Inside the Bag

Inside the Bag is a podcast hosted by industry veteran Brian A. Kirk Jr. , featuring candid conversations with influential leaders across the asset management distribution business. Covering everything from wholesaling best practices to emerging industry trends and practical sales tactics, each episode delivers actionable insights for wholesalers, asset managers, and distribution professionals looking to elevate their results. Brian co-founded L.C. KIRK & CO in 1999 with his father, B. Anthony Kirk Sr . With more than 25 years of experience in financial services executive recruiting, he offers a distinctive perspective on identifying top talent and building high-performing distribution teams.

Inside the Bag is a business podcast hosted by Brian Kirk, with 8 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Brian Kirk hosts Inside the Bag, a business show with 8 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #8

  Geoff Nance - Wholesaling - Strategy & Execution “Drift”

  Aug 18, 202643 min

  Geoff Nance is the founder of Applied Distribution Lab. Throughout his career, he has both carried the bag and led distribution teams at leading firms, including Ivy Investments and John Hancock Funds. In this discussion, Geoff examines the “execution drift” he sees underway in the industry, shares his outlook for the wholesaling business over the next 10–20 years, and outlines what he believes wholesalers should prioritize going forward.

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  Episode #7

  Dave Nelson - Veteran Insights Wholesaling & Asset Management Distribution

  Apr 22, 202647 minS0

  Dave Nelson began his career in the late 1990s, starting as a sales rep carrying the bag before advancing into sales management roles. In this conversation, Dave shares his unique perspective on the industry—what has fundamentally changed over the decades and what has remained constant. He offers practical advice, weighs in on the latest sales strategy data from SS&C, and discusses key topics including AI-powered internal sales reps, compensation structures, the future of the industry, and much more.

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  Episode #6

  Selling to RIAs: An NFL Player’s Approach

  Mar 3, 202629 minS0

  <p>Ben Utt transitioned from a career with the Indianapolis Colts to excelling as an institutional sales executive. With more than 30 years of experience in the asset management field, Ben offers perspectives on taking an institutional sales approach to the RIA channel. Ben believes, “Everything retail is becoming institutional, and institutional is moving into retail.” Ben provides insights on compensation, his approach to selling to RIAs and family offices, niche managers, his sales process, and the industry's future.</p>

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  Episode #5

  The Wholesaler Coach

  Mar 3, 202638 minS0

  <p>Brian Margolis has spent over twenty years building and training top-producing wholesalers. In this discussion, Brian outlines his process, the mistakes wholesalers commonly make, a new paradigm for wholesaling, and the skills needed to succeed.</p>

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  Episode #4

  Small Asset Managers – Winning Wholesaling Results

  Mar 3, 202632 minS0

  <p>Luke Theeuwes and Keith Thompson have spent the majority of their careers specializing in a unique area of the wholesaling community. While the industry is dominated by large managers with trillions in AUM, and access across all the major broker-dealers, Luke and Keith have utilized techniques to enable smaller niche managers to enter the advisory community and achieve success. In this interview, Luke and Keith share their industry insights and strategies for wholesaling success.</p>

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