How Patience Became My Secret Weapon in Business with Cassie Shea

Guest: [00:00:00] Where do you see thought leadership guiding you in the seven figure leap business into 2026 and beyond? Yeah, so as I've freed myself up through some failed experiments and some false starts, and ultimately through finding the right systems and the right team, and investing in some of that self leadership.
Intro: You are listening to the seven-Figure Leap podcast. We're here to leverage rich relationships and smart strategies to take your business to the next level. Here's your host, Dustin Rieman.
Host: Welcome back to the seven Free Leap Podcast. Uh, I'm really excited we have a special edition today. It's actually the third time, that we've done something like this.
Host: And I'm here with a very special guest, Cassie Shea. And you may know Cassie, she's been on the show multiple times. most notably the very first episode of the show we talked about. What this [00:01:00] podcast is for and what Seven Figure Leap is about. And it's really amazing to think back. That was January of 2024, so almost two years ago, that this whole, part of the adventure started.
Host: and then a year ago in, November, December, 2024, we did a year in the review episode talking about. What had transpired in the business, externally and internally as far as the business results, and me as a founder and some of the things that I've been through, some of the things I learned and encountered with Cassie as my co-pilot in the journey.
Host: And so we've decided to make this an annual tradition. So here we are in December of 2025. We're gonna do another year in the review. And so the way that we like to do these is I sit in the guest seat. And, turn the mic over to Cassie
as the trusted, guest host, the only guest host of this show. and, we just have a really rich conversation.
Host: Get really honest, real, and vulnerable about the highs and lows and struggles and celebrations and all the things that have happened here at Seven Figure Leap in the year 2025. So, I'm excited to get into this again, Cassie. I'm
really excited to have [00:02:00] you as Mike. Co-pilot in, in life and business, but also, as the co-host here are the actual host.
Host: Today on the podcast, I'm gonna turn it over to you and, let you get us started here in the year in review episode circa 2025.
Guest: Awesome. This is such a treat and I love the idea of, pulling the curtain back and looking at, one of the things you and I talked a lot about is that the gap in the game, which is a book by Dan Sullivan, and when we as entrepreneurs who maybe are high achievers, which I would put both of us in that category, Enneagram threes, yes.
Guest: we're always looking at like how to grow and what and what, and sometimes miss that pause moment where. All the good things that have happened. And so you and I have talked about this pretty continuously over the last two years. Are we living in the gap, which is that distance between where we are and our idealized self?
Guest: Or are we living in a game which is comparing us to past us? So I would actually love to start with past us. take us back, in terms of this conversation, like take us back to January, 2025. So we're sitting at the top of the year. [00:03:00] I know we do in our mastermind, we have a cadence where we plan every quarter, and I know you've also chosen a theme or a word for each year.
Guest: So take us back to like, what did you think 2025 was gonna be in January, 2025? What did you think? As we're looking out at the year, what did you think this year was gonna hold?
Host: Yeah, so I have a really unique, benefit in that I was actually able to listen to the podcast we did a year ago. so I know what I was thinking 'cause I talked about it at length.
Host: And, I will say as I listened back to that in preparation for today's episode, there were really no surprises, right? So, mm-hmm. it was, I didn't listen back and be like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I said that. It was, it was very much, consistent and. Peaceful and sustainable. And that's really kind of been the theme of the year, and that was the intent of the year.
Host: So as I sat at the beginning of this year, I had a really clear vision for what I wanted to accomplish in the business by the end of the year. And for the first time ever, it was not. A growth goal. Like it was not [00:04:00] about
growing the top line revenue substantially, like there was some growth. Of course, yes.
Host: You can't take the Enneagram three outta me completely. But what I, what I really was looking for was a more sustainable pace, a more peaceful approach to the business. 'cause if anyone hasn't, I would really invite you to listen to last, year's reflection episode. It was a very tumultuous year in 2024.
Host: There were very high highs, very low lows, struggles personally and interpersonally, and, just a lot of chaos, I would say, in the business this year has been very different than that, and that was really the intent. So I'm very excited in sitting here at the end of the year to look back in January, the path of course, Zied and zagged all over the place.
Host: It was not, as I drew it up, it wasn't the playbook as it was drawn up, but I would say the theme of the year of this sort of peaceful, sustainable, right sizing of the business in preparation for growth to come, that really became the theme of the year, and that was really the intent too.
Host: So. maybe that's not the most fun way to start an [00:05:00] episode. Like everything went exactly according to plan. 'cause it didn't. but I'd say overall the theme and the kind of temperature of what we were hoping to accomplish in the year absolutely did.
Guest: Pulling out a couple words that I heard there is peaceful and sustainable.
Guest: Yeah. And I know we talked a lot about. I know another word that got thrown around for a while was durable. Like the idea of like what creates that durability. I'm thinking about like even outerwear, like how do you trust your
snow boots aren't gonna like collapse in the snow. Yeah. I said a snowy Chicago Thanksgiving, so that's on my mind.
Guest: but we could talk that at the systems level and I'm wondering actually if we start maybe at the personal level, like what needed a change in you as a leader if we think about your leadership journey this year. Create more peace and sustainability in and how you're showing as a leader for, for business, for community.
Host: The word that came up as you were describing that was patience. and actually we had a, a homily in our church, two days ago as we record this. And, the, the priest was [00:06:00] talking about patience. And, my wife always has
to nudge me real hard 'cause like it's this running goes and I'm like the most impatient person, you know, I don't, I don't have that virtue, but I would say.
Host: That's something I've gotten a lot better at this year. It's something I've worked really hard at. It's something I've, invested in and, got a lot of, hope help and coaching with. But I would say, yeah, from a personal standpoint, being more patient with the speed at which things will happen and, the longer term sustainable, durable, like you said.
