Meet John Emil D’Angelo | President/Principal @ InsurancePM

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Emil D’Angelo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John Emil, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Wow, I would need to go back to my early 20’s for this answer. I started my first business at 21-22/years old called Pro Rank. It was a martial arts and boxing supply company that I started off a few credit cards. I started that business because I didn’t like the options of gear available in the Georgia area. After a couple of years in business, I started manufacturing my own brand name gear called, Pro Rank Competition Gear. I captained the competition team and they would compete all over the world wearing the Pro Rank brand. But, back to the thought process; Starting your own business takes a certain temperament and risk. It takes a lot of critical thinking skills and backbone. My thought process was- Do I have these traits and am I willing to risk failure? After selling Pro Rank many years ago, I opened an insurance brokerage named InsurancePM. Believe it or not, although it’s a completely different industry, the same principles apply to running it successfully.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My wife and I own an insurance brokerage, InsurancePM.com, in Gwinnett county. We currently serve all of Georgia and starting January, we will be expanding operations throughout the Southeast. I actually started in the insurance field because I was looking for a career that had the flexibility to allow me to go on acting auditions and shoots. Being on an acting set was very exhilarating. I started out by doing background work and taking acting classes from some local coaches and actors in the industry. I was also the business development manager for an organization called SafeRide. Acting and Saferide helped get my business rolling with the extra income and connections. The insurance industry is not an easy start-up because it is a slower climb financially. It takes years to build a good client base, at least for me. It’s actually much like acting or martial arts. Some people take years to build their business and very few take off right out of the gate. My goal is to help other insurance agents in the industry be successful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since I’m a born and bred Atlanta guy, I have so many places to take someone visiting the area. I’m really keen on trying to support locally owned businesses as well, and food & entertainment stops are top of my list. I’m really excited for my friend, Billy Allen, as he’s opening up Billy Allen’s Piano Bar in Milton the first of the year. Speaking of music; I really love hearing live music at any of the 37 Main Locations. My wife, Amore, is from South Africa, and a staple of ours is going to our friend Justin Anthony’s Biltong Bar, The Cape, or Yebo Beach Haus to give them a taste of the African cuisine she was raised with. I could actually write a whole book on awesome Atlanta places, but we can’t leave out a motorcycle ride to Helen for a brat and also a climb to the top of Stone Mountain.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would be remiss if I didn’t give the first shoutout to my wife and business partner, Amore D’Angelo. When we were developing our business strategy, we discussed the strong points and duties we would each be in charge of. I had previous business experience owning a Martial Arts Supply company called, Pro Rank International. Amore has her degree in accounting and mine is in business management. As for books, I love to read self-help books such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Think and Grow Rich, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and the 5 AM Club. These books are very popular and for good reason. They are easy to read and just get us on track with motivation. I always try to surround myself around good and hard-working people to keep my mind on track and bad influences at bay.

Website: www.InsurancePM.com

Instagram: Insurance_PM

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnemildangelo/

Twitter: @JohnEmilDAngelo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsurancePM