Sustainable 7 Figure Success with Dr. Shannon Irvine

Wed Mar 26 2025

If you're a six-figure entrepreneur chasing seven, or shooting for 7 figures in your business - here's the truth: scaling fast isn’t the answer if you can sustain the success. In this episode of the Epic Success Podcast, I’m diving into...

Summary

Epic Success with Dr. Shannon Irvine: Episode Summary

Episode Title: Sustainable 7 Figure Success
Host: Dr. Shannon Irvine
Release Date: March 26, 2025

Introduction

In the episode titled "Sustainable 7 Figure Success," Dr. Shannon Irvine delves into the often-overlooked concept of maintaining long-term success in business, particularly within the online marketing space. Highlighting the pitfalls of chasing scalable success without a sustainable foundation, Dr. Shannon emphasizes the importance of focusing on controllable factors to build a resilient and enduring business. This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs aiming to transition from fleeting success to lasting prosperity.

Scalable vs. Sustainable Success

Dr. Shannon Irvine opens the discussion by contrasting scalable success with sustainable success. She reflects on the surge of online marketers during the 2020 pandemic, noting,

“We saw so many what I call false positives. A lot of people jumped in the pool and made money but have been struggling as we've returned to a normal market.” (02:15)

Dr. Shannon explains that while scalable success focuses on rapid growth and achieving high numbers, sustainable success ensures that such growth can be maintained over time without burnout or decline.

The Pitfall of Outcome-Driven Goals

A central theme of the episode is the danger of being outcome-driven rather than capacity-driven. Dr. Shannon shares her personal journey, acknowledging her natural drive for achievement:

“I'm an enneagram3. I love to win for the sake of winning, not winning against others, but me versus me.” (05:30)

She warns that solely concentrating on numerical goals—like reaching five, six, or seven figures—can lead to stagnation if entrepreneurs fail to expand their capacity to handle increased success. Dr. Shannon cites a startling statistic:

“52% of online businesses are not here anymore since 2020.” (10:45)

This underscores the necessity of shifting focus from numbers to building the underlying capacity that sustains growth.

Controlling the Controllables

Dr. Shannon introduces a practical exercise to help entrepreneurs focus on controllable aspects of their business and life:

Draw a Circle:
In the center, list everything you can control—your motivations, legacy, how you show up, how you serve, personal growth, etc.
Focus on Improvement:
Emulate successful entrepreneurs who concentrate on incremental improvements (1% or 2%) rather than just big outcomes.

“The difference between people that really sustained success and people who maybe hit it big but that are gone is focusing on the controllables.” (14:20)

She emphasizes that by controlling aspects like messaging, speaking skills, and offers, entrepreneurs can create a solid foundation for sustainable growth.

Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Success

Dr. Shannon stresses the importance of adopting a seven-figure CEO mindset to achieve sustainable success. She shares insights from interactions with multi-seven, eight, and nine-figure entrepreneurs, highlighting that their focus is on continual improvement rather than merely hitting financial targets.

“The fastest way to seven figures is to think like you're already there.” (33:10)

This mindset involves:

Identifying as a Seven-Figure CEO:
Shifting self-identity to align with the responsibilities and behaviors of a high-level executive.
Training Your Brain:
Developing thought processes that support higher levels of achievement and leadership.
Making Legacy a Priority:
Ensuring that personal and professional actions align with long-term legacy goals.

Legacy and Personal Alignment

Dr. Shannon underscores the importance of aligning business success with personal legacy. She encourages listeners to evaluate what drives their ambition beyond financial gain:

“It's for the pursuit of who I get to become, to have that level of legacy.” (40:50)

By prioritizing personal values and legacy, entrepreneurs can ensure that their business growth contributes to meaningful and lasting impact.

Actionable Strategies for Sustainable Success

The episode provides several actionable strategies for entrepreneurs to cultivate sustainable success:

Schedule Legacy-Oriented Actions:
Prioritize personal well-being and family commitments to ensure a balanced and fulfilling life.
Model Successful Behaviors:
Observe and adopt the visible actions of successful CEOs, such as regular exercise, family time, and continuous learning.
Train for Higher Capacity:
Engage in activities and mindsets that prepare you for the challenges of higher-level business operations.
Commit to the Shift:
Embrace the necessary changes in identity and behavior to align with sustainable success.