Host: I think that's a great word too. yeah, I would say I just, I. Embodied and like accepted the fact that this is a year of patience. Like this is a year to continue to pour in in areas that won't be visible to others. In many cases, that won't move the needle on my bank account or move the needle in a flashy, you know, LinkedIn post about, you know, two Xing or 10 Xing growth as we've done in the past, but that it would be the right next move would be to have some patience, invest in people and team and self-leadership.
Host: Thought leadership in different [00:07:00] ways to set myself up and to set this business and this mission we're on up to, be here in 10 years, but also to be here in a much more authentic and fulfilling way than it would if I kept running the pace I've done in the past two years as we've done these other, years in re in review.
Guest: Yeah. I'm wondering, I know some of these, but I think it would be worth talking about the relationship between identity and habits and the things we choose to. vote with our time. Tell us like who we are or who we see ourselves as. And you and I talked a lot about how identity is a, a growth lever because we can change how we see ourselves.
Guest: And so one of, I think the character strengths you brought forward is patience. So think about the word, the temperance, like that's such an old school way of talking about it. how did you develop some habits and identity around being patient? Because I think if we think about past Destin. Growth was such an important identity and a lot of the growth we're gonna talk about today is happening under the surface.
Guest: It might not have been so tangible or even [00:08:00] noticeable to the outside world, but I think those are maybe. The moments where, like you're saying we're, we're taking instead of thinking in days, we're thinking in decades now. Yeah. And that's a really different time horizon. So what would you say are some of the big shifts that happened this year in terms of your identity and your habits?
Guest: I think a lot about health as well. yeah, because healthy habits. Our personal lives, lives and our literal body tend to have an expression in our business and in our relationship with our business and how we're gonna show up to our business, what energy we can give to the people that we're hopefully influencing and leading.
Guest: So talk to us a little bit about your identity, specifically. We think about the beginning of the year, and maybe you can kind of give us that arc and then we can dive a layer deeper into the business.
Host: Yeah. So I think the right framework to make this. Useful to people as, as we kinda walk through it, is something actually got created, just a few months ago in a mastermind retreat that, that Cassie and I were hosting for our Seven Figure Elite Mastermind in Nashville in September.[00:09:00]
Host: It sort of came to me in a moment, I'm sure it's not an original thought, but it felt original to me and I think it'd be a good way to walk through this. and it's this idea of a leadership triangle is the way I described it to someone at that retreat, and for the first time ever, I sort of had this feeling of like, wait a second.
Host: Eureka epiphany, like leadership isn't just hiring people and managing people, like there's different elements to leadership and the three main elements as. I think about it for myself and this type of business is self-leadership, which is really the core of your question. team leadership, which does include team members.
Host: We've done a lot of that work this year, but it also includes team by other extensions, the family team, my mastermind team, our community team. Like there's different people on my business team than just my people. I pay to be on that team. and then the third would be thought leadership. Which has been another area that I felt like I've really found some fresh energy and creativity and expansion in this year.
Host: So self-leadership, team leadership, thought leadership, and I would say the most [00:10:00] important of these and what I would consider the foundation of the triangle, is self-leadership. And I would say the number one thing. From a habit or personal wellness standpoint, that's been a continuation from last year is my own sobriety of my own choices to, just abstain from alcohol.
Host: So July of 2024, July 16th specifically. I know, 'cause it was my 45th birthday. that was the last time that I had alcohol and I did that temporarily. It was part of 75 hard. And as we recorded our episode towards the end of 2024. I was reflecting that, hey, it's actually been like five months, you know, at that point.
Host: Mm-hmm. Well, now it's been, you know, that plus 12, it's been like 17 months and that's become a permanent decision. It's become part of my identity now. it's freed me up in a lot of ways to, be able to like have to make less choices socially, professionally, and things like that. And I think it's actually an integral part of what's helped me, emotionally have more patience.
Host: Um, I don't have [00:11:00] the. the out card. I can't, you know, like unplug and I can't like, medicate myself out of stress. Therefore, maybe I shouldn't create so much stress. That is like one of the ways I, I think about this. And so it's, it's like allowed me to have a more like sustainable, and less erratic sort of emotional, rollercoaster in my life.
Host: And I feel like that has transcended over into the business completely unintentionally. that wasn't at all. The reason for that decision or why I've continued to choose to make that decision moving forward. But I think I'd be like remiss in reflecting back on this year and not point out that that did have a substantial impact on me emotionally, mentally, physically, and therefore I think that had a huge impact on the business too.
Host: Mm-hmm.
Guest: It's so interesting how these choices. You mentioned that become a part of your identity. Mm-hmm. And sometimes the choice is to help us not make other choices. Like when you make a choice, I'm going to be alcohol free versus I'm [00:12:00] gonna drink occasionally. Those are two very different choices in terms of your decision making and your willpower and, the stickiness of that choice.
Guest: So I love that. I've also taken a sober year this year, and that seems like it's never, I did 23. I experimented with. What about drinking a little less? And every sip was like poison. I was like, alright. I think that's a pretty clear sign. and I actually really hadn't connected that idea to patients, which I wouldn't say anyone in my life notices per se.
Guest: maybe I'll do a little survey, but the, the ability to know you're gonna up every day, Clearhead emotionally sober, I think is a really. It's an edge almost in your business. It's clarity.
Host: The word I was looking for when I was rambling there a minute ago, it's like I'm just, I'm more consistent day to day in my mental abilities and my physical, yeah, just like, wellbeing and centeredness and things like that, and.
Host: So is the business, you know, compared to, to years past. [00:13:00] Yeah, it's interesting and my and my wife has pointed out, we've talked about her role in the business and, some of the events last year that led to more awareness of some of the things I needed to change into business and,
Host: She is one that pointed that out to me at some point in this journey that's like, you're just a more patient guy now. And I'm like,
Guest: Hmm.
