Episodios

  • Don Wilson on Outworking the Competition and Creating a Standout Insurance Brand
    Aug 15 2025

    Welcome back to The Insurance Dudes! In this episode, we’re joined by Don Wilson, the dynamic founder and owner of Capital Insurance Group. Don’s journey is as compelling as it is inspiring—he went from running retail clothing stores in West Virginia to leading a multi-state insurance agency with the mantra of authentic leadership and relentless persistence.


    Don shares wild tales from the trenches, including a not-to-be-missed story involving a would-be client with “grenades”—plus some runaway police chases tossed in for good measure.


    But it’s not all war stories and dad jokes (of which Don delivers his top three). We dig deep into Don’s business philosophy—why branding matters, how focusing on your target demographic leads to agency growth, and the importance of building a culture that puts employees first. Don’s passion for mentorship, creativity in prospecting (think “Big Check Express” and the “pastry guy”), and commitment to authentic connections will fire up anyone in the insurance biz—or anyone thinking of making a leap in their career.

    Join the elite ranks of P&C agents. Sign up for Agent Elite today and get exclusive resources to grow your agency!

    🔗 https://www.skool.com/agentelite


    Grab our newly released book at a discount!

    https://ln.run/02VKz


    The Insurance Dudes Weekly 5-Min Read

    Tips, Tricks, and Wizardry for Everything Your Agency Touches

    Subscribe for a treasure trove of knowledge, and never miss out on a golden nugget again! Our newsletter is the map to the hidden gems of insurance mastery.

    Subscribe Here


    Ready to Unearth the Goldmine of Internet Leads?

    Unlock the Alchemy of Turning Internet Leads into Gold with "Internet Lead Secrets"

    Dive into the strategies that transformed us into Midas of the insurance world, writing over 10mm in annualized auto premium amidst global chaos. Grab your copy before it vanishes!

    Check It Out Before It’s Gone!


    Teledudes Telefunnel™ Agency Growth System

    On-Demand Masterclass: The Treasure Map to Lead Mastery

    Step into our world where leads are never cold, and revenue streams flow like rivers of gold. Register now and discover the X marks the spot of agency growth.

    Register And Dominate!


    Is Your Agency a Sleeping Giant or Just Sleeping?

    FREE Agency Growth Diagnosis with Jonathan Cuevas

    Don’t let your agency be a ship lost at sea. Book your growth call now and let Jonathan, the captain who steered Jason's team to $250k a month, navigate you to the treasure island of your business goals. Get your growth plan, tailored just for you. It's time to wake the giant within.


    Book My Agency Growth Call Now

    Dive into an episode where entertainment and enlightenment collide, and walk away with a toolbox that even Feynman would envy. The Insurance Dudes are on a mission: making the complicated uncomplicated, and having a blast along the way. Are you in?

    #LEGO

    Más Menos
    1 h
  • Private Equity Insights and Growth Strategies from Brandon Wolfe
    Aug 8 2025

    Welcome to another episode of The Insurance Dudes! In this candid and insightful conversation, hosts Jason Feltman and Craig Pretzinger are joined by Brandon Wolfe, Managing Partner at Jordan Partners, to dive deep into the world of insurance agencies and private equity.


    Ever wondered if insurance is the "legalized mafia" of finance, or why so many private equity investors are drawn to this industry? You'll get the inside scoop on what makes insurance such a unique — and investable — business, plus why slow, steady growth always wins the game.


    Hear Brandon break down the differences between captive and independent agencies from a private equity perspective, and learn what it really takes to get your agency "tuned up" and ready to sell.


    Whether you're thinking about selling, scaling, or just staying relevant in today’s rapidly changing landscape, Brandon’s experience negotiating deals and growing businesses offers a refreshing dose of reality and optimism for agency owners at any stage.

    Join the elite ranks of P&C agents. Sign up for Agent Elite today and get exclusive resources to grow your agency!

    🔗 https://www.skool.com/agentelite


    Grab our newly released book at a discount!

    https://ln.run/02VKz


    The Insurance Dudes Weekly 5-Min Read

    Tips, Tricks, and Wizardry for Everything Your Agency Touches

    Subscribe for a treasure trove of knowledge, and never miss out on a golden nugget again! Our newsletter is the map to the hidden gems of insurance mastery.