“You cannot control the outcome, but you can control how you show up and improve.” (25:00)

Program and Opportunities

Towards the end of the episode, Dr. Shannon introduces her upcoming book, "The 67 Day Year," set to release in September. Additionally, she offers an immersive coaching experience designed to guide entrepreneurs into adopting a seven-figure CEO mindset. This program is tailored for those ready to make the necessary shifts to achieve and sustain seven-figure success.

“We are opening up a very elite experience, an immersive experience for ten high-level entrepreneurs that are about or at that six-figure level that will get to seven figures this year.” (55:40)

Conclusion and Call to Action

Dr. Shannon wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of sustainable success over mere scalability. She encourages listeners to:

Focus on Controllables:
Concentrate on what you can control to build a resilient business foundation.
Define Excellence:
Strive to be the best version of yourself in all areas of life.
Commit to Personal Growth:
Engage in continuous improvement and mindset training.

“Don't expect to do the same things as those that call themselves an entrepreneur. Become a seven-figure CEO.” (58:00)

She concludes with a call to action for listeners to engage with her content on YouTube by searching for the word "shift" to join the transformative coaching experience.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

“We saw so many what I call false positives. A lot of people jumped in the pool and made money but have been struggling as we've returned to a normal market.” (02:15)
“I'm an enneagram3. I love to win for the sake of winning, not winning against others, but me versus me.” (05:30)
“52% of online businesses are not here anymore since 2020.” (10:45)
“The difference between people that really sustained success and people who maybe hit it big but that are gone is focusing on the controllables.” (14:20)
“The fastest way to seven figures is to think like you're already there.” (33:10)
“It's for the pursuit of who I get to become, to have that level of legacy.” (40:50)
“You cannot control the outcome, but you can control how you show up and improve.” (25:00)
“We are opening up a very elite experience, an immersive experience for ten high-level entrepreneurs that are about or at that six-figure level that will get to seven figures this year.” (55:40)
“Don't expect to do the same things as those that call themselves an entrepreneur. Become a seven-figure CEO.” (58:00)

Final Thoughts

Dr. Shannon Irvine's "Sustainable 7 Figure Success" episode offers profound insights into building a resilient and thriving business. By shifting focus from mere scalability to sustainability, controlling what you can, and adopting a high-level CEO mindset, entrepreneurs can achieve lasting success that aligns with their personal legacy and values. This episode is a valuable resource for anyone looking to elevate their business and personal growth to new heights.

Connect with Dr. Shannon Irvine:

YouTube: Search for the podcast video and type "shift" to join the elite coaching experience.
Instagram: Share your thoughts, tag Dr. Shannon, and engage with the community.
Podcast Platforms: Subscribe, rate five stars, and hit the bell to stay updated with future episodes.

Thank you for tuning into the Epic Success Podcast. Until next time, strive to build a smarter, stronger, and more integrated life and business that you love!

Transcript

Dr. Shannon Urban (0:00)

