mode" wealth building.

The core challenge with hard mode is that it involves convincing cash-strapped consumers to part with their post-tax dollars for products they may not truly need. These consumers are juggling rent payments, student loans, and financial anxiety, making every purchase decision an emotional battle.

Easy mode operates on an entirely different principle: helping other people make money. This approach works with the natural flow of capitalism rather than against it, making wealth accumulation significantly more straightforward.

Understanding the Economic Pyramid Structure

Abdaal describes the economy as functioning like a giant pyramid scheme where value is generated at the bottom but captured at the top. Money flows upward through society, which explains why businesses serving other businesses tend to be more profitable than those serving individual consumers.

Amazon provides a perfect illustration of this principle. While consumers think of Amazon as an online shopping platform for groceries and household items, the company barely broke even on retail for most of its existence. The real profit driver is Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides cloud infrastructure to other businesses like Netflix and Disney Plus, essentially creating the foundation for these companies to generate revenue.

Fortune 100 Companies: The B2B Dominance

Approximately 70% of Fortune 100 companies can be summarized as businesses that help other businesses make more money. Google and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) exemplify this model - while users see search engines and social media platforms, these companies generate revenue through advertising by helping businesses reach customers and generate sales.

Abdaal's own business illustrates this principle in action. His company spends $20,000 monthly on Meta advertising because those ads generate more than $20,000 in course sales. Some businesses invest millions monthly in Google and Facebook advertising specifically because it helps them generate even more revenue.

The Four Principles of Easy Mode Wealth Building

Principle 1: Tie Your Work Directly to Revenue

The first principle involves conducting what Abdaal calls a "revenue audit" - understanding exactly how your work contributes to money generation. Most employees have no clear understanding of how their role generates revenue for their employer, instead focusing on tasks like completing forms, attending meetings, or looking busy.

For customer support representatives, the real value isn't answering emails but preventing customer churn and maintaining revenue retention. The highest-paid customer success professionals are those who can upsell existing customers, directly generating additional revenue.

Sales positions typically command high compensation because the revenue connection is explicit. A salesperson can definitively state, "I brought in $200,000 this month, so I deserve my $20,000 commission." This clear return on investment makes salary negotiations straightforward.

High-Paying Fields and Revenue Proximity

Finance professionals earn substantial compensation because they help other people make money. Within finance, roles closer to revenue generation command higher salaries:

Algorithmic traders writing money-making algorithms earn premium compensation
Front-office investment bankers managing client relationships with ultra-high-net-worth individuals command high salaries because they directly bring money into the firm
Back-office roles like HR within financial firms typically earn less because their connection to revenue is less direct

Technology companies pay well because they generally help other businesses make money. While consumers may never use Salesforce, it's an enormous company generating billions by helping other businesses increase their revenue through better sales processes.

Law firm and consulting firm partners earn millions not because they're exceptional lawyers or consultants, but because they bring clients to the firm. Making partner typically requires developing a "book of business" - a network of relationships that can generate revenue for the firm.

Principle 2: Sell to People Who Actually Have Money

This principle addresses the fundamental difference between B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) sales dynamics. Selling a $50 product to someone earning $40,000 annually means competing with rent, groceries, and financial anxiety. Every purchase becomes an emotional battle.

Contrast this with selling a $50,000 service to a business generating $5 million annually. The business focuses on return on investment rather than emotional spending decisions. If the service generates $200,000 in additional revenue, the $50,000 investment becomes an easy decision.

The Power of Higher-Value Transactions

Abdaal emphasizes that earning $100,000 by selling ten $10,000 services is dramatically easier than selling 10,000 $10 products. This principle explains why his Lifestyle Business Academy recommends services priced between $2,000-$20,000 - requiring fewer customers to build a viable business.

The most successful student example involves Adam, who helps seven-figure online course creators boost sales by 30% through sales optimization. This "helping rich people make more money" approach proves far easier to sell than services focused on finding purpose or overcoming anxiety.

Principle 3: Value-Based Pricing Over Time-Based Pricing

Hourly billing creates artificial income caps and perverse incentives. When charging by the hour, you're limited by the number of hours you can physically work, and you're actually incentivized to work slower rather than more efficiently.

Value-based pricing focuses on the economic impact of your service. If your work helps a client generate an additional $100,000, charging only $500 severely undervalues your contribution.

Abdaal suggests a rule of thumb: charge approximately one-tenth of the value you help create. Using the $100,000 example, a $10,000 fee allows the client to feel they're getting an excellent deal (10x return) while providing substantial compensation for the service provider.

Principle 4: Build Skills That Sit Close to the Money

Not all skills command equal market value. Some are "nice to have" while others are "print money" skills that directly impact revenue generation.

High-value skills include:

Sales (directly brings in revenue)
Performance marketing (measurably increases sales)
Conversion rate optimization (directly boosts revenue)
Copywriting (persuades customers to purchase)

Lower-value skills include:

Graphic design (unless tied to revenue-generating advertisements)
Creative writing (unless it's sales copywriting)
General administrative tasks

The key distinction lies in how easily an employer or client can draw a direct line between your skill application and revenue generation.

The Reality of Employment and Value Creation

Abdaal presents an uncomfortable truth: most people are already helping someone make money - that's literally what employment represents. Employers hire workers because they generate more value than they cost, with the difference representing the business's profit margin.

This gap between value creation and value capture is often larger than employees realize, presenting opportunities for:

Increasing actual value creation and requesting compensation increases based on measurable contributions
Making existing value creation more visible by clearly connecting work output to business revenue

The Societal Value vs Market Value Dilemma

Abdaal acknowledges the uncomfortable reality that market value doesn't equal societal value. Teachers, social workers, and many doctors work significantly harder than finance professionals or business owners, yet struggle to build wealth because their work doesn't directly help others make money.

This isn't a moral judgment but rather an economic reality within capitalist systems. Even among doctors, those who become wealthy typically:

Own clinics or hospitals (business owners capturing revenue)
Work in private healthcare systems with direct billing
Have highly specialized skills that command premium pricing

For professionals in traditionally lower-paid but socially valuable roles, the transition to "easy mode" might involve leveraging existing skills in revenue-generating contexts. A teacher might develop corporate training programs, using educational skills to help businesses improve employee performance and profitability.

Practical Application: The Website Manager Case Study

Abdaal illustrates these principles through a conversation with his team member Dan, who manages his website. Initially, Dan viewed his role as website management and considered side hustles in web design or SEO audits.

Through questioning, they discovered Dan's real value: optimizing conversion rates on sales pages to increase course and program sales. This reframing transformed Dan's marketable skill from "website management" to "conversion rate optimization that helps businesses make more money."

With this new positioning, Dan landed a $15,000 side hustle client - something he'd never achieved when selling generic web services. The packaging around "helping someone make money" enabled business success on easy mode.

The Broader Economic Implications

The principles Abdaal outlines reflect broader economic realities about value creation and capture in capitalist systems. B2B services dominate high-value transactions because businesses:

Make decisions based on spreadsheets and logic rather than emotions
Have budgets specifically allocated for growth investments
Can easily calculate return on investment
View expenses as investments in revenue generation

This creates a natural flow where money moves toward solutions that demonstrably generate more money, creating a reinforcing cycle for those positioned to capture this value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What if I work in a field that doesn't directly generate revenue, like education or social work?

While these fields provide immense societal value, they typically don't operate on direct revenue generation models, making wealth building more challenging. However, you can leverage your skills in revenue-generating contexts. For example, a teacher could develop corporate training programs, or a social worker could offer employee wellness consulting to businesses. The key is translating your valuable skills into contexts where they help organizations make or save money.

Q: How do I identify if my current role ties to revenue generation?

Conduct a "revenue audit" by tracing how your work ultimately contributes to your employer's income. Ask yourself: How does my role help the company make money? Can I quantify this impact? For instance, customer support prevents churn (revenue retention), HR improves employee productivity (operational efficiency leading to higher profits), and operations roles often reduce costs (which directly impacts profitability). The clearer you can make this connection, the stronger your position for advancement and compensation increases.

Q: Is it ethical to focus purely on helping others make money rather than providing societal value?

This approach isn't about abandoning societal contribution but rather understanding economic realities within capitalist systems. Many revenue-generating activities also provide significant societal value - businesses that make money often do so by solving real problems for customers. The key is finding alignment between profitable activities and meaningful work, or using financial success from "easy mode" strategies to fund socially impactful projects.

Q: What's the difference between B2B and B2C sales that makes B2B "easier"?

B2B sales are typically easier because businesses buy with logic and have dedicated budgets for growth investments. They evaluate purchases based on return on investment and have money specifically allocated for services that help them generate more revenue. B2C sales involve consumers spending personal, after-tax income while managing competing financial priorities like rent and groceries, making each purchase decision more emotionally charged and financially constrained.