EP 243 - Freedom by Design: How Michael Walsh Redefines the Entrepreneur's Journey

Freedom. It’s a word thrown around a lot in entrepreneurial circles. For some, it’s about time. For others, money. But in Episode 243 of Paper Napkin Wisdom, Michael Walsh challenges all of us to look deeper. With his napkin reading, “Freedom is not a selfish act,” he invites established business owners to consider a profound shift in how they view growth and fulfillment. 

Michael Walsh isn’t just another business coach. He’s a skilled strategist with decades of experience guiding entrepreneurs who have already built something successful—but feel stuck, exhausted, or unsure of what’s next. His new book, Freedom by Design, is a guide for those who want to reconnect with purpose and build a life (and business) that serves them—not the other way around. 

In our conversation, Michael explains that many business owners start out seeking autonomy—not wealth. “A lot of people think that entrepreneurs are about the money,” he says. “What I find typically is they’re not. They’re about the autonomy they can gain by running their own show.” But somewhere along the way, the business starts running them. They become trapped by what they built, unsure how to reclaim the very freedom that led them down this path. This is where the design comes in. 

Michael lays out a clear, actionable philosophy in Freedom by Design—a structure that empowers leaders to stop being reactive and start building intentionally. He notes, “Freedom is not a selfish act. In fact, when you create space for your own freedom, you also create space for others—your team, your family, your community—to grow too.” 

This episode is the kickoff to a powerful new series that explores the core elements of Michael’s book and philosophy. With Govindh Jayaraman guiding the conversation, the discussion goes deep into what it takes to build not just a business, but a life, by choice. 

If you’ve ever felt like you’re succeeding on paper but suffocating in reality, this is the episode—and the book—for you. 

5 Key Takeaways from Michael Walsh’s Freedom by Design: 

1. Freedom Starts With Clarity “Most entrepreneurs don’t have a freedom problem—they have a clarity problem.” Michael reminds us that freedom only exists when we’re clear on what it looks like. 

Take Action: Schedule a 30-minute solo session this week to write down what freedom truly means to you—personally and professionally. 

2. Autonomy Isn’t the Same

Episode Transcript

Govindh Jayaraman (00:02):
Michael Walsh. Welcome back to paper napkin! Wisdom thrilled that you're here

Michael Walsh (00:07):
Thanks for having me

Govindh Jayaraman (00:08):
So spoiler, alert.
If you're listening to this, we're actually recording this one
at the end of a series. But it's actually going to be the 1st napkin, and on this napkin
you say, freedom by design.
Freedom is not a selfish act.

(00:30):
Why did you share that with me other than the fact that I asked you to share it with me. Why did you share it with me?

Michael Walsh (00:35):
Well, a lot of people, you know, when business owners want to grow their company.
they are looking for increased freedom. A lot of people think that entrepreneurs are about the money. What I find typically is they're not about the money they're about the autonomy that they can gain by running their own show whether it's a loan or in partnership with others, and

(00:56):
the difficulty is
what they want is they want freedom. It's not the money, it's freedom they want. The thing is that freedom just takes a lot of money. That's why they focus on the money.
But really, what people want is freedom and a lot of people say as well, whether it's money or freedom. Business owners are all about themselves.

Govindh Jayaraman (01:15):
Well, before we go to that

Michael Walsh (01:16):
Okay.

Govindh Jayaraman (01:17):
I want to. Just, I want to say freedom.
It's so elusive.
right? Because I remember I remember saying, you know, I think people relate to this a lot. Say, oh, you get to be your own boss, and I used to joke. No, that's what people say. I just have more bosses.

(01:38):
I you know the customer is my boss. The suppliers are my boss. The bank is my boss. Oh, and, by the way, my staff, they're my boss, and
and then everybody else is my boss. I'm like a slave to everybody

Michael Walsh (01:55):
And the tax man

Govindh Jayaraman (01:56):
Yeah, yeah. Government forgotten?
God forbid! I forget the government

Michael Walsh (02:01):
Don't worry.

