Sovereign #17: Dogged Consistency

Welcome to Issue #17 of The Sovereign Seller. A weekly email with practical tips on how to use inbound + outbound marketing strategies to generate leads, and get the attention of, and appointments with … your most in-demand prospects.

Sunday December 28th, 2025

7:11 AM

Indianapolis, IN

As a newly minted self-employed entrepreneur, every morning I wake up not knowing exactly how I’m going to make a living.

It’s scary.

My first thought as I head to the kitchen to make coffee most mornings: “What the heck am I doing?”

This fear comes from being employed since I was 16 years old … busing tables at the Icehouse restaurant in Marion, IN.

That fear also comes from hearing my dad repeat this phrase hundreds of times during my lifetime:

“It’s easier to get a job when you have one”.

But I’m not looking for a job. I’m looking for self-employment success.

It takes a strong cup of coffee + my daily dose of self-help reading to feel better about my decision.

The path I’ve chosen is risky. It’s difficult. It’s lonely.

I’m trying a lot of new things.

Seeing what works, what doesn’t work.

Failing … often. Winning … a little.

Challenging myself to adopt better habits.

I seek inspiration from wherever I can find it.

I’m inspired by a particular musician:

Dave Matthews

How long has Dave been touring?

Playing the same songs. Perfecting the same songs. Honing the same songs. Jamming the same songs.

I was over Dave.

Tired of Dave.

He was overplayed. He was my college thing. I moved on. I’d go to the occasional show because he kept selling out Deer Creek Music Center (Noblesville, IN) …. every single summer … two nights in a row.

But Dave was old news.

Yet … he kept touring, and touring, and touring,

Playing gig after gig after gig.

I’d see him on Social Media, On Tiny Desk, on Howard Stern, Playing with the band, without the band. With Tim, with other musicians.

He just never stopped.

What drives Dave to keep going?

Traipsing across our country in a bus.

Singing … playing … sweating his tail off night after humid summer night …

Inspiring a band to play their guts out … 40x per year.

Ebbs and flows, ups and downs, but steady prevails.

Tipping points … and tripping billies!

Dave was THERE when I needed something during Covid.

I became a fan again because I was in awe of his dogged consistency.

He kept playing. Kept giving. Kept performing.

The same songs, and occasionally some new ones.

Now my love for Dave has never been greater.

His show (a summer highlight) shared with best friends.

I tune in to his channel on Sirius XM Radio.

I download his live albums.

It’s not about inventing something new …

It’s about serving, it’s about consistency.

Dave’s been doing this for 35 years, and I don’t think he gives a hoot about money.

He loves what he’s doing, he loves to give.

His lyrics mean different things to different people.

Doesn’t matter what they’re really about …

One of my favorite lyrics … From the song You Might Die Tryin’ …

“If you give, you begin to live”

Dave lives to give.

3+ decades of Dogged Consistency …

And he’s still at it.

He encourages me to keep on truckin’ …

Inspires me to serve. Inspires me to hang in there until I figure it out.

The Business Lesson I’m Learning

Here’s what Dave taught me about showing up in business:

You don’t need a new strategy every week.

You need to execute the same strategy every week.

I’ve been posting on LinkedIn consistently for months now.

Some days it feels pointless. Other days I wonder if anyone’s even reading.

But I keep showing up.

Writing. Publishing. Commenting. Connecting.

The same rhythm, week after week.

And slowly … things are happening.

I have one paying client.

Several serious prospects in the pipeline.

People reaching out because they’ve been watching.

They weren’t ready before. Now they are.

But I was THERE when they became ready.

That’s the game.

Most people quit right before the breakthrough.

They run Facebook ads for 3 weeks … nothing happens … they quit.

They post on LinkedIn for 2 months … crickets … they stop.

They make cold calls for 6 weeks … get rejected … they give up.

They launch a newsletter … 5 issues in … “this isn’t working.”

But Dave didn’t quit after year 5, or year 10, or year 20.

He kept playing the same songs.

Refining. Improving. Showing up.

Here’s what I’m asking you to consider:

What system have you already started … that you quit too early?

What strategy did you abandon … before it had a chance to compound?

What consistent action would transform your business … if you just kept doing it?

Dave didn’t invent anything new in year 25.

He just kept showing up.

That’s the secret I’m learning in real-time:

Dogged Consistency beats brilliant strategy.

You don’t need another course, another tactic, another guru.

You need to pick something that works … and do it until it works.

Post every week.

Call 20 prospects every day.

Send that newsletter every Sunday.

Build your system. Trust your system. Work your system.

And when you want to quit …

Think about Dave Matthews.

Still touring. Still playing. Still giving.

35 years in.

Not because he has to.

Because he loves to give.

Your prospects need you to be Dave.

They need you to be there when they’re ready.

Not when it’s convenient for you.

Not when you feel inspired.

Not when you see immediate results.

They need you to show up … consistently … until they’re ready to buy.

That’s what I’m trying to do.

That’s what Dave does.

That’s what sovereignty requires.

I hope my journey, and me sharing it with you, inspires you too.

Thank you for reading Sovereign #17.

Happy Holidays, Shane