What growing up around big family meals taught Tom Cook about food, hospitality, and building something local.

In this episode of The Long Game, Mitch Long talks with Tom from Tutti’s Italian Market and Deli in Concord, NC about family, food, teaching, and the path that led him into the restaurant business. Tom shares how growing up in a New York Italian family shaped the way he thinks about meals, community, and what it means to bring people back to the table.

They also get into entrepreneurship, opening a business with his brother (Johnny Cook), learning from mistakes, and why Tutti’s is really about people as much as it is about food. It is a conversation about family traditions, local business, and creating a place where customers feel known.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

Growing up in a New York Italian family
How food and family meals shaped Tom early
Teaching English before opening Tutti’s
Why Concord felt like the right place to build something local
Opening a deli without a restaurant background
What Tutti’s means and why the table matters
Learning patience, trust, and mistakes as a new owner
How Tom and his brother, Johnny Cook, built the business together
Why community matters more than transactions
Building a team that feels like family

CHAPTERS

00:20 – Mitch introduces Tutti’s and asks Tom about his background
00:56 – Growing up in a second- and third-generation Italian-American family
02:00 – Tom on education, teaching, and staying connected to UNC Charlotte
03:36 – How family ended up in the Charlotte area
05:00 – A family full of teachers, writers, and creatives
06:21 – Why entrepreneurship and family history shaped the business
08:35 – Why Concord became the right place to open Tutti’s
10:14 – The market, wine, and creating a local place people remember
11:08 – What Tutti’s means and the idea of bringing people back to the table
13:13 – The Godfather, lasagna, and favorite dishes on the menu
15:07 – Making food from scratch and why that still matters
15:19 – Early business challenges, patience, and learning to trust people
16:00 – Building the deli with Johnny and opening later than planned
17:00 – Why getting open in time for his grandfather mattered so much
19:00 – Imposter syndrome and starting a food business with English degrees
20:00 – Why Tutti’s is in the people business
21:36 – Repeat customers, community, and knowing people by name
22:07 – How catering became a bigger part of the business
24:20 – Staffing, culture, and building a strong team
26:10 – Family meal with the staff on Tuesdays
27:08 – Mitch on family dinners and why they mattered so much
28:17 – Why this building felt right from the start
29:00 – Creating the kind of local place people come back to

Connect with Mitch Long: LinkedIn | KazInsurance | Read: Pagers & Payphones

Connect with Tom Cook: Tutti's Italian Market & Deli

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About This Podcast and Series

The Long Game is a series under Entrepreneur Perspectives. Produced by QuietLoud Studios — a modern media network and a KazSource brand.

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

What a Green Beret turned Blackhawk pilot turned financial planner learned about risk, family, and starting over.

In this episode of The Long Game, Mitch Long talks with Nick O’Kelly about military life, aviation, family, and the road that led him into financial planning. Nick shares how he went from struggling in college to becoming a Green Beret, then a Blackhawk pilot, before eventually starting over in a new career after leaving the military.

They also get into the mindset shift of moving from service into sales, how Nick built his practice, and why his approach to financial planning starts with the end state in mind. It is a grounded conversation about discipline, family, long-term thinking, and helping people make better financial decisions.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

Nick O’Kelly’s path from college to Special Forces
Serving as a Green Beret in Okinawa
Becoming a Blackhawk pilot and flying in special operations
Why he left the military and started over
The challenge of moving from service into sales
How Cadence Wealth Partners approaches financial planning
Why Nick starts with the end state in mind
Helping clients stay steady when markets get shaky
Family, coaching, and being intentional with time
Why trust and referrals matter in a growing practice

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Mitch and Nick connect over their military family background
00:11 – Nick on high school, college, and joining the military
01:00 – Special Forces training and becoming a Green Beret
01:30 – Serving in Okinawa and starting a family
01:50 – Aviation, flight school, and becoming a Blackhawk pilot
02:10 – Flying with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
02:26 – Mitch on growing up in a military family
02:47 – Why Nick left the military
03:24 – Building a plan before leaving service
03:40 – Becoming a finance nerd and earning the CFP designation
04:06 – The hardest part of starting in the business
04:30 – The mindset shift from quiet professional to finding clients
05:15 – Mitch on sales, listening, and helping people solve problems
06:18 – Nick explains Cadence Wealth Partners and how they plan backward
07:00 – How they review plans and keep clients focused long term
07:37 – Market swings, fear, and staying the course
09:06 – Nick on family, kids, and youth sports
10:27 – Coaching baseball and protecting time with family
11:35 – The joke behind “undefeated dad”
12:13 – Military culture, parenting, and adjusting expectations at home
13:24 – Nick on building value and growing through referrals
14:18 – Mitch on relationships that have lasted decades
14:58 – Why trust matters more than transactions
15:00 – Nick on growth, hiring, and expanding the practice

Connect with Mitch Long: LinkedIn | KazInsurance | Read: Pagers & Payphones

Connect with Nick O'Kelly: LinkedIn | X | Cadence Wealth Partners

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The Long Game is a series under Entrepreneur Perspectives. Produced by QuietLoud Studios — a modern media network and a KazSource brand.

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What 19 years on pit road taught Chip Goode about pressure, family, and building a second career.

In this episode of The Long Game, Mitch Long talks with Chip Goode about sports, NASCAR, family, and how he made the jump from pit road into insurance. It starts with football and the NFL Draft, but the bigger story is about work, timing, and knowing when it is time to build something new.

Chip shares how he spent 19 years on NASCAR pit crews, what that life demanded, and why he eventually needed a different path for his family. He also gets into the move into insurance, buying an agency, and what it means to have more control over your work and your time.

CHAPTERS

00:20 – Mitch checks in with Chip and the conversation starts with business
00:46 – Rate increases, tighter underwriting, and a tougher insurance market
01:10 – NFL Draft talk and why Chip likes the Panthers building up front
02:34 – Steelers fans, draft night, and the Aaron Rodgers question
04:29 – Why teams get stuck chasing average instead of finding their quarterback
06:44 – Chip on growing up in Statesville and being around racing early
07:00 – Football, basketball, UNC Charlotte, and getting into NASCAR
07:53 – Chad Little, Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, and life on pit crews
09:06 – How Chip first got into the sport through his dad
10:43 – Getting into Victory Lane as a kid
11:00 – From helping on weekends to jumping over the wall in 1998
12:27 – The physical and mental side of being on a pit crew
13:52 – Meeting his wife and balancing racing with family life
15:00 – A streak of 730 straight Cup races
16:26 – Why family eventually changed the way he saw the job
18:04 – Coaching, showing up for kids, and the value of flexibility
20:27 – His daughters, college, and musical theater
22:07 – Why Chip moved from NASCAR into insurance
23:23 – The call that pushed him toward Farm Bureau
24:00 – Getting licensed while still working race weekends
25:01 – The chance meeting that led to buying an agency
26:13 – What independence changed for Chip as an owner
29:00 – Mitch on starting over in sales and learning to live on what you produce
30:00 – Faith, timing, and the checks that showed up right when they were needed

Connect with Mitch Long: LinkedIn | KazInsurance | Read: Pagers & Payphones

Connect with Chip Goode: LinkedIn | X

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About This Podcast and Series

The Long Game is a series under Entrepreneur Perspectives. Produced by QuietLoud Studios — a modern media network and a KazSource brand.

Get in touch with Eric Kasimov:
X | LinkedIn

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud