How To Build a Thriving Community
How To Build a Thriving Community
How can business owners prioritize strong company values?
We are very intentional about our core values and core focus. Every value is clearly defined. Anyone who joins knows precisely what we expect, what gets them removed, and what we’re working toward.
We offer excellent training on things like indexed universal life insurance or infinite banking. But that’s not our core focus. Our mission is to build the largest community of honest, ethical, productive, and authentic insurance agents worldwide.
If someone doesn’t meet that standard, they don’t belong here. It’s simple. There’s a carrot and a stick. The carrot is being part of this elite community. The stick is, if you don’t meet the standard, we’ll refund your money and send you on your way.
What builds a culture that produces both results and deep relationships?
One of my best friends came from this community. He joined because he was struggling to sell life insurance. In 12 months, he became a million-dollar roundtable producer. I love that story. But it only happened because he was willing to show up and do the damn work.
We even built an annual event around that phrase — Do The Damn Work. Industry giants come, dressed in suits and bow ties, to speak at an event with that name. It’s raw. It’s real. And that’s what makes it powerful.
This community has given me deep friendships and business partners. But it’s also led to hard moments. I’ve had people reach out saying, “I just need to talk.” And even when I’m busy, I take those calls.
One time, I picked up the phone, and the guy was sitting under a freeway overpass with a gun in his lap, thinking about ending his life. I was able to talk him through that moment. He got through the day. And because he got through that day, he found the courage to try again.
How should business owners build relationships that lead to real growth?
I want exposure to people, but not just anyone. I want to vet them for core values and core focus. In other words, I want to be around people who think like me, value what I value, and are headed in the same direction.
Once I know those two things line up, I want to spend enough time with them to feel comfortable dropping my guard. That’s when I learn the most.
It’s true in marriage. It’s true in masterminds. It’s true with coaches. The real breakthroughs happen when I’m not pretending everything is fine. When I’m honest about what’s really going on, that’s when solutions show up.
The most valuable conversations I’ve ever had didn’t come from structured training. They came from casual, real moments. Someone would share a story or say, “Yeah, I deal with that too” — and boom, life-changing.
That only happens when you feel safe enough to be real. Whether it’s in your marriage, a mastermind, or your business, the best growth happens when you stop guarding yourself and start getting honest.
How can business owners build a location-independent business?
When I first started in business, I was in Southern Utah, fully brick-and-mortar. People came in and out of my office all day. I had a team of 11 or 12 door knockers, plus customer service reps and sales reps. We were doing a lot of business, but we were completely tied to that location.
Then we moved — first to Vegas, then here. This move changed everything. We realized we weren’t tied to anything anymore. It gave me clarity. Should I invest more in brick and mortar? No. My revenue didn’t drop — in fact, my profitability increased because my overhead went way down.
I don’t need to spend a million dollars on a commercial building or marble floors. 99.9% of my appointments happen on the phone or on Zoom. The rare in-person meetings are usually at the client’s home.
Now, we could move to Aruba tomorrow if we wanted to. Our business is fully transferable. We’d land, get over the jet lag, open the laptop, and go right back to work.
What actions should business owners take to overcome fear and get results?
The pain of worrying about doing the work is often greater than the pain of actually doing the work. Instead of taking action, people sit alone with their problems, overthink, and avoid conversations that could remove their blinders.
It’s not hard to knock on a door. It’s not hard to pick up the phone and make a call. That’s way easier than sitting around for a week wondering how you’re going to get paid.
Most people think they have a sales problem. But really, they have an action problem. They’re great at sales — they just don’t talk to enough people. Nobody closes 100% of their leads. You need more volume.
This principle applies beyond sales. We all think we know what’s holding us back, but the best help usually comes when someone points out a problem we didn’t even know we had.
The crazy part? We want help — but we won’t let anybody in. That’s the tension. We want answers, but we don’t want to get vulnerable enough to receive them.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
