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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One Post Is Content, A Body of Work Is Authority — KazCM

From Green Beret to Blackhawk Pilot to Financial Planner: Nick O’Kelly on Risk, Family, and Starting Over — The Long Game

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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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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 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

More from the KazSource Network

The Real ROI of Podcasting — KazCM
Remote Work in Today’s Financial Advisory Industry — Entrepreneur Perspectives
The Long Game | Episode 1: Wes Connor on 50 Years in Business — KazSource
The Economics Behind College Football's NIL Explosion — SportsEpreneur

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

What strong leaders do, why follow-up still wins, and how insurance is changing fast without losing the human part.

In this episode of The Long Game, Mitch Long talks with Slade Lewis about how he got into insurance, the turns his career took along the way, and how he ended up in a leadership role at Pinnacle. They also get into sales, management, technology, and what has changed in the business over time.

It is a practical conversation about relationships, follow-up, and how to lead people well. It also gets into AI, rising premiums, and why clients still need a real person they can call when something goes wrong.

CHAPTERS

00:21 – Mitch kicks off the conversation from the road
01:03 – Slade on growing up in Hampstead and going to UNC
02:30 – A journalism degree with a concentration in advertising
03:09 – Slade’s first job in insurance with Jefferson Pilot
04:00 – Moving from service into sales
04:27 – The bulldog hair company car story
06:14 – Leaving insurance for pharmaceutical sales and coming back
07:20 – Product roles, UnitedHealthcare, and becoming a broker
08:26 – Slade’s current role and how he thinks about leadership
10:48 – The biggest sales challenges in insurance today
12:00 – Why answering calls and following up still separates people
13:34 – How client meetings shifted from face-to-face to Zoom
14:20 – Technology, DocuSign, and doing business across states
14:57 – Why AI may transform agencies faster than expected
15:58 – The caution around database underwriting and automation
16:50 – How AI is already shaping health insurance underwriting
17:41 – Rising health insurance costs and the pressure on employers
18:35 – Standard rate increases in the small group market
19:20 – Looking for options when traditional carriers say no
19:43 – Auto and homeowners insurance costs keep climbing
20:18 – Roof issues, storm risk, and what is driving property costs
21:36 – Slade reveals he was his high school typing champion

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

Connect with Slade Lewis: LinkedIn

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The Real ROI of Podcasting — KazCM
What Happened to CFB Bowl Games — SportsEpreneur
The Long Game | Episode 1: Wes Connor on 50 Years in Business — KazSource

About This Podcast and Series

The Long Game is a series under the Entrepreneur Perspectives umbrella. 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

Welcome to First & Long — a father-son football conversation between Mitch and Adam Long. Steelers fans, NFL obsessives, and yes, they've already argued about this.

In this episode, Mitch and Adam talk about the NFL Draft, the Steelers, the Bills, and a couple of Pittsburgh trip stories that did not exactly go to plan.

They also get into quarterbacks, roster building, fan frustration, and why teams still have to win up front. It is a loose football conversation, but the main point is clear: quick fixes usually are not enough.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

Pittsburgh trip stories and hotel disasters
Why the draft always starts arguments
The case for building the line before chasing a quarterback
Why where a quarterback lands matters
Whether the Steelers should give Will Howard a shot
Why the Steelers feel stuck in the middle
Why teams still win in the trenches
Whether Buffalo is doing enough around Josh Allen

CHAPTERS

00:01 – Mitch sets up a talk about the draft and Pittsburgh trips
00:18 – Adam’s advice on where not to stay in Pittsburgh
00:43 – The hotel story that went bad fast
01:50 – The legendary bar encounter in Pittsburgh
02:19 – Running into the same guy again in Virginia
02:45 – Mitch and Adam get into the draft
03:06 – Adam on the Raiders, Fernando Mendoza, and Kirk Cousins
05:30 – Mitch makes the case for trading the top pick
09:30 – Why quarterback success depends on where a player lands
12:37 – Mobility, protection, and what the Steelers lacked last year
15:24 – Adam on play calling and helping players succeed
17:25 – What the Steelers should target in the draft
19:57 – Jeremiah Love, offensive line help, and winning in the trenches
23:37 – Mitch on following the draft without pretending to know every prospect
25:16 – The argument for seeing what Will Howard can do
27:42 – Why Adam does not want Aaron Rodgers back
30:31 – The cost of being scared to have a losing season
35:15 – Bo Nix, the Broncos, and what could have been
38:42 – Mitch turns to the Bills and Josh Allen
41:52 – Why Buffalo may be at a key point

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

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The Business in College Sports
How the NFL Turns Chaos into an Asset
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About This Podcast and Series

First & Long with Mitch and Adam Long — a SportsEpreneur series.

