John D’Angelo with InsurancePM

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Woodstock, Georgia. This is fearless formula with Sharon Cline.

Sharon Cline: Welcome to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I am your host, Sharon Cline. And today in the studio we have the owner of an insurance company. It’s called InsurancePM. It’s a family run independent insurance agency. It customizes insurance to your specific needs. It covers all your insurance needs. It’s a one stop shop. That’s just one of the things that this gentleman does. Very excited to have in the studio. John D’Angelo, thank you for coming in.

John D’Angelo: Thank you. It’s awesome to be here. We we just chatted for 30 minutes before this. So this is part two.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, I tried to save the best for this because I have a lot of questions. So the minute you get in here, I’m like, what about this? And what about that?

John D’Angelo: So she does she has like an interrogation light on me right now.

Sharon Cline: Are you nervous?

John D’Angelo: Yeah, totally.

Sharon Cline: I can tell. You seem really chill. I’m happy to have you in the studio, because there are a couple of ways that our lives kind of intersect. One of them is in the voiceover world, and you use your voice in a unique way, but also the motorcycle world. That’s how I got to know you initially.

John D’Angelo: That’s right. We, um, at, um. What, the Buck Jones ride? That’s right. The Buck.

Sharon Cline: Jones.

John D’Angelo: Ride. Yeah. Every November.

Sharon Cline: Mhm. And that was an amazing ride this past year. Um, every year it just gets a little bit bigger and a little more. A little more bikes, jeeps. It’s so much fun to know that you’re doing something that you enjoy, but other people get to benefit as well. All of these different counties and these children that don’t have as many options for Christmas, and they don’t have something to look forward to. They get to benefit too. So it’s it’s the win win that makes me happy. Um, but also we I’ve gotten to chit chat with you a little bit on the different bike nights that are associated with Buck Jones, which has been really fun. Um, and you do the announcing there, which is nice for all the different awards and prizes and things.

John D’Angelo: Yeah, I think I’m the emcee more than the announcer, because I’m drinking beer and eating wings at Miller’s Ale House, and, uh, and it’s usually in Dawsonville. That’s right. Um, which they’ve been just such a generous host, uh, to those bike nights, uh, every month. So we’re going to get those going again. I believe in, uh. Well, it’s nice now. So let’s start next week. No, no, but usually in March.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. It’s beautiful out right now. So. And there’s a bike parked right outside. A motorcycle parked right outside the studio. It’s not mine, but, man, it makes me want to ride. And I was saying, just seeing you, I’m like, where’s my bike? Because that’s always when I’m on my bike when I see you. So it’s kind of funny.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. I pulled in and I thought it was yours. I was like, here we go.

Sharon Cline: I know I got I got to scour this whole studio and figure out who has this bike so we can chat. Um, okay. So can you talk to me about. First of all, you’re an Atlanta native, right?

John D’Angelo: I am born, born and raised in, uh, Atlanta.

Sharon Cline: Went to Dunwoody High School.

John D’Angelo: I did, I did, and I still speak, uh, to the principal. My principal that was, you know, the principal at that time. She’s retired now, but, uh, she still keeps tabs on me and and, um, uh, which is very cool. And a couple of teachers as well.

Sharon Cline: Wow. That says a lot about you knowing that you had friendships. It’s kind of.

John D’Angelo: Nice. No, they just said they had to keep eyes on the troublemakers, so they’re still doing it to me.

Sharon Cline: Okay, so how did you get into the insurance business?

John D’Angelo: My, actually, my parents were in the insurance industry for a long, you know, ever since I, I was growing up. So, um, they did, uh, inspections and field management. And so I was like, I’m never doing that ever again. Because. Or ever because I just thought it was a was a nerdy profession. Tell you the truth. You know, with, you know, revenge of the nerds. When we were growing up, that’s how I viewed all insurance agents. Anybody in the insurance world with glasses, tape around their their nose piece and. And I’m like, I can’t do that. That’s not me.

Sharon Cline: They seem like they would be sticklers about things and writing up like, reports and things.

John D’Angelo: Yes. It’s a hard industry, actually. It’s a lot of, uh, tape and rules and regulations that a lot of the general public doesn’t even know about.

Sharon Cline: I would love to know that side, because this is an opportunity for anyone listening to kind of have a more well-rounded view of your industry. But I mean, for you to for you to get started in it, kind of following your parents, I mean, they must have helped you, kind of guide you as you were getting started.

John D’Angelo: No. What happened? No, they did not.

Sharon Cline: How did you get into it?

John D’Angelo: You know, um, actually, when I, when I graduated and stuff, I was, you know, competing in martial arts and all that good stuff. And my gear, my martial arts, uniforms, gear, it all always kept tearing up. Right. So I actually started out my career in, in martial arts, and then I opened up a equipment manufacturing company, and I, I built or manufactured and designed all the equipment that boxers use, martial artists use. And, um, I had, uh, factories in, in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, um, and one other country. I forgot what it was. But, um.

Sharon Cline: So this is out of high school. You did this?

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Yeah, I was, um, at a at a high school. I opened up a couple of credit cards, and and, um, went in debt that way until I, I started making money.

Sharon Cline: But you obviously saw a need, given that you were not able to keep your equipment from falling apart. So you’re like, I can do this better?

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Pretty much. So I developed a high end gear, you know, so it was a little more expensive. But, uh, you know, there was only one competitor in Georgia, and I was like, oh, perfect. This is before the internet took off. This is back in the early 90s.

Sharon Cline: Wow. So you were obviously in that industry for a while. And what happened after that?

John D’Angelo: Yeah. So then the internet started taking off and everybody, you know, could import whatever they want, order from wherever they wanted. There was just so much. And I was just a one man show, um, pretty much. And and it just got too much to compete with the, the high rollers. So then I got into, um, while I was doing that, I got into fight promotions. Um, when I, when I owned the store, it was called Pro Rank. And then I, um, said, oh, okay. Well, I don’t like fighting anymore because it hurts even when you win. I mean, bruises for weeks, right? I was like, that’s not me. I’m not ever going to be a world champion. I’m not going to be good enough to even compete with those guys, because I used to spar some world champions and they just tore me, tore me up. So no matter how tough you are, get in the ring with the world champion and they’ll they’ll humble you really quick. But, um, so I was like, I’ll just have other people fight and and, um, you know, put on the show and put on a good show.

Sharon Cline: So you learned, um, you had already been exposed to the industry, so then you learned the other side, which is the promoting of it, the promotions.

John D’Angelo: Yes. So that is really fun. It’s almost like, uh, the radio show here. It’s just a fun thing to do. And you can make money at it and and, uh, get a little notoriety to it. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: You’re called. You have a you have a nickname, Mr. Fight Mouth. Right?

John D’Angelo: I do. Oh, yeah. Mr.. Fight mouth. I was like, what? Nickname and what website did you go to?

Sharon Cline: I only did a little cyber stalking this time. Yeah.

John D’Angelo: You actually gave me a hot flash for a second. I was like, oh my gosh, what sites are she? Is she going to. But but anyway. Um yeah. Mr.. Fight mouth um go by fight mouth for short. And, uh, that’s, um. Once I retired from fight promoting, I was like, I still want to be involved in the in the sport. And I was like, okay, well, I have a decent announcing voice. And it took probably 20 years to develop because when I was promoting, one of my announcers actually didn’t show up to do the job. So I had to get in there and do it, and it was awful.

Sharon Cline: Oh no.

John D’Angelo: I was like, um, I don’t know who’s in this corner. Do I need note cards? Right? And, um, good thing it was a small show. It was actually at good old days. I remember, um, on Roswell Road, and they had a ring in there. They used to do wrestling matches, um, and everything. So I put on some little smoker fights there and it was everybody was drinking, having having good fun. Rick Roufus, he was a world champion kickboxer. He came out to see a show, um, which was just awesome. It was a great vibe.

Sharon Cline: What do you think people don’t know about that industry, given that you’re on the promoting side? Most people are just coming to be entertained.

John D’Angelo: Oh, gosh. Yeah. Getting the fighters to actually, um, show up to compete is really rough, especially if you, you know, you’re not paying them, you know, money. So amateurs really, they, they drop out like flies if they get a little, I don’t know, toothache or something. They’ll they’ll drop out or, or personal reasons, you know, if they just didn’t sleep well that night, they’ll they’ll drop out. Yeah. So then it ruins the whole show because you because you have to find a replacement. Yeah. And it costs a lot to promote a show, so.

Sharon Cline: So that’s why ticket prices are whatever they are, right?

John D’Angelo: Oh yeah. You have to pay the the organization that sanctions the, you know, building a ring or having that set up that usually costs 1000, $1,500. You know, you pay the refs, the judges, the security, um, the venue you have to pay. So it really adds up. So when they charge $50 or something, it’s they’re not really making a lot of money. Once all those expenses go out.

Sharon Cline: How long did you do that?

John D’Angelo: Probably so 94 to 2004. So ten years? Probably. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Did you see the industry change over that time?

John D’Angelo: I did, I did.

Sharon Cline: What did you notice?

John D’Angelo: Yeah. So when I first started promoting, um, it was when the UFC first came out in 1994. And I was promoting kickboxing shows and I was like, I want to promote that in Georgia. So I was like, okay, here we go. So I promoted the first no holds barred. It was no holds barred back then at the Checkered Parrot off of Jimmy Carter. And you remember that?

Sharon Cline: I don’t, but I was living here at the time. I just don’t remember.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. The checkered parrot off of Jimmy Carter. And it was a real neat bar or whatever. And we built the ring outside in the parking lot. And the parking lot was actually uneven. It had a slant to it, so we had to put bricks under the ring just to level it out. And we’re like, we hope this thing doesn’t fall. And, um, the officials actually, they wanted to shut the show down unless I created a rule book. So I created a rule book for no holds barred. And actually, I created the round system that’s used today for MMA. Wow. The three five minute rounds. I created the amateur division because a lot of times people would be so experienced, and then you have somebody that wasn’t experienced and they would just match them in there, and it was always a lopsided kind of fight. So I created the amateur division for. I called it Pro Sport Fighting, but then NHB got coined as MMA as we know it today. Yeah. So right there at the cusp of the development of mixed martial arts.

