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Key Topics:

• Introduction to Chris Cline and his role as Executive Director of the Agents Council for Technology with Big I
• The Big I’s national model and its impact on State Chapters
• Chris Cline's diverse career journey
• The inception and evolution of technology in insurance
• Impact of relationships and networking in the industry
• Future of the Agents Council for Technology and its role in enhancing industry collaboration
• Chris' perspective on personal and professional growth

In this episode, James talks with Paul Hawkins, CEO of Hawksoft & Jerry Fox, Vice President of Carrier Relations at HawkSoft.

To learn more about HawkSoft, visit https://www.hawksoft.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Paul discusses how his son's passion for computers led to them to start Hawksoft. (2:26)
• Jerry shares his role with Hawksoft and how he got involved with it. (5:41) 
• Paul shares his journey from working in a warehouse to digitizing insurance forms to building a thriving company. (9:25)
• Paul explains that Hawksoft values relationships and choice, connecting with Insurtechs to provide independent agents with options for their unique businesses. (16:22) 
• Jerry mentions that Hawksoft's philosophy is centered around being a people-centric business, helping a people-centric industry protect the people and businesses around the country. (18:00)
• Paul shares that their key to success is prioritizing relationships over finances, as it creates a sense of trust and support. (19:55)
• Jerry discusses the unique company culture of Hawksoft where core values are not just talked about, but lived by the entire team, resulting in a dedicated and loyal workforce of 150+ employees. (21:47)

Key Quotes:

• “The relationship is the top thing for us. When we bring on an agency to our system, they're part of the HawkSoft family.” - Paul Hawkins
• “We are a people-centric business, helping a people-centric industry, protect the people and the businesses of the country.” - Jerry Fox
• “My goal as a CEO is to raise up each one of my employees to become the best person that they can be both personally and professionally.” - Paul Hawkins

In this episode, James talks with Ryan Mathisen & Sean Mulhern, Co-Founders of GloveBox.

To learn more about GloveBox, visit https://gloveboxapp.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Ryan mentions that this year GloveBox has successfully developed base features and is now focusing on releasing a desktop version and a metrics dashboard with policyholder analytics. (4:32)
• Sean discusses his role as handling operations and being responsible for various tasks and processes within the company, including transitioning, executing, and strategizing for new features and go-to-market plans. (7:54)
• Ryan shares that reflecting on past experiences and considering how to improve current processes is an invaluable tool for product development and workflow optimization. (16:40)
• Sean discusses the importance of considering the prospect and aligning interests between the agency, policyholder, and carrier for successful interactions and benefits for all. (21:31)
• Ryan explains the challenges of achieving SOC 2 compliance due to receiving data from multiple sources but highlights their efforts in strengthening security over the past two years. (24:40)
• Ryan discusses the GloveBox app’s two agreements: one with the policyholder and one with the agency, allowing anyone to use the app and connect with carriers, while also enabling the sharing of policy information with agents. (29:31)
• Ryan mentions that smaller agencies often prefer a simple and basic platform, so it's important to cater to their needs and facilitate the market accordingly. (34:16)
• Ryan emphasizes the importance of being cautious about misinformation in the current tech-driven era and highlights the benefits of their platform for agents, which was built with the intention of improving their lives. (37:29)

Key Quotes:

• “We're very excited about the desktop version. It's literally going to be this living, breathing client playground from your website. It's going to be awesome.” - Ryan Mathisen
• “Think about your prospect. Think about the other person that you're talking to. And I think that's one thing we just inherently do really well at GloveBox is, every idea is filtered through a few different lenses… GloveBox, the policyholder, the agency, and the carrier. And it has to work for all of them.” - Sean Mulhern

In this episode, James talks with Doug Mohr, Vice President of Industry Relationships and Partnerships at Vertafore.

To learn more about Vertafore, visit https://www.vertafore.com/.

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To learn more about Talkadot, visit https://www.talkadot.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Arel shares about his childhood growing up in a difficult environment and how his desire to get out of that environment fueled him. (2:53)
• Arel discusses how he went from being a successful college student to hosting a TV show, getting invited to the White House, and standing on TEDx stages. (17:37)
• Arel explains the conventional stages of adult development theory, including self-centric, group-centric, skill-centric, and achiever stages. (26:15)
• Arel discusses how individuals move from a self-centric mindset to a group-centric one, where they accept the group's beliefs as their own and develop an "us versus them" mentality. (35:41)
• Arel mentions the difference between the skill-centric and achiever stages, and how the latter involves enlisting people with complementary skills. (43:33)
• Arel explains how the achiever stage involves delegating and empowering others, while the skill-centric stage tends to hold onto tasks and believe that nobody can do it as well as they can. (49:07)

Key Quote:

• “For any of us, when we look at our story, it's very easy to look at the things that happened to us and say, that's the exact reason why I can't make it. Where, I think if you look at it from a different perspective, you always build a skill set, you always build a survival mechanism to get through anything that's tough. And that mechanism, that skill might just be the thing that makes you more successful than you would have been without it.” - Arel Moodie

To learn more about VOOM Insurance, visit https://www.voominsurance.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Tomer explains how his company, VOOM Insurance, and InsurTech MGA that creates usage-based insurance products for underserved niche segments within the mobility world. (4:24)
• Tomer discusses his education and background in the Israeli army, which led him to become a tech founder in the insurance industry. (7:52)
• Tomer shares the founding story of SkyWatch and how it started as a commercial drone insurance solution. (13:03)
• Tomer explains how SkyWatch expanded into other niche insurance segments, such as motorcycle insurance, and the advantages of a pay-per-mile basis. (19:50)
• Tomer explains how SkyWatch prices its drone insurance policies based on utilization and offers an optional telematics service to provide a risk score. (26:21)
• Tomer mentions that drone insurance is currently a product that is pulled by commercial drone operators and their customers, rather than pushed by brokers and that it is not yet necessary for generalist agencies to offer it across the board. (34:05)
• Tomer explains that SkyWatch works with aggregators like First Connect for distribution, but also offers direct appointments for those with relevant customers. (41:23)
• Tomer shares their teamwork within the company, with a core value of "It's never not my problem." (47:02)

Key Quotes:

• “Skywatch started as a commercial drone insurance solution. You see drones everywhere, from wedding photographers, to drone deliveries and in agriculture inspection. Really, everyone like even doing live shows, and we have customers in all of these segments.” - Tomer Kash
• “We need to help these newcomers to join the industry,. We also see ourselves as a part of the ecosystem that wants to help this industry to thrive because we're, you know, benefiting from that. So, we work with flight schools, and we work with other organizations to promote flight safety, and also, you know, promote insurance.” - Tomer Kash
• “One of the core values of our company is, “It's never not my problem”. Meaning, the R&D really cares about what the sales are doing in a day to day, and vice versa, and marketing and compliance everything. Really, everyone walks together. And this is what really drives everyone to work every day. It goes through different time zones, which is not easy.” - Tomer Kash

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Episode Highlights:

• A speaker on the call shares the importance of integrating core values into daily activities and operations, particularly in the context of trucking and sales. (5:16)
• James discusses the possibility of charging a fee in addition to the commission, the requirements for different licenses, and the potential profitability of running their own insurance program as both a wholesaler and retailer. (13:29)
• James discusses his struggle with holding people accountable and his growth as a leader by delegating responsibilities to others, in order to focus on his own growth and goals. (18:51)
• A speaker on the call discusses their profitable focus on personal lines and plans to expand into commercial lines while delegating day-to-day operations to managers. (24:21)
• James explains the importance of narrowing down the target market and specializing in a specific niche to gain a competitive advantage and better serve clients. (26:33)
• A speaker on the call emphasizes the importance of prioritizing qualifying needs and diving deeper into the process while acknowledging that there is no wrong process as long as there is a process in place. (32:53)
• A speaker on the call mentions that James is known for executing his business strategies, making him a standout among others who only talk about it. (33:43)
• A speaker on the call believes that joining a call with other independent agents can be beneficial for personal growth and motivation. (34:15)

Key Quote:

• “You have to give your team opportunity to fail and fail big. That's the only way you grow. Otherwise, you're rate limited. You're capped. ” - James Jenkins

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He ends the episode with a much better idea for generating real impact and profitable opportunities for your office.

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1. Surviving the hard market
2. Required Time Off (RTO) and Work From Home (WFH)

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To learn more about GloveBox, visit https://gloveboxapp.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Ryan discusses his family's background in entrepreneurship and insurance. (5:06)
• Ryan mentions that the number one thing you can do as a new producer, or a producer coming from the captive to the independent channel is to have a really solid mentor. (12:03)
• Ryan discusses the idea of merging carrier mobile apps with a vertical-style product, which led to the creation of GloveBox. (20:19)
• Ryan explains that the independent insurance channel faces an unforgiving landscape, with a strong focus on generational businesses and legacy processes and it is essential to have a sense of the business in order to provide solutions that make sense. (30:48)
• Ryan discusses GloveBox's recent launch of their commercial product, including its features and functionality, and their plans for future development. (37:29)
• Ryan explains how they prioritize feedback and align it with their roadmap. (44:20)
• Ryan shares ways to engage with GloveBox, including their new website and social media. (48:47)

Key Quotes:

• “It's so hard to replicate and again, this business is unforgiving. If you don't provide solutions that absolutely make sense, you're not going to win. It's really difficult and that's what I've learned.” - Ryan Mathisen
• “We really want to give commercial agents tools that they need to be able to prospect, quote, sell, and service business. ” - Ryan Mathisen
• “If it is a workflow between you and your policyholder, we want to host it. That's what we want. If you're engaging with the policyholder, we want to be the ones to support that. And that's where we live. ” - Ryan Mathisen

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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To learn more about NCM Insurance Agency, visit https://www.ncminsurance.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Adam discusses his business model, which is very organic and does not involve cold calling or buying leads. (6:27)
• Adam believes that having mentors in the insurance industry and setting attainable goals is important. (10:59)
• Adam shares his experience learning compliance and licensing, and how they improve the customer journey by listening to feedback from clients. (18:04)
• Adam discusses how they build a positive culture in their small office, including rotating lunches and getting together for meals at his house. (24:33)
• Adam discusses his motivation for working in insurance and what keeps him coming back to it. (28:02)
• James discusses the American Modern program and how it is a competitive alternative to Haggerty in most places. (33:42)

Key Quotes:

• “Align yourself with some of the best carriers and other agents that can help guide you along the way. I think having mentors in the space is extremely important.” - Adam Boca
• “We're just very fortunate that it's extremely organic, we don't do the lead generating thing, we don't buy leads, we don't cold call. So we're a very different business model.” - Adam Boca
• “I'm not motivating myself by money. I mean, I think a lot of people get kind of lost in that. And for me, it's making sure that my customers have the very best in coverage for their particular need, and I know we're doing everything we can to provide that.” - Adam Boca

To learn more about ZipBonds, visit https://zipbonds.com/

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Episode Highlights:

• Zach discusses his methods for disconnecting from professional obligations in order to dedicate quality time to his family, which often includes outings on the lake. (7:52)
• Zach explains the genesis of Coverage Direct, a company he Co-Founded from the ground up with his business associate, Ryan Swalve, in 2016. (14:09)
• Zach explains that Zip Bonds' mission is to be a partner for agents who want to compete against larger agencies by providing a surety division that helps close bonds for contractors and probate attorneys. (30:43)
• Zach mentions the necessity of inquiring about clients' bonding requirements and suggests incorporating this question into the client onboarding or renewal procedures as a means to boost agency revenue. (36:27)
• Zach discusses the commission structure for agents who use Zip Bonds' platform. (41:20)