Host: Oh, like that's cool. Like I, I like that. Like that's not identity. Great reflection. That's an identity story that I kind of ran from in the past. 'cause I, I sort of took it on as like, I'm so driven and ambitious and achievement oriented that I ain't got time for patience.
Host: Right. And, but I'm really excited now in, in this sort of phase of life and business. To embody that as a positive thing and something that I want to model for our clients and for my kids and for everyone in my social circles too.
Guest: Speaking of the consistency piece, your business had some very consistent milestones.
Guest: But I think you've really redefined growth this year. Yeah. So walk us through some of the changes that you made in the business in order to reduce chaos. I think about it in other [00:14:00] ways is, separating signal from noise. I feel like you got really clear on what are the signals you wanna amplify in the business.
Guest: Walk us through some of those changes. What changed this year to create more consistency and more peace in the business specifically?
Host: Yeah. well I started off the year. I'll talk about this slightly chronologically. It might be the easiest way to unpack it. And so I started off the
year actually trying something new that turned out to be a pretty big mistake in the strategic planning of the business for the year.
Host: And so people may recall at the end of last year. I've done a podcast episode about this too. we planned a big event, so I did this summit, it feels like eons ago, but it was actually February of 2025. And the summit had great intentions, but it got completely outta control and I, it blew ballooned to like 39 speakers and it was this massive thing to manage and it took almost all my mental bandwidth from like.
Host: November through February. and as a result of that, I actually didn't do a [00:15:00] cohort of the Podcast Profits Accelerator, which is our core program, in January or February. Mm-hmm. And, and so like, we didn't do one until March. And so from a financial planning cash flow, like, you know, we know what, drives this business.
Host: It's that program. We didn't actually. To have a cohort till March, and we hadn't had one since October. So I introduced inadvertently a five month gap in, in revenue and from our biggest revenue driver and, you know, with good intentions and, and it was a successful event in many ways. But now I look back and I'm like, oh my gosh.
Host: And so I kind of fell at coming into the, into Q1 behind, in the sense that like. I don't know that we could even, you know, come close to what we did last year. 'cause now I'm a quarter in, I haven't even done a accelerator, and last year I'd already done two at that point. And those are six figure groups, right?
Host: So that's, that's a substantial amount of revenue. and so I, I kinda wanna start with what I didn't do well. and then in response to that, and in spite of that, I felt like I [00:16:00] had the sort of maturity and the longer form view that like, that's okay. this was a strategic error. but. I'm not going to allow that to derail me from the bigger picture of what we want to accomplish this year in the business.
Host: And so, mm-hmm. Kind of switching gears to the things that we did do well and the things that have really sustained us and allowed us to kind of catch up and, hit the revenue marks that we were looking to hit here by the end of the year is. Team investment, more of this self investment. I can talk a little bit more specifically around this idea of stepping into a role as a leader, for the first time and, and redefining what leadership means.
Host: As I talked about with the Leadership Triangle, we've made some really substantial changes in investments in the community. Part of what we offer at Seven Figure Leap and how that interacts not only with the accelerator, the main 90 day program. Not only with the Mastermind, which is the other main offer that we have, but with making the community in and of itself actually the biggest asset of the business and having that drive [00:17:00] results and.
Host: goodwill and outcomes and, and all referrals and all this stuff. It's become a real engine in the business that doesn't require me to continue to pour fuel into it. It's sort of become a self-sustaining asset, of the business. That's been a big one. and then we, I'm sure we'll talk a little bit more here about some of the marketing activities and some of the focus areas that I've taken there this year.
Host: Very intentionally. That didn't require me to travel as much. That allowed me to be more of my unique ability that really had me practice what I preach at a higher level than I ever have in the past as far as the types of marketing we've done. So that was a very long answer. but yeah, I maybe we can, we can unpack that in a few different ways, and, and make it a little more useful for anyone listening.
Guest: Yeah. I mean, I think it's so relatable that. We sit down in our business, we plan something strategically that we think is gonna make a huge difference. Questions, what were you trying to, with the summit? What were you hoping? I love the idea of we're hiring these different activities or projects to do a specific job in our business.
Guest: What were you [00:18:00] trying to gap fill that you hope the summit would fill? And I wanna extract learnings from kind perceived. Launch moments. Moments or we have these projects that go out into the world and they don't do what we think they're gonna do, but maybe they do exactly what they needed to do because they gave us the feedback loop that we were missing.
Guest: So take us back, like what were you hoping the summit would teach you or fulfill in the business?
Host: Yeah. I saw the summit as an as a opportunity to leverage, um, one of my great gifts and assets, which is relationships. Into a way that would create just a ton of momentum for the accelerator. So basically a way to, to shortcut the process, I guess you could say.
Host: Like, Hey, instead of selling 12 seats into every cohort through one-on one sales calls, and through this sort of, very effective, but. Slow rolling process of enrollment that we, you know, it's really a personal invitation [00:19:00] to each person and we, we match them to the right cohort and we bring them in and we give them a great experience.
Host: Is there, this is the question I was trying to answer. Is there a way within my own, unique ability to like have an event based. Sales process where I do like this big event and a bunch of people come and I have all these amazing relationships that I can bring to bear and all these people I know that are experts and have them all come for this one event, invite a bunch of people.
Host: You have an amazing world class experience and then have a bunch of people say, I want to join your accelerator. Right? More as a mass conversion event than a personal invitation event. And what I learned in that is, yes, I have the relationships. Instead of 20 speakers. I had 39 because I couldn't tell people no.
Host: And I had all these amazing people that I wanted to feature. two, it was a profitable event, you know, people, it, it was. Well converting event from the standpoint of people coming. And the event itself, if you look at it in a isolation, was a huge [00:20:00] success. It was profitable. I had amazing content from 39 different people.
Host: We pulled off. You know, we went off without a hitch from a standpoint of operations and fulfillment and. Eventually it did turn into some accelerator clients, but it took a lot longer than expected. There was no mass conversion event, in part because I didn't even have a cohort available for people. I was so focused on getting the event done that when the event ended, I didn't have the energy or bandwidth to like do the proper follow up and the proper invitations and sort of woke up in the middle of February, realizing we haven't done any cohorts.
Host: I don't have anyone signed up for a cohort. It's almost the end of the first quarter. So it kind of went from, you know, this is gonna be this, I don't know, virtuous, uh, ability to get a bunch of people to join our main program into this actually, like, killed the momentum for what was working well and, let's not do that again.
Host: So, yeah, I, I learned, I learned a lot of pros and cons, I would say from that event.
Guest: [00:21:00] When you think about applying those lessons to, to the rest of the year, I know there's a lot of downstream effects. Yeah. Because I know a couple of the plot twists. what do you feel like that top of the year? One thing I hear from you is not having a five month gap in revenue.
Guest: Like when you know the top performing revenue engine in your business, don't stop turning the crank, basically. Yeah. Like it's great to experiment, but not at the cost of. The most important like lifeblood engine of the company. So what are some of the lessons, if we actually like take that quarter one moment, and I think you made some energetic commitments to not have a gap in cash flow, to not neglect sort of the economic engine that powers this whole ecosystem.
Guest: What does some of those lessons make possible for the rest of the year in terms of you thinking about. Sales, marketing and also team. Yeah, because I think that's an important piece to this. Like what, what were the lessons that you drew out from quarter one that changed the trajectory of the [00:22:00] business for the rest of the year?
Host: Yeah, that's great question. Yeah, I say ultimately what I did was sort of unplugged the flywheel. I unplugged like the main flywheel of the business. And the reason I did that was with good intention. As we talked about last year, last year, we did a lot to get me freed up to be more strategic, to, you know, have my first full-time employee, who's amazing and still with us.
Host: Tiffany, had more contractor help, got into operations and things like that. For the first time there was this really, really, really important part of the business that had not been addressed yet, and it was. Sales and marketing, and that I still fully own that. I still took every sales call, and I think the summit was, whether it was conscious or subconscious, was an attempt to answer a question, could we make a bunch of sales?
Host: Without me having to be on one-on-one sales calls. And so one way to do that is to do a larger conversion event in a sense, and bring a bunch of attention at once, or the launch event, get a bunch of people to sign up at [00:23:00] once. There's so much momentum. There's no need to do one-on-one calls. So that is one way to solve that problem.
Host: I think what I answered pretty soundly for myself is that that is not my way, that is not the way for this business to solve that problem. So it left me pretty, it was very clear at that point, that I needed to look back at what was
working in that, in our sales approach and see if there's other ways to solve that same conundrum, right?
Host: Are there ways for us to continue to make sustainable sales, keep the flywheel moving, do all the long form educational content that we do over time and not depend on launch events. And not have me take all those calls. And so what that, you know, we don't have to get into all the fits and starts and, and all the different, permutations of what didn't work along the way.
Host: But I can say from March through now, very important things that we did was. I invested in people and coaching around our sales [00:24:00] system, our sales process. Mm-hmm. so that we have much better sales systems and processes in place. Even if I am the one taking the call. At the end of the day, people are qualified for that call.
Host: They're educated before that call. There's a lot of things that I was having to do on every single call that now happened as system, which is better for the person on the, on both sides of that. Ultimate final conversation. Then I invested in, really better defining the way I put this is how can we keep Dustin's soul in the sales process without Dustin's body being required on every call?
Host: And that was a really, really hard. Nut for me to crack. And, with a lot of your help and, you know, again, fits and starts and trying different things that I knew should work and I didn't put my heart into it. we finally did. I guess to, to
close that loop, find the right person. define the role as a sales steward, as someone who could really steward the process, invite the right people in, make it a conversation, make it coaching, and not a [00:25:00] closer.
Host: That person's in place, they're being successful. I'm no longer taking all those sales calls, and that's like at the end of the year. So I started the year trying to shortcut that process as a way to avoid it and then basically said that didn't work. I really gotta like do the harder work now and create a system and find the right culture fit, and give the right mentorship.
Host: To someone who can do that instead of me and actually have it be better than when it was me. And that was a really huge step for this company and something that frankly taken nine months to kind of finally get right. it's probably the biggest accomplishment in the business this year, aside from maybe some
of
Host: the community enhancements that we've made.
Guest: I love the idea of. These experiments are, these big bets we take are learning loops. Yeah. Like you invested in a learning loop. And one of the things that I think I, I heard very clearly is like, don't unplug the revenue flywheel. Yeah. Like whatever experiments you need to run in a business, those need to run independent of [00:26:00] our revenue flywheel continuing to turn.
Guest: the other thing that's interesting in kind of unpacking of this is. You were hoping for a super solution Yeah. That could erase the necessary foundation of building the system that could peacefully and sustainably scale. Yes, and And I think we've all fallen for that like desire, like that silver bullet whether it's hiring a coach or getting into a different program or it's like, I think as entrepreneurs, like we have this feeling like we're missing something.
Guest: Like there's some gap to fill. And one of the biggest things that I learned from you this year is. The gap to fill is, is doing the work we knew we needed to do the whole time. Yes. And trusting. Like you don't have to be the person that's gonna deliver it. And I think that was, I mean this is something you and I have
talked about deeply for two years plus running.
Guest: Like what does it look like for Dustin not be involved in sales? and I think one of the interesting parts that you and I discovered is part of why it was hard for you to give up is because you loved it.
Host: Yes.
Guest: You [00:27:00] love the sales process. So maybe we could go a layer deeper in those areas that the business is calling us to grow.
Guest: How do you wrestle with that tension when it's like, wait, that's the thing that actually like lights me up. That's what gives me energy. Because I know you and I went through a few kind of thought experiments on how to still gain that fulfillment. How do you. Bringing others into the conversation.
Guest: Like, how do you grow beyond yourself when you know that that part of the business was something that brought you a lot of fulfillment in past seasons, but you also know you're going to be the bottleneck if it stays in your purview moving forward. Yeah. Like that's such a weird paradox that I, I don't feel like it's like one of those great problems to have.
Guest: It's like the business is growing and thus you need to grow. How did you grow beyond that? And then where have you sought fulfillment? In other ways, not fulfillment from a business perspective, but like that heart level fulfillment from sales filled a great gap for you. Yeah. In terms of like building relationship and watching people get an individual win, [00:28:00] like walk us through like when the business needs to grow beyond you, how do you still make sure you're getting the joy out of it and doing the things you still love and getting the heart level fulfillment?
Host: Yeah. Yeah. I absolutely love, I don't love sales, but I do love. Providing people clarity. I love connecting with people. I love seeing a better vision for them. I love speaking more belief into them and showing them a clear, practical way that they can actually achieve the things they wanna achieve. And so a lot of the ways I was scratching that itch was through what sales conversation.
Host: So it's like, Hey, you're curious about this topic. Hop on a call with Dustin and let's talk about it. And these 30 minute calls would inevitably go for an hour. And of course some people would enroll in the program and that was great like that, you know, that's a great, It's hard to give that up when it's working like it was working, but it wasn't working at a larger level.
Host: When I zoomed out and said, should I be spending 15 to 20 hours a week, in some cases on one-on-one calls with individuals who are not yet clients, is that gonna serve the greater good [00:29:00] of seven figure leap and our, our clients and the people that you know, we ultimately wanna serve? The answer was clearly no.
Host: And so I talked about one way I tried to solve that and it wasn't the right fit and how we did ultimately solve it. So I think though, to, to frame it like if there's something in your business that you are good at and you get some fulfillment out of, and you know, strategically you're the bottleneck and you can't stand that role, you still gotta scratch the itch if that's the thing that fulfills you, right?
Host: And so for, in my case, I was able to give up sales for the most part. To another team member. So I got fulfillment out of coaching him through this way of looking at sales, right? Like how do we, like he comes as more of a traditional salesperson. So teaching him how I view that and how this is invitation and how we serve this person and how we tell someone's the right fit for our community and how ultimately, that's the biggest thing we do is we curate.
Host: The right people into the experience. And yes, we wanna make sales, we're a business. so I think leading and educating someone else on [00:30:00] my, what was sort of an internal subconscious approach to sales, that was really fulfilling. And the other ways I think I've addressed that is I have a one-on-one coaching call with every new client.
Host: And so I still get to do the clarity, connection and all that, but only after they're a client. It's in a more appropriate place in the process and it adds a ton of value to them, as a client, which, you know, then adds that residual, value into the larger community. So that was a big thing. And I'd say the other thing I did this year more than ever is guest training.
Host: So I just really made an effort. To put myself on podcasts, of course. and we can talk about a few of the really highlights from this year on the podcast, guesting Front, which you know, is of course what we, we teach as our primary marketing vehicle. But I also did way more than ever guest training in other people's private communities.
Host: So other people's communities, masterminds, group coaching. actually spoke from a physical stage once this year. so a little less of that, less of [00:31:00] the travel, but just a lot more education based. Marketing, which also fulfills me because in those settings, they're usually small settings. They're with a curated group of people.
Host: They ask really good questions, and of course they lead to great opportunities for clients. So it's, it's kind of like doing a sales call, but with, more, you know, with multiple people, qualified people, and. So scratches a lot of the, the itch I was looking, that I was actually fulfilling through sales calls, but in a way that actually makes sense, for the structure of the business and allows me to be even more into my zone of genius, which is educating, coaching, providing clarity as a form of marketing, not as a sales conversion.
Guest: I've been thinking a lot about the difference between sales activities and marketing activities, and it sounds like that's been a really good way of. Having two different work streams and thinking about what parts are you keeping in order to be in your unique ability and create [00:32:00] exponential value to the seven figure leap business.
Guest: And also where can your uniqueability coach up others? So I'd love to just get a little clear on, if we think about the leadership triangle. We started with a little bit more of the self leadership. Talk a little bit about team
membership. Yeah. What are team of leadership rather? Team membership. It's kind of the same thing.
Guest: Yeah. they're members of the team. how has, how has your team transformed to this year and how have you seen yourself transform as a leader?
Host: Team. Yeah, so the business team has expanded quite a bit. So we have, still have our full-time, client success manager and executive assistant Tiffany. She was mentioned a year ago, and a year ago we had just started having Tony DeLorenzo.
Host: Assist me in, leading the accelerator cohorts. And so that has really blossomed and I think we've really found, an amazing one, two, ability to lead those, those cohorts. Well, those two are consistent. In addition to that, I brought in Jessica Miller, who's another [00:33:00] alumni and another member of our mastermind, and she now leads our office, or she co-leads with me, our office hours on Monday, which is a, a resource now for our whole community.
Host: So I've added more coaching, fulfillment, support from alumni who love it and who really get it, and who have been really successful in the way that we do marketing and growth. I have more of that. on the marketing side, a couple other alumni have now are now fractionally helping me with marketing.
Host: so, you know, emails and LinkedIn strategies. So I've got more people behind me, to, kind of amplify my own thought leadership. So they're not like making stuff up, but they're taking my ideas through interviews and verbal processing in a way that I'm, I best think. And then they're translating that into the kind of best.
Host: Format for email and LinkedIn. So that's been a huge value add to the community. I brought in a, what I'm calling a fractional, head of growth. and so this, person named Andrew has been really instrumental. I brought him in [00:34:00] initially to help build some of these systems that were, Pieces of that sales system that I talked about earlier.
Host: It's like I need, I need the system, to do more of the heavy lifting. And he helped me build a couple really important assets for that. And I'll probably do separate podcasts about those assets in the future. And then towards the tail end of the year after we completed several projects together. So, you know what, I really like you here as a thought partner and as a, you know, another person who thinks in terms of growth and,
Host: And just it just a fractional, you know, a growth person. So he can manage some projects, but he can also help me think more strategically and have that sounding board on the team, which I think is something I was really resistant to in the past. yeah, I'd say that is from a people standpoint in the business, those are huge changes to the team, I would say, related to that.
Host: Serving me, but not part of the seven figure Leap team. I have a fitness coach for the first time ever. I invested in one of our alumni, dusty Holcomb's leadership program. So I went through a [00:35:00] leadership program this year and really started to embody this identity of like a leader, a multifaceted leader.
Host: That's been awesome. I've now got a financial coach, also an alumni of this program and, and a former, guest of this podcast, Nolan Bradbury. So I've got Nolan there, not only for like bookkeeping functions, but we get together quarterly and think much bigger picture about what's all this for?
Host: How's this relating to the family goals? We get my wife, Bethany on those calls. And so it's really tying the business and the personal life together in a really cohesive way. I would say all those are parts of my team. and then the final thing I would say on team in this context is our mastermind group.
Host: So we've had the seven figure leap Mastermind since 2023. so it's, it's been around a long time, but I really feel like we've hit our stride this year in finding the right form and function of it. it's got like the perfect. People in it. and it's really has not only felt like an extension of my own business team, but
now we've really taken on an identity as a group, as we are each other's [00:36:00] business team.
Host: And so we've kind of got this bullpen of the best experts in the world at different things that are, you know, in my mastermind and, I get access to them. They get access to me and we get access to each other. And I feel like that's been a really important part of the team development is. Just giving better leadership to that mastermind and changing some of the structures.
Host: And, and we've had two in-person retreats this year that were massive inflection points in my own business. and they provided a lot of clarity on some of the stuff that we've talked about today.
Guest: I also, love being a part of that mastermind because I am one phone call away from basically any problem in my business.
Guest: Yeah. Meeting a sounding board with an exact expert. I actually came up with a problem this week that I'm like, oh yeah, I know exactly who I'm gonna call, so I need to text them after this. but thinking about the mastermind group as an extension team was an idea from the September retreat.
Host: Yes.
Guest: That I think changed the game for everybody in terms of that is, [00:37:00] at least in my book of my experience, if you drop anything to pick up those phone calls.
Guest: And I've just been blown away by the generosity in that community and also the level of leaders who not just care deeply, but are working to continue their own journey of the self leadership team leadership and thought leadership. Yeah. Kind of brings us to the last category in terms of thought leadership, your year of peace and sustainability.
Guest: What has that made possible for you? we've kind of touched on it, but I'd love to thread that. A concept deeper of when you show up and you live in full integrity with what you teach others to do, your business expands. Mm hmm. Like I've seen this with zero exceptions and anyone I've coached or worked with or observed, when you're in full integrity with what you teach, it tends to expand the possibility for everyone involved.
Guest: So.. Take us through a little bit your thought leadership journey this year and where you see, this'll be kind of the bridge question into next year. Where do you see thought [00:38:00] leadership guiding you in the seven figure business into 2026 and beyond?
Host: Yeah, so as I've. Freed myself up, through some failed experiments and some false starts, and ultimately through finding the right systems and the right team, and investing in some of that self-leadership, what that has made me more available to do is the thought leadership that I feel like God has uniquely gifted me to do.
Host: Right? And so. On the nose, maybe the, the thing that would be obvious to anyone listening to this podcast is, you know, we teach people how to do strategic podcast guesting as a way to grow their mission driven, you know, expert based business. And I've done that, I've done that. And so it's not like I, I don't really believe in that and I just tell other people to do it.
Host: Like I've continued to always do that. However, this year I was very intentional and I was very focused on several specific opportunities and. Played my own play playbook, to work myself into the position to be in some of those. And so, two highlights, I would say on [00:39:00] the guesting side this year. Again, if you're listening to this and I was on your show, it's not, they're all awesome, but there's two that really stand out from a results standpoint.
Host: one was, I was a guest on Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income podcast. that was amazing for a lot of reasons, first and foremost. 'cause I followed Pat for like 15 years and he's someone I've admired so much forever. And so to get in that proximity with him and to be able to share some unique wisdom to his audience was great.
Host: But following that interview with me on his show, He got on my show and then that was a really amazing podcast interview on my show. And then we found ourselves together in Boise, Idaho for craft and commerce. And he invited me to a private dinner that he hosted with all the other speakers. So now I'm in this like speaker dinner and I'm not a speaker.
Host: So, and that has turned into some amazing relationships and clients. And then I got invited three different times to do private training in his community. So that was just a really good example of what we talk about, which is the podcast Guessing is. [00:40:00] In and of itself, valuable and important, but it should be for the right relationships, just the first of many deepening, Versions of this relationship, or expressions, I guess, of this relationship. So the Pat Flynn story is a really important one to me this year. The other one that was by far the most financially rewarding right outta the gate was, Nathan Barry. And so I had the opportunity to be on Nathan Barry's podcast, recorded that in,
Host: April, and it came out in May right before that same craft and commerce event, which he host. and I flew to Boise, did this amazing in-person interview. I just, it was one of those, you know, moments in your career where you walk out of there and I'm like, wow, that was it. Like I, you know, like. You know, a touchdown, like, this, this, I just nailed that.
Host: Like that was so good. and it came out and it came out like the week crafting commerce happens. I had all these people coming up to me like, you seem familiar. And I'm like, well, I was just on Nathan's show. They're like, oh my gosh, podcast guesting. That's so great. And it has just become this incredible, ripple effect this year.