Sharon Cline: Holy cow.

John D’Angelo: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: That must be very satisfying to know that you had such an impact on such a huge industry.

John D’Angelo: Yeah, I had a great impact on it. I didn’t get paid for it, but I have a good few plaques for it. Yeah. You know, I was like, wow, that plaque looks really nice, but no Ferrari to go with it. Yeah, it’s one of those notoriety things where, um, yeah, you’re you’re in the development stages, but then the big guys with the big money come through and and take it from there. Yeah, yeah.

Sharon Cline: Do you watch it now?

John D’Angelo: Not so much anymore. No, no. So I’ll only really watch the fights. Um, if I’m announcing the fights.

Sharon Cline: How often do you do that?

John D’Angelo: Gosh, I go all around the southeast announcing. So, um, usually once every other month. I would say, to be fair, sometimes once a month. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: What do you love most about announcing?

John D’Angelo: Oh, I like being in the ring and and, um, just the energy and creating that energy and excitement to the audience. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Do you do the thing where you kind of read the audience and see what they need? Do you know what I mean? Like if they’re not responding or something?

John D’Angelo: Yes.

Sharon Cline: Yes, it’s a skill, isn’t it?

John D’Angelo: It is, it is. And then, um, my wife will usually, uh, go with me, and she goes, okay, because I have a real soothing voice. She goes, you need to pick it up. Step it up, you know? So otherwise, I’m like a psychologist in there. So how do you feel? Yeah.

Sharon Cline: So is everyone feeling tonight?

John D’Angelo: Right. How’s everybody feeling tonight? Exactly.

Sharon Cline: But it sounds so fun. And I imagine there’s a side of it that seems very glamorous.

John D’Angelo: It may seem that way, but once you’re done, you know, occasionally somebody might go, good job or whatever. And then you get, you know, your paycheck. But I do it for the fun of it. Now, just to give back to the martial arts community. Yeah. So it’s nice.

Sharon Cline: You have a lot of friends then that are mixed martial artists that you know are in your network of people?

John D’Angelo: Yes, yes. Actually, I just went, um, to support, um, one of one of the fighters that I used to promote, uh, Joe Elmore. He, he was in the BKFC In Duluth just a couple of weeks ago. So he had a nice fight. That’s the bare knuckle fighting. Oh. So, um.

Sharon Cline: That sounds so horrible. I don’t know.

John D’Angelo: It was. It’s rough. Yeah. No.

Sharon Cline: I mean, I’m sure it’s entertaining, but it sounds. It sounds, uh, violent, I don’t know.

John D’Angelo: It is violent. And I think they go. They love that term. You know, I’m about to go violent today. You know, that kind of thing. Yeah, yeah. But, um, they’re the nicest people ever. Um, the fighters and they’re unbelievably humble. And. Yeah, you would think they would be bullies or something like that. But you see them in a in a alleyway and you feel totally comfortable. Yeah, some of them might look a little rough, but.

Sharon Cline: Well, if they’re bare knuckle fighting, there must be blood.

John D’Angelo: Yes.

Sharon Cline: Oh, that’s awesome for you. For you. That’s great.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. No, it’s not for me anymore. I’ll tell you. I wouldn’t want to do it.

Sharon Cline: No, I don’t know. I’m. I’m a baby, I guess.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. I don’t even want to get my teeth cleaned. No less get them knocked out. You know what I mean? Dentist with Novocain. Yeah. Just shoot me up with Novocain first, and then I’ll go to bare knuckle boxing so I don’t feel my face getting punched in.

Sharon Cline: Okay, so you you also got started in insurance. So when did that kick in for your life? When did when did you get start started?

John D’Angelo: This show is about insurance.

Sharon Cline: It’s about the many hats you wear.

John D’Angelo: Yeah, man, I was having fun. Now we got to get all nerdy again, right?

Sharon Cline: Yeah. Insurance is important for life. Imagine the people that are doing the fighting have insurance.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Yeah, we do insure a lot of the fight shows, actually.

Sharon Cline: It all works.

John D’Angelo: Out. Yeah. So, I mean, yeah. So it’s a great networking opportunity for me to keep involved in, in the martial arts.

Sharon Cline: Because you don’t do just like car insurance. You do all like you do commercial insurance. Will you talk about the different ways that you can help people in their lives?

John D’Angelo: Sure. Yeah. So there’s personal lines, right? So that’s car home. Home. Rvs, motorcycles. Anything personal. And then life health, Medicaid, long term care. We do. Then there’s commercial insurance, which is your business insurance. Yeah. Anybody that has, like a lawn care business, a contractor. So we supply, you know, benefits for that. Worker’s comp.