SportsEpreneur:
X | LinkedIn

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

What 50 years in insurance teaches about relationships, change, and why the basics still matter.

In this episode of The Long Game, Mitch Long sits down with Wes Connor to talk about how he got into insurance, what kept him in it, and what 50 years in the business has taught him.

They get into family business, remote selling, hiring challenges, commercial and personal lines, and why life insurance still stands apart from products people are required to buy. It’s a grounded look at what still matters in the business, what has changed, and why the basics still win.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

• How Wes Connor got into insurance in 1975
• From kitchen table sales to DocuSign and video calls
• Why relationships still matter in a more digital business
• Working with family across generations
• Hiring challenges in today’s insurance market
• Commercial versus personal lines in a changing market
• Why life insurance feels different from mandatory coverage
• Disability, long-term care, and planning before it’s too late

CHAPTERS

00:20 – Mitch welcomes Wes Connor
00:41 – How Wes got into the insurance business
03:15 – Starting out and falling in love with the work
05:21 – How selling insurance has changed over the years
08:00 – Podcasts, technology, and the next generation in the business
11:00 – Working with family and building an agency over time
12:00 – Hiring challenges and the shortage of new agents
16:23 – Disability insurance, income protection, and planning gaps
16:52 – Wes breaks down his agency’s commercial and personal lines mix
19:19 – Why selling life insurance is more satisfying
21:00 – Real examples of how life insurance changes outcomes for families
23:29 – Long-term care, aging, and staying healthy

Connect with Mitch Long: LinkedIn | KazInsurance | Read: Pagers & Payphones
Connect with Wes Connor: LinkedIn | Website | Instagram

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The Real ROI of Podcasting — KazCM
What Happened to CFB Bowl Games — SportsEpreneur
Remote Work in Today’s Financial Advisory Industry —Entrepreneur Perspectives

About This Podcast

The Long Game with Mitch Long. Produced by QuietLoud Studios, a KazSource brand.

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

Why stories beat pitches, why showing up still matters, and what this series is about.

Eric Kasimov sits down with Mitch Long to kick off The Long Game. Mitch has been in the insurance business for over 30 years. He started with a pager and a roll of quarters. He built his book by showing up every Tuesday until people just started handing him the business. Now he's here to have conversations with business owners about how they got where they are — the real version, not the LinkedIn version.

What We Talk About:

• Criminal justice major to insurance salesman
• The 93-year-old woman and the bell story
• Why face-to-face still matters (and why it's not enough anymore)
• Pagers, Blackberries, and the quarantine pivot
• The buggy whip salesman problem
• NIL, college sports, and what it means to stay relevant

Chapters:

• 00:14 – What this show is and how conversations work
• 01:00 – Mitch's path into insurance
• 08:27 – Podcasting as a way to connect
• 13:00 – Old school meets new school
• 21:30 – Adjusting how you reach people
• 23:45 – Pagers, payphones, and quarters
• 26:00 – Blackberry, Gateway, and what happens when you don't evolve
• 28:00 – The buggy whip salesman
• 30:00 – Mitch's grandfather sold matches
• 31:30 – MC Hammer selling records out of his trunk
• 32:01 – NIL and financial literacy

Connect with Mitch Long

LinkedIn | KazInsurance

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Ambient Influence in Content — KazCM
The Benefits and Issues of NIL — SportsEpreneur
Is College Still Worth It? — Entrepreneur Perspectives

About This Podcast and Series

The Long Game with Mitch Long. Produced by QuietLoud Studios, a KazSource brand.

Get in touch with Eric Kasimov:
X | LinkedIn

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud