From Insurance Agent to 7-Figure Exit: Leadership Secrets Revealed | Mick Hunt DSH #963

Summary

Digital Social Hour - Episode #963: From Insurance Agent to 7-Figure Exit: Leadership Secrets Revealed | Mick Hunt

Release Date: December 9, 2024

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of the Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly delves deep into the transformative journey of Mick Hunt, a successful entrepreneur who transitioned from the insurance industry to achieving a remarkable 7-figure business exit. Throughout their engaging conversation, Mick shares invaluable insights on leadership, personal growth, and the strategies that propelled his business to unprecedented heights.

Mick Hunt's Journey in Business

Mick Hunt begins by recounting his early career in the insurance sector. As a sales manager and later an agency owner, Mick quickly distinguished himself by driving his team to become the top-rated nationwide insurance agency for seven consecutive years.

"For seven years, we were the top rated nationwide insurance agency in the country."
— Mick Hunt [05:35]

Despite the agency's success, Mick recognized that he was primarily facilitating his employer's dreams, prompting him to pursue his own entrepreneurial aspirations. This decision led him to establish his own insurance agency, which rapidly scaled to generate $3.2 million annually within three years.

"In three years, we're doing 3.2 million."
— Mick Hunt [05:54]

Eventually, Mick sold his agency to a large broker, a move that validated his business acumen and strategic decisions. He further expanded his influence by taking over a significant brokerage, growing its revenue from $50 million to $70 million, and securing a lucrative financial exit.

Transition to Podcasting and Personal Growth

After achieving substantial success in the insurance industry, Mick transitioned into podcasting, initially focusing on monetization strategies. However, he soon found this approach unfulfilling and shifted his focus to personal growth and fulfillment, aligning more closely with his true passions.

"When I started this show, it was just about how to make money at first... That got boring real quick."
— Mick Hunt [03:36]

This pivot led Mick to explore deeper topics such as purpose, fulfillment, and overcoming obstacles—elements essential for sustainable success. Through his podcast and speaking engagements, Mick emphasizes actionable advice over superficial tips, advocating for immediate implementation of strategies that drive real results.

Leadership Principles

A significant portion of the conversation centers on leadership. Mick outlines three core principles that have been instrumental in his leadership journey:

1. Listen to Your Team

   Mick underscores the importance of active listening in understanding and shaping company culture.

   "If you're not listening to your team, you don't know the culture that you have."
   — Mick Hunt [17:02]

2. Master a Specialty

   Drawing inspiration from Bruce Lee, Mick advises leaders to master one key competency rather than spreading themselves too thin.

   "Have your one kick. Like, what's your one kick going to be? And master that."
   — Mick Hunt [17:33]

3. Be Transparent

   Transparency in setting expectations, roles, and career paths fosters trust and reduces workplace jealousy.

   "Have expectations, roles, responsibilities, and career paths and be very transparent about how you get to the next step."
   — Mick Hunt [18:08]

These principles not only facilitate effective leadership but also enhance team cohesion and productivity.

Building Effective Teams

Mick shares his experiences in building and managing successful teams across his consulting companies. He emphasizes the significance of having a dedicated team that aligns with his vision and values.

"Everything that I do, man, it's about things that people can do right now."
— Mick Hunt [11:44]

Mick manages two consulting firms: one in the insurance space with 13 employees and another under his Mic Unplugged brand with a team of nine. His approach focuses on clear communication, setting achievable goals, and fostering an environment where team members can thrive and contribute meaningfully.

Mentorship and Networking

A pivotal moment in Mick's career was his connection with renowned motivational speaker Les Brown, who became his mentor. This relationship exemplifies the power of mentorship in personal and professional development.

"The best investment that I ever made was in myself and taking the time to learn from Les Brown."
— Mick Hunt [10:42]

Mick also highlights the importance of networking, describing it as essential for success. He advises regular evaluation of one’s social circle to ensure mutual growth and support.

"Your circle is a representation of you or the person you're striving to be."
— Mick Hunt [22:31]

Future Projects and Community Building

Looking ahead, Mick is focused on building a thriving community through his upcoming MC Community initiative. This platform will offer various membership levels, self-paced courses on leadership and self-improvement, and exclusive segments with influencers like Les Brown and Robert Irvine.

"We're going to offer some self-paced courses on leadership, on self-improvement. We're going to have some invites."
— Mick Hunt [29:02]

This initiative aims to create a supportive network where members can learn, grow, and collaborate, further extending Mick's impact in the realm of personal and professional development.

Conclusion

In this episode of the Digital Social Hour, Mick Hunt provides a wealth of knowledge on transitioning from corporate success to entrepreneurial triumph. His emphasis on listening, mastering a specialty, and transparency offers a blueprint for effective leadership. Additionally, his insights on mentorship and networking underscore the importance of continuous personal growth and community building. Aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals can draw substantial inspiration from Mick's journey and apply his actionable strategies to achieve their own success.

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Key Takeaways:

• Listen Actively: Understanding your team's needs shapes a positive company culture.
• Master One Thing: Focus on excelling in a single area to build credibility and respect.
• Be Transparent: Clear communication regarding expectations and career paths fosters trust.
• Leverage Mentorship: Learning from seasoned mentors can accelerate personal and professional growth.
• Build a Supportive Network: Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals drives mutual success.

Notable Quotes:

• “For seven years, we were the top rated nationwide insurance agency in the country.” — Mick Hunt [05:35]
• “If you're not listening to your team, you don't know the culture that you have.” — Mick Hunt [17:02]
• “The best investment that I ever made was in myself and taking the time to learn from Les Brown.” — Mick Hunt [10:42]

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Connect with Mick Hunt:

• LinkedIn: Mick Hunt
• Mic Unplugged: Follow his latest projects and community initiatives.

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Stay tuned to the Digital Social Hour for more inspiring conversations with entrepreneurs and thought leaders driving success in the digital age.

Transcript

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[Mick Hunt]

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[Mick Hunt]

You detailed things that people can do right now. You know, I tell people when I speak all the time, you don't have to hire me. Like I'm gonna, I'm gonna start now. And you know, there are a lot of speakers that say three fourths into their speech. All right, here are the top five things that you should take away. Like I'm giving that to you. The moment I come on stage, the moment I walk out there, let's get ready to write down. We don't need fluff. Let's just go. And to me, that's why I've been able to stay busy.

[Ryan Reynolds]

All right, guys, we got fellow podcaster Mick Hunt here. I think we always go back and forth in our category number one, number two. So it's good to meet you, man.

[Mick Hunt]

It's fun. Little rivalry, right?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. A little friendly competition.

[Mick Hunt]

Exactly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. That's how I found you, man.

[Mick Hunt]

There it is.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Apple charts. You're always up there.

[Mick Hunt]

I Love it. I love it. And you're doing an amazing thing too. So I'm glad that we're there together. We can be friends and still do what we do. Right. Like, you don't have to hate each other. Nah, that's the beauty of it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's why I like friendly competition. Because it pushes you.

[Mick Hunt]

Exactly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. But what's the core of your show about what message are you trying to push? Mainly?

[Mick Hunt]

So it's all about being fueled by your because. You know, like Simon Sinek, many years ago did the start with why, and I feel like why is great, but it's also very superficial. Right. Like, I could probably guess your why, but I can't guess your because. And your because is your story. It's that thing that really fuels you to individual success, business success. And so we talk about your because, how to find it, but then also how to overcome the obstacles that we all are going to overcome. Right. Success is never easy for anyone. And so, you know, me and my guests, we talk about tips and tricks that people can start implementing in their day to day.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I love that once I found my purpose, which took me 26 years by the way, my life changed, dude. I wake up so fulfilled now. It's crazy, right?

[Mick Hunt]

And to me, that's the key. You just said it. Fulfillment. Right. Like, people talk about happiness. It's not happiness, it's fulfillment. Right. And that's why I love what you just said. Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And it's hard. I see some people never find it. Like I've seen old people, you know, on their deathbed, like with a lot of regrets. So it's scary.

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. It's super tough. Like I found it through podcasting, actually.

[Mick Hunt]

Really?

[Ryan Reynolds]

When I started this show, it was just about how to make money at first, like that was the main thing. Just have on really successful people, teach people how to make money. But that got boring real quick.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You know what I mean? 100 episodes in, I'm like, let's, let's explore some other stuff.

[Mick Hunt]

You know, the fulfillment. Right. Because now you recently moved into the self improvement education category, which is what your podcast was anyway.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. It wasn't marketing.

[Mick Hunt]

Right. And to me, that's the beauty of why we podcast, is why we help. Right. Because it's not selfish. You can easily just have a solo podcast and talk about whatever you want. But what I love about Sean is that you are actually trying to help people and the guests that you bring on are trying to help people.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And I love it. Yes. And it's topics that you would never really talk about because it was kind of looked down on.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

When we were growing up.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like whether it's money, religion, spirituality, health.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like, people are scared. We're scared to talk about these things.

[Mick Hunt]

Back in the day, right now, wholeheartedly. So kudos to you, dude.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, you too. So, man, I think podcasting is such a good form of spreading positive messaging wholeheartedly because it's so authentic.

[Mick Hunt]

Wholeheartedly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You can't be fake for podcasts for a long time.

[Mick Hunt]

Not at all. Not at all. Because your listens will tell you.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, right.

[Mick Hunt]

Your listens will tell you. You don't stay where you and I stay with having fluff. Yeah, right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You could put on a show for a few minutes, but podcasts for an hour a week, two hours a week. Nah. You're not hiding.

[Mick Hunt]

Not at all.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You know what I mean?

[Mick Hunt]

Not at all.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Those skeletons are coming out of your closet.

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But before you got into podcasting, I know you had a successful business, an agency that was doing 3.2 million a year.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah, yeah. So, you know, I started my adult life in the insurance space, right. And so I was a sales manager for an insur. Agency owner. And, you know, he had plans on being the biggest, baddest agent in the country. And so my first day, I was like, great, how are we going to do this? And he looked at me. He's an Italian guy. He looked at me and said, that's why the fill in your favorite four letter word. I hired you. You better go figure it out. And so I did. And so for seven years, we were the top rated nationwide insurance agency in the country.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Damn.

[Mick Hunt]

But what I realized, you know, he's going on trips to Paris, to Rome, to Banff, Canada, to Atlantis, and he's sending me on trips to Atlanta. So Atlantis and Atlanta are not the same places, but it was cool. But what I realized was I was helping him live his dream. And then I had my own dream.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Mick Hunt]

And so I started my own insurance agency. No mergers, no acquisitions. In three years, we're doing 3.2 million. A little bit more than that, actually.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Nice.

[Mick Hunt]

And ended up selling to a large broker. Something I never envisioned. But, you know, this was before, you know, 10, 12 times EBITDA was fashionable, you know, like I was getting those numbers and it was like, wow, holy crap. That literally. I'm not going to say it changed my life because my life was changing and evolving daily. Right. Like that's what we do. But it validated all the things that I had been doing before that. Yeah, to get to that point. And then, you know, I took over a large brokerage, inherited about 50 million of revenue in four years, grew it to 70 million, and had a really good financial exit there.

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[Mick Hunt]

You know what? I want to show other people how to do this because I feel personally, from a business standpoint, we make scaling and growing harder than it has to be. Right. And you're the epitome of that. Right. Because you've grown and scaled rapidly and it's usually the simple things and saying focus on the main thing. Right? Like Damon Donald say, keep the main thing the main thing. And that's what it is. And so that became my passion to help others do that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Absolutely. Yeah. Not falling for Shiny object syndrome. Right. That's something I've been avoiding the past year and it's paid off, right. Because I used to chase every new investment, every new opportunity, and it's tempting to do that because of social media, man.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But once I stopped doing that, which is ironic I've made more money.

[Mick Hunt]

Oh, for sure, for sure. Because this, you know, we call it the digital era. I call it the distraction era. There's more distractions out there more than ever, and all distractions aren't good. So you just have to stay focused on who you are, what you do, and what the values that you bring.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, I love that you. You had some experience before the company because it's kind of looked down on and get a job now.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like, there's that whole movement of, like, kind of shitting on nine to fivers or whatever. But I think it's important to learn from someone before you start your own company.

[Mick Hunt]

Oh, for sure. And, you know, I told you this, and you know that Les Brown is one of my mentors and one of my personal coaches. And, you know, Les taught me there's this old saying, experience is the best teacher. It's not experience, it's wisdom. Right. Like, experience is going to cost you money. Experience is going to cost you trials and errors. Right. Wisdom gives you the shortcut. And there's nothing wrong with experience, but it's not the best teacher. Right. Like, if I, if I play sports and I have experience missing free throws over and over again, what did I gain? Right. I learned how to not make free throws. Right. But when you have someone that can teach you the proper form and the technique and can shortcut it, that's wisdom. And so to me, wisdom is the best teacher that you could ever have.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Powerful. Yeah. Because you're paying for all the time they spent learning it.

[Mick Hunt]

Exactly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. How did you get in touch with Les? Because that's one of the goats right there.

[Mick Hunt]

Les is the goat for sure. It happened like we were speaking at the same event and we exchanged numbers and it's one of those things where, like, yeah, okay, like, he'll, he'll. He'll call me. I'm not going to message Les Brown. Call Les Brown. But he actually reached out and then I. He invited me to one of his masterminds. And like, literally ever since then, for the past two years, lesson, I talk four times a day.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Damn.

[Mick Hunt]

We start our days off talking to each other. When one of us goes to bed at 1:00 in the morning, we call each other and message each other. But I mean, the best investment that I ever made was in myself and taking the time to learn from Les Brown. I mean, the things that he's taught me that I'm able to then impart into my podcast, into my speaking into my coaching businesses. Like, it's it's crazy. Cool.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Incredible, man. So you're speaking a lot right now.

[Mick Hunt]

I am. I am definitely speaking. I would say I'm usually at two engagements a month in person, and.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Mick Hunt]

Probably two to three virtual sessions a week as well, too.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Speaking is great because you get to impact a lot of people. You get to experience cultures because you get to travel the world.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Meet some great people. The energy is great. I love that business model, too.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah. And it's great. And it's just like you said, too, right? Like, you have to have a message or messages that are relatable to people to stay booked. Right. Because you can go speak one time and then never get hired or never get asked to be brought again.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

So everything that I do, man, it's about things that people can do right now. You know, I tell people when I speak all the time, you don't have to hire me. Like, I'm going to. I'm going to start now. And, you know, there are a lot of speakers that say three fourths into their speech. All right, here are the top five things that you should take away. Like, I'm giving that to you. The moment I come on stage, the moment I walk out there, let's get ready to write down. We don't need fluff. Let's just go. And to me, that's why I've been able to stay busy.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I love the speakers where you could take immediate action.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like you like hormozi stuff where you could just implement right away.

[Mick Hunt]

Right away.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Like his book. Dude, Holy shit. That changed my life.

[Mick Hunt]

Right?

[Ryan Reynolds]

A hundred million offers.

[Mick Hunt]

Yes. Wow.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That might be the best business book I've ever read.

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely. It's one of those things that I read and I was like, oh, even though, yeah, good businesses, I feel like I have a good model of what I do. But I learned, like, four things immediately that I tweaked, and it's allowed my business to scale as well.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Just making your offer as good as possible. Like, I've only gotten two refunds since that book.

[Mick Hunt]

Wow.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Because I made my offer so damn good that, like, why would you want a refund?

[Mick Hunt]

Exactly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And that's the way it should be. Just give as much value as you can.

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Because people, on the other hand, will take that victim mentality, and if they're getting a lot of refunds, they'll never put the blame on themselves. Never blame it on the customers, always. But if you're getting a lot, I mean, you're probably doing something wrong wholeheartedly yeah. You working on any books or anything?

