About Advisorcraft’s Founder
Jim Ruta wrote over 100 lives in his first year as a life insurance agent at age 22. He entered management at 24 and was executive manager of Canada’s largest life insurance agencies with 250 agents by age 40.
Jim started Advisorcraft in 1999 making the firm one of the most established insurance advisor coaching companies in Canada. His goal was to pass along the lifetime of advice, education and inspiration he got himself throughout his career.
Today, Jim coaches a roster of agents ranging from MDRT aspirants to Top of the Table qualifiers – including industry ICON, Van Mueller.
Jim is a “Tactical Coach” – helping agents clarify their thinking on what to do next to maximize their performance. He has spoken 4 times at the MDRT Annual Meeting including the Main Platform, has written 3 best selling books and is a regular columnist in industry magazines.
He produces a weekly coaching video on Facebook Live @JimRutaTV to give advisors a fast start to the week. He’s written and recorded the Advisorcraft Online monthly subscriber coaching program since 2009.
Jim’s Advisorcraft Live events draw people from across North America and the Caribbean and are a unique deep dive into what makes Top Advisors, icons. He is also Co-founder and Emcee of the Canada Sales Congress in Toronto – the largest one-day life insurance sales event in North America.
What you don’t know about Jim… He spent the first 6 months of his life in hospital, suspected of polio and recovered. He is a classically trained violinist; a trained Emergency Medical Technician; a Licensed Private Pilot and a former Alpine Ski Instructor.
Jim has three children and he and his wife and business manager Rhonda live along Lake Ontario in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. His spare time is spent with his family.
Jim’s mission is to preserve, promote and propel the life insurance advisor business.
Introducing
Andrej Urek BA MA
Business Operations Manager, Advisorcraft
Andrej Urek lives in Slovenia in South Central Europe but is a citizen of the world, having travelled extensively. He studied geography and history in University; achieved his master’s degree; and became a professor. However, after 3 years, his studies made him aware of how the economy was evolving and it sparked his interest in business and creating something that would help more people.
Andrej started his own business as a webmaster; creating websites, learning all about online marketing and advertising, and how to increase online sales. He is certified by Google Adwords and Facebook AdCenter. To date he completed over 30 international projects and has worked with clients all over Europe, North America, the Middle East and South Africa. Andrej speaks 4 languages and is always learning so he can get better.
He has been working on projects for Jim Ruta and Advisorcraft since 2016 and shares the company’s mission to preserve, promote and propel the life insurance advisor business. Andrej is very excited to take on more operational responsibility with this new position. He looks forward to helping grow the Advisorcraft platform with Jim Ruta and support advisors worldwide to be their best in this great industry.
Eli Pichelli BA MBA CLU
Eli Pichelli is a bilingual life insurance professional whose career has spanned roles at all levels of insurance distribution, from successful agent to company sales executive.
His extensive experience has convinced him of the critical importance life insurance plays in the financial lives of Canadians and of the pivotal agents play in helping build it into their essential financial security portfolios. This deep belief in the value of the product helped him recruit, train, and lead successful agents with the same philosophy to improve the lives of the people they work with.
Today, Eli is an independent strategic advisor to the life insurance and financial services industry. He helps companies and individuals understand the industry better and increase sales productivity while always acting in the best interests of the marketplace to maximize client satisfaction. Eli is a valued associate at Advisorcraft Media.