Govindh Jayaraman (02:02):
Yeah, yeah, they have a way of reminding you in little Manila envelopes. So so the again.
we we say that we want to do this, and the second we sign up for it. It's like snatched away from us.
and but we want it. We want the freedom

Michael Walsh (02:23):
Yes, we do.
And now keep in mind that where I specialize, and so I speak to where I specialize is is in service based businesses or businesses with a strong service component, that is, that are based in the expertise of their people. Now, I know, you know that these that may apply to everybody. But that's where I that's where I focus. And and what you find is

(02:48):
the reason that people quite often go into business is they find that they can actually
bring their expertise to their clients and customers or patients if they're in the medical industry. That
they actually want to contribute to people in meaningful ways. They want to bring their expertise. They want to grow their expertise. And they actually wanna, they wanna make a difference for people. And given that 78% of all business these days is our service based businesses. In most 1st world countries. You're in a situation where this is a big deal. As far as that's concerned. This hits a lot of people. And so

(03:22):
people get into business because they figure I can do it better than than my old boss, but they bring their their craftsmanship if you want to call it that to the table, and that's not just professional services. It's skilled trades. It's training and development organizations. There's a lot of different types of companies that are in the services businesses. And then there's also businesses that are supply and install. Well, the install part is the service component. So even if there's installation involved.

(03:49):
you know, there, the supply of it is is also part of the service to to get the right appropriate stuff as well. So I include those types of business in as well.
so they think that being a craftsman is is, you know, or Craftsperson. I don't know what the
correct way to say that is, but you know, being

(04:10):
strong at their craft is not enough. As you grow. There are things that happen. And and
That's why it gets harder, because because
applying your trade is different than running a business that is based on you applying your trade. They're just different skills needed

Govindh Jayaraman (04:33):
Yeah. And and we, you know, there's
this is such a significant issue. There are reams of books written about this one of the most popular being. E-myth, yeah. So this concept is well explored.
And and so, you know, freedom
has to be designed for within the business structure. Correct

Michael Walsh (04:56):
Yep. And and it's interesting because a lot of people, you know, you talk about email. And it's like, consider yourself a prototype of 5,000 franchise, you know, and things like that. And it's like, everything's about the systems. And people are better when it's all about the systems. And I'm like, yeah. And there's other. There's other organizations that have come out with things all about the structures. You just if you work within the structures, everything goes better.

(05:21):
there's actually a fundamental difficulty with that that actually robs people of their freedom.
And that's that they consider the structures more important than the people.
And when you're in such a high percentage of all businesses that are service based businesses, and I know that you would assert that that even in product based businesses. They require services of people within those businesses, and I wouldn't disagree with that. You're in a situation where this relies on the people, not just the structures, and we will not be dictated to as as humans. We just won't. I mean, we might comply in the short term, but that's not a sustainable way of operating. It's like, it's like.

(06:00):
you know, trying to control your kid.
Anybody who does that knows that they've got. They've got a lot of years of really pain painful experiences. And then they've got a lot of years of repair hopefully later, if the kids ever forgive them for trying to control them as much as they have, you know it's fascinating, whereas if people are given the freedom to explore and and do what they need to do, there's absolutely a reciprocal

(06:29):
human element that comes in, and everything just seems to go smoother. Well, if that's true in somebody's private life, it's just as true in a business environment as well. And so what's happening is that people want freedom. They don't get it from the strategies that they've been armed with up until now. And I'm suggesting that if you really want freedom, there's 3 different levels of freedom that you look at. One is freedom in your business. So I can focus on the things that I do particularly well.

(06:58):
and that actually have strategic value in my organization. The second thing is freedom from your business, because you want to have a life outside the business, you want to be able to take time away. You want to enjoy the many different parts of life that are available to each of us.
you know. And if you build your organization in such a way, you can actually have that. And of course, the 3rd one is freedom because of your business, and that's to read not only the financial rewards, to also see the impact of what you're providing or whatever else you actually want to use that business to support. So I could have whatever goals and commitments I have in life.

(07:37):
You know a business is a is a very powerful tool that can help me accomplish that. And this includes the 3 different levels of freedom that are there. And I would assert that
people are more interested in the freedom than even in the money

Govindh Jayaraman (07:52):
And you know I think you're so right, and you tease this. You just teased it when you said freedom because of the business doesn't just mean the wealth that's generated within the business. But it's the impact of what you're doing where you're doing it.
how you're doing it.
This is this is the stuff I mean.