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely. I'm in the lab right now. So this will be a Sean Kelly exclusive because it's like literally just blinds.com cyber Monday.

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[Mick Hunt]

Came up with the title two weeks ago. And so the title of the book is going to be how to be a good leader when you've never seen one. Because I feel like this generation. Right. So we'll take my age bracket. So I'm 45, almost 46. So we'll say 50 and under. Right. Who's the leader that we have or the leaders? Like if I said, Sean, name me.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Your top three leaders for under 50.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

For me it was Gary V. Yep. I'd say Elon Musk, who would be third. Because Tony's kind of the old Tony Robbins, kind of the older crowd. Right?

[Mick Hunt]

Yep. And then. And here's what I'm going to challenge you. And this is why I'm writing the book, because I'm saying you're naming probably more influencers.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

Which is great. Like, they're great influencers. They're great people to follow. But do we know if they're great leaders? And I'm not saying that they're not.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right, Right.

[Mick Hunt]

But usually when I ask people, they're telling me the popular social media folks that they follow and they're great followers. Right. I follow. I follow a lot of great people as well. I follow you. I'm not saying you're not a bad man, but I follow you too. But what I'm saying is like, when I grew up, right. Like, you could look at a Brian Tracy, a John Maxwell, even a Tony Robbins to a certain extent, but those are still the same leaders that we have. And so, like, my kids don't relate with that style.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I see what you're saying.

[Mick Hunt]

Right. And so we're about to have 2.7 million people retire in the next three years.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Mick Hunt]

400,000 of those are going to be C suite leaders. Who's going to replace them and who's their leadership example? And so I'm writing A book that's going to give some principles, some pillars of, hey, if you've never seen a good leader, here are the things that you need to work on to do to be a good leader. Because the world continues to evolve. Right. Like how, how I was led is probably different than how you like to be led.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Mick Hunt]

Because it's generational difference and there's nothing wrong either way. But that's what my book is going to be about, is how to lead the modern employee. What are the principles that you need to have as a leader? Because for me, growing up, there was no such thing as remote work. Right. There was no such thing as hybrid work. Well, now that's a thing. And you have to lead a little bit differently.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right?

[Mick Hunt]

Right. Like the, the 25 year old that's looking to be promoted in three months. Right. How do you lead that person? You know, you made a point earlier, right. People kind of shun 9 to 5 and think you should just start as a business owner. Well, those people are going to come into your work at some point. Even though they want to exit and start their own thing, they still need that experience. How do you lead them? Right. And so that's what the book is going to be about.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I love that because, yeah, there's some crazy stats now where like people are getting jobs on average for like a year now.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Before, when your generation and even my parents, it's like 20 years.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But you worked at the same company.

[Mick Hunt]

For a long time and sometimes in the same position. What's crazy is I know people in the insurance space that came in as customer service reps. Right. 25 years later, they're still customer service reps. Wow. Right. You're not going to do that?

[Ryan Reynolds]

No.

[Mick Hunt]

Right. You're like, my kids aren't going to do that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. You got to start and then evolve. I couldn't do the same thing for 25 years. No, you need to grow, right. When it comes to leadership because you probably manage hundreds of employees.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

What were some, some big lessons there you learned along the way?

[Mick Hunt]

Listen, the big thing is listen, because you can have a style or an approach, but if you're not listening to your team, you don't know the culture that you have. And so one of the things that I tell leaders today, and I don't care what size your company is, is take time to meet with your people and listen. Right. Like we have this big thing now, like more meetings is a bad thing. Unless you're the CEO of the company. Right. If you're the CEO of the company, you need to be meeting with your people and listening to them, because that's your culture.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Mick Hunt]

So I would say the first tip is that the second tip I would say is master something as a leader. Right. Like, a lot of times we want to be really good at a lot of things, maybe even great at a lot of things. But. And I know you've heard me say this, right? But Bruce Lee says, I fear not the man who practices over 10,000 kicks. I fear the man who practices one kick 10,000 times. Right. And so for me, as a leader, have your one kick. Like, what's your one kick going to be? And master that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So, like, one specialty, right? Yeah, that makes sense. Because the employees have to respect you.