Sharon Cline: Wow. You cover so much.

John D’Angelo: It is a lot. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: So if someone were interested in getting started in this industry, what kind of advice would you have for them? Because. Or is there something that you wish that you knew before you got started in the insurance industry?

John D’Angelo: Yeah, I kind of wish I got into it a lot earlier because. Well, yeah. Because as far as money making goes Every year you’re compounding your production. So you have whatever I write this year goes into next year, provided they they stay with the policy. And whatever I write next year, it just compounds every year. So just think about it. If you’re in it for ten years, then you know you’re you’re doing pretty well.

Sharon Cline: Nice.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Yeah. So like if you’re in auto sales right you’re always starting from zero the next month. And I was like, I don’t have that kind of patience to start from zero again because then you’re a loser at day one right. So day work day one each month you’re already starting out, you know, as long as you’ve been as long as you have some years behind you, you’re starting out ahead. Yeah. Which is nice. Very smart. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: It’s like working smarter, not harder kind of thing.

John D’Angelo: Right? Right.

Sharon Cline: So when did you get started in in insurance then?

John D’Angelo: Well, I started our own company. Um, 2016.

Sharon Cline: Oh, wow.

John D’Angelo: Okay. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Well, good for you.

John D’Angelo: Or 2015. Something like that. It’s been almost ten years. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: So you had been doing the MMA and the announcing and all of that, but then you saw that you needed something else.

John D’Angelo: Well, yeah, I got married and then I was doing some acting. Right?

Sharon Cline: Right.

John D’Angelo: Which is.

Sharon Cline: Another.

John D’Angelo: Another hat. That’s right. And, uh, doing little side bits. And that’s where presents, uh, models and talent. She she thought I was a model, but I was like, no, I was like, no.

Sharon Cline: You also have done something kind of cool on Facebook, which I thought was neat. You are the owner and CEO of the Italian Club of Georgia. Yeah. How did that happen? How did you become the founder and CEO of the Italian Club of Georgia?

John D’Angelo: Now, I keep mentioning my wife, right? My wife, his name’s Amore, which is a nice Italian name, means love. And, um, she’s actually from South Africa. So, um, there’s a big South African community here in, in Atlanta, and we go to their events and everything. And I was like, you know what? There’s never an Italian event or not many right around here. So I don’t want to open up another South African club because they are they’re already doing that. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. So I was like, I’ll open up an Italian club. And I think we have over a thousand members now. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Do you what are your events like?

John D’Angelo: So here’s the cool thing is, uh, it’s the the membership is free, but then we do some events, but then we do some events called Italian Sunday Family Dinner, because up north, all the Italian families get get together on Sundays. The mom cooks all the sauce for the whole day or two days. Right. And, um, we get together on Sunday. All the Italian moms are in, and some of the guys, they cook, they all bring their own food, and then we share it. So they bring a tray that feeds, I don’t know, a dozen people. And, um, we all get together, have wine, and there’s about 50 or 60 people that come to each each dinner.

Sharon Cline: Wow.

John D’Angelo: And then a couple of Italian restaurants, they host it for us. So it’s great advertising for that restaurant just to bring in new people. And we’re pretty much hold the events in the coming Alpharetta area. Yeah, I think the next one we’re holding is at, uh, Mondo Ristorante. Yeah, right. My Italian stinks, right? But, um. Yeah, he’s from Brooklyn, new Jersey. He came down here, opened up a a restaurant. His name is Joe, and, uh, he’s hosting, um, it next month, in March.

Sharon Cline: Does it feel like family when you’re in those events?

John D’Angelo: It does. It it feels like family because, um, when I first started doing them, some people said we should wear name tags. I go, nope, I go, family members don’t wear name tags. It’s an Italian family. Sunday. If you don’t know your cousin’s name, ask him what it is. You know, that kind of thing. Just. Just start, you know, be sociable. Hey, where are you from? What part of Jersey you’re from? That kind of thing, that’s all. What did you make today? You know, just start the conversation. That’s it? Yeah.

Sharon Cline: I’m trying. It’s almost like that restaurant, Buca di Beppo, where they had, like, these big, um, sort of family style meals, you know, where you’d sit down and you would order whatever pasta dish, but you would get, like this huge bowl of it. And then everyone passed it around and had some of it.

John D’Angelo: Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely. That’s like the Dillard house, right?

Sharon Cline: Yeah. The Dillard.

John D’Angelo: House. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: The most. That’s right.

John D’Angelo: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: You go to go to the Dillard house after you’ve fasted for days? I mean, they just keep bringing food after food.

John D’Angelo: We were just in the Bahamas, Nassau, and staying in Atlantis, and we went to Carmine’s and just for a quick dinner. And Carmine’s is a family style restaurant, and we just ordered salad and and veal and they brought out huge plates and we’re like, oh my gosh. I mean, it could have fed eight people each. Oh wow. And it’s just me and my wife there.

Sharon Cline: Did you ever want to see yourself go further in the announcing world, like in a professional way?

