Trump forgot why an outsider is good.

Philip Sarnecki's business record centers on scaling a financial services firm, diversifying into franchising and entertainment, and claiming to support roughly 1,000 jobs across his ventures. His background emphasizes self-made growth from humble roots (son of a janitor and secretary) after earning degrees in finance and political science from the University of Illinois.

Core Business: RPS Financial Group / Northwestern Mutual

• Founded/led RPS Financial Group Inc. (Leawood, KS) as an independent firm affiliated with Northwestern Mutual.
• Grew it significantly: Expanded to 18 offices (12 in Kansas), serving clients in all 50 states.
• Key metrics claimed: ~100,000 Kansas clients; over $10 billion in assets under management in Kansas; in the final year under his ownership, paid out >$135 million in dividends to Kansas families/businesses.
• RPS had hundreds of employees (one report noted ~565 in the financial/insurance operations).
• In 2019, a related entity acquired multiple Northwestern Mutual offices, boosting scale to one of the larger life insurance operations nationally at the time.
• He sold the core financial business (retired as managing partner around 2025) and structured non-core holdings separately (e.g., RPS Capital, RPS Auto) with professional management.

This represents his strongest track record: building a substantial wealth management and insurance operation in the Midwest with measurable client and asset growth.

Diversified Holdings

• Automotive/Franchising: Largest national franchisee of Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change. Owns multiple locations across Kansas (Andover, El Dorado, Derby, Pittsburg, Fort Scott, Independence) and reportedly up to 16 sites in 5 states. This is an active, job-creating operation in service/retail.
• Film Production: Part-owner (e.g., 25% in 513 Films, earlier ties to Rebel Pilgrim Productions). Executive producer credits on faith-based or family-oriented films featuring names like Mel Gibson, Kevin James, Kevin Sorbo, etc. One recent project reportedly hit #1 on Paramount+ for a period. This is a smaller, passion/side venture with variable returns typical of independent film.
• Other: Real estate (RPS Properties), employee benefits, leadership/training entities, and aviation-related holdings. He hired an investment banker in 2022 to professionalize the non-financial portfolio.

Overall Assessment

Strengths:

• Demonstrated ability to scale a service-based business in a regulated industry (finance/insurance).
• Job creation claims align with multi-state operations and franchising.
• Diversification shows entrepreneurial range beyond one sector.
• Self-funded campaign elements (loans in the millions) reflect personal financial success.

Limitations/Caveats:

• Much of the financial success ties to Northwestern Mutual's established brand and network rather than a pure startup from scratch.
• No public evidence of major failures or bankruptcies in available records, but film production is inherently high-risk with inconsistent profitability.
• Employee numbers (~1,000 total) aggregate across entities, including franchise and part-owned companies where his direct control varies.
• Limited independent third-party audits or detailed financial disclosures in public sources (typical for private businesses). Regulatory records (FINRA/SEC) show clean or standard disclosures with no major red flags highlighted.

Sarnecki markets himself as a "proven job creator" and outsider with real-world executive experience—contrasting with career politicians. His record supports competence in building and managing mid-sized operations in Kansas and beyond, particularly in finance and service franchises.

Voters will judge whether this translates to governing a state facing property taxes, economic rankings, and growth challenges. If you'd like deeper details on a specific company, financial filings, or comparisons, let me know.

Trump forgot why an outsider is good.