    Subscribe Here


    Ready to Unearth the Goldmine of Internet Leads?

    Unlock the Alchemy of Turning Internet Leads into Gold with "Internet Lead Secrets"

    Dive into the strategies that transformed us into Midas of the insurance world, writing over 10mm in annualized auto premium amidst global chaos. Grab your copy before it vanishes!

    Check It Out Before It’s Gone!


    Teledudes Telefunnel™ Agency Growth System

    On-Demand Masterclass: The Treasure Map to Lead Mastery

    Step into our world where leads are never cold, and revenue streams flow like rivers of gold. Register now and discover the X marks the spot of agency growth.

    Register And Dominate!


    Is Your Agency a Sleeping Giant or Just Sleeping?

    FREE Agency Growth Diagnosis with Jonathan Cuevas

    Don’t let your agency be a ship lost at sea. Book your growth call now and let Jonathan, the captain who steered Jason's team to $250k a month, navigate you to the treasure island of your business goals. Get your growth plan, tailored just for you. It's time to wake the giant within.


    Book My Agency Growth Call Now

    Dive into an episode where entertainment and enlightenment collide, and walk away with a toolbox that even Feynman would envy. The Insurance Dudes are on a mission: making the complicated uncomplicated, and having a blast along the way. Are you in?

    #LEGO

    Más Menos
    44 m
  • How Kathy Hitchcock Built a Booming Insurance Agency After a Rocky Start
    Aug 1 2025

    Welcome back to The Insurance Dudes! In this compelling episode, host Craig Pretzinger and co-host Jason Feltman sit down with Kathy Hitchcock from the Hitchcock Insurance Group in Rome, Georgia. Kathy shares her remarkable journey as a young scratch agent, opening her agency in 2015 just months before facing back-to-back rate hikes and near-impossible market conditions.


    Through honest stories about crying on her daily commute, the grit it took to build a thriving business, and insights into weathering tough insurance cycles, Kathy pulls back the curtain on what it really means to persevere as an agency owner. This episode dives deep into the challenges of scaling, hiring, and motivating a winning team—and how to create true work-life harmony when the business never really shuts off.


    Whether you’re just starting your insurance journey or looking for fresh perspective on leadership, culture, and adapting to change (including a candid take on AI’s impact), Kathy’s story is packed with valuable lessons and real-world strategies for building a resilient, profitable insurance agency. Tune in for one of our most authentic discussions yet!


    Join the elite ranks of P&C agents. Sign up for Agent Elite today and get exclusive resources to grow your agency!

    🔗 https://www.skool.com/agentelite


    Grab our newly released book at a discount!

    https://ln.run/02VKz


    The Insurance Dudes Weekly 5-Min Read

    Tips, Tricks, and Wizardry for Everything Your Agency Touches

    Subscribe for a treasure trove of knowledge, and never miss out on a golden nugget again! Our newsletter is the map to the hidden gems of insurance mastery.

    Subscribe Here


    Ready to Unearth the Goldmine of Internet Leads?

    Unlock the Alchemy of Turning Internet Leads into Gold with "Internet Lead Secrets"

    Dive into the strategies that transformed us into Midas of the insurance world, writing over 10mm in annualized auto premium amidst global chaos. Grab your copy before it vanishes!

    Check It Out Before It’s Gone!


    Teledudes Telefunnel™ Agency Growth System

    On-Demand Masterclass: The Treasure Map to Lead Mastery

    Step into our world where leads are never cold, and revenue streams flow like rivers of gold. Register now and discover the X marks the spot of agency growth.

    Register And Dominate!


    Is Your Agency a Sleeping Giant or Just Sleeping?

    FREE Agency Growth Diagnosis with Jonathan Cuevas

    Don’t let your agency be a ship lost at sea. Book your growth call now and let Jonathan, the captain who steered Jason's team to $250k a month, navigate you to the treasure island of your business goals. Get your growth plan, tailored just for you. It's time to wake the giant within.


