How Patience Became My Secret Weapon in Business with Cassie Shea
Dustin sits in the guest seat as Cassie Shea takes over as host to explore the transformation of Seven Figure Leap in 2025. Unlike previous years focused on aggressive growth, this year was about building sustainable foundations—right-sizing the team, investing in systems, and embracing patience as a leadership virtue. Dustin shares the honest story of a failed summit that created a five-month revenue gap, how 17 months of sobriety has brought emotional consistency to his business decisions, and the development of his "Leadership Triangle" framework encompassing self-leadership, team leadership, and thought leadership. The conversation reveals how stepping away from one-on-one sales calls, building a world-class community experience, and landing marquee podcast appearances with Pat Flynn and Nathan Barry (generating $160K from a single episode) set the stage for sustainable growth. Rather than chasing vanity metrics, Dustin doubled down on what matters: peace, sustainability, and building a business he'd be excited to run for the next decade. As he prepares for a 50% growth goal in 2026, this episode offers a masterclass in playing the long game while maintaining personal fulfillment and business integrity.Chapters:(00:00:00) - Opening and Introduction to Year-in-Review Format(00:01:28) - Reflecting on 2025: Peace and Sustainability Over Growth(00:05:00) - The Power of Patience: Personal Identity Shifts(00:08:58) - The Leadership Triangle Framework: Self, Team, and Thought Leadership(00:10:00) - Sobriety's Impact on Business Consistency and Decision-Making(00:14:00) - The Failed Summit Experiment and Five-Month Revenue Gap(00:18:00) - Learning from the Summit: Relationships vs. Mass Conversion(00:22:00) - Building a Sales System Without Being the Bottleneck(00:26:00) - Finding Fulfillment Beyond One-on-One Sales Calls(00:33:00) - Team Expansion: Fractional Support and Alumni Leadership(00:39:00) - Podcast Guesting Wins: Pat Flynn and the $160K Nathan Barry Episode(00:46:00) - Looking Ahead to 2026: Sustainable 50% Growth and Writing a Book(00:48:00) - Defining Leadership on Your Own Terms(00:51:00) - Closing Reflections on Peace, Sustainability, and GenerosityLinks and ResourcesTaking My Own 7-Figure Leap: The Good, the Bad, and the Insightful from 2024 with Cassie SheaWebsiteCassie Shea on LinkedInDustin on LinkedIn7 Figure LeapThanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to 7-Figure Leap? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!