Key Quotes:

• “My passion is helping independent agencies solve problems that I had myself. That's the reason why both of our businesses existed.” - Zach Mefferd
• “The real passion that I had when I got into it came from me being a commercial insurance producer, getting larger and larger opportunities and feeling like I was at a disadvantage because I didn't have a surety division in my agency. And that's the solution we're hoping to provide here for agents.” - Zach Mefferd
• “The major value prop is we have underwriters in-house. So when something comes in, it is being marketed to multiple carriers on your behalf from an underwriter's perspective.” - Zach Mefferd

To learn more about TexPro Insurance, visit https://www.texproinsurance.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Zack shares how his ego played a role in his decision to start his own agency and how he was quickly humbled by the challenges of the industry. (10:30)
• James discusses Frank Shamrock’s concept of plus, minus, and equal process and how they are important in professional and personal contexts. (18:15)
• Zack discusses the disruption in the insurance industry and the need for professionals to adapt to the changes. (22:29)
• James explains the potential risks of taking business calls on a personal cell phone and the importance of capturing all communication in your agency management system. (42:31)
• Zack mentions that delegation and specialization are essential for success in the insurance industry. (45:36)

Key Quotes:

• “The best thing I've probably done in the last year or two is connect with others around me to say, you know what? We're all in this together, we've all made that same mistake and let's help each other prevent going through that. And that's ultimately kind of what our business is, let's sell you a policy so that we can prevent that, right?” - Zack Baldwin

To learn more about Client Circle, visit https://www.clientcircle.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Torey explains why the company rebranded from Rocket Referrals to Client Circle and outlines its plan to gradually phase out the old name. (9:11)
• Torey shares the story of how they created the system for handwritten cards and highlights the company's commitment to customization. (17:51)
• Torey discusses their “Journeys” product, which is goal-based and helps track data. (24:11)
• Torey explains the process of building pre-built automation and taking client requests for new features and emphasizes the insurance focus of their platform. (34:50)
• James mentions that while robots are skilled at detecting context and inference, they struggle with understanding subjective things such as sarcasm and humor. (41:05)
• Torey believes that the insurance industry is slow to adopt new technology due to its risk-averse nature and the difficulty of changing established systems. (46:50)
• Torey mentions that their focus is on providing value to customers to generate revenue and that they do not accept investments, so all customer revenue is invested back into the company. (53:07)

Key Quotes:

• “The system that you are using with Client Circle now to send cards is one that I invented almost 10 years ago. And now, it's grown to a fact where I have relationships with paper vendors that literally make the paper out of pulp for us, make the envelopes because they're perfectly designed to work with those with our handwriting tech.” - Torey Maerz
• “Our customers are paying for new features, you know, you're not just paying for the service you have, but you're paying to that will continue to build and add new things on. And so, we look at all of our customers as investors in the company. And that means that we need to constantly provide value. And so everything always comes back to that.” - Torey Maerz

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Episode Highlights:

• Frank shares about his 47 years in the insurance industry, including how he was able to build a product that is now known as Sagitta and how he started his consulting practice. (3:16)
• Frank mentions that entrepreneurs are a stimulating group of individuals to be around, and he is delighted to help them by providing insight into the industry, and share some of the mistakes he made along the way, and how to avoid those pitfalls. (8:58)
• Frank shares that the ACORD InsurTech Innovation Challenge was one of the opportunities that got him started in insurance technology, mentoring, and advising. (11:09)
• Frank explains that Peter MacDonald has a successful product with Wunderite because he had the most important trait of an entrepreneur: he was persistent and never gave up. (13:13)
• Frank discusses the process of the emergence of IVANS’ policy downloads from carriers into management systems into retail agencies. (23:28)
• Frank believes that insurance influences every part of people's personal and professional life, that it keeps us safer, and that it makes the business world more predictable and reliable. (28:56)
• Frank explains that the biggest difference he's seeing right now in the industry is that more than half of the technology is risk-mitigation technology. (37:16)
• Frank shares his opinions on Robotic Process Automation and Machine Learning platforms. (42:26)
• According to Frank, employing technology effectively in the insurance industry is never a technology problem, it's always a business problem. (50:30)

Key Quotes:

• “I find entrepreneurs to be such a stimulating group of people to be around. They are 100% energy, and they've put it all on the line. And anything I can do to help by giving them insight into our industry, and some of the mistakes I've made myself along the way, how to avoid those pitfalls is really something that gives me great, great pleasure.” - Frank Sentner
• “The insurance industry is constantly innovating within their space, okay? They're constantly adding additional types of coverage, additional endorsements, additional lines of business, you know, and it is not going to stop. I mean, it's only going to get more complex, because the world is getting more complex.” - Frank Sentner
• “For every technology that our industry employs, getting it deployed successfully has never been a technology problem. Never. It's always a business problem. It's getting the business people to agree what they want to do.” - Frank Sentner

To learn more about Dopazo & Associates Insurance, visit https://www.dopazoinsurance.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Alexander explains that diversity can help businesses, communities, and individuals grow, but it is important to approach it from the perspective of helping each other, grow, and reach common goals. (5:08)
• Alexander shares what diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mean. (10:57)
• Alexander discusses the difference between equity and equality. (20:47)
• Alexander mentions that checking your bias is important when making decisions as it can lead to a shift in the way that a business works. (23:29)
• Alexander explains that in order to have a successful conversation, it is important to respect each other’s perspectives and be empathetic to one another. (35:10)
• According to Alexander, when you are thinking about diversity, equity, inclusion, and how your business runs, you have to start to ask yourself those deep questions about who you're trying to reach, and how you can most effectively reach them in a way that makes them feel like they can see themselves as an employee at your business or see themselves as one of the customers of your business. (48:33)
• Alexander mentions that we can build a better industry, community, and society by removing the stigma around talking about diversity, inclusion, and equity. (52:15)

Key Quotes:

• “Equality is a conversation of putting everybody on the same level, equity is understanding that we're not all coming from the same level. And that sometimes in order to be able to help them reach the goals that you're trying to get them to, you need to help offset that in one way, shape, or form." - Alexander Dopazo
• “When you're thinking about diversity, when you're thinking about equity and inclusion, and how your business runs, you really just have to start to ask yourself those deep questions about who you're trying to reach and how you can most effectively reach them in a way that makes them feel like they can see themselves as an employee at your business or see themselves as one of the customers of your business.” - Alexander Dopazo
• “Equity is about respect for each other. That means that I have to understand your perspective, as much as you have to understand my perspective.” - Alexander Dopazo

To learn more about XDimensional Technologies, Inc, visit https://xdti.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Lani discusses the progress of diversity and inclusion in the insurance and technology industries, with a focus on gender diversity and the elimination of fear in women. (2:39)
• Lani shares her career journey from IBM to consulting work to working with insurance companies and eventually joining Insurity, which later became XDimensional Technologies. (9:11)
• Lani talks about building a diverse team and having different backgrounds and experiences to create good thought processes. (11:30)
• Lani explains how XDTI selects partners based on their strengths and attributes, such as a focus on the customer and ease of collaboration. (20:00)
• Lani mentions the importance of marketing and word of mouth getting out about XDTI and their platform, Nexsure. (25:29)
• Lani Cathey discusses XDTI's engagement with their user group and how they will continue to use it going forward. (31:49) 

Key Quotes:

• “What I'm trying to have an impact on, is making sure that that changes because in the end, the diversity not only in gender diversity but in culture diversity, orientation diversity, makes us better people, companies and makes better technology.” - Lani Cathey
• “What I look for in the attributes of a partner is the same philosophical focus on the customer, focus on what you do best and are they easy to work with? I mean, much like you would determine how you work with a vendor, we look for the same attributes as a partner. We aren't necessarily going to have the same culture, but I want to have the same vision in supporting customers. And that's what we move forward with.” - Lani Cathey
• “One of the reasons why I really am excited about doing this podcast, is we do need to get our word out there because we feel we have a great platform, we do have a strong representation in your size of the agency in our existing customer base. And to your point, what we've invested in as well as simplified implementation and conversions that can support bringing on more agencies like yourself.” - Lani Cathey

To learn more about NetVU, visit https://www.netvu.org/web.

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Episode Highlights:

• Oliver explains the unique dynamic between Vertafore and NetVU, and how the Accelerate conference is a collaboration between the two organizations to ensure their members get the best experience possible. (6:13)
• Oliver discusses the year-long planning process for the Accelerate 2024 conference. (8:58)
• Oliver explains the relationship between Vertafore and NetVU, and how being part of the NetVU family means being part of a larger community of users. (17:53)
• Oliver shares how NetVU is combating conference fatigue and delivering a compelling conference experience. (20:18)
• Oliver emphasizes the importance of building relationships and communicating with others in the industry, and how NetVU provides a platform for users to connect with each other and with carriers. (24:03)

Key Quotes:

• “It's very much a year-long commitment to the members, as a joint effort between Vertafore and NetVU, to make sure that everybody's got a place. And all of these things can happen simultaneously in different rooms in different buildings. It's almost overwhelming. But I think that's what sets it apart is that it's a collaboration.” - Oliver Connor
• “The NetVU family is users, was users, will be users, right? And we're all in it together. We're just trying to find the best solution.” - Oliver Connor

To learn more about ReSource Pro, visit https://www.resourcepro.com/

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Episode Highlights:

• Mark mentions that what's really powerful about ReSource Pro and the direction they've chosen is the ability to work with retail agencies, MGAs, wholesalers, carriers, and program administrators. (1:51)
• Mark explains that the core business process management that ReSource Pro provides is helping in the development of strategy and making plans and when clients reach the execution phase, they can assist in making things real and maintaining long-term relationships with a variety of different entities. (3:51)
• Mark shares that he had the great privilege and pleasure of working with insurance entities all around the world to help them think through strategy, how they could better use technology, and what sort of capabilities they needed to put in place to be competitive and grow. (5:43)
• Mark discusses the two types of services they offer: advisory and project-based consulting. (8:08)
• Mark discusses how he sees distribution trends developing in the future. (14:45)
• Mark believes that as long as agencies continue to play a trusted adviser role and expand their tech capability, they will still be a very strong part of the market. (19:02)
• Mark explains that parametric insurance makes sense for earthquakes because it covers incidentals rather than structural damage. (21:32)
• Mark discusses how people may improve the use of data that we currently have, as well as the relationships with other stakeholders. (31:54)
• Mark explains that companies in the insurance industry purchase back their own data every day. (39:36)

Key Quotes:

• “What's really powerful about ReSource Pro, and the direction they've taken is that it will work with retail agencies and MGAs and wholesalers and carriers and program administrators, you name it. We think we're one of the only ones that really have that kind of end-to-end insight and are supporting and helping everybody in the whole ecosystem.” - Mark Breading
• “I had the great privilege and pleasure to work with insurance entities around the world, because, for most of the time, I had a global role helping them think through strategy, how they could leverage technology better, and what kind of capabilities they needed to put in place to be competitive and to grow.” - Mark Breading
• “Our Growth Solutions team has a huge impact on the retail agencies that work with them…just helping them to be more productive, to understand how to serve their policyholder clients better, how to work better with their carrier partners.” - Mark Breading

To learn more about First Connect Insurance, visit https://www.firstconnectinsurance.com/

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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Episode Highlights:

• Aviad shares that he served in Israeli Military Intelligence for 10 years, working with super smart people to solve problems using technology and resourcefulness. (4:06)
• Aviad explains that everybody has their own risk tolerance and financial needs, so it is important to consider other factors before taking a risk. (11:54)
• Aviad mentions that it is now easier than ever to set up an agency from scratch, with very few hurdles and the friction is much less than it used to be. (16:37)
• Aviad discusses how First Connect helps small to medium-sized agencies compete with direct consumers. (17:54)
• Aviad mentions that providing access to markets is one big pillar of First Connect’s strategy and execution, as well as the technology solutions. (19:49)
• Aviad mentions that First Connect has reached the exciting milestone of 70 different carriers and MGA solutions, comprised of both traditional and InsurTech startups. (36:34)
• Aviad explains that they launched a consumer-grade experience to create a slick, intuitive experience for agents to explore and find new opportunities, and saw an increase of 160% in appointment requests. (41:05)
• Aviad discusses the huge difference between an agency that attracts high net worth, policyholders and one that attracts non-standard driving non-standard auto drivers, which requires different metrics, design, office space, and marketing. (43:27)
• Aviad mentions that agents are starving for an easy and intuitive consumer-grade experience, which is what First Connect is here to offer. (52:02)

Key Quotes:

• “We are in the business of leveling the playing field, between small to medium insurance agencies, independent insurance agencies, against the loud direct to consumer, the ones that has like their own resource technology, and so on. ” - Aviad Pinkovezky
• “Providing access to markets is one big pillar of our strategy and execution. But at the same time, it's not the only one. We believe that also by providing different technology solutions and tools that allow agents to run their agency in a more efficient way, and to have online presence…those are another levers you can pull in order to create better settings for different small to medium agencies where they can compete with larger organizations that have their own technology, engineering resources and so on.” - Aviad Pinkovezky

To learn more about SIAA, visit https://www.siaa.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• James begins Episode 100 of the Agency Freedom podcast by reflecting on the last two years of podcasting and thanking the listeners for their support. (4:12)
• Matt mentions that he is a multi-generation insurance person who has been in the business for 30 years, started on the retail side, moved into the network side, and has been CEO of SIAA since 2008. (5:15)
• Matt explains that he has the best job ever because he gets to work with independent agencies with some of the biggest companies in the country, bridging the gap and bringing them together. (8:32)
• Matt mentions that the true entrepreneur finds opportunity in the middle of difficulties. (17:46)
• Matt explains that SIAA provides its membership and ecosystem with market access, compensation, and agency development services. (21:23)
• Matt believes that SIAA has greater data access than other organizations in the industry. (25:03)
• According to Matt, SIAA added 700 new agencies last year, with 200 of them coming from network acquisitions. and of the 500 new agencies they hired, roughly two-thirds are startups. (28:51)
• Matt explains that in order to build successful careers and businesses, they invest in long-term relationships with agencies. (33:51)
• Matt discusses the importance of having a contract. (42:06)
• Matt explains that when they decided to transcend the family-owned business, they considered their people, not just the SIAA employees, but the 450 people who work across all the master agencies and the member agencies that rely on them. (50:33)

Key Quotes:

• “I always tell everybody, I have the greatest job ever because I get to spend time on Main Street and working with independent agencies. But then I get to spend time on Wall Street and work with some of the largest companies in the country and bridge that gap and pull those two things together.” - Matt Masiello 
• “We do three things. For you folks, our membership, and the folks that our ecosystem, is we provide market access, we provide access to some of the best compensation out there, and we provide agency development services. All three of those things also have to know after you block and tackle have to evolve for it as well.” - Matt Masiello 
• “We are not an organization where we want people to come and go, we want to build long-term relationships with our agencies. We’re able to deliver the services and benefits on the compensation level from the carriers because it's a long-term relationship as well.” - Matt Masiello

To learn more about Christensen Group Insurance, visit https://www.christensengroup.com/.

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Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Micah shares that like most others, he got started in insurance, not by choice but for financial reasons. (4:11)
• Micah mentions that he completed a year-long training program that included everything from policy language to spending time with underwriters to learn about the operational side of things. (7:46)
• Micah discusses his experiences working at the world's largest insurance brokerage. (12:20)
• Micah explains how he realized something was lacking in his experience in terms of what he wanted in his profession. (18:49)
• Micah discusses how the Christensen Group Insurance came to be. (20:21)
• James shares what his strategy was for rebranding his agency to RiskWell. (34:17)
• Micah discusses what led him to decide to write a book on the insurance market and shares his writing process. (39:07)
• Micah mentions that the purpose of the book, The Business Insurance Playbook, is to instill confidence in buyers and make them feel confident that their agents are looking after them. (44:10)
• Micah discusses his thoughts on utilizing the book as a prop from a sales and marketing standpoint. (45:22)
• James and Micah discuss their opinions on how ChatGPT plays into the marketing side of insurance. (48:35)

Key Quotes:

• “I started to see some things I didn't know, being what an independent agent could do primarily. I could have a client for life because I could say, you know if your rates are going up with this company I can look around for you, right? I can be that true kind of agent for you.” - Micah Salas
• “The goal of the book is to instill confidence in buyers and just not to make them experts, but to make them feel confident that their agents are taking care of them, and if they're not, give them tools to find someone who will.” - Micah Salas

To learn more about The McBride agency, visit https://themcbrideagency.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Patrick discusses his background and why he values legacy. (2:29)
• Patrick believes that being a captive agent was great for him and if he hadn't been captive first, he wouldn't know what he knows now or be who he is for his clients, team, and community. (5:51)
• Patrick discusses his decision-making process in transitioning from the captive side to the independent side, as well as the training and onboarding he had before starting his own agency. (7:34)
• Patrick shares his decision to work with an aggregator and bring his whole team along for the journey, which he is very grateful for. (14:33)
• Patrick discusses their recruiting process and the factors that are important to them in ensuring an adequate match for their agency. (17:36)
• Patrick discusses the services and vendors used by The McBride Agency, as well as what made them comfortable with the services they use. (25:48)
• Patrick mentions that The McBride Agency is migrating its data and upgrading to the NowCerts and AgencyZoom combo. (28:55)
• Patrick explains what they do at The McBride Agency to stay technologically ahead of the game. (38:03)
• Patrick discusses how they produce content for social media and how they strive to make it more interesting and helpful. (42:28)

Key Quotes:

• “My clients aren't buying insurance, they're not purchasing insurance from me, they're purchasing experience for me.” - Patrick McBride
• “I think anytime technology progresses, there's an opportunity to run and hide or to grab it and run and move forward with it.” - Patrick McBride
• “If I go today, I want people to talk good about me. I want them to tell stories to my kids and my grandkids and how great I was and all those pieces. Not how great I am, but the impact I made in their lives.” - Patrick McBride

To learn more about Openly, visit https://openly.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Kimi discusses what led her to the insurance industry and her experiences along the way. (2:30)
• Kimi shares how her experience with State Farm has helped her throughout her insurance career. (8:42)
• Kimi mentions that the best part of her move to American Family Insurance was the chance to start her own agency. (11:15)
• Kimi explains that if you're leaving the captive world and going independent, it's important to keep your networks and let your referral partners know so they can continue to give you the business because you don't want those lead flows to stop. (15:22)
• Kimi believes one of the most refreshing aspects about joining Openly is that it does not feel corporate. (19:41)
• Kimi explains that it was difficult for her to secure direct appointments as a new agent with no experience as an independent agency owner, so she decided to join a cluster, which helped her and gave her network access. (27:47)
• James discusses that there is a connection between how involved you are with a group and what the daily operating benefits are. (34:55)
• Kimi advises new agents to handle agency billing by collecting payment from the insured before the policy renews and before binding it. (38:39)
• James and Kimi discuss the importance of understanding the policies that you are selling. (47:07)

Key Quotes:

• “If you're leaving the captive world and going independent, keep your networks. You want to make sure your referral partners know when you make the move so they know to continue to send you business because you don't want those lead flows to stop. Which was also why having a CRM is really important so that you can start creating your pipeline again.” - Kimi Donahue
• “I hire a coach for almost everything, you know, even down to a personal trainer, because I'm not going to necessarily push myself to the next level, you know, just by myself. So, I do rely on others to help.” - Kimi Donahue
• “There's a great tip or advice for new agents. Agency billing, make sure you collect that payment from the insured before it renews, before you bind it, all of the above. Because, agency bill means what they bill you, and they will.” - Kimi Donahue

To learn more about Workcompology, visit https://workcompology.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Stephen shares his background and how he got into the insurance industry. (2:12)
• Stephen mentions that at ADP, he learned "the answer is always yes," which has served him well in his career. (7:26)
• Stephen discusses how he started writing his book "The Work Comp Control Effect" and how he utilizes the book for marketing. (12:32)
• Stephen mentions that there is no right or wrong way to write a book and that the most important thing is that you're writing something that makes sense to you and the prospect. (19:18)
• Stephen explains that the purpose of his book was never to sell it, but rather to share the approaches that have worked best for him. (22:50)
• Stephen explains the benefits of having a workers’ comp program and how it goes far beyond the policy itself. (28:45)
• Stephen explains the major reason they chose to join Keystone over others and how working with them is a collaborative experience. (34:16)
• Stephen discusses the benefits of joining Keystone and how it has elevated its members' reputation with certain carriers and brokers. (39:02)

Key Quotes:

• “At the end of the day, you're just writing something that's going to make sense and gonna hopefully make sense to the prospect, if that's your goal.” - Stephen Sedlak
• “It's a program. It's the work comp program. And that's what we try to get our prospects to understand is that it's no longer a policy, it's a program.” - Stephen Sedlak
• “The purpose of the book [The Work Comp Control Effect] was never to sell the book…I figured if I ever sold that book for more money, you know, made more money off of selling that than I did writing new business, then I failed as a producer.” - Stephen Sedlak

Resources Mentioned:

• ModAdvisor

To learn more about Rikor, visit https://www.protectmyfranchise.com/.

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Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Wade shares about his past missionary work in the Philippines, how he met his wife, and what led him to the insurance industry. (3:33)
• Wade explains that he is very interested in innovation and making new technology that gives clients more value. (10:36)
• Wade discusses what inspired him to start Rikor, the franchise insurance compliance company. (16:48)
• Wade shares an interesting story of how, with the support of his developer, he was able to build a tech team in China. (30:58)
• Wade believes that in the last five years, with digital distribution and insurance, as well as most of the InsurTech 1.0 that has come out, many have lost sight of the fact that business is really about trust. (35:22) 
• Wade explains that they provide a consultancy service to franchisors and assist them in establishing the right insurance needs for the whole brand to protect their brand from reputational damage and unintentional exposure. (36:22)
• Wade mentions that Rikor provides free software insurance verification because they believe they can monetize it in a different manner. (37:33)
• Wade shares that he changed all of his company's insurance language because he believes language has power and influence and he didn't want to be a traditional shop. (39:45)

Key Quotes:

• “I was very interested in innovation and creating technology to be able to differentiate ourselves and to provide value to customers.” - Wade Millward
• “Hard times make strong men and what that requires you to do is to adapt and to innovate.” - Wade Millward
• “I've changed all the language. I don't use Account Executive, I don't use CSR. I believe language has power and influence. And so, I didn't want to be a traditional shop. I didn't want to be a traditional insurance agency. And so all the language is different.” - Wade Millward

To learn more about Shoemaker Insurance Solutions, visit https://www.shoemakerins.com/.

