20 Years In – And Just Getting Started

This May will mark my 20th year working with the Ohlson Group, and to say that time has flown by would be an understatement. Having had the privilege of working alongside my father — Ohlson Group founder Ray Ohlson — for so many years was more than special. It was a blessing.

After graduating from Ball State University, I had several ideas about what I wanted to pursue professionally. My main area of study was journalism. I love writing, and that love still lives within me today. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy writing these commentaries. I always aim to provide a positive message — and at least one nugget of value that might help you in your insurance career.

In May of 2006, I officially began my career with the Ohlson Group. I was young!
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But I wasn’t completely new to the business. The Ohlson Group opened its doors in 2003, and during my college years, I spent my summers interning in the office. My brother Nick — a few years older than me — was already working with my dad and Nick’s mentorship helped me gain confidence in my abilities. Those early summers gave me a clear-eyed view to what it meant to build something from the ground up: relationships with agents, partnerships with carriers, and a company centered around service.

Still, I looked young. Very young.

I may be one of the few people who was genuinely happy to see a few gray hairs show up in my mid-to-late twenties! At the time, I needed them. Some agents didn’t quite know what to make of me. Experience, I quickly learned, isn’t something you claim — it’s something you earn.

Twenty years later, I can say without hesitation that working alongside independent agents across the country has been one of the great blessings of my life. This business has never been about transactions to me. It has always been about relationships.

What you do in the field matters more than you may realize. What you sell is not a widget or a commodity. You are helping families complete dreams — protecting generations with tax-free life insurance benefits, preserving dignity through long-term care planning, and creating guaranteed income streams that function like personal pension plans.

You guide clients through Roth conversions that may significantly reduce future tax burdens. You help eliminate debt. And at our bread and butter, you safeguard assets in strategies that provide growth potential without market downside risk.

That is meaningful work.

Although we are still a couple of months away from my official 20-year anniversary, I’ll admit that I am getting a head start on the celebration. The reason is simple: 2026 has begun with tremendous momentum. We are seeing a record influx of business week after week.

If I sound like a broken record when I say that we can help you grow, it’s because after two decades in this business, I know growth is not accidental — it is pre-planned. We can build a clear marketing plan for you.
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We can review last year’s income and map out what it will take to reach your goals this year. We can talk realistically about budget, determine how many workshops per month you may need to run, and identify how many lead campaigns can support your production targets. We can even backfill the math and approximate what level of marketing may be required to reach the income you want.

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Until Next Time – Good Selling! 

​Joseph R. Ohlson, LUTCF
President
1-877-844-0900
[email protected]