On this episode of The Ty Brady Way, Ty sits down with Brett Blackham, a Medicare and life insurance agent who built his business the slow, steady way while juggling his family’s retail pharmacy on the side. Brett came into the industry through his brother Bryce and spent years growing his book of business nights and weekends before finally going all in. If you’ve ever wondered what it really looks like to build something part-time before making the leap, this episode is your roadmap. Brett opens up about what those first few years looked like: slow growth, leaning on a personal network built through years of pharmacy relationships, and using The Parable of the Pipeline as his guiding philosophy for building renewable income. The book’s core idea is simple but powerful. One person hauls buckets every day to make money while another spends time building a pipeline. The bucket hauler earns faster at first, but once the pipeline is built, there is no competition. Brett’s Medicare renewals were his pipeline, and he trusted the process even when the early returns were modest. The conversation gets practical fast. Brett breaks down how he approached lead generation, starting with word of mouth and referrals, then buying leads strategically, and even working discarded leads other agents had written off. His philosophy is simple: a lead isn’t dead until they’re buying or dying. He shares the story of closing a life insurance policy on a lead card belonging to a grandmother who had passed away eight months earlier, proof that the right conversation at the right time beats a shiny new lead every time. Ty and Brett also tackle the biggest misconceptions in the Medicare space, including the widespread belief that working with an agent costs money. It doesn’t. Brett explains how the same products available online or over the phone are available through an agent at no extra cost to the consumer, with the agent paid by the carrier. He also addresses something that hits close to home for both of them: clients who don’t think to call their agent when problems come up. Brett walks through a powerful real-life example involving a $3,500 ambulance bill that nearly got paid unnecessarily, resolved in minutes because a client finally picked up the phone. Near the end of the episode, Brett reflects on what he would tell his younger self: you could have gotten here faster. Not because he was lazy, but because he didn’t yet believe how quickly it could happen. That insight leads to a broader conversation about the emotional weight of leaving guaranteed income behind and why the rule of thumb to wait until you’re earning double before cutting the cord exists for a reason, even if the math eventually makes the decision for you. Brett’s definition of success is one of the most grounded you’ll hear: balance. Enough financial resource, enough time, and enough freedom to follow what actually brings you joy. He doesn’t need a scoreboard. He needs to be at the game.   As always, we would like to hear from you! 📧 Email us at [email protected] 📱 DM us on Instagram @thetybradyway