John D’Angelo: Oh, that’s a great question. Um, that would have been cool. But I if it happens, it happens. But, you know, I’m a little older now, so I think they they need some, you know, younger, you know, somebody in their 30s to really, uh, take over. Yeah. Because you have Michael Buffer in there. Bruce buffer. Michael Buffer is my favorite.

Sharon Cline: Why is he your favorite?

John D’Angelo: Just the way his voice is. His presentation of of announcing. I don’t like the screaming. Like Bruce Buffer does, right? He just screams into the microphone. I like it the way his brother does it a little bit better, but that’s just my personal opinion. Um, but either way, they they’ve they’ve made a great, great life and living from doing that.

Sharon Cline: But it wasn’t like a passion of yours then.

John D’Angelo: It kind of is. I just don’t think I was good enough to tell you the truth. Yeah, I mean, serious. Yeah. Yeah. It’s just you, you know, just, like, acting, right? Yeah, I, I tried it for five years. I’m like, no, I’m not getting anywhere. And then I had to humble myself and get into that nerdy insurance profession. I was like, well, I’m good at this. Yeah, definitely.

Sharon Cline: What makes you good at insurance?

John D’Angelo: Um, just a determination of of waking up and and just getting to work, you know? Every day, maybe a little bit of social skills. Yeah, because there’s a lot of marketing.

Sharon Cline: Do you go to a bunch of networking events as well?

John D’Angelo: Um, not really. Not anymore. No.

Sharon Cline: But initially you.

John D’Angelo: Did. Initially, yes. But, you know, that’s why I do the motorcycle thing. I do the the martial arts. So those are my networking events. Um, yeah.

Sharon Cline: There’s always people that you’ll meet that need what you’re selling.

John D’Angelo: Right, right.

Sharon Cline: And different aspects of their lives, whether they’re a business owner or, you know, older and looking for different insurance for their family. And what is the most satisfying thing about your job, your your helping people in the insurance world?

John D’Angelo: Oh, gosh. When they have a a claim that actually gets paid out. It’s very satisfying when it doesn’t get paid. That’s not so satisfying, but that’s rare with us. We, um, my company, you know, we were voted best in Georgia in every category this year and last year.

Sharon Cline: Congratulations.

John D’Angelo: Yeah, we were best of Gwinnett for, you know, ever since we opened the agency. But I was like, wait a minute. We write more business than in just Gwinnett. I was like, we’re writing all over Georgia. So I was like, is there a Best of Georgia? And then they go, yes, there is. I was like, okay. So, you know, all of our clients, they they vote for us and and I think we won by a landslide. Oh my goodness. Yeah. It was it was amazing. You were just.

Sharon Cline: You were just on Fox five Atlanta in December.

John D’Angelo: Yes.

Sharon Cline: How did that go? What was it like?

John D’Angelo: It was just like this. Very professional and and lovely. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: That’s all I need you to say. We’re done with this interview. Hooray! He said it 30 minutes in. That’s right.

John D’Angelo: Um, yeah. The security was a little harder to get into the new station.

Sharon Cline: But how did that happen? Did they approach you?

John D’Angelo: Yes. Yes. So they I think one of the reporters did. And, um, yeah, she was like you, you know, just really smooth and and just a great interviewer. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: That must have been fun, though, to see your. I mean, also the opportunity to promote your business in such a public way. It’s very exciting.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. I just really got on there to educate, um, just the general public of of how they can save money on their auto insurance. Um, they’ll call me back for the home homeowners segment. Um, sometime this year. Yeah. That’s awesome. Yeah, yeah.

Sharon Cline: So do you feel like there are most people don’t really understand the nuances of your industry?

John D’Angelo: Yeah, we explain the rules almost all the time. It’s a lot more difficult than. Than the TV commercials make it seem. They’re like, oh, just sign up and and.

Sharon Cline: We’ll take care.

John D’Angelo: Of it. We’ll take care of you and you’ll have the best rate ever. And there’s really a lot more to it than that, especially if you have, you know, like, for example, auto insurance. If you have multiple people in the house, everybody has to be listed on your policy. Um, yeah. And a lot of people go, oh, no, they’re just a roommate. It doesn’t matter. Wow, I didn’t know. Yeah. So they either have to be listed as an included driver or an excluded driver, and an excluded driver means that they’re never going to drive your car, right? But if they do it, just go on their own insurance. Your insurance won’t cover it, but the excluded driver actually surcharges you a little bit more. So a lot of people want to leave that out, but it’s really makes a dangerous situation.

Sharon Cline: Um, yeah. I was thinking about, um, homeowners insurance. How, um, there was someone who talked to me about this recently, He asked me if I had updated, like if I had done updates to my house. Did I report that so that it increased the amount that I would get back if something did happen to my home and I hadn’t done that? So that’s something I didn’t know I had to for some reason.

John D’Angelo: Oh yeah. So if you get a new water heater, a new HVAC system, a new roof especially, definitely contact your insurance carrier and you’ll actually get a discount on your insurance. Especially the roof.

Sharon Cline: Interesting.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Providing you didn’t make the claim and insurance paid for it. Yeah. So if you paid out of pocket and still even if you did make a claim, sometimes it doesn’t get recorded that you actually have that new roof. So you have to make sure that it’s.

Sharon Cline: And you work with all different agencies. Correct. You work with all different, um, insurance companies.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. I think total we have we’re contracted with over 150 of them.

Sharon Cline: So I didn’t even know there were that many.

John D’Angelo: Oh, there’s probably a thousand or more.

Sharon Cline: Well, I just think of the big ones that advertise so much, you know?

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Well that’s right. So sometimes we, we quote, you know, a certain carrier and then the customer says, I’ve never heard of that. Right. And I go, oh, it’s not a TV commercial carrier, you know. She goes, well then is it good? I said, is McDonald’s good for you? Right. You see them on TV all the time. Doesn’t mean that they’re actually really that great. So a lot of you know, do you do you see Aston Martins on on TV commercials.

Sharon Cline: Right.

John D’Angelo: No.

Sharon Cline: Right.

John D’Angelo: Rolls Royce? No they don’t. So there’s a lot of carriers that are really good just for the affluent market that aren’t on TV commercials. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Power of advertising though, right?

John D’Angelo: It is. It’s it’s a little bit of brainwashing.

Sharon Cline: Oh. I’m sure.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Yeah, but everybody knows that the Rolls Royce is a great car, right?

Sharon Cline: That’s the word of mouth, right?

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Right. So, for example, the million dollar plus homes go to, we place them with a carrier called Chubb.

Sharon Cline: I’ve heard of them.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Oh, you have heard of them? Word of mouth. Right.

Sharon Cline: I have heard of them. I don’t even know why, but I’ve heard of them.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. So they’re a little more expensive. But, um, you know, when it comes time for a claim, they take care of you, like, like red carpet.

Sharon Cline: What do you think it is about you? That is sort of your fearless formula. Like, I was thinking what it must be like to be a young person and saying, I want to manufacture different kinds of equipment that have never been made before. High end. Here’s what I’m going to do. What is it about you that has that sort of drive and initiative that that doesn’t allow fear to stop you from pursuing something that you’re interested in?

John D’Angelo: Oh, I don’t care what other people think. That’s plain and simple, you know. Um, you know, a lot of people go, oh, you know, that person doesn’t like. Or they’re making fun of me, I don’t care. I’m just going to do it and learn.

Sharon Cline: Is that part do you think that’s like something that you learned how to manage, or is that just part of your personality?

John D’Angelo: I think that that was just my upbringing. Yeah. Yeah. Or part of my personality? Yeah.

Sharon Cline: I think a lot of people could benefit from that. Shame is a very powerful limiter. It sure is. And if there’s a notion of someone failing in a public way, that’s enough to stop them. You know, like public speaking is is more feared statistically than death. I’ve heard.

John D’Angelo: Well, yeah. Sometimes I’d get in the ring to announce and my hands would be shaking. I’m like, oh my God. Because I started to think about who was watching me. And then and once I did that, like, oh, you know, a big show might be watching me, or there’s a celebrity watching me. And so, you know, a bourbon helps.

Sharon Cline: Oh, jeez.

John D’Angelo: Or a shot of tequila. And then I’m ready to go. So sometimes I’ll get in the ring and I’ll step out real quick, and that’s what I’m doing.

Sharon Cline: See, now I know you’re like, oh, he’s just getting a drink.

John D’Angelo: He’ll be just a liquid courage that you know.

Sharon Cline: No, but.

John D’Angelo: But sometimes I do that just to to kind of calm the nerve. You know, just one, one shot. Hey, I’m just being honest, you know?

Sharon Cline: But if you don’t drink, what would you do? Like, if you didn’t do that? If you didn’t drink, what would you do to calm yourself?

John D’Angelo: Oh, just just take deep breaths and and actually talk with a friend and get my mind off of whatever’s happening. Because sometimes when you focus too much on, okay, you’re reading your note cards and everything, then it makes it worse. So just take your mind out of out of where you are.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, I used to do this open mic night because I would play guitar and sing, and the only reason I could handle it well, because if I’m just singing on my own, I’m thinking about how I sound and I’m not in the moment. But when I was playing guitar, I’m so occupied with the playing that I could sing just without even thought. And it’s just having my my, like, multiple things happening to distract my brain from what I’m actually doing, if that makes sense.

John D’Angelo: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Um, so it sounds like that’s what you were doing to just kind of just make it more natural, because I have the same thought is that I get in my own head as well, and it’s a terrible spot to hang out sometimes.

John D’Angelo: I’m starting to get nervous now. Yeah, I don’t know. I’m just thinking about this interview and I’m like, oh gosh, is this good or not terrible?

Sharon Cline: We can end it here if you want. I really appreciate you coming in. No, but that is something to think about in the performance industry in general.

John D’Angelo: It is. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Do you use a lot of improv when you’re announcing?

