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/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-teams/

Stan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleymeytin

Dom’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicpiccirillo

Andrew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-nigri-15450413

Real talk, real stories, and occasionally real bad language.

🌐 Website: elevateteams.io
📷 Instagram: @elevateteams
🔗 LinkedIn: Elevate Teams
🎙️ YouTube: @ElevateTheHustlePodcast

"This company has survived the Great Depression, multiple wars. When you really think about what it takes to navigate business for that long, it's really insane."

Connor Lynch runs a 107-year-old insurance agency in South Florida. His grandfather bought it in the 1940s. His dad took over in 1969. Connor became CEO of Plastridge Insurance in 2019.

Every week, private equity firms call with acquisition offers. The money is good. Really good. But Connor keeps saying no.

Not because he's anti-growth. Not because he's romanticizing the past. Because he's built something he doesn't want to give up: a culture where employees get the first profits of the company. Where people stay 50+ years. Where a 93-year-old just retired because she wanted to, not because she had to.

In this episode of Elevate the Hustle, Stan and Dom sit down with Connor to talk about legacy, tough love, and what it actually takes to build something worth keeping.

Connor breaks down:

• Why he sits in every single interview with potential hires
• How to build client relationships that last 20+ years
• Why transparency and employee choice create loyalty

Plus, Connor talks about being an adrenaline junkie who became a volunteer firefighter, working hospital shifts from 3pm to 7am and going straight to high school in scrubs, and why being a good person is the only thing you can't teach.

If you're running a family business, if you're getting acquisition offers, or if you're trying to decide between the payout and the thing you've built—this episode is for you.

Some legacies are worth more than the check.

Real talk, real stories, and occasionally real bad language.

🌐 Website: elevateteams.io
📷 Instagram: @elevateteams
🔗 LinkedIn: Elevate Teams
🎙️ YouTube: @ElevateTheHustlePodcast

"No one grows up wanting to get into insurance, right? It's not on your vision board."

Before Kenneth Mantuo Jr. was building a multi-state insurance agency and trying to make the industry sexy, he was chasing a very different dream: the NFL.

He played football since he was seven. Pop Warner. High school. College ball. Then overseas in Germany for a year. Came back. Trained harder. Gave it everything.

Didn't make it.

Most people would've spiraled. Kenneth hung up the cleats and went into sales. No insurance experience. No connections. Just decided to start an agency from scratch in 2014 because "everyone needs insurance" and he saw an opportunity to do it differently.

Fast forward to today: BEIA is operating in 20 states with offices in South Florida, Orlando, and New York. They're building specialized verticals in contractors, marine, transportation, and hospitality — all while trying to prove that insurance doesn't have to be boring, antiquated, or soul-sucking.

In this episode of Elevate the Hustle, Stan and Dom sit down with Kenneth to talk about pivots, delegation, building culture, and what it actually takes to scale an agency when you're starting from zero.

Kenneth breaks down:

• What it's like when your whole identity just disappears and you have to rebuild
• Why he started an agency with zero insurance experience instead of joining someone else's
• How he learned to delegate after nearly drowning on a cruise ship with no Wi-Fi
• Why insurance is actually the original subscription model
• The massive opportunity nobody's talking about: half the industry retiring in the next decade

Plus, Kenneth explains why small business is their bread and butter, how they're using tech and VAs to serve clients profitably, and why "if you can write it down, you can delegate it" is the key to scaling anything.

If you've ever had to start over, if you're afraid to let go of work, or if you're trying to build something in an industry that feels stuck — this episode is for you.

Real talk, real stories, and occasionally real bad language.

🌐 Website: elevateteams.io
📷 Instagram: @elevateteams
🔗 LinkedIn: Elevate Teams
🎙️ YouTube: @ElevateTheHustlePodcast