Elevate The Hustle

The Future of Insurance Agencies: Who Survives and Who Gets Left Behind | Kevin Panter

Insurance agency owners: How Kevin Panter built a $20M independent insurance agency in a Georgia county of 27,000 people, and why he keeps saying no to private equity. Want to grow your insurance agency without burning out or selling out? Book an intro call with Elevate Teams: https://calendly.com/elevateteamsllc/introductory-consultation?utm_source=youtubeeth&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=podcast ═══ In Episode 21 of Elevate the Hustle, Stan Meytin and Dom Piccirillo sit down with Kevin Panter — 37-year insurance veteran, 42-year volunteer firefighter and EMT, and the kind of agency owner who saves a stranger's life at 39,000 feet over Kansas and doesn't think twice about it. Kevin walked away from a government career, faxed his resignation as the #1 captive agent in his market, and built a $20M independent insurance agency from scratch in the mountains of Georgia. Every private equity firm has called. He keeps saying no — because he's building something for his son, not for a multiple. He also drops the one thing he tells every client that most insurance agents are too scared to say, why AI is going to force unprepared agents to sell, and why consolidation is quietly destroying small-town America. Oh, and Dom accidentally stole one of Kevin's employees years ago. Neither of them knew it until they met in person. That story is in here too. ═══════════ What you'll hear: – From zero to $20M in a Georgia county of 27,000 people – Why he faxed his resignation as the #1 captive agent and started over the next day – The hard truth most insurance agents won't tell their clients – How AI is reshaping independent insurance agencies and who gets left behind – Why he turns down every private equity acquisition offer – What 37 years in the insurance business teaches you about integrity, community, and legacy Subscribe, drop a comment, and share this with a founder who needs to hear it. 📩 Want to be on Elevate The Hustle or collaborate with us? Apply or connect here: elevatethehustle@elevateteams.io ✅ Connect with US Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/elevatethehustlepodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/ Stan’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stanleymeytin Dom’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dominicpiccirillo Kevin Panter Insurance. Blue Ridge, Georgia. Google: Kevin Panter Insurance About Elevate Teams: We help insurance agency owners scale operations, hire offshore talent, and grow profitably. Book an intro call: https://calendly.com/elevateteamsllc/introductory-consultation?utm_source=youtubeeth&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=podcast Subscribe for weekly interviews with insurance agency owners, M&A experts, and industry leaders building serious businesses in the United States. #insuranceagency #insuranceagencyowner #independentinsuranceagency #insurancepodcast #insuranceMA #agencyowners Real talk, real stories, and occasionally real bad language. 🌐 Website: elevateteams.io [https://elevateteams.io/] 📷 Instagram: @elevateteams [https://www.instagram.com/elevateteams.io/] 🔗 LinkedIn: Elevate Teams [https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/] 🎙️ YouTube: @ElevateTheHustlePodcast

How to Build a Business That Runs Without You | Liz Mershon

Most people build a business to find freedom. Liz Mershon built five and was still a prisoner. In Episode 20 of Elevate The Hustle, hosts Stanley Meytin and Dom Piccirillo sit down with Liz to unpack the unfiltered story of how she sold her car at 22 to fund her first business, built Miami's most iconic production studio where Shakira, Oliver Stone, and Paramount Pictures all worked, scaled 5 behavioral health clinics, sold to private equity twice, and still couldn't take a vacation without hiding in a bathroom to take calls. This isn't a success story. It's the real one: the grind with no foundation, the exit that broke her identity, and the operating system that finally gave her and the founders she now works with their lives back. Episode Highlights: * The moment she sold her car at 22 and went all in with no plan B. * How working 24 hours for free on a film set opened every door that followed. * Why scaling fast without a system is just a faster way to crash. * The truth about selling to private equity that nobody prepares you for. * The business framework proved to be 35% more effective than any other system. Whether you're an insurance agency owner, an entrepreneur, or a leader who's built something great but lost yourself in the process, this episode will show you what freedom actually looks like when it's built on a system, not a hope. Subscribe, drop a comment, and share this with a founder who needs to hear it. 📩 Want to be on Elevate The Hustle or collaborate with us?  Apply or connect here: elevatethehustle@elevateteams.io [elevatethehustle@elevateteams.io] ✅ Connect with US Instagram: instagram.com/elevatethehustlepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/elevatethehustlepodcast/] LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/] Stan's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stanleymeytin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleymeytin/] Dom's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dominicpiccirillo [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicpiccirillo/] Liz's email: liz@theprofitrecipe.com  Real talk, real stories, and occasionally real bad language. 🌐 Website: elevateteams.io [https://elevateteams.io/] 📷 Instagram: @elevateteams [https://www.instagram.com/elevateteams.io/] 🔗 LinkedIn: Elevate Teams [https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/] 🎙️ YouTube: @ElevateTheHustlePodcast