    Book My Agency Growth Call Now

    Dive into an episode where entertainment and enlightenment collide, and walk away with a toolbox that even Feynman would envy. The Insurance Dudes are on a mission: making the complicated uncomplicated, and having a blast along the way. Are you in?

    #LEGO

    Más Menos
    1 h y 11 m
  • Hiring, Hustle, and Heart: Inside Sethe Smith’s Agency Playbook
    Jul 16 2025

    Welcome back to The Insurance Dudes! In this episode, Craig and Jason sit down with Sethe Smith, owner of the Sethe Smith Agency in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for a candid conversation packed with both wisdom and wild stories from the insurance trenches. From cleaning up unforgettable office mishaps to building a top-performing agency from scratch, Sethe shares the real-life ups and downs of agency ownership—including valuable lessons learned from failure, the importance of having a “why,” and the challenges of hiring and retaining great salespeople.


    Whether you’re an aspiring agent, a seasoned agency owner, or just someone looking for a fresh take on what it really takes to grow a successful insurance business, this episode pulls back the curtain on the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Tune in for some laughs, plenty of actionable insights, and inspiration to tackle the daily grind with grit and vision.

    Join the elite ranks of P&C agents. Sign up for Agent Elite today and get exclusive resources to grow your agency!
    🔗 https://www.skool.com/agentelite
    Grab our newly released book at a discount!
    https://ln.run/02VKz
    The Insurance Dudes Weekly 5-Min Read
    Tips, Tricks, and Wizardry for Everything Your Agency Touches
    Subscribe for a treasure trove of knowledge, and never miss out on a golden nugget again! Our newsletter is the map to the hidden gems of insurance mastery.
    Subscribe Here
    Ready to Unearth the Goldmine of Internet Leads?
    Unlock the Alchemy of Turning Internet Leads into Gold with "Internet Lead Secrets"
    Dive into the strategies that transformed us into Midas of the insurance world, writing over 10mm in annualized auto premium amidst global chaos. Grab your copy before it vanishes!
    Check It Out Before It’s Gone!
    Teledudes Telefunnel™ Agency Growth System
    On-Demand Masterclass: The Treasure Map to Lead Mastery
    Step into our world where leads are never cold, and revenue streams flow like rivers of gold. Register now and discover the X marks the spot of agency growth.
    Register And Dominate!
    Is Your Agency a Sleeping Giant or Just Sleeping?
    FREE Agency Growth Diagnosis with Jonathan Cuevas
    Don’t let your agency be a ship lost at sea. Book your growth call now and let Jonathan, the captain who steered Jason's team to $250k a month, navigate you to the treasure island of your business goals. Get your growth plan, tailored just for you. It's time to wake the giant within.
    Book My Agency Growth Call Now
    Dive into an episode where entertainment and enlightenment collide, and walk away with a toolbox that even Feynman would envy. The Insurance Dudes are on a mission: making the complicated uncomplicated, and having a blast along the way. Are you in?
    #LEGO

    Más Menos
    54 m
  • From Zero to $12 Million: Tung Le’s Insurance Agency Growth Story
    Jul 9 2025

    Welcome back to The Insurance Dudes! In today’s episode, hosts Craig Pretzinger and Jason Feltman sit down with Tung Le, the unstoppable insurance entrepreneur behind a thriving Allstate agency in Houston, Texas. Tung gets real about his rollercoaster journey, starting from scratch in March 2020—just as the world shut down. From losing his first employees on day one, to hitting the phones himself, Tung shares how he bootstrapped his way through the uncertainty of COVID, faced painful early setbacks, and relentlessly built a powerhouse $12 million book of business in just a few years.


    Listen in as Tung opens up about the tough lessons learned in hiring, building a resilient team, and outlasting the storms—literally and figuratively—of the Texas insurance market. He gets candid about separating service and sales teams, dialing in on valuable data and zip codes, and learning to adapt strategies as both the industry and his agency evolve. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to grow an agency from zero to millions, especially through some of the most challenging years in recent memory, this episode is packed with practical insights, plenty of laughs, and straight-shooting advice you won't want to miss. Let’s jump in!

