Dare to Dream

Do you dare to dream? What are your dreams? How are you going to achieve them? Do you visualize them? That’s one of the most important things you can do as a producer. Not only does it help you assure that you’re going to hit your benchmarks, it gives you something to look forward to. I’m going to talk to you about exactly how important it is to have dreams that you turn into goals.

Set Goals

I’ve heard the quote, “Goals are dreams in work clothes.” I agree with it 100%. As a producer, you have to have something to look forward to. Now granted, we all get a paycheck when we go out, and we close the big deal. But, what are you going to do with that paycheck? I mean, there’s only so much money you can save. There’s only so much money that you can invest back into your business. And look, before anybody decides to send me hate mail, I believe you need to be financially sound and a good steward of your money, but I like toys, and I think there’s nothing wrong with that. If you’re debt-free and have some expendable income, you should go out and get what you want. I am motivated by having a dream and something that I can visualize and then turn into a more actionable goal.

My Story

This right here, a great example. I always wanted a Cartier Roadster. They quit making Cartier Roadsters. I told myself, “When I get my book to a million dollars in revenue, I am going to buy a Cartier Roadster. It’s the exact watch I want.” I worked for years, years people, not a week, not a month, not one year. It took me several years of going and hitting the grind every single day. And when the day came that my book went over a million dollars, I knew what I was going to do with it. I was going to take a subset of my income and buy a Cartier Roadster. And I found one. I found one better than I could ever have imagined. I got the hundredth-anniversary edition, and the face is my company colors.

Create Daily Behaviors

If I didn’t have a dream, I wouldn’t have had a goal. If I didn’t have a goal, I might not have worked as hard as I did to get there. And I know that sounds crazy and counterintuitive because we should be working for the paycheck, working for the money, and working because that’s what we do. It’s like our job, right? But I validated my thought process when I talked to my buddy Josh Lipstone, and without even knowing my story Josh said, “When I write my first big account, I’m going to go get myself a nice watch. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Share Your Dreams with Others

My question for you as we’re at the beginning of a new year, what are your dreams and the goals you’ve set for yourself to achieve those dreams? Well, you know I got my watch. Here’s my new one. I’ve been pretty public about it. I tend to put pressure on myself, but I can assure you my new goal in the next 12 to 18 months is to buy myself an Audi R8 Spyder that I have wrapped flat metallic blue with Florida Risk gold brake shoes and a personalized plate that has #CBK on the back.

Send your goals to me. Send your dreams to me. I’m interested in hearing. Please leave them in the comments on this post. If we can get inspiration from each other, even though we may be friendly competitors on the street, we could push each other to be better and achieve more than we ever thought possible. If you have dreams that you turn into goals, that you turn into actionable daily behaviors to help you achieve them, you’re going to get your dreams, and you’re going to kill it in commercial insurance.

Risk

From Policies to Profitability: How Strategic Risk Consulting Can Transform Middle Market Insurance Production – A Conversation with Doug Benz

Middle market producers often believe that bigger accounts come from quoting better, faster, or cheaper. But in reality, the leap from writing $5,000 policies to closing $1.2 million in premium starts with a different mindset. It starts with consulting over quoting. That’s exactly the story that unfolded at Producers in Paradise when Doug Benz shared how he landed the largest account of his career—not by selling insurance, but by solving problems no one else could.

This post breaks down the step-by-step strategy Doug and his mentor David Carothers used to win a high-stakes, complex account through total cost of risk analysis, claims data visibility, and certificate compliance solutions. If you’re a commercial producer trying to break into the middle market, this blueprint is for you.

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Risk

From InsurTech to Relationship-Driven Risk Management: Lessons for Modern Insurance Producers – A Conversation with Brett Fulmer

In a constantly evolving insurance landscape, commercial producers are being forced to adapt—quickly. Between InsurTech advancements, shifting market conditions, and increasing client expectations, producers must learn how to balance innovation with deep relationship-building and technical risk expertise. On a recent episode of the Power Producers Podcast, industry veteran David Carothers sat down with Brett Fulmer, principal at Newport Beach Insurance Center, to talk about navigating these dynamics with authenticity and strategy. What followed was a roadmap for producers who want to succeed in today’s middle market.

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Insurance

How Successful Insurance Producers Can Stay Grounded, Build Respect, and Avoid the Arrogance Trap

In the commercial insurance industry, success can come fast—especially for driven producers who are focused on the middle market. The money starts coming in, the book grows, and you find yourself standing in rooms where you once only dreamed of being. But with that success comes a subtle trap—one that’s caught more than a few top producers off guard: arrogance.

It’s not always loud or obvious. Sometimes, it’s the silent erosion of empathy. Other times, it’s the misplaced belief that your way is the only way. In this post, I want to explore how insurance producers can stay grounded even as their careers take off, how they can build respect by honoring where they came from, and how to avoid becoming the very kind of producer people whisper about after conferences for all the wrong reasons.

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