[Mick Hunt]

Exactly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's important, Right? Because if they don't respect you, they don't care what you say.

[Mick Hunt]

At all. At all.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So there's that balance of. Because a lot the typical, you know, boss wants to be feared. But I feel like that's shifting too, Right?

[Mick Hunt]

That's not the thing. That's, again, that's where listening plays into everything that you can do. Like, if you're a leader, if you're watching, you're listening. The best thing you can do is listen. Like, have conversations with your team members, not just your senior leadership, but the person that opens the door. Have conversations with them. Because, again, I'm going to say this again, that's your culture. I hate when I hear people talk about their culture or brag about their culture. If you have to talk about it. Yeah, if you have to talk about it, you don't have it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

How do you deal with jealousy within the workplace? Because a lot of people, whether it's salaries or job titles they get, they seem to care about those things. Right?

[Mick Hunt]

So. So my third tip would be be transparent. Have expectations, roles, responsibilities, and career paths and be very transparent about how you get to the next step, what you're looking for, what do you expect out of your people, and then live up to that. So if I tell Sean, hey, for the next three months, you know, I need you to make 50 sales and do this and that or retain 100 customers. And if you do that, you're going to be eligible for this promotion. Do that. Right. Like, if I tell Sean that, then it's up to me to then live through with that. Because if I set Sean up with a goal or standard and he's doing it well, then now Sean's going to be looking for a new job because I didn't live up to my end of the deal.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Mick Hunt]

So be very transparent with expectations, with career pathing, and then more importantly, you as a leader, follow up to that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. I think setting goals for each employee is important. Right. Some sort of purpose to look forward to or otherwise they're just going to waste their time.

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. People are just built like that.

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

How can I work the least for this money? Because if there's no incentive to make more money, then why work harder?

[Mick Hunt]

Right. And why should you be upset if that's their mentality?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

Right. You. You fostered that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

Again, that goes back to your culture.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Facts. Yeah. But people won't put that together.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. That's funny, man. Are you building a team right now? Are you kind of doing stuff on your own?

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah. So I have two different consulting companies. So one is in the insurance space because that's where I came from. And so, you know, we've got like 13 employees on that side. And then under my Mic Unplugged brand, I have a team of nine that do different things. So I've got my CEO, my chief engagement officer, runs my day to day. I've known her for 25 years. I think we work together. We started in the insurance space together. So I've got a team on the MC side that's handling like my speaking engagements, executive coaching and things like that. And then we've got a consulting firm on the insurance arm that helps businesses with strategies and growth.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Nice. Did you get a formal education?

[Mick Hunt]

University of North Carolina.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Mick Hunt]

I am a Tar Heel.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Let's go. Representing the colors.

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely. Yeah. So University of North Carolina. One of the things that I would say changed my life. I've always been driven and determined, even as a kid. But it was the connections and mentors is what college really got for me. So education. Yeah, I did learn some things, but it was really about the relationships that I established and the mentors that I was actually able to gain from there that I remember the most.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And you can leverage the alumni status too.

[Mick Hunt]

Exactly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

There's probably some huge UNC business moguls.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, I would say Michael Jordan, right?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

UNC guy.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Nah, message him on LinkedIn.

[Mick Hunt]

Right, right, right, right, right. No, but yeah, I mean, a ton of businesses, you know, UNC has one of the top business school. I actually have an MBA from there too.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Nice.

[Mick Hunt]

So they have one of the top business schools in the country as well too. So a ton of relationships there.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, I see it almost like you should see it as like a Networking mastermind these days.

[Mick Hunt]

That's. That's it. That's it. I mean, networking is the key to success. Right. Like I will say, you know the old adage, your net work is your net worth, but I would take it a step further. Right. Like, your circle is a representation of you or the person you're striving to be. Right. And so I always go into my circle and I evaluate my circle. So my close group two to three times a year, because I have to make sure I'm benefiting my circle, but then also my circle is benefiting me. And by benefiting, I don't mean financially or anything like that, but am I learning? Am I getting a. Am I getting better as a human?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

And so then your networking skills needs to start with your circle. Like, who are the people that are going to push you and drive you?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, right.

[Mick Hunt]

You know, they. I had an interview with one of my good friends and one of my accountability partners, Carl Ester Crumpler, and we talked about iron sharpening iron. Well, when people hear that, I think what they think is iron polishes iron. Right. Like, you know, I'm going to pump Sean up and we're going to do some amazing things, and you can do it. But to sharpen something, there's friction, there's sparks, there's fire. So, like, I need to challenge Sean, and Sean needs to challenge me to get better. That's that friction that we have to have. And so, you know, networking should always start with just that. Like, who are the people that are really going to push you? And then from there, what other circles are they in? Because they're probably in the same type of mindset and mentality.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Absolutely. And that's why I care about where I live, to the community.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Because you want to be like, I just moved and I wanted to be not at the top of my neighborhood. I wanted to be one of the poorest houses.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Because that would motivate me.

[Mick Hunt]

Exactly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And with the friend group stuff, that's been tough for me because I've had to cut out friends because they're not evolving with me. And they see it like I screwed them over. But, like, it's not like that.

[Mick Hunt]

No.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I mean, no.

[Mick Hunt]

And there's nothing wrong with that. Right. Because, you know, I've had to do that exact same thing. And I do it. I go through this exercise twice a year where I look at my circle and again, am I benefiting? Am I receiving benefit? Right. And it's okay to move people from your inner circle. To an outer circle, it doesn't mean they're no less than a friend. But if we're not moving in the same direction, or you're not moving me to a direction I can't. With the person that I'm trying to be, I can't spend time, energy, and effort with you as much as I have been, so. There's nothing wrong with that, bro.

[Ryan Reynolds]

No, I agree. But then you get people saying you're disloyal, which I feel like I am loyal by doing that. You know what I mean?

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like, I'm being honest with you.

[Mick Hunt]

Right. And then it's like, hey, well, then let's go on this path. Right. Like, this is where I'm going. You're showing that you're not trying to go there.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

If you're. If you think I'm disloyal, let's go. Let me show you. Yeah, right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I mean, some people are just content with their lifestyle.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I'm not like that. No matter what level I get to like, I always want the next thing to impact more people, so.

[Mick Hunt]

Absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's the mindset I have, which is a very rare mindset. So that's why I've had to cut ties with a lot of people, to be honest.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Not a lot of people think that way.

[Mick Hunt]

I get it. But again, that's what makes. I don't want to say the elite. The elite, but it's. It's kind of true. Right. Like, people that are aspiring to be an elite. One of one. That's what happens.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Absolutely. Who's been your favorite interviews? I know you have. You've done a ton, right?

[Mick Hunt]

I have, man. Like, you're putting me on this.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I get asked this all the time, and I never know how to answer it because there's so many new ones.

[Mick Hunt]

No, I mean, I love. I love all of my interviewees, man. Like, so, you know, I didn't want to start a podcast, but Les Brown and Kenny Anderson kind of made me start it. Right. They were like, hey, if you do it, we'll. I'll be a guest. And so I'm always going to go back to those two because they're the ones that kind of sparked me to do it. So Kenny from tnt, Kenny Anderson.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Mick Hunt]

Kenny Anderson, point guard, Georgia Tech.

[Ryan Reynolds]

The guy from the show with Shaq and Charles Barkley.

[Mick Hunt]

Nope. That's Kenny Smith. He's a Tar Heel. So Kenny Anderson, point guard, Georgia Tech. He played for the Nets.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Mick Hunt]

He played for the second.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I probably know him, man. I was A Nets. I grew up in Jersey. I used to go to the Vince Carter, Jason Kidd games. Was he on that team?

[Mick Hunt]

No. So Kenny graduated college in 91. So he was pick. Got it in 91. 92. But he was my favorite college point guard of all time.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Mick Hunt]

And I'm a UNC guy. That's saying a lot. But Kenny Anderson was my guy. Like, I call him my goat. Like, he was my college basketball goat.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Damn right. He's got some legendary point guards, so we do. That's a statement.