Host: and [00:41:00] I, I ultimately ended up having Nathan on my show, and he doesn't do a lot of podcast interviews, but he came on my show and we did a whole episode breaking down. Flywheel, which is his big concept that he likes to talk about, about how I used his show at that point to generate 160,000 in revenue from my business, like direct booked revenue from that one podcast appearance.
Host: And it's actually grown from there. so that one, I mean, is like the highlight of the year from a podcast guesting specific, outcome standpoint. And now we're looking to, leverage that. that opportunity in bigger ways, you know, this year and, and heading into next. So I'd say those two podcast guesting interviews were monumental.
Host: the second thing I'll bring up real quick is on the hosting front, the guest I've had on this show this year, two big things there. One, are just the caliber of thought leaders that I've had. Nathan Barry, pat Flynn, Justin Welsh, Ryan Levek, Jay Patan, like these people I admire so much, uh, have said yes to me and, and been here on this show and shared some really [00:42:00] remarkable interviews and insights.
Host: The other thing I did this year that was unique, that I think again, was an answer to a previous question of yours, of scratching this. That I used to scratch with sales calls is I did a coaching series, so I invited people to apply and come
on to podcast and I just purely coach them sometimes for like 90 minutes, just deep dive coaching, and we release those as podcasts and that's been.
Host: Really fulfilling, really unique content that I don't see anyone else doing a lot of. And so that, that's on the podcast hosting. And then the final thing, I'll, I mentioned this earlier, but I've done a lot of guest training this year where I've come in and hosted workshops and done guest expert training in other people's communities.
Host: And it's probably my favorite thing to do. it's sort of a one to many model and I've done got, the opportunity to do that with some really cool thought leaders and deepen a lot of relationships in that way as well this year.
Guest: I love it. I love the arc of doubling down. Maybe it's even tripling down in some of these stories of, you've talked a lot about planting seeds and [00:43:00] then allowing those seeds and those relationships to flourish and, and the power of.
Guest: In those relationships and showing up and delivering value opens so many doors. Yes. when you and I think about kind of as we bring this episode to the close, I can't help but future cast when we have this conversation next year, what do you hope is true for 2026? What do you hope comes to fruition next year?
Host: So next year, we are poised for growth again. So the Enneagram three, muscle in my body's very, very excited about 2026. This year has been a lot about right sizing, foundations, getting the team in place to allow us kind of that next, inflection point in the business to grow. and we didn't talk a lot about it today, but a big part of that was really bolstering the community experience.
Host: So when someone's a client at seven Figure Leap, just making that. Blow their expectations outta the water, be a world class experience and have that be the ultimate flywheel for what drives growth. Mm-hmm. And so with that in [00:44:00] place now, which I think we've nailed that, with the team support that I've mentioned with the mastermind, really humming at a whole new level and frequency and with some of these investments I've made in myself and my own self-leadership, you know, with God's blessing and with.
Host: you know, the, the lack of unforeseen u-turns and things in the road. the intent next year is to grow 50%, which is an ambitious goal at this level, but it feels almost inevitable. and so what I would say this year, I guess we don't really talk about this, but to sort of, give a capstone, we we're gonna end this year almost exactly where we were last year.
Host: which is right at seven figures. So I'm extremely proud of that. I think to repeat that two years in a row is, People don't give that enough credence. Like that's really hard and really important. Yeah. Because like, we're always like growth at all costs and there's a lot of ways to artificially grow, but I feel like we grew in the sense this year that we did this the right way.
Host: It feels very peaceful and sustainable. I had a end of the year meeting with Nolan, who again, financial coach, we're kind of comparing year to date numbers. He's like, [00:45:00] I knew this but I, I wanna make sure you know this, like, you're pretty much like exactly where you were this time last year. And I, and I kind smiled and he is like, and I sense that you.
Host: I'm really excited about that. I like, I really am. I was like, last year, this felt like chaotic and random and like I was operating on the, the last shred of energy and bandwidth that I had. Mm-hmm. And this year just feels like
peaceful and fun and I've got to be creative in a whole new way. And so that, that's really what this year's been about.
Host: And I think what that sets us up for next year is to go from like. Right at a million to like 1.5 million instead of having 60 podcast profits, accelerator, seats available. We have a hundred and we're already well into selling those in the first quarter. No summit in Q1. Like we're focused on the, the main keeping, the main thing, the main thing.
Host: I've got sales support, I've got marketing support, and I think for me it's just a lot more. Of this form of thought leadership that I enjoy, that I model well for others. And it's going out telling stories, [00:46:00] teaching, like loving on people, and other people's audiences to draw them into the unique community that we've created for them.
Host: and I feel like I'm much more free to do that, and that will include writing a book. Mm-hmm. And, and some other things that I'm sure we'll talk about next year. So yeah, I think at the end of next year, you know, if we're somewhere sniffing that, that 1.5 million in revenue, we've got a. Calm and collected team A around me that's maybe expanded just a little bit.
Host: and we're on mission and our community continues to be considered world class. And people are excited to partner with me 'cause they know that I'm gonna come in and. Do my unique thing, as a thought leader in the way that we do it and, you know, have a book, uh, to, um, memorialize some of these lessons that you and I have talked about for the past, almost three years now.
Host: that would be a really cool 2026. And it feels extremely real. and like I said, almost inevitable. As long as I don't get mm-hmm. I don't, I don't slip up along the way.
Guest: what are the biggest identity shifts? In order to welcome [00:47:00] in, we'll play with revenue because we've actually talked about that the least on this call.
Guest: Yeah. But to go from that million to that $1.5 million mark in a peaceful, sustainable way with the team in place, keeping yourself in your zone of genius, using your unique ability to, like you said, love on people. What is the identity that would make that change inevitable for you? What needs to actually change in your identity story to allow that inevitability to unfold?