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Episode Highlights:

• Dane shares his background and how he got into the insurance profession. (2:32)
• Dane mentions that Shoemaker Insurance has three divisions: commercial, personal lines, and group benefits which are part of the financial planning firm, which has been around for 35-40 years. (4:52)
• Dane explains that their financial planning clients make up about 35% of their personal lines book. (6:55)
• Dane shares what he learned when faced with managing a very large account. (15:35)
• Dane talks about their growth path and how Shoemaker Insurance has continued to learn and adapt to new areas of opportunity. (20:08)
• Dane explains the steps that are taken if Shoemaker Insurance has a producer that is not very competent. (23:37)
• Dane discusses how his local podcast got started and what inspired him to launch Key Exchanges in the 901. (28:19)
• Dane shares the process of having introspective moments while launching his podcast. (32:49)
• Dane considers insurance as the vehicle via which he is able to interact with, be around, be involved with, and love people well. (45:14)

Key Quotes:

• “It's been unique to see that that's been kind of our organization's path and how we've consistently found this is new problem, a new struggle for us to try to overcome. Let's see how we do it. And it's going well, I'm excited about the growth .” - Dane Williams
• “I'm grateful to get to consume it all, let alone be a part and be friends with so many of you guys, because I know I am a drastically better insurance agent because of time spent with a lot of you guys even though you don't realize you were spending time with me.” - Dane Williams
• “I love people and insurance is the vehicle that allows me to interact and be around and be involved and love people well.” - Dane Williams

To learn more about Adjunct Advisors, visit https://www.adjunctadvisors.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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Episode Highlights:

• Meg discusses the importance of personal development and self-exploration, which led her to build a successful consulting career and helped her to create opportunities for others. (4:21)
• Meg shares how she struggled with being out of alignment in her traditional insurance job and how taking a year off to reevaluate and realign with her values led her to entrepreneurship. (8:05)
• Meg mentions the importance of energy alignment and cultural fit in hiring and leveraging existing strengths to attract and retain employees. (17:21)
• Meg discusses the changing nature of leadership in organizations, with a move towards more collaboration and buy-in from team members, driven by a younger generation of employees who grew up in a more collaborative environment. (22:14)
• Meg explains the need to support and empower women in sales who are seeking more challenge, opportunity, and money, rather than assuming they are content in administrative service roles. (27:42)
• Meg mentions that curiosity and humility are important in achieving progress toward a larger goal. (31:21)
• Meg discusses her experience as an entrepreneur and emphasizes the importance of perseverance and adaptability in overcoming challenges. (35:40)

Key Quotes:

• “One of the things I've learned along the way is that we spend a lot of time and energy trying to be what we're not. And when we really sit with and honor who we are, that's when the magic happens.” - Meg McKeen
• “I believe one of the greatest missed opportunities in our business is the relationship that we have with ourselves, and really the deep understanding of who we are and what we stand for. And how we want to show up in this business is something that we are not taught as professionals.” - Meg McKeen
• “There are women who are craving more, more challenge, more opportunity, more money, but aren't being presented with the opportunities to get there and I think that's where we really get hung up. There are definitely plenty of people that are happy with the role that they have and don't aspire for other things. But I think we need to focus on the ones who are on the move." - Meg McKeen

To learn more about Catalyst Insurance Group, visit https://www.catalystinsgrp.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• James shares how he and J.C. Wogomon met in Phoenix in April 2021. (2:03)
• J.C. explains that when he originally considered creating Catalyst Insurance Group, he had approximately a six-month runway, so the first thing he did was jump on as many podcasts as he could find. (3:00)
• J.C. discusses his beginnings and how he got into the insurance industry. (5:00)
• J.C. believes that the first two years of his insurance job were a learning process, but he is now confident in his ability to deliver. (14:56)
• J.C. discusses the most important lessons he learned as a captive agent. (21:39)
• James believes that there is a significant difference between being a professional salesman and being a hustler and higher-value prospects can detect when you are operating at a different level than your colleagues. (27:19)
• J.C. explains that the word Catalyst is derived from the idea of a condition, event, or person that has resulted in a significant change. (29:40)
• J.C. mentions that when he launched his agency, he had no perspective and that he would go into things without any preconceived ideas of how things should be other than what he learned on a podcast. (36:55)
• J.C. explains that their website is more than simply a digital brochure that visitors may peruse, it's truly an asset and tool in their agency that they utilize every day. (47:13)

Key Quotes:

• “When I opened my agency, I had no perspective. And that was a blessing and a curse, right? I would go into things with no preconceived ideas of how it should be. Other than what I listened to on the podcast, that's how I've been able to build my agency the way that I built it, is learning from others.” - J.C. Wogomon
• “I would think in the way insurance is delivered to the customer has been probably the most dynamic eight-year gap in the history of our industry as far as the evolution of technology.” - J.C. Wogomon
• “I use our website, it's not just a digital brochure that people can go look at, it's literally an asset and tool in our agency that we use on a daily basis. We have so many internal forms hosted on our website that are internal facing for us to use so that we can input the information so that it'll digitally zap over to the other platforms that we're using.” - J.C. Wogomon

To learn more about California Flood Insurance, visit https://californiafloodinsurance.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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Episode Highlights:

• Aaron discusses how his agency initially planned to get homeowners insurance and how they ended up with a private flood program. (4:09)
• Aaron explains what a syndicate is and how Lloyds works. (10:45)
• James mentions that one of these days he'll find someone high up at Lloyds willing to go on a podcast episode. (13:07)
• Aaron explains that the broker's duty is to constantly run around to all the syndicates and have individuals lined up ready to drop their line down to add aggregate. (18:29)
• Aaron explains how he came up with the concept for Top Dog Pet Insurance and how he got Bradley Flower’s attention. (26:26)
• Aaron mentions that, for the agents, Top Dog Pet Insurance is simple, timely, the commission is good and they are not connected to any other carrier. (28:57)
• Aaron shares that Top Dog Pet Insurance provides clients with a unique URL that they can place on their website, in a marketing campaign, and in a welcome package, and the customer can quote and bind themselves while the agent is still paid a commission. (30:22)
• Aaron explains that the service on the pet insurance is fantastic because there is a vet chat available 24/7 or they can phone in. (31:29)
• Aaron shares that in the first two weeks, they had well over 100 individuals sign up. (33:27)
• Aaron mentions that he is looking for someone who writes a large policy out of pet insurance. (36:48)
• Aaron expresses his willingness to assist anyone in the business, young or old, who may need advice. (39:16)

Key Quotes:

• “The service on this pet thing is tremendous. So, agents can feel very confident that if their customer calls in and needs help, their customer is going to be, ‘Wow, this was fantastic’. Because there's a 24/7 vet chat, or they can call in. And the agent doesn't have to do any service.” - Aaron Farmer
• “I got a lot of help through the last 24 years of being an agent…there's people always willing, that gave to me, that didn't have to, and I want to feel that I can give. This isn't about you know, selling anything. If I can give any advice, please just reach out. I'd be you know, I'd be honored to help anyone… young or old in the business.” - Aaron Farmer

To learn more about California Flood Insurance, visit https://californiafloodinsurance.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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Episode Highlights:

• Aaron discusses how he got his start in the insurance industry and shares that he has a soft spot in his heart for farmers. (5:10)
• James discusses the benefits of an independent agency vs a captive agency. (8:08)
• Aaron shares that he had a bit of an advantage that most people don't have, and that is that he had gotten into the private flood game and used private flood to write homeowners. (13:56)
• Aaron believes that most agents nowadays are unconcerned about losses or the failure of a company. (21:18)
• Aaron explains why it is important for any agent, particularly younger agents, to consider becoming a business owner after they have chosen to stop working as an insurance agent. (25:12)
• Aaron mentions that one advantage of his farmer's contract was that he could put business outside of farmers if it didn't fit. (32:16)
• Aaron shares that he just re-entered the contracting market with a live company that does some very fascinating InsurTech-type things with life. (38:16)
• Aaron explains that life insurance has many challenging issues, but there are many resources and you can bring in experts, if needed. (42:54)
• Aaron discusses several technologically advanced and inventive projects he's working with. (43:42)

Key Quotes:

•  “I believe you can be successful. It doesn't matter, independent, captive, there are successful people everywhere.” - Aaron Farmer
•  “I feel like it's our duty as agents, we should be talking to people about life insurance, it's important.” - Aaron Farmer
• “There are a lot of complex issues that could be solved with life insurance, but someone just needs to tell them. And someone needs to hold their hand. And there are a lot of resources. So you don't even have to be 100% expert, you can just bring the experts in, right?” - Aaron Farmer

To learn more about Limit, visit https://www.limit.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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Episode Highlights:

• John explains that Limit is a digital wholesale insurance brokerage that innovates to bring retail brokers and independent agents insurance coverage quicker, smarter, and cheaper. (3:02)
• Shea mentions that their team is made up of proper tech masters from the big tech shops of the world who know how to code, develop, and build, and also world-class insurance professionals who have been in the industry for 15 to 20 years. (4:24)
• Shea discusses the responsibilities and backgrounds of each Limit co-founder, and how they came up with the idea for Limit. (7:38)
• Shea explains how Limit differs from other companies and why they emphasize agent empowerment. (15:57)
• Shea explains what the Limit Platform is and how it saves agents time. (18:22)
• John mentions that Limit can compete on commission and that technology allows them to automate a large portion of the type of behind-the-scenes work (29:30)
• Shea explains that they are developing an excellent ability to analyze price and market trends by product, company size, industry, and by amount of limit being purchased. (36:17)
• Shea believes that one of the unique aspects of working on a technical product is that it constantly reminds us that we are still in the early stages of quicker, better, and cheaper insurance transactions. (39:50)
• Shea shares their thoughts on the possibility that embedded distribution provides the marketplace, and what Limit is going to do to help merchants who want to explore more efficient ways to provide solutions to their clients. (44:00)

Key Quotes:

• “We believe that unfortunately, the agent who's the best at building those relationships, and trust and understanding, they're inundated with compliance and regulation and repetitive rope business processes. And we want them to spend all their time and energy building trust and building relationships and building custom insurance programs to protect businesses across the country.” - Shea McNamara
• “Agents are our first and foremost, our most important customer. Our second most important customer is our carrier partners. ” - Shea McNamara
• “One of the special things about getting to work on a kind of technical product is that it always underscores everywhere that these are just like the early days, right? These are the early days of faster, better, cheaper insurance transactions.” - Shea McNamara

To learn more about Coverager, visit https://coverager.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Shefi shares her background story and experience in the insurance industry. (3:32)
• Shefi discusses her experiences as an insurance professional in Israel. (5:58)
• Sheffi explains how Israel's insurance industry deals with terrorism and why she migrated to America. (16:26)
• Shefi mentions that working for a startup company that sold technology software to independent agents brought her to the United States. (20:07)
• Shefi discusses how she made the choice to leave the carrier side and focus her career on Coverager. (25:16)
• Shefi shares what led her to start Coverager, an online newsletter and database that creates and curates coverage on the most pressing topics relevant to the insurance industry. (31:54)
• Shefi mentions that Coverager has a lot of automated technologies, which allows them to be a small team while still being integrated and aware of what everyone is doing. (40:32)
• Shefi mentions that when individuals start businesses, they need to pay attention to how they grow, who they market to, and how they acquire their audience. (42:29)
• Shefi explains that InsurTech is a mindset and embedded insurance is a strategy. (46:45)
• Shefi discusses advocating for the independent agent channel to better use embedded as a distribution category and conduct activities in the embedded space inside an independent agency office. (53:53)

Key Quotes:

• “I found my meaning with Coverager because I find my meaning with being able to influence what people think and what they do. And it really feels like we're at the center of InsurTech. And there's so much innovation around us.” - Shefi Ben-Hutta
• “You have to do what others are not doing. In insurance, it's pay to play. ” - Shefi Ben-Hutta
• “It doesn't matter what you do once in a while. It matters what you do every day.” - Shefi Ben-Hutta

Check out Ryan's passion project, Finding Peak, at www.findingpeak.com.