Foreign. Welcome to the Epic Success Podcast. I AM your host, Dr. Shannon Urban. All right, today we're going to deep dive into the topic that I think no one else is talking about, this idea of not just scalable success, but sustainable success. Here's the thing. We saw so many people coming in to the online marketing space in 2020, when everybody was in the pandemic and everyone was at home and had nothing else to go spend their money on. And so there were a lot of what I call false positives. A lot of people that jumped in the pool and made money but have been struggling as we've returned to a normal market. And, yes, this is a normal market. So today, I really want to talk to you about not just scalable success, but sustainable success. And what does it mean to sustain your success over time? Because at the end of the day, if you're like me and most of my listeners, you didn't get in this game for fast cash. You got into this game because you really wanted to help people, because you wanted to create a life that your kids and your family could enjoy. Yes. But also like a legacy. You wanted to be able to make a difference in the world. And then when you're struggling to continue to create results, the number one thing that I want you to think about is what are you focusing in on? This was the biggest challenge for me as someone who is very naturally driven. I'm an enneagram3. I love to win for the sake of winning, not winning against others, but me versus me. Does that sound familiar to you? Like, I want to win. And so I set these goals. I wanted to get to five figures, then I wanted to get to six figures, then I wanted to get to seven figures. But the problem is when you are driven for an outcome versus driven for capacity, your capacity never grows. Meaning when you're forever focused on a number, an outcome. Have you experienced that letdown? Maybe you did get your business to six figures, and then what? You have to move the bar. So what happens is in that relentless pursuit of a number, you have no time to expand your capacity to be able to receive that next space that you're headed toward. So the difference between people that really sustained success and people who maybe hit it big but that are gone. So many businesses, they said the drop off of businesses that filed their closure from 2021 to between 2020 and 2023 was the final number, was 52% of online businesses are not here anymore. Y'all like, that's crazy pants cuckoo. So I really wanted to talk today in this flash fire, like, what can you do? Some of the mistakes that I made and some of the steps, the moves that I made that took me, even though I'm a very outcome driven person, I had to flip it over to, what can I control? So here's what I want to give you a visual I want you to like. This is an exercise that I did and it changed the game for me and I want to share it with you. I want you to draw a circle in the center and I want you to write down everything you can control. Why you're doing what you're doing, what the legacy is that you're creating. How can you control how you show up? How can you control how you serve? How can you control being the best version of you? Is there an area in which you need to strengthen your capacity? See that you can control, you can learn, you can grow, you can stretch, you can control that. That's all action by you. What you can't control is the outcome. So in that center circle, when I've done research and I've had a lot of podcast interviews with multi, seven, eight and even nine figure entrepreneurs, the through line across the board is this is where they focus. They focus on the controllables, they focus on getting better, they focus on improving. 1%, 2%. I think about Tiger woods when he won his first big tournament. The very first interview, he said, Only 55 more until I get to the Masters, right? So his mind wasn't on just achieving the goal. If you think about how many incredible celebrities or football stars, right, they hit that NFL title or they, they hit that and they're like, this is all there is. There's nothing left. It. The money, the achievement in and of itself doesn't satisfy. Very tempted to like dive into a scriptural moment there because it's like only the pursuits of the spirit satisfy. And this the pursuits of the spirit. God says, I give you the desires of your heart. In other words, you aren't manufacturing those. You aren't, you know, oh, I think I'm going to do this today. God is planting that in your heart, that scripture that God gives you. That word gives means plant to deposit. So if it means plant to deposit, then that means that that desire of your heart is God given. So when God gives you a gift, your experience with that is to give it to as many people as possible. You cannot control the outcome. Like, how many people will take it and receive it, how many people will receive it and not do anything with it. We cannot Control that. So the big through line, as I was saying, is controlling the controllables. How you show up, how you're getting better. Are you getting better at stating your message? Are you getting better at speaking? Are you getting better at your offer? Are you getting better? The difference maker is training your brain to think at a different level and then gaining the skill to create a pathway in your brain to allow the next level. Because scripture says, as a woman or a man thinks, so is she or he. In other words, as you speak it out, that is actually creating, aligning with that God given desire in your heart and creating results in the marketplace results out there. One of the biggest drawbacks I see is when people make money, create a result and they can't repeat it is because they're back in their mindset around what got them there. But what got them, what got you where you are today isn't going to be getting you to the next level. There's a whole other gear. For like years I operated my business. Now granted, I showed up bigger than others, but I operate in my business as if this is for your OGs out there and obs. Like, remember the stick shifts. Like, I operated my business like there were three gears I was moving, I was taking action. But I was so focused on the goal and not who I was becoming that I got to the end of that third gear and there was nothing left. And that feels like burnout, overwhelm and exhaustion and confusion. Because you don't know, like, why is this work hard and more education thing not working for me anymore? Work to get you close to six figures, but it isn't going to work to get you to seven. So what I'm talking about today, sustainable success, it's really controlling the controllables and then looking at every area that matters in your life and asking yourself this one question. I do this on a monthly basis here. This. I'm a wife, I'm a mother, I'm a business owner, I'm a nonprofit founder, I'm a friend. I spiritually involved in church and I give there. And, and the next thing I want to, I want you to do because this is the game changer. This is controlling the controllables is what is the best version of me there? What does that look like when you define out for your brain? Your brain needs to believe it in order for you to see it. That's how God created. Your brain tells us to think on what is good and true and pure and lovely. These are the things as you think on them. As you mar, the word literally translates into marinate. As you marinate in the things that are next version of you, those good things, those excellent things, then what happens is your brain goes to work actually manifesting it out in the manifestation happens. Hesitate with that word because manifestation is just a result of, of you training your mind to see it as if it's already happened. I always say like six figures, you can hustle at seven figures. You can't expect a gain if you do not train. And what I mean by that is if you don't up level to a seven figure CEO mindset and I want you to try that on today like an entrepreneur. That is a huge percentage of people that say that. You know how many percentage of those people who say they're an entrepreneur actually create sales Any sale? 25%. And of those 25%, do you know how many of those people actually get to a consistent $10,000 a month? It's less than 5% of the 25%. Do you know how many get on to seven figures? This is not to discourage you. This is to tell you that don't expect to do the same things as those that call themselves an entrepreneur. Because it's a cool thing to say, become the seven figure CEO. See when you, when you wear that now your brain is saying, oh, so what do I need to do to become a seven figure CEO? How do I need to think? What execution? What, how do I need to act? How do I show up? How do I go pro at a seven figure level versus a six figure level? And you stop identifying with the masses. I'm an entrepreneur. Although I love that term. I do, it's like my heritage. Do you know what I mean? But if you're ready to uplevel to the next place, we've got to own the identity. I'm a seven figure CEO because CEOs do different things. They show up, they lead, they improve, we improve. How we show up every single day. We ask the questions that help us define Gear four, Gear five, Gear six. That's been my journey this year is really understanding that the pros, the seven and eight and nine figure CEOs, they operate on a gear and I operate on a level. Now that I'd say I'm in gear four, but I'm aware there's a Gear five and a gear six and I'm becoming the person that can shift. So wherever you're listening to this podcast, whether it's on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, I just want you to come over to YouTube and just write the word shift if you're ready to make that shift like it's sustainable. Scaling sustainable success requires a version of you that you haven't been taught in school. It requires you to uplevel in ways that you've never seen before. And that's why I love getting to do what I'm getting to do. Because I can take a group of 10 or 26 figure CEOs and sit in a room with you for a week and walk you through the entire process. When you come out on the other side, you have installed a seven figure CEO. Thinking, process, actions, alignments, just the capacity that you have. And we used to really help a lot of newer entrepreneurs. And the reality is, although we'll do that with our book that's coming out, the 67 day years, coming out in September, I'm so excited about that. We are really moving toward this immersive experience with CEOs that are ready to get to seven figures and beyond. And you know, it's not strategy, right? You know, it's not just more of what you've already done. That's the frustrating part, is you're doing all the right things and it's no longer getting the scale to happen. So sustainable success really is about. Let's look at what we can control. Let's start to define out what is the most excellent version of me in all the areas of my life. What legacy am I doing this for? So that you're looking at the key indicators that matter most as measures for success. Because the target will go up, the target will go down, but the success quotient, or defining your success is in terms of a seven or eight or a nine figure CEO. It's really controlling those controllables. And then the next piece I just want to share with you is scheduling the actions that will create the belief. What do I mean by this? When we watch and observe people at the level we want to be at, you can observe actions. That's the beautiful thing about watching a seven figure, watching an eight figure. I'm watching nine figure entrepreneurs right now and I'm watching very quantifiable, very visible actions I can see them taking. And a conversation. Actually, no, it wasn't a conversation. That's not true. It was a training that I got to be a part of with Alex and Layla Hormozi. And he was talking about going on a podcast. And the podcast host, who has multiple nine figure businesses, asked him for his podcast perspectives, I think it was. And Alex was like, I mean, Alex Rosi, if you don't know who he is, Google him. He's incredible. He is my mentor from afar, he's amazing. And Layla as well, both of them for different reasons. But here's the thing. He said, I'm not sure what that is. Could you send me an example? And the person sent him an example. And it was for one podcast. It was 25 pages of SEO research title research, bullet points, points, just all like. So his perception of what pro was for podcast changed in that moment. So there's some visible things you can start to look at and say, okay, If I'm observing seven figure CEOs that have the business that I want, what are those observable actions that I can put in my calendar now? So I'm not saying everyone is, but one of those is exercise. Most of the people that I respect that hold my values, they're all moving. They're mastering the health and mental wellness and relational wellness. That's not true of every multimillionaire, but it is true of the ones I want to follow. So make sure, first of all, you know who you want to follow. The last thing you want to do is follow an example to a place of misery. But once you find those people, you can start to go, oh, I see they're showing up at their kids games. I they're scheduling that. So that hint of to sustain success, we got to sustain it for what we're doing it for. If we're saying we want to create freedom and impact, you better have the kids stuff scheduled into your calendar first, your exercise first, right? How you're going to fuel yourself first before you even think about giving it away. There's a metaphor that is used a lot in the spiritual world. It's like you picture a cup, right? And you picture a pitcher. And if the cup is empty, right, you can't pour from it, right? It's like having the cup upside down and then trying to receive anything. You can't. You wouldn't be able to actually receive it even if people were willing to give that to you. And so I just want to ask you, and I had to ask myself this real question of like, what am I closing off? Because my actions aren't aligning with my legacy. I'm saying with my mouth, I want. So for me, I'm saying I want to be a nine figure CEO. Even saying that out loud, like, scares me. I have to say it's like, because I now understand, like, okay, well, I have to make some things non negotiable I have to start saying no to things that I like saying yes to sometimes because of the vision. Well, why am I even doing that vision? Is it for the pursuit of the nine figures? Absolutely not. It's for the pursuit of who I get to become, to have that level of legacy. And I'm hoping this podcast is really shifting some of you that will get to seven figures this year because of going all in on the one key linchpin, that one key lever that makes it all work and that is learning how to train in seven figure CEO thinking, actions, executions, leadership in advance of getting there. The fastest way to seven figures is to think like you're already there. So I hope this has been a powerful podcast. I don't hear many people talking about, I hear all the marketers talking about scale, scale, scale, scale. But 52% of people who scaled in 2020 don't have a business anymore. I don't want you to scale. I want you to succeed. I want you to have sustainable success. I want you to dig deep into your heart of hearts, control the controllable, schedule the legacy pieces first and get committed to the shift because the shift is what makes the seven figures possible. No longer identify with the masses, become mentally that seven figure CEO have the thinking processes, the analysis, the decision making that is all trainable. But most people would rather struggle than train. Maybe that's not you. So in go over to YouTube, find this podcast video and put shift. Because we're opening up a very elite experience, an immersive experience for ten high level entrepreneurs that are about or at that six figure level that are, that will get to seven figures this year. And you know the strategy is not going to be a thing, you know that it's time to make that shift. And once that shift is made. So we're going to get together in person with me, I will be coaching you through that experience. You walk out of that experience with a true up leveled seven figure CEO mindset that draws to you like a magnet what it is that you want on. So if that's you, it's not for everybody listening right now, but I hope this podcast is really been eye opening. What does it take not just to scale, but what does it take to sustain seven figure success? All right, that's what I have for you this week on the Epic success podcast. If this podcast has been valuable to you, will you do me a big favorite? Give us a five star review on whatever podcast platform you're listening to us? If you're listening to us on YouTube. Do me a big favor. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss any of these recordings. And if this type of podcast is valuable to you, will you let me know that on Instagram? Just share the podcast and let me know what you thought about it. Tag me on it. I'd really like to know if you want me to dive deeper into the topics that really make the shift happen for you so that you can get to seven and then multiple seven. Not because that's the destination, but because you are becoming the person with the capacity to be there. All right. That's what I have for you this week on the Epic Success Podcast. Until then, bye for now.