All In Podcast

41: Frank Agin of AmSpirit Business Connections

Daniel Giordano

SUMMARY:

Would you prefer to rent or own the building? For today’s guest, Frank Agin, it’s no contest. Once he realized the potential in networking, he was “all in” with his vision to develop and franchise AmSpirit as an invaluable point of connection for entrepreneurs, sales reps and professionals nationwide. In this episode, Daniel does a deep dive to understand the power of AmSpirit, an innovative organization supporting the exchange of qualified referrals through 17 franchises in eight states – and counting!

Frank shares a bit about his early years and how he morphed from a freshly minted law school grad to employee at a Big Six accounting firm to starting up his own private practice in Ohio. An active community member and busy father of three nearly grown children, AmSpirit’s founder had his “all in” moment after realizing the power of networking and the potential to use his talents as a connector to build relationships among people from all walks of life: not just fellow attorneys, but also accountants, real estate agents, corporate coaches, financial advisers, web designers, travel agents and more. “These small business people are going to make it happen,” says Frank. “They are constantly finding ways to be relevant.” Frank’s unique and fully supported franchise model fosters community and business development – which has been more of a challenge than ever amidst pandemic uncertainty.

Frank and Daniel talk about the anxiety-provoking realities – as well as the unexpected silver linings – AmSpirit franchisees have found in the wake of Covid19. They focus on the importance of sharing resources and ideas and the role of ingenuity (who knew Zoom had so much to offer as a forum for networking and featured speakers?). They share their take on character traits to fall back on in times of stress and generous, positive “karma” as the greatest community service and business value-add around.
Frank has made bold choices and stayed the course with his entrepreneurial vision, through good times and … not as good. Refusing to be taken off-track by the latest investment fad or occasional self-doubt, AmSpirit thrives because the visionary behind it understands that building an actual long-term business asset requires steady faith and persistence.

Enjoy this candid conversation between two “all in” entrepreneurs.Previous episodes of Daniel’s podcast can be found here.

KEY TOPICS:

  • A little bit about Frank and his journey from law school to a big tax firm to private practice and the eye-opening networking experience that sparked his passion to develop Am Spirit.
  • ALL IN MOMENT: Frank describes his pivotal moment and the entrepreneurial vision for AmSpirit that grew out of it.
  • Membership versus Frank’s ownership model for AmSpirit.
  • Networking in a time of Covid19: The unknowns, ramifications, adaptations and even silver-lining growth.
  • Frank shares a bit about his life highlights (personally, professionally and philanthropically) and how he inspires AmSpirit franchisees to grow.
  • Frank as a Connector: How introductions he makes can manifest in surprising ways.
  • Entrepreneurism is about more than the successes. How Frank manages challenge.
  • The single thing that has most boosted Frank toward his goal. (Hint: It’s all about adding value … for others).
  • How to reach out to Frank and find out more about AmSpirit.

KEY QUOTES:

  • “I (realized) that I could change my whole world by helping people. Just do things for them and trust that it will come back to me. I really doubled down on that.”
  • “(AmSpirit) is really designed for someone to add on to what someone is already doing. All my franchisees also do something else.” 
  •  “Zoom was that tool in your toolbox that you used for only one thing … but I can do all sorts of things with this tool now. That’s what started happening with Zoom because of Covid.”
  • “We’ve been able to connect people all around the whole country, doing things together, learning from one another, doing business. It’s very inspiring.”
  • “One of my many mantras is that everybody I know could benefit from somebody else that I know.”
  • “There’s always a couple of times a year when you get beaten down. You don’t have someone telling you when to go, other than yourself … and not everything works out.”
  • “We all get our nose bloodied a little bit just grinding away.”
  • “If you’re smart you create a learning opportunity (out of challenge.) What can I capitalize on that I wasn’t before?”
  • “Define ways that you can serve others. When I talk to people in job transition I ask, ‘What is it that you’re passionate about?’ It’s gotta be something.”
  • “The secret to success is: Find ways to help other people.”

About Frank Agin:

Frank Agin is president of AmSpirit Business Connection, an organization that empowers entrepreneurs, sales representatives and professionals to become successful through networking. He is also the host of the Networking Rx podcast, a weekly short-form podcast with insights and interviews related to better business relationships. He also narrates the Networking Rx Minute, a micro podcast with daily ideas and inspiration and is the author of several books, including “Foundational Networking: Creating Know, Like & Trust For A Lifetime of Extraordinary Success.”

Website: www.frankagin.com
Email: frankagain@amspirit.com
@LinkedIn
@Twitter

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