7-Figure Leap with Dustin Riechmann

What if the next level of success is not bigger, faster, or more automated? In this replay, Dustin Riechmann sits down with entrepreneur and author Ryan Levesque to explore the tension ambitious business owners feel after growth starts working. Ryan shares his journey from building and selling businesses to choosing a more grounded life in Vermont, where his family raises much of their own food and spends more time connected to what matters. For coaches, consultants, and expert entrepreneurs, this conversation is a reminder that scale is not the only goal. Ryan explains how getting clear on what you are optimizing for can change the way you build your company, spend your time, and show up for the people you love, while offering practical ways to bring more real life into a business that still depends on screens.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Why this replay matters and the idea behind Return to Real
• (00:03:00) Meeting Ryan and the values that matter beyond business credentials
• (00:04:30) Ryan's path from a small online business to the Ask Method
• (00:13:00) The slow road to meaningful revenue and entrepreneurial freedom
• (00:15:00) A failed sale, burnout, and a new question about life
• (00:18:00) Discovering permaculture and moving the family to Vermont
• (00:23:00) Building a farm that feeds the family
• (00:27:00) Simple practices for spending less time on screens
• (00:32:00) Creating memorable experiences with your family
• (00:34:00) What are you optimizing for in this season of business
• (00:39:00) Ryan's Digital Contrarian and writing with a human voice

Links and Resources

• ASK Method: https://askmethod.com/
• The Digital Contrarian Newsletter: https://ryanlevesque.net/newsletter
• Website: ryanlevesque.net
• ASK Method®: askmethod.com
• Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlevesque/
• Dustin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinriechmann/
• 7 Figure Leap: https://7figureleap.com/

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Most entrepreneurs are building a business and quietly calling it a retirement plan. Amelia Meisenheimer joins Dustin Riechmann to explain why that math usually fails, since only about 30% of businesses ever actually sell, and what to build instead. Amelia grew up inside her family's manufactured housing business, bought her first rental property shortly after college, and went on to run a property management firm and real estate brokerage overseeing more than 450 properties. When she remarried in 2021 and moved to England as a military spouse, it was the personal assets she had stacked for a decade, not the business, that gave her room to breathe. In this conversation she names the four mistakes she sees most often in six and seven figure businesses: banking everything on a future exit, running a company that holds no real assets, leaving tax strategy to a CPA who only records history after the fact, and never moving money from the business side to the personal side. She then walks through her Wealth Flywheel of vision, strategy, and build, why the plan has to fit your actual life instead of somebody's Instagram reel, and how cash planning is the step that makes every clever tax move possible. If you are deep in delivery mode and your net worth is basically your business, this is the conversation that reframes what you are working toward.\

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Why your business is not the inheritance you think it is
• (00:04:32) Growing up in the family business and learning money at the dinner table
• (00:07:18) Buying rental property at 22 and why time beats timing
• (00:09:22) The wealth gap nobody warns entrepreneurs about
• (00:12:41) Online businesses have no assets and almost no write offs
• (00:17:26) The 4 biggest wealth mistakes business owners make
• (00:21:18) The Wealth Flywheel: vision, strategy, and build
• (00:25:12) What a wealth quarterback actually does for a business owner
• (00:28:58) Taking back your retirement account and making your first trade
• (00:32:14) The swim instructor lesson every founder needs to hear

Links and Resources

• Website
• Amelia Misenheimer on LinkedIn
• Dustin on LinkedIn
• 7 Figure Leap

Thanks 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!

Dr. Ryan Williamson spent the better part of two decades becoming a neurologist, a Navy officer, and the doctor people call when a brain is bleeding, and then realized he was meeting patients decades too late to actually help them. In his second visit to the show, he walks Dustin through the full arc of turning deep expertise into a real business: the years of quiet dissatisfaction while the paychecks kept coming, the loss of his lifelong best friend in 2024 that finally forced him to act, writing The Incredible Brain in under a year, launching a coaching program that was harder than he expected, and then hearing the same piece of customer feedback so many times that he rebuilt the entire model into Transcend Health, a telehealth concierge practice that opened its doors in June. Along the way he explains the neuroscience of why building a business feels so uncomfortable, why that discomfort is literally the feeling of your brain rewiring, and why the hardest thing a physician has to unlearn is the belief that you must be perfect before you can do anything. If you have real subject matter expertise and you know there's a bigger way to use it, this conversation is the honest version of what that transition looks like.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) The belief experts have to unlearn before they can build anything
• (00:04:35) Why hospital medicine stopped being enough for a high performing neurologist
• (00:09:10) Purpose, impact, and the stories that keep him showing up
• (00:14:25) The loss in 2024 that finally turned the idea into action
• (00:20:15) Writing The Incredible Brain and what a book actually does for your business
• (00:25:50) Happiness, striving, and the myth of arriving at the next title
• (00:31:05) First coaching clients, word of mouth, and the reality of running a community
• (00:37:20) Following someone else's playbook and the customer feedback that changed everything
• (00:43:10) Inside Transcend Health: labs, imaging, wearables, and AI assisted care
• (00:49:25) Who the practice serves and how to build something that runs without you

Links and Resources

• Website
• Ryan Williamson on LinkedIn
• Dustin on LinkedIn
• 7 Figure Leap

Thanks 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!

Building a remote team should create more freedom, but for many entrepreneurs it does the opposite. Every decision comes back to the founder, communication gets scattered, and even capable contractors wait for direction instead of owning outcomes. Remote leadership expert Madi Waggoner joins Dustin Riechmann to explain why this happens and how to change it. Drawing on 15 years of experience, Madi shares the three defaults of remote work, the practical structures that make invisible information visible, and the simple communication habits that reduce friction across a growing team. Dustin also opens up about restructuring the 7 Figure Leap team, replacing task focused roles with true ownership, and moving from bottleneck to trailblazer. If you are scaling from six to seven figures and want a team that can make decisions, solve problems, and keep moving without everything passing through you, this conversation offers a clear place to start.

• (00:00:00) Why remote leadership feels harder than it should
• (00:03:44) The three defaults of remote work
• (00:07:18) Creating spaces that make hidden information visible
• (00:12:42) Connecting live conversations with asynchronous communication
• (00:15:23) How founders become the center of every decision
• (00:19:38) Moving contractors from tasks to true ownership
• (00:23:24) Navigating difficult team transitions with clarity
• (00:26:20) Who thrives on a growth oriented remote team
• (00:31:24) Using ownership snapshots to reveal hiring gaps
• (00:35:20) The five Liberated Leader archetypes

Links and Resources

• Website
• Madi Waggoner on LinkedIn
• Dustin on LinkedIn
• 7 Figure Leap

Thanks 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!

In this replay of one of our most requested solo episodes, Dustin Riechmann makes the case that every coach, consultant, and agency owner needs a signature framework, and then shows you exactly how to build one. Dustin walks through why a named, repeatable process is the single most valuable asset in a coaching business: it creates clarity for your audience, positions you as the authority, and lets you deliver consistent results whether you are working one on one or running a group program. He breaks down real examples, including the Five P framework that has powered 18 consecutive sold out cohorts of the Podcast Profits Accelerator, the Six Pillars of Intimacy, StoryBrand's SB7, and the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps that anchor a $300 million company. From there he gets practical: why the first and last steps of your framework matter most, how many steps you actually need, why you should test it with one on one clients before you launch a group, how to name it, and where AI genuinely helps (hint: clever, not clear). He closes with the SCALE framework he built for a recent group coaching workshop, proving you can go from a loose process to a nameable, claimable piece of intellectual property in a single afternoon. If you have been delivering custom work and wondering how to productize what you know, this episode is your blueprint.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Why every coach and consultant needs a signature framework
• (00:01:42) What a signature framework is and why it becomes your number one business asset
• (00:03:31) The Five P framework behind the Podcast Profits Accelerator
• (00:04:55) Typology frameworks: Six Pillars of Intimacy, Love Languages, and StoryBrand
• (00:07:37) Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps and why the first and last steps matter most
• (00:12:13) Clear beats clever: how to build a linear framework from your client work
• (00:14:29) Test your framework with one on one clients before you launch a group
• (00:15:48) Your last step is a plan for inevitable success, not a finish line
• (00:18:17) How to name your framework (and where AI actually helps)
• (00:19:41) The SCALE framework: Set, Craft, Activate, Leverage, Expand

Links and Resources

• Dustin on LinkedIn
• 7 Figure Leap

Thanks 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!

Most entrepreneurs do not need more time for marketing. They need to protect the right time. In this solo episode, Dustin Riechmann shares the Profit Power Hour, a simple practice for giving the first hour of your workday to activities that can create revenue. He explains why proactive growth work gets buried beneath email, meetings, client needs, and other urgent demands, then shows how to choose the right activity based on the biggest constraint in your business. You will learn what belongs in a Profit Power Hour, what does not, how to define a specific outcome before you begin, and how to track inputs, outputs, and results without overcomplicating the process. If you are tired of feast and famine cycles and want a steadier pipeline, this episode offers a practical way to make relationship building, outreach, follow up, and strategic partnerships part of your normal week.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Why your first five hours matter
• (00:04:03) Protecting growth work from daily distractions
• (00:08:02) Finding the biggest constraint in your business
• (00:12:02) Planning tomorrow's Profit Power Hour today
• (00:16:03) Tracking inputs, outputs, and outcomes
• (00:20:03) Breaking the feast and famine cycle
• (00:24:02) Building a Profit Power Hour for your team
• (00:27:01) The 30 day Profit Power Hour challenge

Links and Resources

• Dustin on LinkedIn
• 7 Figure Leap

Thanks 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!

If you keep waiting until you feel ready to become more visible, you may be postponing the very action that could unlock your next stage of growth. In this solo episode, Dustin Riechmann breaks down three common myths that keep accomplished entrepreneurs from using podcast guesting effectively: believing you need a large audience, assuming you must be famous or have decades of experience, and chasing the biggest shows instead of the right shows. He explains why specificity builds trust, why relevance matters more than reach, and how one interview with fewer than 3,000 YouTube views generated more than $220,000 in revenue. For entrepreneurs working to grow from six to seven figures and beyond, this episode offers a practical challenge: identify one podcast whose listeners genuinely need your expertise, then pitch the host before you feel fully ready.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Why waiting until you feel ready keeps you invisible
• (00:01:58) Myth 1: You need a large audience before hosts will want you
• (00:04:55) Myth 2: You need fame or decades of experience
• (00:08:41) Myth 3: Bigger podcasts are automatically more valuable
• (00:09:30) How a small interview generated more than $220,000
• (00:13:20) Why readiness is a moving target
• (00:15:20) The one podcast challenge
• (00:17:30) Three principles to remember
• (00:18:20) The Premium Podcast Guesting Playbook

Links and Resources

• Dustin on LinkedIn
• 7 Figure Leap

Thanks 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!

Many founders become successful because they learn how to sell, but the same strength can eventually limit the business. In this episode, Dustin Riechmann talks with Steve Caton of Alteza Solutions about recognizing when founder led sales has become a bottleneck and making the transition to a sales team without losing the trust, values, or passion that made the company successful. Steve explains why founders need enough firsthand sales experience to understand their market, what must be documented before another salesperson can succeed, and how pipeline problems reveal that the founder is stretched too thin. Dustin and Steve also share practical lessons from their own transitions, including how to transfer the founder's voice, integrate sales into the company culture, and stay involved as a rainmaker or subject matter expert rather than the person closing every deal. If you are building toward seven figures or trying to grow beyond them, this conversation offers a practical path to creating more predictable revenue while freeing your time for the work only you can do.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) When founder led sales becomes a ceiling
• (00:05:00) Pipeline warning signs that the founder is the bottleneck
• (00:10:00) Why founders need direct conversations with buyers
• (00:15:00) Reallocating the founder's time toward rainmaking
• (00:20:00) Building the foundation before hiring a salesperson
• (00:25:00) Transferring the founder's voice without copying the founder
• (00:30:00) The founder's long term role in sales
• (00:35:00) Staying involved as a subject matter expert
• (00:40:00) The what breaks audit and deal advancing actions
• (00:44:00) Identifying and overcoming your sales plateau

Links and Resources

• Website: https://altezzasolutions.com/about
• Steve Caton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scaton/
• Dustin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinriechmann/
• 7 Figure Leap: https://7figureleap.com/

Thanks 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!