John D’Angelo: I try not to. No, no. I keep it simple and go straight to the no cards, because when you’re announcing you have the commentators on the side of the ring, they’re talking, you know, to the, you know, to the TV audience. So if I’m talking, it’s overpowering, um, their commentation. So, yeah, I keep it keep it real simple and short. Yeah. Here in the red corner, blue corner. This is who it is. Where they’re from. Bam! And you’re out. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: So what does it feel like to have your very, um. You know, like, you say, nerdy side of insurance, but then you have a very creative side you get to kind of engage with.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. So I kind of that that’s almost the brand of, of the agency is you’re going to be with a cool agency now, right? Our customer, you know, and a lot of our clients, you know, they follow on social media and stuff and see what we’re doing and you know, and some a lot of them say, hey, let’s hang out.

Sharon Cline: They want to be friends.

John D’Angelo: They do they I’m like, here, we’re going to a bike night. I’ll invite them to, you know, I’ll get a table at at the fights I’m announcing at, and let’s go have some fun. Yeah, yeah. So I invite them out.

Sharon Cline: It’s nice to be able to kind of amplify a side of your life that really doesn’t, that you have to sort of dampen a little bit in terms of the litigiousness of what insurance can be like and having to, to sell in that way. But then you get to be a completely different, almost completely different person.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. You have to break away from, from, you know, that that kind of work life in insurance. Yeah. I mean, insurance industry is is known for their agents drinking a lot, to tell you the truth, because they’re trying to escape. Right. So I don’t really do that I, I do activities instead.

Sharon Cline: You ride bikes, which.

John D’Angelo: Is ride bikes do announcing. Um, love to go shooting. That kind of stuff. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: To balance it all out.

John D’Angelo: Yeah, definitely.

Sharon Cline: All right, so to wrap up our interview, it’s been really fun for me. Um, what advice would you give someone who’s who’s interested in getting started in, in the industry? Let’s say they know nothing about insurance. If you were going to start over, what would you do now? Obviously, the internet just provides so much information, but let’s say someone’s listening now and is like, if I get started now, in ten years, I’m going to be all set or however long. What would you say to them to get started?

John D’Angelo: Sure. Yeah. So gosh, that that’s a that’s a whole interview session in itself really. Because first you have to decide what part of the insurance industry you want to get in. You want to be an adjuster, a claims adjuster, an underwriter in the sales. If you’re in the sales, what type of line do you want to write? You want to write life, health, personal lines, commercial lines, that kind of thing. So there’s really a lot of options and choices. Then do you want to be with a captive agency? Like, you know, State Farm, Allstate, they’re all captive means that they only write their own companies. Or you want to be an independent broker like we are and write several different companies or 100 different companies. So then when you write 100 different companies, you have to learn 100 different companies way of doing business. So that’s a lot. So when you’re quoting somebody on the sales part of it, it might take, you know, five hours to to quote one person. You know, if you’re working at a captive agent it will take you five minutes to quote. You know So. And those are free quotes. You’re not making any money during that time. Yeah. But it gives you more options to win the business over somebody that just has one product. Um, so yeah, you really have to decide which which part of the industry you want to get involved in. Yeah, sales is always the most money.

Sharon Cline: Have you seen a lot of changes in the insurance industry since you’ve been in it?

John D’Angelo: Yeah, the insurance industry is getting, um, a lot more strict, um, with what they want to write. Um, some, like for auto claims history, they’re going back seven years instead of five years now. Um, I think, um, with homes, they want to see a lot of updates. The roof can’t be more than ten years old, even if it’s a 25 year old shingled roof. Right. Um, you know, for the warranty. Um, which doesn’t make sense to me. I think it should all be. You know, the roof should be like, uh, a tire warranty, right? So if you buy the tire warranty, if you drive it, um, 30,000 miles, they prorate, you know, that that wear and tear. I think it should be the same way with, um, all roof policies.

Sharon Cline: Well, it’s so expensive to get a roof that, you know.

John D’Angelo: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Ten years is not a long time for a roof. In my in my opinion.

John D’Angelo: No it’s.

Sharon Cline: Not. No, it’s a short period. Interesting that. Yeah, we.

John D’Angelo: Just had a we just had a claim last year and his roof was, um, $60,000 to replace. It was a big, you know, house, but yeah, $60,000. So when the insurance company pays that. Right. And then their premium a year is, I don’t know, 5000. How many years is that just to break even. Right. So they increase rates. Right. And then the customer goes to shop for a lower rate to bring it back down to down to 5000. Well, guess who pays the balance of that? All the other customers in that industry, or in that carrier that has that carrier in that zip code. So somebody has to pay for it. Yeah. So when you bounce around a little bit, you know, you’re creating the expense for somebody else.

Sharon Cline: Well I didn’t know any of that. Yeah, right. Seems wrong. Yeah. You don’t make the rules though, right?

John D’Angelo: I don’t, but it’s just like it has business. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if you’re paying something else, it has. The money has to come from somewhere. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Do you have a five year or a ten year plan? Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

John D’Angelo: Oh, I can we can do this job until we croak. Yeah. I mean, it’s just computer work. Really. So, you know.