    Join the elite ranks of P&C agents. Sign up for Agent Elite today and get exclusive resources to grow your agency!
    🔗 https://www.skool.com/agentelite
    Grab our newly released book at a discount!
    https://ln.run/02VKz
    The Insurance Dudes Weekly 5-Min Read
    Tips, Tricks, and Wizardry for Everything Your Agency Touches
    Subscribe for a treasure trove of knowledge, and never miss out on a golden nugget again! Our newsletter is the map to the hidden gems of insurance mastery.
    Subscribe Here
    Ready to Unearth the Goldmine of Internet Leads?
    Unlock the Alchemy of Turning Internet Leads into Gold with "Internet Lead Secrets"
    Dive into the strategies that transformed us into Midas of the insurance world, writing over 10mm in annualized auto premium amidst global chaos. Grab your copy before it vanishes!
    Check It Out Before It’s Gone!
    Teledudes Telefunnel™ Agency Growth System
    On-Demand Masterclass: The Treasure Map to Lead Mastery
    Step into our world where leads are never cold, and revenue streams flow like rivers of gold. Register now and discover the X marks the spot of agency growth.
    Register And Dominate!
    Is Your Agency a Sleeping Giant or Just Sleeping?
    FREE Agency Growth Diagnosis with Jonathan Cuevas
    Don’t let your agency be a ship lost at sea. Book your growth call now and let Jonathan, the captain who steered Jason's team to $250k a month, navigate you to the treasure island of your business goals. Get your growth plan, tailored just for you. It's time to wake the giant within.
    Book My Agency Growth Call Now
    Dive into an episode where entertainment and enlightenment collide, and walk away with a toolbox that even Feynman would envy. The Insurance Dudes are on a mission: making the complicated uncomplicated, and having a blast along the way. Are you in?
    #LEGO

    Más Menos
    34 m
  • 200 in Heels: Fast Lanes and Faster Growth with Cassidy Arbeli
    Jul 2 2025

    Welcome to another episode of The Insurance Dudes! In this episode, Jason and Craig sit down with Cassidy Arbeli—a powerhouse agency owner whose journey is as inspiring as it is unconventional. Raised by entrepreneurial parents and equipped with a natural flair for business, Cassidy shares how she transformed her insurance career from humble beginnings with a newborn in tow to a multi-business owner, coach, and advocate for women in the industry.

    Cassidy opens up about the real challenges insurance agents face, from the gap in business education to the importance of building strong agency culture and the value of putting systems in place to gain real freedom. She talks candidly about what it was like to walk away from a successful captive agency to launch her own independent venture—and how that leap of faith led to even greater success and fulfillment.

    Join the elite ranks of P&C agents. Sign up for Agent Elite today and get exclusive resources to grow your agency!
    🔗 https://www.skool.com/agentelite
    Grab our newly released book at a discount!
    https://ln.run/02VKz
    The Insurance Dudes Weekly 5-Min Read
    Tips, Tricks, and Wizardry for Everything Your Agency Touches
    Subscribe for a treasure trove of knowledge, and never miss out on a golden nugget again! Our newsletter is the map to the hidden gems of insurance mastery.
    Subscribe Here
    Ready to Unearth the Goldmine of Internet Leads?
    Unlock the Alchemy of Turning Internet Leads into Gold with "Internet Lead Secrets"
    Dive into the strategies that transformed us into Midas of the insurance world, writing over 10mm in annualized auto premium amidst global chaos. Grab your copy before it vanishes!
    Check It Out Before It’s Gone!
    Teledudes Telefunnel™ Agency Growth System
    On-Demand Masterclass: The Treasure Map to Lead Mastery
    Step into our world where leads are never cold, and revenue streams flow like rivers of gold. Register now and discover the X marks the spot of agency growth.
    Register And Dominate!
    Is Your Agency a Sleeping Giant or Just Sleeping?
    FREE Agency Growth Diagnosis with Jonathan Cuevas
    Don’t let your agency be a ship lost at sea. Book your growth call now and let Jonathan, the captain who steered Jason's team to $250k a month, navigate you to the treasure island of your business goals. Get your growth plan, tailored just for you. It's time to wake the giant within.
    Book My Agency Growth Call Now
    Dive into an episode where entertainment and enlightenment collide, and walk away with a toolbox that even Feynman would envy. The Insurance Dudes are on a mission: making the complicated uncomplicated, and having a blast along the way. Are you in?
    #LEGO

    Más Menos
    35 m
  • From Captive to Independent: Dan Kitajima’s Journey to Insurance Agency Freedom
    Jun 25 2025

    Welcome to another episode of The Insurance Dudes! In this powerful conversation, hosts Jason Feltman and Craig Pretzinger sit down with Dan Kitajima to unpack a truly wild journey from building a $17 million captive insurance agency to making the bold leap into the independent world.


    Dan shares the highs and lows of his experience—from signing a jaw-dropping $20,000/month office lease just before his carrier pulled the rug out by non-renewing $6 million in policies, to learning how to pivot, retain clients, and ultimately rebuild—this time with even greater focus, flexibility, and profitability. The trio dives into the nuances of switching from captive to independent, breaking down differences in closing ratios, broker fees, marketing strategies, and what it really takes to survive (and thrive) through massive industry disruption.

    Join the elite ranks of P&C agents. Sign up for Agent Elite today and get exclusive resources to grow your agency!
    🔗 https://www.skool.com/agentelite
    Grab our newly released book at a discount!
    https://ln.run/02VKz
    The Insurance Dudes Weekly 5-Min Read
    Tips, Tricks, and Wizardry for Everything Your Agency Touches
    Subscribe for a treasure trove of knowledge, and never miss out on a golden nugget again! Our newsletter is the map to the hidden gems of insurance mastery.
    Subscribe Here
    Ready to Unearth the Goldmine of Internet Leads?
    Unlock the Alchemy of Turning Internet Leads into Gold with "Internet Lead Secrets"
    Dive into the strategies that transformed us into Midas of the insurance world, writing over 10mm in annualized auto premium amidst global chaos. Grab your copy before it vanishes!
    Check It Out Before It’s Gone!
    Teledudes Telefunnel™ Agency Growth System
    On-Demand Masterclass: The Treasure Map to Lead Mastery
    Step into our world where leads are never cold, and revenue streams flow like rivers of gold. Register now and discover the X marks the spot of agency growth.
    Register And Dominate!
    Is Your Agency a Sleeping Giant or Just Sleeping?
    FREE Agency Growth Diagnosis with Jonathan Cuevas
    Don’t let your agency be a ship lost at sea. Book your growth call now and let Jonathan, the captain who steered Jason's team to $250k a month, navigate you to the treasure island of your business goals. Get your growth plan, tailored just for you. It's time to wake the giant within.
    Book My Agency Growth Call Now
    Dive into an episode where entertainment and enlightenment collide, and walk away with a toolbox that even Feynman would envy. The Insurance Dudes are on a mission: making the complicated uncomplicated, and having a blast along the way. Are you in?
    #LEGO

    Más Menos
    53 m
  • From McDonald’s to Insurance Success: The Ben Bucher Agency Story
    Jun 18 2025

    Welcome back to The Insurance Dudes! In this episode, our hosts Craig Pretzinger and Jason Feltman sit down with Ben Bucher, owner of Bucher Family Insurance, for an engaging, honest, and often hilarious conversation about his journey from an aspiring actor and McDonald’s manager to leading a multimillion-dollar insurance agency.


    Ben opens up about the wild experiences that shaped his career—including run-ins with a stalker client, near business collapse, and the tough lessons that only entrepreneurship can teach. He shares the pivotal moments that pushed him to grow from scratch in Indiana to acquiring agencies and managing a dynamic, mostly remote team spread from California to Maine.


    Get ready for nuggets of wisdom, plenty of laughs, and practical insights that anyone in insurance—or business—can take away and use. This is an episode packed with real stories, actionable advice, and the reminder that even the most successful agents can come home to, well, “poop on the ceiling.” Enjoy the show!Join the elite ranks of P&C agents. Sign up for Agent Elite today and get exclusive resources to grow your agency!
    🔗 https://www.skool.com/agentelite
    Grab our newly released book at a discount!
    https://ln.run/02VKz

    Más Menos
    51 m