Dustin sits down with Kenneth Kollasch, founder of Kenneth Coaches, to unpack the fast, practical wins Kenneth experienced after joining Podcast Profits Accelerator. Kenneth shares the story behind his unusual entrepreneurial path, from professional soccer dreams to ballroom dance championships, franchise business experience, StoryBrand certification, and business coaching for small business owners who are ready to scale without burning out. The conversation explores how one strategy call helped Kenneth sharpen his niche, clarify his offer, and immediately land a $10,000 client by explaining his value in a way that made the right prospect say, “This is for me.” Kenneth also breaks down how podcast guesting, partnership marketing, and the PPA community helped him secure a high value podcast opportunity, a magazine feature, two virtual summit appearances, and even a partnership as the official business coach for a professional football team. For entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, and service business owners who want more leads, stronger relationships, and a clearer path from expertise to revenue, this conversation is a practical look at what happens when clarity, confidence, community, and consistent action come together.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Why wisdom cannot replace real reps
• (00:00:47) - Dustin introduces Kenneth and the purpose of the spotlight session
• (00:02:12) - Kenneth’s journey from soccer to ballroom dance to business coaching
• (00:06:24) - How family business, entrepreneurship, and transformation shaped Kenneth’s work
• (00:10:26) - How Kenneth found Dustin through the StoryBrand community
• (00:14:50) - Why trust made it easy for Kenneth to join PPA
• (00:18:16) - Dustin explains the one on one strategy call process
• (00:20:33) - How the strategy session helped Kenneth clarify his niche and offer
• (00:24:13) - The sales call that turned into a $10,000 client
• (00:31:10) - Kenneth’s early podcast guesting wins and the power of reps
• (00:35:00) - Landing a dream podcast opportunity through a stronger pitch
• (00:39:08) - Turning partnership thinking into a professional football team client
• (00:45:15) - Why community became one of the most valuable parts of PPA

Links and Resources

• Website: https://kennethcoaches.com/
• Kenneth Kollasch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethkollasch/
• Dustin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinriechmann/
• 7 Figure Leap: https://7figureleap.com/

Thanks 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!

What happens when you finally hit the number you've been chasing and it feels like nothing? Dustin sits down with executive coach Hannah Soto, a serial entrepreneur who built a production company creating ads for Apple, Google, and the Olympics, to unpack the gap: the space between where you are today and where your ambition wants to take you. Hannah shares why hitting $2 million in annual revenue left her wildly unhappy, what walking 500 miles across Spain taught her about becoming instead of arriving, and how founders can stop treating the gap like a problem to grind through. They dig into identity work, commitment statements, and the balance between your goal line and your soul line, then close with simple journaling prompts you can start using this week. If you're scaling toward seven figures and quietly wondering why the wins don't feel the way you expected, this conversation was made for you.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Introduction and Hannah's entrepreneurial story
• (00:03:38) - What the gap actually is
• (00:06:24) - Falling in love with the gap (and what "ontological" means)
• (00:09:12) - The Camino de Santiago: becoming vs. arriving
• (00:11:36) - Hitting seven figures and wanting to burn it all down
• (00:13:42) - Identity level coaching and making space for grief
• (00:19:03) - Commitment statements and the three foot pool
• (00:24:48) - The goal line and the soul line
• (00:29:32) - Does this work ever end? Becoming self generative
• (00:32:14) - Journaling prompts to start on your own

Links and Resources

• Website: https://www.arridiagroup.com/
• Coaching with Hannah Soto: https://hellohannahsoto.kit.com/products/coaching-pay-what-you-want
• Hannah Soto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hellohannahsoto/?skipRedirect=true
• Dustin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinriechmann/
• 7 Figure Leap: https://7figureleap.com/

Thanks 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!