Sharon Cline: Just keep going. Keep keep winning awards after awards.

John D’Angelo: That’s right.

Sharon Cline: Plaque after plaque.

John D’Angelo: That’s right. Yeah. Because, you know, we travel a lot, and, um, we just take our computer wherever we go. It’s just a different office view. And, um, you know, it’s an expensive office view, but, you know, at least we’re not in a cubicle every every day, which is is awful to me.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. Some people’s nightmare, for sure. Yeah, well, that’s good to know. There’s a side of that that you can live a life that is more dynamic and still have this, you know, be in this profession.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Our our agents go. I don’t even have, you know, they don’t have to be working at any specific time. Um, I say whenever you want to work, you work. Yeah. And they go on trips. One of my agents just told me he’s going on a cruise for two weeks.

Sharon Cline: But still.

John D’Angelo: Working.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, technically, yeah.

John D’Angelo: I say he better get the internet package. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, that’s really great to know, because, you know, when the pandemic happened, most people had to have their remote work, and now it’s ending for a lot of people, including myself. So the notion of being able to work as much as you want and travel like you would like to, but still be able to support your life is is it’s an attractive, um, profession to be in that way.

John D’Angelo: It’s great. I recommend it to, um, mothers that have little kids. They can work from home, take their kids to school, take them to their activities. Um, we have one agent that that is a mother that does that. Take them to the doctor’s office as she just did that another day. So you have the freedom to do that? Yeah. Or, you know, if you’re disabled, um, it’s a perfect job for disabled people. Um, yeah.

Sharon Cline: That’s really important, I think, for people to know. I don’t know how many people would actually have that kind of understanding of of, um, like what a typical day would be, you know?

John D’Angelo: Yeah. I think last year I threw out my back, right. I couldn’t move. So I was disabled, but I still got still got on my laptop and did my work. I could still get on the phone, but I mean, I couldn’t move my legs. So unbelievable to be able to make money and, you know, even if you’re injured. Yeah. So.

Sharon Cline: Well, I’m glad you’re able to walk in here today.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for inviting me.

Sharon Cline: You’re welcome. John D’Angelo, come back again, and we. If you have some. We were just talking before the show that there may be some other people that would be really fun to have in the studio to kind of talk about the different aspects of the industry that, um, how they impact each other. It’d be really.

John D’Angelo: Great. Bring me in a roofer so we can argue on this show. You know, for I go back.

Sharon Cline: To that kind of show. I just want peace, love and harmony.

John D’Angelo: Actually, I did do an interview with one of my friends who, you know, is a roofer. He’s on Perimeter roofing. And, um, his name is Raymond Raymond Little. And, um, we just educated the audience back and forth. We’re great friends and it was just awesome just to let them let the clients or the customers or the public know that, you know, we’re working side by side for them.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, well, knowledge is power in that way. If I didn’t know that an insurance company was going to give me a hard time after a roof of ten, you know, ten years, you don’t know until you’re told. No. There’s only so much knowledge I can, you know, comprehend depending on where I’m putting my attention. And there are just too many aspects of life that have too many rules that for me, if I’m not in the industry, I’m I’m I’m clueless.

John D’Angelo: Yeah. A lot of people, they just close their eyes, pay their, their, you know, monthly premium and and pray nothing happens. And then when you know something does happen, they’re like, they pray that it gets covered. But there’s a lot of endorsements that need to be done to cover everything. You know. No insurance policy covers everything. That’s a big misconception. I have full coverage. No you don’t. It’s just a term. Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: All right, well, if anyone wanted to get in touch with you about the different things that you do, if they’re Italian or they’re interested in MMA things, or they’re interested in insurance.

John D’Angelo: And motorcycles.

Sharon Cline: And motorcycles, it’s a lot of hats. Where would. Where can they find you?

John D’Angelo: Let’s see. InsurancePM.com. Most definitely. Or under my name John D’Angelo. John D’Angelo. Yeah. That that will pull up Instagram. Facebook. So yeah.

Sharon Cline: I really appreciate the fact that you’re able to come into the studio and, and not just talk about one aspect of your life, but I like that you have a well-rounded life, and I think it’s very easy for people to kind of put their head down and work and work and work, especially in a certain age group. It’s a good example, I think, for a lot of people when they sort of feel out of balance, like you obviously know how to manage your time. And knowing that you are saving people potentially from from horrible heartache and financial ruin, you know, you’re giving them a sense of peace. And it’s actually really exciting to see where you go. And I can see why you have have won so many awards.

John D’Angelo: Oh, I appreciate that. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: So it actually makes me realize that I can get very out of balance with myself. But the fact that you really promote more of a balance for your life makes me think that that’s something that I can have as well. There’s an example right in front of me, you know.

John D’Angelo: Right on. I appreciate it, Sharon.

Sharon Cline: Well, thanks for coming in. And thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you that with knowledge and understanding, we can have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.