Check out Ryan's agency, Rogue Risk, at www.roguerisk.com.

If you're interested in learning more about the SIAA opportunity for you and your agency, email me or message me on FB.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Ryan compares what it took to launch a podcast in 2011 to what it takes now. (3:38)
• Ryan mentions that speaking through the filters of what he has learned in the insurance industry helps him to catch a very wide audience outside of insurance while simultaneously speaking to the insurance industry. (6:15)
• Ryan discusses what an RSS feed is and how difficult it was to create things that people today take for granted. (8:08)
• Ryan believes that people's most valuable asset is attention and that what we focus on, determines who we become. (20:35)
• Ryan explains that the next step up from the unhireable entrepreneur is someone who can operate with an entrepreneurial spirit inside a bigger business, a family of organizations, or a network of partnerships. (29:01)
• Ryan mentions that one of the most exciting aspects of the insurance industry today is that it is gaining more business owners and fewer agency owners every day. (36:08)
• Ryan shares that being acquired by SIAA was the single finest business decision he has ever made, and that appointing Michael Blake as his CRO was the second-best business decision he has ever made. (38:45)
• Ryan mentions that one of the factors that contributed to part of his career success is that he takes little joy in personal success. (45:05)
• Ryan discusses what made him decide to be affiliated with SIAA. (53:44)
• Ryan explains why he prefers to think and act as a business owner rather than as an agency owner. (58:10)

Key Quotes:

• “What I did was basically use a talk to a broader audience, but talk through the filters of what I was learning in the insurance industry. And that allowed me to capture a very broad audience beyond just insurance, but also speak to the insurance industry at the same time.” - Ryan Hanley
• “One of the most exciting things for me about the current state of the insurance industry is that we are adding more and more business owners and less and less agency owners every day.” - Ryan Hanley
• “You have to have an ego to be the best at something. But at the same time, you can't allow that ego to stop you from being the best because it can be both the superpower and kryptonite at the exact same time.” - Ryan Hanley

To learn more about Launch, visit www.getlaunch.io

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Elliot discusses how Ellerbrock-Norris got started, and what prompted them to build out three separate divisions of the company to answer client needs. (3:29)
• Elliot shares that Ellerbrock-Norris has about 65 team members located across four Nebraska sites and that they are working to get more niche. (6:12)
• Elliot mentions that Ellerbrock-Norris operates in a highly team-oriented environment, with each team member playing a specific role within the team structure. (10:04)
• Elliot shares the idea behind Getting Past the Premium podcast and discusses its sales process series. (14:20)
• Elliot mentions the need to educate customers and prospects since they are unfamiliar with the industry. (21:48)
• Elliot explains why they created the Launch software platform and how it fills a significant industry need. (26:26)
• Elliot discusses how Launch can be utilized in the sales process to give clients an objective risk score and show them visually their deficiencies so that you can easily build out a client plan. (29:12)
• Elliot shares that people can learn more about the Launch platform at getlaunch.io. (31:23)
• Elliot explains that soft markets may hide a lot of faults in agencies, but hard markets require you to show value since you can't control the insurance price. (38:52)
• Elliot discusses ownership and obligation in carrying on a family-owned company legacy. (45:55)

Key Quotes:

• “Launch digitizes that entire process that we've been talking about, the sales process series that you discussed and it's taking that assessment-based model, putting it into a software system that makes it super easy to walk through, it gives you an objective risk score. So when you go through that assessment with your client, you're asking all these questions, and they're actually going to get a score on a scale from zero to 1000.” - Elliott Bassett
• “Soft markets can hide a lot of deficiencies when it comes to agencies because you know, it can be easy, the clients are saving money or they're not spending any more money and you know, that can be easy to hide behind. Hard markets are much different, you have to be showing value, because you can't control what that insurance price is going to do. So the client has to be able to see value in your relationship.” - Elliott Bassett
• “The worst thing you can do is bring a prospect on as a client that doesn't align with your process, your relationship, your value prop, because you're gonna be upside down that client from day one.” - Elliott Bassett

To hear more from Charles, visit his show at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/millionaire-insurance-producer/id1567947856

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Charles shares that he coaches insurance agents and works with insurance businesses and that he enjoys the opportunity to help people. (3:30)
• Charles believes that around 50% of the businesses who engage him do not want to leave their agent and make it plain that they do not want to transfer agents; they only want to ensure that they are getting the best deal. (6:16)
• Charles discusses the two most important things an incumbent can do to save their seat and go in the right direction. (9:08)
• Charles mentions that the majority of his clients hire him on an annual retainer and he works with their agents, but approximately 25% hire him and never have him speak with their agent. (14:47)
• Charles explains a few things that the competing agent may do to improve his or her chances of getting the incumbent dismissed. (17:12)
• Charles mentions that his main concern when it comes to the idea of bringing in competing agents in the bid process is not to muddy the water. (22:25)
• Charles explains that the concept of the final look is one of the reasons he has a consultancy company. (28:13)
• Charles mentions the importance of having open communication with the insured on how the whole process will operate, what you will accept, and what you will not allow. (31:25)
• Charles discusses another factor to consider when thinking about how to win business. (39:22)
• Charles shares why 2023 will be an exciting year for him and his company. (47:25)

Key Quotes:

• “My main focus, when it comes to the renewal of bringing in competing agents in the bid process, is to not muddy the water. And I tell the agents that if any of my markets get a double submission from you, we will take all the markets away from you and give it back to the incumbent.” - Charles Specht
• “The last thing I'm ever going to allow to happen is an incumbent agent who has no plan and will not represent my account to the wholesale market. It is a different world altogether.” - Charles Specht
• “The standard markets are good at writing what they want to write, they are terrible at writing things outside of their normal appetite hitlist.” - Charles Specht

Resources Mentioned:

• Charles Specht LinkedIn
• Millionaire Insurance Producer Podcast

For this episode, James welcomes Bradley Flowers and Scott Howell, co-hosts of the Insurance Guys Podcast.

To sign up for their One City World Tour in Austin, TX on January 18-19, 2023 visit www.onecityworldtour.com and use the promo code "agencyfreedom" at sign up.

To reach Bradley and Scott directly, email bradley@portalinsurance.com or scott@iprotectinsurance.com.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Bradley discusses The Insurance Guys Podcast, how it got started, and what the podcast's hook is. (6:04)
• Bradley believes that people should create content around their passions, and that podcasting is a great way to do it. (9:51)
• Scott and Bradley explain that consistency is the key to having more than 300 episodes and that skipping an episode for a week is a good litmus test to see how many people are waiting for that show to drop. (13:29)
• Bradley mentions that he and Scott often batch record, putting them months ahead of schedule. (16:41)
• Scott explains that his sole focus is to provide outstanding material every Wednesday at 6:00 a.m. (27:23)
• According to James, many absolute rockstars are hidden in plain sight, and Vonda Copeland, who has 9 offices with over 50 employees, is one of them. (30:26)
• Bradley explains that, from a content viewpoint, it is becoming easier for non-content producers to generate content, therefore if you want to be an elite content generator, you must elevate your game. (50:14)
• Scott shares that One City World Tour is bringing in speakers from all over the country to offer real, tactical, “go back to your office and implement this type of” material. (58:21)
• James commends the people of Florida for passing special session legislation that limits the assignment of benefits. (1:03:51)

Key Quotes:

• “Back when we started, we were the only show that the podcast wasn't a funnel to get you into some sort of coaching or training or something of that nature. The podcast is the product. So, therefore, we can leave it all out on the field, per se.” - Bradley Flowers
• “I always wanted the opportunity to start something where we could help other agents get better every single week.” - Scott Howell
•  “If you want to be an elite content creator, you've got to step your game up.” - Bradley Flowers

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• James explains that there are two types of podcasts: those that are focused on the industry, and those that are focused on the local community. (2:26)
• James explains that starting a podcast is fun if you have the right personality. (5:45)
• James mentions that podcasting is a great way to meet interesting and successful individuals. (7:08)
• James explains that female hosts have a wide-open lane in the podcasting business. (10:46)
• James discusses the importance of developing a niche for one's podcast. (11:55)
• James believes that the pre-launch checklist and the first 50 episodes can really be a large bucket of things that you must accomplish if you want to have a great podcast. (16:24)
• James explains that before you do anything else, you must determine who your target audience is and be as specific as possible. (22:23)
• James discusses the importance of having a concept and a unique approach for the podcast. (25:13)
• James discusses that if your audio is bad, your content will fail to connect with your audience. (26:16)
• James discusses the significance of hiring help for podcast editing, production, and distribution across all major podcast platforms, and recommends Fiverr and Podsquad.fm. (28:17)
• James explains that whatever your timetable is for when you record and when you release your episodes, make it the same every week, bi-weekly, or monthly since you need to batch as many episodes as possible. (30:00)
• James explains why it is good to form a community of other podcasters. (37:14)
• James discusses the significance of determining your mission and end game. (40:55)

Key Quotes:

• “Depending on your focus, the podcast can be very good for business especially for doing a local one, if you're doing one for your niche.” - James Jenkins
• “If you're going to do a podcast, you really need to figure out how in the world are you going to be different? How are you going to be unique? How are you going to add some kind of flavor, some kind of spice to the zeitgeist.” - James Jenkins
• “Being mindful of your audio and your video is a very good way to gain more traction faster. Your content has to be great but if your audio sounds terrible, your content is going to have a hard time connecting with your audience. ” - James Jenkins

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• James shares the story of how he lost two large accounts for his agency. (2:20)
• James discusses the backstory of the hotel account they had at Riskwell as well as the issues they had with the account. (4:17)
• James mentions that one of the issues they faced after writing all of the regulations was that they didn't ask all of the proper questions during discovery. (11:18)
• James explains that you get what you allow; if you allow bad behavior from an insured, they will continue to act that way since they don't care about you. (15:34)
• James explains that the second account they lost was a roofing company that they had for three years. (20:46)
• James discusses how they lost the roofing account and the important lessons they learned from the experience. (23:17)
• James discusses the importance of staying in contact with your VIP clients and being informed of internal changes. (25:51)
• James mentions that there is a big difference between a loss and a failure, and as long as you are successfully learning from a loss, it doesn't become a failure. (28:03)
• James reveals that in 2023, the Agency Freedom podcast will have a podcaster series of episodes, with guests from throughout the industry who have their own podcasts. (28:47)

Key Quotes:

• “My success at Riskwell, and our growth that is way above average, does not mean that we are immune in any way to making ridiculous blunders and lapses in judgment.” - James Jenkins
• “Having these conversations once a quarter, biannually, whatever it happens to be…if you're asking the questions about the staff, and the strategy, and the direction, the operations, then you're going to get more insight than if you're just staying in insurance land.” - James Jenkins
• “As long as you are successfully learning from a loss, it doesn't become a failure.” - James Jenkins

To learn more about Richardson Insurance, visit https://www.insurewithrichardson.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Mike shares that he is the fourth generation in their family agency and after reviving the agency, they consider themselves a 90-year-old startup. (3:30)
• Erin shares that she just celebrated her 20th year in the insurance industry, and that before joining Mike at the agency, she worked on the carrier side in claims and underwriting. (4:07)
• Mike shares his difficulties in moving from the stone age of genuine file cabinets to the current day. (8:57)
• Erin and Mike explain the vibe and culture of their agency, where everything is lead-driven, they work in teams and don't have outside producers. (11:04)
• Mike shares that they are heavily involved with real estate agents and mortgage brokers, like many personal lines agencies, and in the customer experience for their partners and customers in terms of finding prospects. (12:07)
• Mike mentions that it took them a long time to figure out how engaged they want to be in all transactions. (18:03)
• Mike shares that they just switched away from Active Campaign to Automate 365 since it is directly linked to NowCerts. (20:49)
• Mike and Erin discuss how they differentiate themselves in a competitive market and how they ensure their staff is confident in the product they're providing. (25:48)
• Erin shares that she has been President of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce for a few years and has come to know many of the companies and individuals in town through that role. (27:45)
• Mike explains that their overall goal is to humanize insurance and make the insurance side of things more efficient so that they can focus on relationships. (30:12)
• Mike and Erin discuss what type of advice they would offer themselves if they were just starting out. (45:12)

Key Quotes:

• “We believe in team and doing things together. We don't have individual agents that are handling things, and we don't actually have any outside producers. Everything's done by inbound leads.” - Mike Richardson
• “We have gotten our team’s buy-in too and we're very open and candid with them about what our mission is, and who our ideal clients are. And, we’ve funneled down in our office, the types of insurance and the types of clients that we're going to write. And so it makes their jobs a lot easier.” - Erin Richardson
• “We just tried to do things to stand out and be different. So, if everyone's doing a happy hour, we're going the other way. We're trying to find something different to do that, that these people want to get out and do.” - Mike Richardson

To learn more about One Agents Alliance, visit https://www.oneagentsalliance.net/

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

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Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Tony shares how he started his own business when he was ten and went into the insurance business after completing his political career. (2:45)
• Tony explains that future successful independent agents will have a much deeper and richer understanding of their clients and customers. (9:13)
• Tony mentions that independent agencies should stop thinking of themselves as a service organization and start thinking of themselves as sales organization that takes care of the service needs of their clients and customers. (14:25)
• Tony explains that agents must recognize and understand that they cannot serve everyone and cannot compete with algorithms to stay ahead of the competition. (19:45)
• Tony mentions that Covid enabled people to be more comfortable in having face-to-face conversations using technology and that things will get easier in the future as technology advances. (25:49)
• Tony discusses how having a telepresence robot aided him and allowed him to work from anywhere in the world while remaining in the office remotely. (31:29)
• Tony believes that those who experiment, fail, learn from their mistakes, and never give up are the ones that will be successful in the future. (41:27)
• Tony believes that one of the keys to success is to envision your future, make a decision, set a goal, and believe that the universe will align to provide you with what you seek. (46:20)
• Tony advises business people to stay focused on assisting clients and customers to do better in the future than they have in the past. (52:59) 

Key Quotes:

• "What we really are focused on is helping develop people taking their skill sets, whatever those may be, and helping them to build a successful agency, successful businesses with their unique skill sets, along with all of the tools and techniques and opportunities that we can bring to the table from a larger both regional and national organization." - Tony Caldwell 
• "I think that technology is bringing back the opportunity to take the drudgery out of some of the work that we do, giving us free time to spend more time building relationships. And so, I think the future of independent agents is very bright, but I think it's different." - Tony Caldwell 
• "Agents have to begin to think both more broadly from a geographical perspective, but also more narrowly, from the standpoint of becoming real experts in something and focusing on that rather than trying to be all things to all people. And I think that's the recipe for success in the future." - Tony Caldwell

To learn more about Copeland Insurance Agency, visit https://www.copelandins.com/

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Vonda discusses how she got into the insurance industry and mentions that everyone seems to have a strange story about how they got into the industry. (3:10)
• Vonda shares what it is like working in an agency with her husband and mentions that despite having both strong personalities, they are able to figure out things and meet in the middle. (15:27)
• Vonda explains that a checklist is important to make sure that important details are not missed and better understand missed opportunities. (20:09)
• Vonda emphasizes the significance of running credit reports and offers some examples of what might go wrong with your quotes if you do not pay attention to them. (28:11)
• Vonda shares how they use automation effectively in their agency and where it should not be used. (33:56)
• Vonda explains that Copeland Insurance Agency caters to different types of markets including custom harvesters, people in the fire field, and main street businesses. (38:14)
• Vonda mentions that she will not be starting a podcast anytime soon because she is currently redoing their tech stack. (42:48)
• Vonda discusses the benefits of using Agency Zoom, including its ease of use. (46:57)
• Vonda mentions that Copeland Insurance has some really great personal lines tools right now, and ModAdvisor has been a huge improvement for them. (52:03)

Key Quotes:

• "I'm kind of like the technology nerd. I love trying out new things. If anybody ever wants to beta test a program, I'm all in. - Vonda Copeland 
• "I'm also really a stickler on, you do the do’s and don’t do the don'ts. And if you don't do the do's or do the don'ts, then you know, that's when the disciplinary teacher comes out." - Vonda Copeland

To learn more about RD Advisory Group, visit https://rdadvisorygroup.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• James explains that the goal of this episode is to provide context and practical insight into the topic of strategic planning and annual reviews. (2:30)
• Roe discusses how they would advise someone to begin getting their minds around the strategic planning and review process. (4:16)
• Roe and Don discuss the first stage in the process of developing a strategic plan. (9:18)
• Roe shares that Agency CFO utlizes the Big I Best Practices Study to benchmark their agencies against their peers. (19:09)
• Don discusses what an agency owner should do if they have never created a financial plan to determine where travel expenditures, employee benefits expenses, and dues and subscriptions go. (20:15)
• According to Roe, producer compensation should be done right from the start since it is difficult to adjust producer compensation after it has started. (29:15)
• Don shares that the annual Big I Best Practices Study recommends paying producers 33% of what they produce.
• Don shares that he believes that the insurance industry's greatest weakness is prospect pipeline management. (34:48)
• James recaps the importance of knowing your numbers, categorizing the money that you are spending, making wise selections with your tech stack, and getting a handle on your funnel. (47:39)
• James shares that the Agency CFO program has been fantastic for his agency. (53:46)

Key Quotes:

• “If you put yourself on the market, whatever market value is, you should pay yourself out. Plus, at the end of the day, at the end of the year, your agency should show a 25% profit margin.” - Don Polczynski
• “Here's another pro tip - producer compensation. You’ve got to get that right from the onset. I am not about absolutes. This is one of those absolute moments. It is impossible to change producer comp after the fact.” - Roe Polczynski
• “What do we not excel at as an industry? Prospect pipeline management.” - Don Polczynski

Resources mentioned: 

• Big I Best Practices Study

To learn more about KilGO Insurance, visit https://kilgoinsurance.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Jason shares his background and how he started KilGO Insurance. (3:33)
• Jason shares that he doesn't regret anything because all the jumps he's made have made him a better agency owner. (5:53)
• Jason mentions that Geico does extremely well when it comes to the training processes for coaches and supervisors and he tries to replicate that in his agency. (6:17)
• Jason discusses the difference between selling on price versus selling on value. (10:19)
• Jason mentions that his sales process involves leading with umbrella and he had to sell his team on the concept by providing the data to back it up. (31:20)
• Jason explains that most of the objections he gets to umbrella insurance policies are from the people who live check to check and don't have the money for it but need it most. (32:34)
• Jason explains that crazy and tragic things do happen and emphasizes the importance of having insurance. (38:17)
• Jason explains that an agency should figure out how to step out of the crowd and find out what makes them different from the rest. (40:21)
• Jason shares how they compete in the marketplace with channel partners like realtors and loan officers and those selling on price. (45:00)
• Jason explains that he doesn't mind getting a 1-star review because this is the way people will know that they are real. (52:26)
• Jason explains that he loves to talk with other agency owners and discuss how their sales process works. (1:00:00)

Key Quotes:

• "We've got to make sure people have an umbrella policy. And I know, we're not going to be 100% close on that. But we need to make sure people understand if they don't get it, why they're not getting it? What are they missing by not having that policy?" - Jason Kilgo
• “Our mission is helping people live life confidently through insurance." - Jason Kilgo
• "I think right now, you’ve got to reach, you’ve got to dig in. And don't give up, don't get down. Don't think the world is coming to an end like a lot of people are thinking about." - Jason Kilgo

To learn more about Imperial PFS, visit https://www.ipfs.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Davie shares a bit about his background and what led him to IPFS. (5:30)
• Davie mentions that the goal for agents is to get to a point where the outbound effort turns to inbound. (10:46)
• Davie explains that he didn't realize how great IPFS was until he became a part of it. (16:35)
• Davie shares the elements that make IPFS feel like a family business. (18:18)
• Davie explains that great leadership is your internal people who work for you and your clients that have also become great business partners. (22:53)
• Davie explains that IPFS has wrestled with what approach will do well in terms of naming and branding. (29:13)
• Davie shares the solution they came up with to solve payment problems for their customers. (31:57)
• Davie mentions that he doesn't mind talking about differences between their company and their competitors. (37:57)
• Davie shares why IPFS has always been the technology leader in the insurance premium finance space. (45:39)

Key Quotes:

• "You have to find that balance between maintaining reputation, maintaining excellence, and also staying relevant. And, you can't ever lose what got you there. You can't ever lose the hunger. You can't ever lose the drive." - Davie Holt
• "I have never ever gotten business or protected business that we've had, by saying just negative things about a person that worked for another company, or a company itself. But I also don't shy away from talking about the differences between our company and our competitors, either." - Davie Holt
• “We all, that are insurance professionals, licensed non-licensed vendors, carriers, whatever, we all have an obligation to try to make this industry better." - Davie Holt

To learn more about The Unstoppable Profit Producers, visit https://unstoppableprofitproducer.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Mike shares his background story and what led him to create The Unstoppable Profit Producers. (3:45)
• Mike discusses the need for leadership, leadership training, and other types of training in independent insurance agencies. (6:41)
• Mike mentions that if somebody is interested in investing in strong leadership skills, he could recommend the Hero's Journey Leadership Program, which he believes is a game changer. (9:44)
• Mike explains that feeding the mind with the right things is important because what we choose to put into our minds can make or break us. (14:23)
• Mike explains the idea of the Be Unstoppable Bootcamp 2022 event and how much they believe in what they're doing. (18:54)
• Mike believes that feeling comfortable with being uncomfortable is crucial because nothing grows in the comfort zone. (21:19)
• Mike mentions that he is well aware that finding excellent people is difficult in today's society, which is why they've developed systems focused on people, processes, and promotion to assist individuals in finding those excellent people. (23:45)
• Mike explains why core values are important for any business. (33:10)
• Mike reminds the listeners that people will always miss 100% of the shots that they do take. (54:11)

Key Quotes:

• “My encouragement if you're a leader in today's business world, insurance agency, industry, or otherwise, become a better leader and find a way to get into a program, invest in yourself to become a better leader.” - Mike Stromsoe
• “In the comfort zone, nothing grows…because everything's comfortable. You’ve got to get comfortable being uncomfortable.” - Mike Stromsoe
• “Culture eats strategy and everything else for breakfast and if you get a weak link or something goes sour within the orchard, if you will, unfortunately, sometimes you need to cut it.” - Mike Stromsoe

To learn more about Cover Your SaaS, visit https://coveryoursaas.io/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Abe shares the story of how Cover Your SaaS got started. (3:55)
• Abe explains that they are leading in cyber because they sell the cyber risk report and also build trust by providing a complete package of what the client needs. (7:46)
• Abe shares how he was able to choose David, Ciara, and Chris to partner with him. (11:18)
• Abe mentions that they will be launching their own podcast soon, on which they will interview SaaS founders and CEOs. (20:17)
• Abe explains that the biggest challenge they are currently facing, is the number of expectations with their prospects. (27:14)
• Abe discusses the company's current focus as a retail agency, but envisions an MGA or wholesale approach in the future. (32:13)
• Abe explains that he is confident in marketing and sales because of his background in selling. (37:27)
• Abe shares the process of how he pitches potential clients. (41:11)
• Abe explains that the market and the space are complicated because venture capital and private equity are pulling the levers. (51:13)
• Abe advises listeners to make that jump to independence, as there is a lot of potential in the independent agency space. (55:28) 

Key Quotes:

• "I kind of just had this epiphany that I've sold software to insurance agencies, why not sell insurance to software companies?" - Abe Gibson
• "We're really primarily just talking about cyber. And when we have that conversation from a risk management perspective, we're not really talking much about insurance. We're building enough trust. Because we're leading with that cyber risk report in that consultative risk management approach, that we can just present to them a complete package that includes all the lines of business that they need." - Abe Gibson
• "I feel blessed to have the background that I do, I kind of knew the big players and who I need to talk to you. But, it was still extremely challenging. So I empathize a lot with people that are starting to scratch agencies, because it's very confusing and very cumbersome." - Abe Gibson

To learn more about The Simmons Insurance Group, visit https://www.simmons-insurance.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Jacob shares his backstory and what he is doing now at The Simmons Insurance Group. (2:31)
• Jacob talks about his relationships with his father-in-law and how he and his brother-in-law came to take over the family business. (6:32)
• Jacob explains that it took them several approaches, including organic production, partner networks, and agency acquisitions, to grow the business from $3 million to $10 million. (10:47)
• Jacob believes that it is important for the agency owner to be the production leader in the first $2 million of revenue but after that, the owner should move out of selling to allow for more growth, (16:43)
• Jacob explains that certain things happen along a business's lifecycle that empowers its growth. (22:24)
• Jacob elaborates on how to maximize the value of your business by bringing something special to the table, like market segments. (27:30)
• Jacob explains that your finances are the score that is kept on your performance, which is what people recruit for. (34:18)
• Jacob shares that he is passionate about family businesses and that more content and supports for family businesses in the insurance industry especially. (35:58)
• Jacob mentions what he has planned for his keynote for Innovation22. (40:25)
• Jacob explains that valuing the business that you're going to acquire correctly and understanding the drivers that other people may be looking at is an important step toward acquiring a business. (43:40)

Key Quotes:

• “In my mind, it's that that $2 million revenue hump is the first major hump to get over, and getting out of selling is really the kind of the most tactical way to move your business to the next level." - Jacob Neighbors
• "As every business grows and becomes successful, there are certain things that happen along the lifecycle of a business that continues to empower its growth." - Jacob Neighbors
• "Valuing your business appropriately is really critical for scaling it. Because if you're going to eventually push out stock options and bonuses to key staff and employees, or potentially new partners, I think it's just really important that you value it correctly so that you have a really good handle of what you have." - Jacob Neighbors

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To learn more about IA Magazine and subscribe to receive your copies, visit https://www.iamagazine.com/

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Episode Highlights:

• William shares his background and what led him to his current position as Editor-in-Chief of Independent Agent magazine. (2:56)
• William mentions that he is from the UK originally and explains that Queen Elizabeth has been a great true leader and deserves a lot of credit. (8:12)
• William shares that being an influential journalist takes a lot of responsibility, but it is where success comes from. (12:56)
• William discusses how he writes and edits articles, and how he ensures that he writes something new that hasn't been written before. (17:38)
• James explains that he decided to write a book because he didn't want to keep brilliant ideas to himself. (25:34)
• William shares that no one gets rich by being a writer, and the only goal of writing is to share great ideas and mentorship with others. (29:22)
• William discusses the setup he had with his sales staff during COVID, and how he was able to produce great magazine material despite the challenges. (37:35)
• William believes that being a member of the BIG I has many advantages, including employee benefits programs and independent agency coverage. (41:40)
• William mentions that the BIG I works towards ensuring that independent agents are protected by national laws and state laws. (46:33)

Key Quotes:

• "We write a lot about the community involvement of independent agents, both on a local level, with schools and churches, or whatever that might be. Independent agents are giving people." - William Jones
• "I'd have worked really hard to actually be paid to write and to edit. So, you know, when the opportunity presented itself, I did see it as a chance for myself to make all that hard work pay off." - William Jones
• "I think the need to bring in young talent and to keep basically the overall talent pipeline moving is going to continue to be something." - William Jones

Episode Highlights:

• Matt shares his background story and how he got into the industry as a second-generation agency owner. (2:57)
• Matt explains that seeing his team succeed both professionally and with their personal goals is very fulfilling. (6:37)
• Matt shares that GDI insurance is still focused on and specializes in residential construction. (11:13)
• Matt mentions that he will be in Nashville at Innovation22 to discuss acquiring agencies and books of business. (12:42)
• Matt explains that the sellers who will benefit the most from the private equity proposals are those that have a tightly run ship. (17:06)
• Matt discusses some strategies for building relationships with prospects. (21:55)
• Matt explains that one of the best things you can do is to become known for being fair and making sure that both parties always win the deal. (24:11)
• Matt believes that a seller who refuses to provide financial records is a red flag. (26:41)
• Matt explains that GDI Insurance has been working hard to rebuild the entire agency from scratch. (28:18)
• Matt expresses his gratitude to his team for their dedication and shares how much enjoys watching their personal and professional growth. (29:25)

Key Quotes:

• "If you become known for being fair, and making sure that both parties always win the deal. That's one of the best things you can do." - Matthew Davis
• "If somebody's afraid, or hesitant to show you their financial records, these are red flags. So don't fall in love with a deal until you've seen everything and it's already closed." - Matthew Davis
• "The sellers that are really going to make out well in this private equity offers are those that have a very tightly run ship. And it's going to be hard for anybody using traditional bank debt financing to compete on that multiple" - Matthew Davis

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about GDI Insurance Agency here: https://gdiinsurance.com/

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Dawnyel shares her background and discusses her transition from being an elementary school teacher to owning her own business. (3:32)
• Dawnyel explains that CLI Select Agencies is there to be of service to agencies and take care of agencies and one way of doing that is making sure they are a good fit. (9:19)
• Dawnyel shares that part of what they do at CLI Select Agencies is discussing how agency owners can teach their team not to lie about leadership and what it really means to be a leader. (11:57)  
• James mentions that leadership is apologizing quickly when a wrong is pointed out to you, as humility speeds up reconciliation and recovery. (14:49)
• Dawnyel explains that communicating clearly with people means being able to take accountability on both sides. (19:12)
• Dawnyel shares that there is no perfect leader, and we have all made mistakes at some point in our careers. (21:59)
• Dawnyel explains that when she is about to say something that she might regret, she creates a moment for herself to think and figure things out. (26:52)

Key Quotes:

• "There is sometimes a disconnect between what we think we should do as a leader, and what we should say as a leader, and really how to be honest with ourselves." - Dawnyel Smink
• "I think the biggest message and takeaway that you would get from coming in to hear me talk about leadership and the lies that we tell ourselves and the truths that we need to embrace are really that we all do it. We've all done it, someplace in time, there is no leader that is perfect." - Dawnyel Smink
• "Don't be too quick to rush to judgement. Because once something comes out of your mouth, it's impossible to put it back in. Like, words put out into the universe never come back. They always have some kind of impact." - James Jenkins

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about CLI Select Agencies here: https://www.canyonlandsinsurance.com/

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Tamron shares that James has been a huge help to him in coming into the independent space. (2:52) 
• Tamron explains why the environment plays a big role in insurance when it comes to being a sports athlete. (7:02)
• Tamron discusses that the main reason he wanted to switch to the independence side is because of the ability to create your own brand. (14:58)
• Tamron advises the listeners to put their blinders on, control what they can, and focus. (21:44)
• James shares his experience starting his company and how he got help to pull it off. (32:43)
• James explains that a really great virtual team member can be a good asset for a start-up company. (38:14)
• James shares his strategy for being able to achieve sustainable cash flow and growth with a start-up. (43:20)
• James shares that, in his opinion, it is very important to prioritize your time over money, because if not, then you are making a tactical error. (46:53)
• James explains that as long as you take good care of your clients and your team, you are going to have freedom and flexibility. (53:47)
• Tamron mentions the importance of having a good culture in your agency and being a coach that your team wants to follow. (57:53)
• Tamron shares that his goal is to be a lifelong learner. (59:25)

Key Quotes:

• "If you're working on a skill, you're not going to see an immediate return on what you worked on the next day, it's going to be something that you see gradually." - Tamron Manning
• "The moment your time becomes more valuable than your money, you have to prioritize time over money. Because if you don't, you're making a tactical error in my opinion." - James Jenkins
• "Attract the right people, invite them to come on a mission with you. And then equip them the way that they need to be equipped to give them the resources that they need. And then get out of their way and cut them loose. And then see what happens." - James Jenkins

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Tamron's agency at his website: https://integrityinsgrp.com/

Connect with Tamron on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamron-manning-73b849181/

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Ted shares what Nationwide Brokerage Solutions (NBS) are all about, and what they do to help the industry. (5:34)
• Ted explains that NBS focuses on areas where agents are struggling, and aims to zero out these challenges. (11:03)
• James shares that he is fascinated by how NBS is participating with so many carriers to serve a wide variety of niches. (20:01)
• Ted explains why they currently are not participating in the transportation side of the niche. (21:12)
• Ted shares how they ensure that clients are getting placed with the right coverages and carriers. (28:00)
• Ted discusses that there will always be a blindspot in an agency, and shares an example of theirs, which is the high-touch service. (32:13)
• Ted explains that the reason why they have a great relationship with underwriters and carriers is that they do the heavy lifting, and know when they are not a good fit. (40:55)
• Ted shares about their program called "Cadillac" and how they have been partnering up with Allianz. (46:16)
• Ted explains that if people are not intentionally focused on choosing a quote, they might end up being at risk in the end. (52:19)
• Ted shares that it is easy to grow a career quickly, but it is almost impossible to grow and do it profitably. (55:38)
• Ted recalls the greatest experience and knowledge he obtained with the previous companies he has been part of, including PNC and First Comp. (1:02:08)
• Ted advises listeners to always tap into what is currently happening in other markets around the globe. (1:09:21)
• Ted elaborates on the importance of finding the right partners for agents that are just getting started in the industry. (1:11:18)

Key Quotes:

• "I learned early in my career, that it's pretty darn easy to grow a carrier really quickly. And it's next to impossible to grow quickly and do it profitably." - Ted Stuckey
• "Don't be a hero, it's not worth it, you find those partners link up arm and arm and grow alongside them. And the best partners are the ones that will let you go once you get to a certain size." - Ted Stuckey
• “We’ve all got to do our part to move the industry forward. And the more that we can not only meet the customer's expectations but then exceed them, the more we can get out of this sort of proverbial laughingstock of an analog world that we find ourselves in so often." - Ted Stuckey

