Stop Growing Your Agency Alone | How to Build Connections That Drive Revenue | Jon Spaugy

Stop Growing Your Agency Alone | How to Build Connections That Drive Revenue | Jon Spaugy

Insurance agency owners: How Jon Spaugy spent 16 years building one of the most connected networks in the independent insurance world, and why the agents who stay personal are the ones who survive what's coming. 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 this episode of Elevate the Hustle, Stan Meytin and Dom Piccirillo sit down with Jon Spaugy, Navy veteran, lifelong hustler, and the man behind ABU, one of the most recognized independent agent associations in the country. Jon started selling candy out of his gym bag in junior high, watched radar in the Navy, and somehow ended up becoming the person in the insurance industry that everybody knows. He built ABU from scratch 16 years ago with one idea: get agents and companies in the same room. Their first meeting pulled 200 people. He has done seven cruises, dozens of conferences, and took the whole thing national to Vegas, where the Big I sent him a cease and desist the moment they noticed. He took it as a compliment. Jon also gets into why AI is going to expose the agents who never learned to actually connect with people, why the independent agent is still as strong as ever, and what vendors keep getting wrong about conference ROI. Oh, and Jon has a condo in Vegas with no blinds and an orange chair pushed up against the window facing the strip. That story is in here too. ═══════════ What you'll hear: – How Jon built a national independent agent association from zero with no financial backing, just hustle and relationships – Why the independent insurance agency is still the strongest force in the industry – What vendors get wrong about conference ROI and how to think about it the right way – How AI is reshaping independent agencies and which agents get left behind – Why going back to grassroots and face-to-face beats every digital shortcut – What 16 years of bringing agency owners, carriers, and vendors together teaches you about community and trust ══════ Subscribe, drop a comment, and share this with an agency owner 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: / elevatethehustlepodcast LinkedIn: / elevate-teams Website: / https://elevateteams.io/ Stan's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stanleymeytin Dom's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dominicpiccirillo Jon Spaugy, ABU United linkedin.com/in/jon-spaugy-857056a abuunited.com | 909-809-4451 LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram 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, industry connectors, and business leaders building serious businesses in the United States. #insuranceagency #insuranceagencyowner #independentinsuranceagency #insurancepodcast #agencyowners #elevatethehustle 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

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