Do you embrace the fear that comes with chasing bigger goals, or do you let it hold you back? In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller explore why excitement and fear are inseparable for ambitious entrepreneurs—and how reframing fear as fuel, not a foe, is the key to lifelong growth and fulfillment.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• The specific types of fear entrepreneurs experience when pursuing big goals.
• How Dan experiences both fear and excitement with a current project.
• The two things that entrepreneurs can do with their fear.
• Why status-seeking entrepreneurs eventually lose their ambition.
• The cost of eliminating fear from your future.

Show Notes:

Growth is like a coin with two sides: excitement and fear.

Entrepreneurs need to normalize fear as a regular part of their journey.

Committing to a bigger future goal naturally brings up fear about whether you can achieve it.

Real growth requires pursuing something more exciting—and more challenging—than what you’ve done before.

Many people lose their ambition because they’re stopped by the fear that comes with it.

Entrepreneurs are driven to ensure their future is bigger than their past.

Status-seeking entrepreneurs focus on external markers of success while growth-oriented entrepreneurs measure success internally, by their own progress.

It takes courage for entrepreneurs to keep moving.

Expect failure along the way—it's part of the growth process.

For growth-minded entrepreneurs, fear isn’t a necessary evil; it’s a necessary resource.

Stopping growth means losing the new capabilities that come with it.

When you stop growing, you may feel uneasy about others who continue to grow.

For status-seekers, ambition is a destination; for growth-seekers, it’s a capability to develop.

Growth-oriented entrepreneurs compare themselves only to who they used to be, not to others.

Resources:

The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan

Just because someone excels in their role doesn’t mean they should interview new hires—especially if they’re a salesperson. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller reveal why great salespeople often make the worst hiring decisions, how to spot the right evaluators for your team, and the mindset shift that separates a persuasive seller from a discerning buyer.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• The role of a job seeker in an interview.
• The role that an interviewer should be playing.
• Why Dan isn’t involved in the hiring process at Strategic Coach®.
• A secret ingredient in the Strategic Coach hiring process.
• The powerful question you should ask every prospective customer and team member.

Show Notes:

Salespeople shouldn’t conduct interviews because they’ll treat every interaction like a sale—focused on overcoming objections rather than evaluating fit.

Great salespeople are wired to close deals, which means they’ll prioritize getting a "yes" over finding the right candidate.

A sales-driven interviewer risks hiring the wrong person simply because they couldn’t resist "winning" the interaction.

As the person doing the hiring, you’re the buyer, not the seller.

It’s the job of the applicant to convince you they’re the right fit.

It’s not the interviewer’s job to get the applicant excited about the position.

Your hiring team should be dispassionate evaluators—think poker players, not persuaders.

The best hires are those who sell you on their ability to contribute to your company’s future.

Confidence in hiring comes from being decisive, not from convincing someone to join.

Trust your instincts—if a candidate feels off early on, that feeling rarely improves over time.

Resources:

Unique Ability®

Free Zone Frontier by Dan Sullivan

How To Improve Business By Asking Good Questions

Always Be The Buyer by Dan Sullivan

Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show On The Front Stage

Are you holding back, waiting for the “right” decision? In this episode, Shannon Waller and Dan Sullivan reveal why taking action—even imperfect action—is the key to entrepreneurial momentum. Discover how making any decision unlocks feedback, reduces anxiety, and activates your best thinking, while indecision keeps you stuck. Plus, learn practical strategies to overcome perfectionism and move forward.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• The importance of making a decision that requires that you take action.
• How indecision leads to more indecision.
• What you sacrifice when you refuse to choose.
• How to get a clear picture of the situation you’re in.

Show Notes:

Taking action, even with imperfect information, is better than staying stuck in indecision.

The problem with making no decision is that you’re not changing the situation that’s paralyzing you.

When you can’t make a decision, the pressure builds on you exponentially, as does the feeling of isolation and disconnection from your team and your goals.

As soon as you start taking action, you get an enormous amount of information about whether it was a right action or a wrong action.

Perfectionism is the enemy of progress.

Humans are best when they’re in motion.

People become unproductive when they’re not making decisions.

You don’t have to make the right decision. You can make a decision, and then make it right.

Clarity and confidence come after you commit, not before.

Decisive entrepreneurs make mistakes, but they also learn and adapt much faster than indecisive ones.

When you’re indecisive, you lose access to your wisdom, experience, and problem-solving abilities.

The act of deciding eliminates alternative options and allows your mind to focus on what matters most.

Protecting your role and saying no to distractions is a by-product of being decisive about your commitments.

The word “decide” literally means to “kill off” alternatives, freeing you from mental clutter and overwhelm.

Resources:

The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan

The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

The Impact Filter™