Host: That's the best questions. I don't know if I have the right adjective to go in front of it, but it, it is definitely something leader. definitely leadership. I, I feel like that was the, the unlock here in, at our last mastermind retreat that I get to define what leadership means at seven Figure Leap I get to define what leadership means for Dustin as a, as a man and a husband and father and all those things, and that.
Host: As I define that in the way that really lights me up and honors God's gifts to me and my unique ability, the more I can focus in on being that type of leader, the more [00:48:00] inevitable, and enjoyable this version of seven period leap, in the coming year will become. So it's becoming more of the leader, I guess I'm being called to be.
Guest: What do you want people to take away from this episode? As we're closing out the year, what do you want others who are listening to really take away in terms of encouragement and maybe principles Yeah. That can help them in their business.
Host: Yeah. I really do think there's something to this leadership triangle.
Host: so if you're running, if you're the founder and you're running a business and you sort of wrestle with these ideas of do I want a team and what about management and you know, where does like my self care come into this and my marriage and, how should I do marketing? I think think about this leadership triangle for yourself and just define the self-leadership, the team leadership and the thought leadership.
Host: write out a description of those in your ideal world, like what would you like to do, what. As to lead yourself better, what would you like to do? When you think of team, what does team mean to [00:49:00] you? It could just mean plugging into a mastermind or it could mean hiring one person, or maybe you already have a large organization and it means hiring a new executive or something like that.
Host: and then thought leadership again, you don't, you get to choose. You don't have to be. A slave to social media. You don't have to do writing or video or podcasting or whatever. You get to choose that. But you know, if you're running this type of business, there is some thought leadership required of you.
Host: So find, find the version of that that feels true to you. I had a great interview with Justin Welsh recently, and, and the way he framed this was, what is a business that if you. We're going to be running it for the next 10 years, you
would have joy showing up and doing it every day. Like for him, that's short form writing.
Host: Mm-hmm. For me, that's conversations and podcasting and community leadership. So what is that for you? and I think that would be my big encouragement coming outta this, is you get to choose that, you get to define it, and you can make those investments of your time, talent, energy into those areas to improve them too.
Host: Yeah, continue to create the, the [00:50:00] business that is your dream. you know, as, as I continue to share the good, bad and ugly and, and this journey that we're on in, creating seven figure leap, I think the, the vision, that's becoming more and more clear for what it it's meant to be.
Guest: Awesome. Thanks so much for having me post the year interview with you, and I'm so excited to see how leadership evolves for you, for the community. As a member of the Mastermind, I'm excited for my own leadership to continue evolving, and what I'm really taking away is I get to choose. Yeah. I get to choose what that looks like, and I get to choose peace and sustainability.
Guest: And I don't think those are words that often get thrown around in business events or business communities often, like you said, it's usually growth at all costs. So what I'm specifically excited for you to speak some life over your vision is what is the merger of growth piece and sustainability look like?
Guest: What does that tri-fold Venn diagram as you go into a growth year next year, may be filled with peace, may all the sustainability that you've created and all the consistency, [00:51:00] that's something I learned so much from you and the way you show up. May that continue to yield fruit, and I'm so excited to be
here this time next year and all the conversations that will happen in between, including our two mastermind retreats in April and September of next year, and all the exponential changes that happen.
Guest: this is just such a rich ritual for me personally to get to spend this time and conversation with you and extract the learning alongside of you. So thank you for having me. Thank you. Being willing to share your wisdom. That's the thing that I think I've missed on what thought leadership is. It's generosity.
Guest: Yeah. It's being willing to share your wisdom. So thank you to, to all the guests that have been on this year, sharing their wisdom with us. Thank you to all the mastermind members, PPA, members and community members who've chosen to come in and share their stories with the world.
Guest: May that generosity continue to multiply.
Host: Absolutely. Well, and thank you, Cassie, for not only sitting in this unique seat of, helping me with the Yearend review and being such a thoughtful host and asking of course the best questions as you always do. But you know, outside of [00:52:00] this podcast, you're, you're instrumental. I mentioned you as a co-pilot earlier, you.
Host: have been in that seat? I would say we've been, we've known each other for three years now. and we've got to know each other in a very, in a very deep way and, and really been instrumental in each other's business lives. And, I, I could not have done a. This without you, and I mean that sincerely, this year, but, you know, the previous years as well.
Host: both in the Mastermind, but also as a coach advisor, as someone who I really trust and who speaks a lot of truth into me, at times that I need it. So thank you for that. And for anyone listening, if you're like, I need some more Cassie, in my life, like, what, what would be the best way for people to get ahold of you or follow you or, just kind of be in proximity to you, Cassie.
Guest: Yeah, come, uh, hang out with me on LinkedIn. Send me dm. I love voice notes. Tell me a little bit about you. I'd love to hear your story and, specifically talk about identity work and how that has been such a lever for Dustin to grow exponentially. And I think we'll continue to be. So I'd love to have that conversation with you.
Host: All right. So go check out Cassie [00:53:00] Shea, SHEA on LinkedIn, and yeah, I get plugged in everything Cassie does. I can't recommend her work highly enough. So thanks everyone for spending this time with us. I hope this has been a useful time for you to reflect and have your own sort of year review, through my eyes and through, the real, real of what happens in a business like this over the course of a year.
Host: it's been a super pleasure to unpack it, reflect on it, and be able to. To share it with you here. And thank you again, Cassie, for co-piloting this amazing, year in review and we'll, uh, we'll see you here next year. I'll see you here next week for another episode of Seven Figure Lead, but we're definitely gonna keep the annual tradition going, next year as we do a year in review, 2026.
Host: So until then, have a great holiday season y'all, and, appreciate you and we'll see you around here for future episodes.
Guest: Thanks.