[Mick Hunt]

But Kenny Anderson is my guy, and I know he'll be watching this. So, Kenny, you know, I got you.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow. You got him over MJ College.

[Mick Hunt]

He is my goat.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Damn.

[Mick Hunt]

He is my goat. He. He literally is my go. Like, you should go watch some Kenny Anderson highlights.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I will. I'll watch.

[Mick Hunt]

There's. You know, because I'm a UNC guy. I hate Duke. Right. I hate Duke. But there's a moment where he was breaking down Bobby Hurley like nobody's business.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Crap.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah. Kenny Anderson is that guy, man.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You think USA will win this Olympics? I just saw their game against Canada last night.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah, I think we will. It's going to take some time for. For them to gel.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Mick Hunt]

Like, that's one of the disadvantages that we have that most people don't think about. Right. Like, national teams kind of play together a lot.

[Ryan Reynolds]

A lot. Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

Right. Like, we have a new team every season and it takes time to gel. Even though you have some elder statements, it takes time to gel. But I think they'll be okay.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, they were looking. First quarter against Canada, they were down 10.

[Mick Hunt]

Turnover machines.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Because they're used to being the best player on their team. So they're not used to, you know.

[Mick Hunt]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That kind of touch.

[Mick Hunt]

Nobody's backdoor cutting and all that. Right. It's just like, all right, I got the ball, I'm going to shoot.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. A lot of ISO. Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

That's all figured it out. The second unit came in really, really strong, I thought.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I thought so, too. Canada was looking nice, though. They might. They might go pretty far, I think.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah. They just. They need depth.

[Ryan Reynolds]

They're.

[Mick Hunt]

Starting five is strong.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Starting five is great, but, Yeah, I can't name anyone on their bench. Maybe Kelly Olenek who's decent, but that's about it.

[Mick Hunt]

He had a good. He had a good second quarter.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. You a big. You still watch hoops or. Yeah, I love.

[Mick Hunt]

Basketball's my first love.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You still play?

[Mick Hunt]

Nah. So, true story. I tore my calf muscle A couple of weeks ago. Um, yeah. So I'm, I'm limited on hoops. I'm, I'm the guy that's going to stand in the corner and shoot threes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Once you get in your 40s, if you don't develop a jumper, you're, you're kind of screwed.

[Mick Hunt]

Yeah. Your hips don't move like they used to. Your vertical went from, you know. My vertical was 24. Now it's like 10.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Damn. 24 is not bad, man. So you were dunking.

[Mick Hunt]

I could grab the rim.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Mick Hunt]

I could grab the rim. I'm not tall, so yeah, I could grab 24.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. That's not bad.

[Mick Hunt]

No, I mean it's not great.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's not great.

[Mick Hunt]

It's not NBA worthy.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Mick Hunt]

But what I was, what I really was saying was now it's 10.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I feel that, man. Well, what are you working on next? And where can people find you, man?

[Mick Hunt]

Working next? I'm building a community. So soon to be announced the MC community where I'm going to have different levels of membership, but we're going to do things. We're going to offer some self paced courses on leadership, on self improvement. We're going to have some invites. So like some of my guests. So like actually Les Brown and I are probably going to do a 30 minute segment every month.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Nice.

[Mick Hunt]

Right. Like he and I are just going to come in and talk shop, do some Q and A. I've got some other really great dudes that are in my circle like Robert Irvine, Ken Coleman. So some of those guys will, will come in. Merrill Hodge will come in and just hold shop. So I really want to build a thriving community that's helping people.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Love it.

[Mick Hunt]

Right. So, so that's what's next. But following me, Mick Unplugged everywhere. Mick Hunt on LinkedIn. But that's me.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Cool. We'll link it below. Thanks for coming on, man.

[Mick Hunt]

I appreciate you, brother.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It was great meeting you.

[Mick Hunt]

Yes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Learned a lot and hopefully you guys did too. Stay tuned for the next episode.