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# Lessons from McKeel Hagerty
- URL: https://www.antoinebuteau.com/lessons-from-mckeel-hagerty/
- Published: 2026-07-28T02:35:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-05T03:02:09.000Z
- Description: After studying philosophy and theology, McKeel Hagerty returned to the automotive world to turn his family's small wooden boat insurance agency into a massive international club for car enthusiasts.
- Author: Antoine Buteau
- Tags: Profile, Business Leaders & Executives Profiles

After studying philosophy and theology, McKeel Hagerty returned to the automotive world to turn his family's small wooden-boat insurance agency into a massive international club for car enthusiasts. This profile covers his approach to crisis leadership and how he built a community-driven business around the emotional draw of collecting.

![Visual summary of operating lessons from McKeel Hagerty.](https://www.antoinebuteau.com/content/images/2026/07/lessons-from-mckeel-hagerty-profile-infographic.webp)

## Part 1: Business Strategy and The Membership Economy

1. **On transforming a business model:** Hagerty shifted his company's trajectory by deciding to operate less like a traditional insurer and more like a club for car owners, changing the fundamental dynamic of his customer interactions. — *Reference:* [*ritholtz.com*](https://ritholtz.com/2026/07/transcript-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On the nature of a membership:** "Membership is a relationship that’s slightly different than a very transactional one." — *Source:* [*robbiekellmanbaxter.com*](https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/blog/membership-as-a-flywheel-for-tomorrows-growth-with-hagertys-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On assessing customer sentiment:** You know you have built a true membership brand when people approach you to express gratitude for what your company does for them, rather than simply paying for what you sell. — *Reference:* [*robbiekellmanbaxter.com*](https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/blog/membership-as-a-flywheel-for-tomorrows-growth-with-hagertys-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On finding a market:** "You want to go and try to tap into human needs that already exist rather than to try to find mysterious ones that don’t exist, or to convince large numbers of people to buy something that never was created before." — *Source:* [*robbiekellmanbaxter.com*](https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/blog/membership-as-a-flywheel-for-tomorrows-growth-with-hagertys-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On the foundational truth of specialty insurance:** The core idea underlying Hagerty's business model is a simple observation his mother often repeated: people naturally take better care of their toys than their daily commodities. — *Reference:* [*robbiekellmanbaxter.com*](https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/blog/membership-as-a-flywheel-for-tomorrows-growth-with-hagertys-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On building from a core drive:** "You can build almost anything on a core human drive if you understand it well." — *Source:* [*robbiekellmanbaxter.com*](https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/blog/membership-as-a-flywheel-for-tomorrows-growth-with-hagertys-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On niche market fundamentals:** When his parents started the original family business, they specifically aimed to build an enterprise that was national in scope, operated within a defined niche, and possessed long-term sustainability. — *Reference:* [*ritholtz.com*](https://ritholtz.com/2026/07/transcript-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On creating value versus competing:** "When you create value that way, or you create something new or do something differently than anybody has, It’s just a heck of a lot more fun." — *Source:* [*jack-lancaster.com*](https://jack-lancaster.com/podcast/hagerty?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On segmenting enthusiast interests:** As a membership community scales, it becomes necessary to differentiate offerings, because a person focused on track racing views their hobby very differently than someone who simply enjoys showing their car. — *Reference:* [*robbiekellmanbaxter.com*](https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/blog/membership-as-a-flywheel-for-tomorrows-growth-with-hagertys-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

## Part 2: Leadership and Personal Growth

1. **On being prepared to speak:** "This idea of always being ready to have something to say, just got drilled into my mind during that period. When you’re a leader, you do not walk into a room without something to say." — *Source:* [*jack-lancaster.com*](https://jack-lancaster.com/podcast/hagerty?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On foundational self-management:** "You have to be able to demonstrate to the people around you that you can lead yourself effectively. You have to have a higher than average level of self-awareness" — *Source:* [*jack-lancaster.com*](https://jack-lancaster.com/podcast/hagerty?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On reacting to bad news:** "If something bad isn’t going to immediately kill you, sometimes the best thing is to let the event fully unfold so you can understand it better." — *Source:* [*medium.com*](https://medium.com/authority-magazine/mckeel-hagerty-of-hagerty-how-to-successfully-ride-the-emotional-highs-lows-of-being-an-9549d29b1dd2?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On solving problems at the root:** Fixing a crisis before understanding its full scope often results in merely patching a symptom rather than addressing the core issue. — *Reference:* [*medium.com*](https://medium.com/authority-magazine/mckeel-hagerty-of-hagerty-how-to-successfully-ride-the-emotional-highs-lows-of-being-an-9549d29b1dd2?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On learning from different environments:** Hagerty developed a strong foundation in leadership principles while studying theology at a Russian Orthodox seminary. — *Reference:* [*ritholtz.com*](https://ritholtz.com/2026/07/transcript-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

## Part 3: The Philosophy of Collecting and Driving

1. **On the meaning of driving:** "From the earliest part of my life, driving has always meant something close to freedom" — *Source:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/porsche-that-mckeel-hagerty-will-never-let-go/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On the sanctuary of a car:** Taking a solo drive in a familiar classic car serves as a dedicated opportunity to completely unplug from everyday pressures. — *Reference:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/porsche-that-mckeel-hagerty-will-never-let-go/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On bonding over mechanics:** Spending time in the garage restoring a project car can forge some of the closest and most memorable family connections. — *Reference:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/porsche-that-mckeel-hagerty-will-never-let-go/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On the satisfaction of restoration:** "You’ll never stand as tall as when an engine runs for the first time." — *Source:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/porsche-that-mckeel-hagerty-will-never-let-go/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On collecting advice:** "Buy with your heart and with money you can afford to spend." — *Source:* [*carsyeah.com*](https://carsyeah.com/ourportfolio/bsh-18-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On unapologetic enjoyment:** "Buy what you like and drive what you want—unapologetically." — *Source:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/mckeel-hagerty-nothing-bad-about-feeling-rad/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On appreciating the present era:** "Every year, every era, will inevitably produce cars worthy of our love, and who’s to say otherwise?" — *Source:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/mckeel-hagerty-nothing-bad-about-feeling-rad/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On gratitude for longevity:** Hagerty considers it a true gift to have kept his first car—a $500 Porsche 911S he bought at age 13—without ever feeling pressured to sell it during his time in college or graduate school. — *Reference:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/porsche-that-mckeel-hagerty-will-never-let-go/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

## Part 4: Understanding The Automotive Market

1. **On shifting collector demographics:** Market demand is tied to age; as individuals enter their prime collecting years, they seek out the vehicles that were popular during their youth. — *Reference:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/mckeel-hagerty-nothing-bad-about-feeling-rad/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On missing market shifts:** "It’s a truism of life that when you’re too close to something, you sometimes can’t really see it." — *Source:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/mckeel-hagerty-nothing-bad-about-feeling-rad/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On redefining classic cars:** While the 1980s and 1990s were once dismissed by enthusiasts in favor of older designs, market data shows those decades produced a massive wave of rapidly appreciating collector vehicles. — *Reference:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/mckeel-hagerty-nothing-bad-about-feeling-rad/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On tracking historical vehicle depreciation:** Cars that are worth tens of millions of dollars today, like the 1962 Ferrari GTO, could be purchased for a fraction of their current cost during their low points in the 1970s. — *Reference:* [*ritholtz.com*](https://ritholtz.com/2026/07/transcript-mckeel-hagerty/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

## Part 5: Preserving History and Fostering Community

1. **On the importance of vehicle provenance:** "Documents that don’t follow a car are more likely to be lost over time, erasing vital chapters of its history." — *Source:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/we-are-all-automotive-archivists/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On giving machines context:** "That kind of documentation isn’t merely useful—it’s priceless. It helps with value, sure, but it also gives the car a soul. You don’t simply own the machine—you step into its history." — *Source:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/we-are-all-automotive-archivists/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On the impending wealth transfer:** As aging generations pass down trillions in assets, the car collecting community faces a challenge to ensure historical documentation is transferred alongside the physical vehicles. — *Reference:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/we-are-all-automotive-archivists/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On standardizing digital archives:** A centralized digital archiving effort should not attempt to save every document in existence, but rather establish a standard for preserving the most critical pieces of history. — *Reference:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/we-are-all-automotive-archivists/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On the loss of historical context:** "Handing off a vehicle without its history is like sharing an album with half the photos missing. The car survives, but the meaning fades." — *Source:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/we-are-all-automotive-archivists/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On supporting social impact:** Hagerty channels his philanthropic efforts into empowering female entrepreneurs who integrate social responsibility and climate solutions into their business models. — *Reference:* [*boundlessfutures.org*](https://boundlessfutures.org/press-release/boundless-futures-foundation-quarterly-grants-include-135000-tofemale-company-founders-committed-to-addressing-social-good/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On comprehensive entrepreneur support:** Providing funding is only one part of philanthropy; combining financial grants with access to an advisory circle for mentorship offers a highly effective support structure for founders. — *Reference:* [*boundlessfutures.org*](https://boundlessfutures.org/press-release/boundless-futures-foundation-quarterly-grants-include-135000-tofemale-company-founders-committed-to-addressing-social-good/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On building massive collaborative projects:** Creating a large-scale institutional network requires starting with small pilot projects and securing grassroots support before attempting mass expansion. — *Reference:* [*hagerty.com*](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/we-are-all-automotive-archivists/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)