Most People Sell Their Time Cheap. He Never Did | Neil Krauter

In Episode 20 of Elevate The Hustle, hosts Stanley Meytin and Dom Piccirillo sit down with Neil Krauter to unpack a career that started with peanut brittle sales records and a keg party that changed everything, leading to a $40 million book of business, a firm built from scratch, and adventures that would make most people's heads spin. At 18, Neil made a decision: retire by 40. What followed was a masterclass in specialization, relationship capital, and knowing exactly what your time is worth. Episode Highlights: * How calling a managing director a f***ing a**hole in a boardroom accidentally launched his entire career niche. * Why he never does RFPs, and what that says about how the best in the business value their time. * The day he signed a five-year personal lease on half a floor in Midtown Manhattan with zero clients and zero employees. * How he grew a firm to 186 private equity fund clients, sold it, and never stopped grinding. Whether you're just starting out or already building something, this episode will show you what it looks like to never give your time away cheap. Subscribe, drop a comment, and share this with someone who needs to hear it. 📩 Want to be on Elevate The Hustle or collaborate with us?  Apply or connect here: elevatethehustle@elevateteams.io [elevatethehustle@elevateteams.io] ✅ Connect with us Instagram: instagram.com/elevatethehustlepodcast/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/ Stan’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stanleymeytin Dom’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dominicpiccirillo Neil Krauter: nkrauter@krauergroup.com Real talk, real stories, and occasionally real bad language. 🌐 Website: elevateteams.io [https://elevateteams.io/] 📷 Instagram: @elevateteams [https://www.instagram.com/elevateteams.io/] 🔗 LinkedIn: Elevate Teams [https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/] 🎙️ YouTube: @ElevateTheHustlePodcast

How He Built A Referral-Driven Agency In The Hardest Insurance Niche ft. Andrew Nigri

Most people talk about building something. Andrew Nigri had the audacity to actually do it. In Episode 19 of Elevate The Hustle, hosts Stanley Meytin and Dom Piccirillo sit down with Andrew to unpack the unfiltered story of how he walked away from a stable role, launched his own insurance agency from scratch, and built a referral-driven empire in one of the most complex and competitive niches in the industry, New York construction insurance. This isn't a highlight reel. It's the real story: the dark startup days, the deals that almost didn't close, the relationships that changed everything, and the risk management model nobody else in the industry was willing to build. Episode Highlights: * The moment his boss said the wrong thing and accidentally gave him the push he needed. * How niching down in construction and real estate became his biggest competitive advantage. * The referral strategy that turned one developer relationship into an entire book of business. * Why perseverance and expertise, not volume, are the real drivers of long-term success in insurance. Whether you're an entrepreneur, an agency owner, or someone still working up the courage to take the leap, this episode will show you what audacity looks like in action. Subscribe, drop a comment, and share this with someone who needs to hear it. 📩 Want to be on Elevate The Hustle or collaborate with us?  Apply or connect here: elevatethehustle@elevateteams.io ✅ Connect with us Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatethehustlepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/elevatethehustlepodcast/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/] Stan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleymeytin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleymeytin] Dom’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicpiccirillo [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicpiccirillo] Andrew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-nigri-15450413 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-nigri-15450413] Real talk, real stories, and occasionally real bad language. 🌐 Website: elevateteams.io [https://elevateteams.io/] 📷 Instagram: @elevateteams [https://www.instagram.com/elevateteams.io/] 🔗 LinkedIn: Elevate Teams [https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/] 🎙️ YouTube: @ElevateTheHustlePodcast

Why This 3rd Generation CEO Won't Sell ft. Connor Lynch

"This company has survived the Great Depression, multiple wars. When you really think about what it takes to navigate business for that long, it's really insane." Connor Lynch runs a 107-year-old insurance agency in South Florida. His grandfather bought it in the 1940s. His dad took over in 1969. Connor became CEO of Plastridge Insurance in 2019. Every week, private equity firms call with acquisition offers. The money is good. Really good. But Connor keeps saying no. Not because he's anti-growth. Not because he's romanticizing the past. Because he's built something he doesn't want to give up: a culture where employees get the first profits of the company. Where people stay 50+ years. Where a 93-year-old just retired because she wanted to, not because she had to. In this episode of Elevate the Hustle, Stan and Dom sit down with Connor to talk about legacy, tough love, and what it actually takes to build something worth keeping. Connor breaks down: * Why he sits in every single interview with potential hires * How to build client relationships that last 20+ years  * Why transparency and employee choice create loyalty  Plus, Connor talks about being an adrenaline junkie who became a volunteer firefighter, working hospital shifts from 3pm to 7am and going straight to high school in scrubs, and why being a good person is the only thing you can't teach. If you're running a family business, if you're getting acquisition offers, or if you're trying to decide between the payout and the thing you've built—this episode is for you. Some legacies are worth more than the check. Real talk, real stories, and occasionally real bad language. 🌐 Website: elevateteams.io [https://elevateteams.io/] 📷 Instagram: @elevateteams [https://www.instagram.com/elevateteams.io/] 🔗 LinkedIn: Elevate Teams [https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/] 🎙️ YouTube: @ElevateTheHustlePodcast