(08:14):
I think that
in in my darkest days, when business was hardest, and why, I persisted was because I believed I had something
to give

Michael Walsh (08:24):
I believe that we had something to give

Govindh Jayaraman (08:27):
And it was that impact that I was chasing.
Yeah impact. And that's freedom.
But that was not about me.
It was for somebody else it was for something else. It was something bigger than me, and
I think that that's at the heart of it. So is that what you're trying to say that freedom

(08:47):
is not a selfish act.

Michael Walsh (08:49):
Well, when I say freedom is not a selfish act. What I mean is, people come to realize that
in striving for increased freedom you need to set up the whole organization to flourish.
And there's a big difference between running a business like a well oiled machine versus running a business like an intelligent ecosystem. And and

(09:13):
we'll go into that, you know, or we will have gone into that in in future. Napkins. As to what that's about. And what you find is that if I run it like a machine it'll actually
limit my freedom.

Govindh Jayaraman (09:29):
Yeah, and

Michael Walsh (09:30):
Dependent on me, whereas if I build an ecosystem, it feels, or looks more daunting from the outside. But but frankly, I actually get the freedom that I see. But everybody wins. It's nobody. Nobody is left on the sidelines when it comes to that. Now

Govindh Jayaraman (09:48):
It's almost like you take off the jar like, take the lid off the jar, right you become the rising tide that lifts all boats. Everything comes up when you elevate the top, when the freedom is blown off the top of the equation, then everything is possible, isn't it?

Michael Walsh (10:07):
I completely agree with that. Now, that's

Govindh Jayaraman (10:09):
And this is why I think it was so important like this is why I thought it was so important after having done the 15 episodes to come back and do this one
and then release it, first, st because it brings into context why you want to do all of this
where it's going. What the purpose of it is

(10:30):
there is because there's a really strong underlying part of it.
and an undercurrent all the way through is that if the top comes up, everything comes up, and you're going to hear these themes as you listen to it.
The remaining episodes. As you go through this framework. You're going to see that everything is about raising the bar.
Everything is about raising the bar, and once you raise the bar there's room for everybody.

(10:54):
Everybody can come up

Michael Walsh (10:57):
Well, the other side of this is that
as you grow a business, everybody has these great aspirations and dreams, and we get stuck.
and some things we get stuck in.
We could have predicted other things. We get stuck in. We can't. We can't even see them gone. They just get us. And there are certain dynamics that are at play that cause us getting stuck. And if you can understand and learn a little bit more about those you can actually avoid getting stuck. And and

(11:28):
then it leads to a whole question called, How do I grow? A business in the 21st century?
And really, if you take a look at this series of podcasts and the book that I wrote freedom by design, it's about it's actually about, how do I grow an organization in the 21st century that

(11:49):
actually gives me access to the increased freedom I want. And and if you want a spoiler alert, it doesn't happen without actually having everybody else benefit, too, but not like some Utopian, unrealistic, objective
you know. Profit optional thing. It's like, no, it's very strategic. It's very aligned. It may feel or look simple as we go, and it's 1 of the it's probably one of the most in-depth looks I've looked at in terms of how to grow a business. In the 30 years that I've actually been doing this

Govindh Jayaraman (12:20):
No, it. So the book
definitely reads quickly and lightly, and and I think that this is why I think this is a really Great Companion series to the book and the book.
If you want some support in bringing those aspects to life.

(12:41):
use both of these things together to be able to get at that information from different angles and bring your perspective to it.
I agree with you, and you've taken 30 years.
I've always admired, and I do admire, Michael, your your ability to create tools that are actionable and condensed

(13:05):
onto a paper napkin, right? So it's it's wisdom that's small enough to fit on a napkin. But these are tools that can change a business and can change lives. And I really believe that
on the whole, this toolkit is something that's so important for people. And I really hope that again, if you haven't yet.

(13:27):
if you don't have the book, yet.
the book and these companion podcasts make a great pair.
The podcasts are great as a place to start. But you'll want the toolkit. If you have the book, the podcasts are great, because we go into things from a different layer.
and we poke and prod at the concepts from the position of actionability and implementation.

(13:47):
Michael, I want to thank you
for the work. I know you put years into the book, and and what we're about to dive into, and what we've just did, you know broken down is incredible. Value, and I think is is
is is going to be a gift to anyone who listens to it.

(14:09):
Thank you so much, Michael.

Michael Walsh (14:11):
Welcome. Thank you.