Resources Mentioned:

To learn more about NBS, visit their website at https://nbsbrokerage.com/

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• David mentions that he explains the meaning and motivation for the title of his book, The Dirty 130. (2:03)
• David believes that if he has a skill that distinguishes him from others, it is the ability to create a community around the content. (4:39)
• David mentions that one of the topics discussed in his book is how to optimize any images you use on your site or in your blog articles for SEO. (6:48)
• David explains that The Extra Two Minutes is about his sales-producing activity, whereas The Dirty 130 proceeds on a different path. (10:13)
• David discusses how the other context around The Dirty 130 relates to the same things that they do in their agency, such as telemarketing and marketing drop. (14:31)
• David discusses the workbook concept for The Dirty 130. (17:08)
• David mentions that history is the best teacher of what we may expect in the future, which applies to all aspects of life, including sales. (22:05)
• David discusses how he leverages Lately more than anything else to ensure that his content gets out, and it also provides him the flexibility of not having to worry about making sure the routine is completed. (27:53)
• David explains that he wrote the book with the purpose of making it helpful to everyone in a sales role. (28:34)
• David mentions that there is never a reason why you should not be able to generate content. (30:30)
• David mentions that he wrote the book to help other agents, not to make a profit. (32:57)

Key Quotes:

• “If there's something in my skill set, that's different from what other people have out there, it's the ability to create the community around the content.” - David Carothers
• “History is the greatest teacher of what we can expect in the future that applies in all things in life. So the sales game should not be any different. ” - David Carothers
• “Let me be very clear. I don't write a book in an effort to make profit off of it. If I did, it would be the wrong book. So let me I want to be very clear, I don't care where you go. It's pretty much going to be equal. And this is not about me lining my pocket as much as it is me helping other agents down the road.” - David Carothers

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about The Dirty 130 and pick up your copy here: https://www.dirty-130.com.

Learn more about Lately.AI and schedule your demo here: https://www.lately.ai

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Steven shares what led him to the InsurTech industry. (6:17)
• Steven mentions that he had been an agent before meeting Brad Fuller and joining Lightspeed Voice. (09:27)
• Steven explains how he made the decision to jump back into AMS and CRM by joining Better Agency. (14:40) 
• Steven shares that Better Agency is always open to feedback and is focused on how they can make things better for their clients. (21:07)
• Steven mentions that the mission that they are currently focused on is automating agency operations while maintaining the agency's relevance. (25:32)
• Steven shares that there are a lot of innovations they are currently lining up, one of which is the Accord forms. (31:03)
• Steven discusses the challenge of being on the road and away from his family and how technology has helped them connect while away. (36:09) 
• Steven shares his passion for golf and some of the people that he plays with when he has time. (38:18)
• James shares that the Better Agency is almost an enigma because of the balance between power user functions. (43:28)
• Steven shares that they are customizing their features to enable new customers to be able to do everything that they want. (47:39)

Key Quotes:

• "I would love everybody to be able to do everything they ever wanted to do in life. That would be great, James could get his version, and then the rest of the world would get theirs. We are in a very specific industry and insurance. Your independent insurance agencies are our bread and butter." - Steven Mohr
• "Some of the other challenges that we're seeing a lot is around onboarding, you know, data transfers, and they're just complex and we rely on other people's data." - Steven Mohr
• "I'm an agency guy at the end of the day, I think most people would tell you that about me. You know, I think insurance agents are about the best group of people in the world. I think your jobs are incredibly hard. I tried to do it back in the day, and it's just a grind and I have all the respect in the world for you." - Steven Mohr

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Better Agency and sign up for your demo at www.betteragency.io

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Episode Highlights:

• Marit explains that one of the reasons she works for the industry is because she thinks of independent agents as being so gracious in their communities. (4:54)
• Marit shares the fundamentals of running a successful agency, including the importance of identifying those on your team that are dragging it down, and getting your metrics right. (12:00)
• Marit explains why it is important to look back on historical trends in order to be able to determine the things that did not work out. (15:52)
• Marit shares about the leadership book that she and her employees read called "The Dichotomy of Leadership." (23:07)
• Marit mentions that their goal at the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas is to make sure that the independent agency channel is healthy. (27:35)
• Marit explains how COVID has helped them become better at being reachable. (32:58)
• Marit discusses the impact of the advocacy work that the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas is involved in on a government level. (41:08)
• Marit shares that in a lot of rural communities a local presence makes a difference, but that may change in 10-20 years. (48:08)
• Marit discusses an organization called "Salt" that is trying to create a modern experience for the personal line space. (52:48)
• Marit shares that independent agents are critical to the communities, as they make sure that we are getting the right product. (56:18)

Key Quotes:

• "I think the fundamentals are leadership and having the right courage to deal with difficult decisions, and making sure that you have the right people and hire people that are smarter than you and then trust them to do the work." - Marit Peters
• "I want to make sure that we're constantly hearing what people need and making sure that we're adjusting and that we have the courage to do it and we don't get stuck in that piece." - Marit Peters
• "If you are an agent out there that's not involved with an association, pick up the phone and call and explain why you're not. Because that is probably the best feedback an association can hear." - Marit Peters

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about IIAT at https://www.iiat.org/.

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Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Josh shares his background and what led him to his position at the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents (KAIA). (4:22)
• Josh explains that the reason he decided to leave State Farm was because he would not have been able to take over his father's book of business when that time came. (8:38)
• Josh shares how he started his own agency from scratch in 2010. (13:42)
• Josh shares how they explain to a client that your agency is no longer the best fit for their needs. (18:21)
• Josh explains that there is an art to communicating with your referral partners to get the types of referrals that you are looking for. (23:48)
• Josh shares the factors that led to his decision to sell the agency. (24:41) 
• Josh explains automation is one of the biggest differences in how things used to be done and how they are done now. (34:41)
• Josh shares that there is always this difficulty in hiring great talent, and it is one of the challenges he hears a lot from his members. (40:47)
• Josh discusses that one thing that agency owners should focus on is the claims experience and management of the claims. (43:42)
• Josh advises all agency owners, especially aspiring ones, to operate their business from an entrepreneurial perspective. (46:22)

Key Quotes:

• "I had the entrepreneurial spirit, I wanted to work for myself and be my owner and State Farm agents are able to do that to a certain degree." - Josh Goodman
• "The agency owners that are going to win in the short term and long term are going to be digitally data-driven, and run their business as an entrepreneur, in my opinion." - Josh Goodman
• "If you're an agency owner or aspiring agency owner, operate your business more from an entrepreneur's perspective than an insurance agent who owns a small business and employs producers and a service team." - Josh Goodman

Resources Mentioned:

To learn more about the KAIA, visit their website at https://www.kaia.com/.

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Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Andrew mentions that he began his career in the insurance market 10 years ago, mostly handling cyber insurance underwriting for technology and life sciences companies. (5:14)
• Andrew believes that it's up to all of us to learn the ins and outs of what we do, instead of just trying to sell a product to anyone who picks up the phone. (11:38)
• Andrew talks about where things are now with cyber insurance and data breach protection. (15:08)
• Andrew believes that the Security Scorecards platform was really made for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and vendor risk managers. (24:33)
• Andrew discusses how the level of connection they want to have with clients is one of the major value additions from a security scorecard standpoint. (29:20)
• James explains how he starts putting together his cyber submissions, whether for a new customer or a renewal. (34:57)
• Andrew mentions that if you monitor your book of business throughout the course of a policy term, you'll have some great opportunities to create a strong connection. (38:53)
• As someone who will be selling cyber insurance, Andrew encourages everyone to adopt a "just enough to be dangerous" mentality and knowledge base when it comes to cyber. (51:27)
• Andrew discusses why it is important to build a connection and partnership with a local MSP. (54:32)

Key Quotes:

• “It's incumbent upon all of us to kind of learn the ins and outs of what it is we're doing, versus just trying to sell a product to anyone who's going to pick up the phone. When you start getting away from the transactional approach and going into a relationship approach.” - Andrew Correll
• “In the cyber insurance market, we're utilizing a security scorecard as a way to kind of systematize part of your underwriting.” - Andrew Correll
• “If you're monitoring your book of business over the course of a policy period, you're going to have some really good opportunities to build a solid relationship.” - Andrew Correll

Resources Mentioned:

To learn more about Security Scorecard, visit their website at www.securityscorecard.com.

--

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Katherine discusses her role as Director of Communications for Coterie. (4:49)
• Katherine and Jason explain that Coterie is a managing general agency and that they do not want to be a direct to consumer company. (7:56)
• Jason explains his role as the Director of Agency Experience as well as his philosophy within the company. (10:50)
• Katherine and Jason share their experience of letting go of talented people in order to balance the financial stability of the company. (15:04)
• Jason shares about their new products and services that are about to come out, like the technology they call "Simply Bind". (21:42)
• Katherine shares how grateful they are to agents and brokers, and opens up about their company's podcast. (28:15)
• Jason explains that Coterie is helping agents by focusing on speed, simplicity, and finding new ways to make sure that agents are capitalizing on their solutions to pain points that clients have. (32:16)
• Jason explains that bulk quoting is something that they are currently working on and developing at Coterie. (35:39)
• Katherine shares that they are always open to feedback. (38:22)

Key Quotes:

• "Technically, we're a managing general agency…I just want to make that distinction and be accurate. But what we don't want to be, we don't want to be direct to consumer, right? We really believe in our agents and brokers, we believe in the relationships they have in their communities." - Katherine Jones
• "Coterie would not be where we are today without the amazing agents and brokers who have been with us since the very beginning." - Katherine Jones
• "It's why I love my job, right? I get to just outsource all the cool creative ideas from the agents and take them back to a bunch of brilliant minds who can make them happen." - Jason Johnson

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Coterie and how your office can get appointed at https://www.coterieinsurance.com.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

For many people, the producer career track may yield greater happiness, satisfaction, and personal wealth than the agency principal track.

Episode Highlights:

• James explains that for some, depending on one's goal, and how they are wired to be in the industry, being a producer is better than an agency principal. (0:53)
• James shares that some benefits of being a producer are that there is no overhead and you are not paying any payroll because all you have is revenue. (02:53)
• James explains that as a producer, you don't worry about vendors, tech stack, and administrative things. (03:33)
• James shares why being a producer simply means having no distractions. (04:13)
• James shares that, as a producer, you can increase your personal revenue with ease and your proximity to your client is a huge advantage. (05:15)
• James shares that another advantage of being a producer is that you can easily define success. (07:23)
• James explains that the challenge of being a principal is the struggle to balance growth and cash flow. (08:04)
• James explains that another challenge of being a principal is the feeling of not having enough time. (09:04)
• James shares that, as a principal, it is your responsibility to manage interpersonal challenges. (12:00)
• James explains what shiny stuff syndrome is, and how it is a challenge for a principal. (13:57)
• James explains that his point is that sometimes,  being a producer is better than being a principal. (18:45)

Key Quotes:

•  "As the principal. It's your responsibility to come to the office and create the work that needs to be done by other people on your team." - James Jenkins
• "If you don't have that roster of the up-and-coming talent, if you don't know who the next person is, who's going to win on your team, you are already at a deficit and your growth is going to be stunted." - James Jenkins
•  "If everybody is a boss, then there's no one to do the actual work. There's no one to handle the client relationships. There's no one to close the deal." - James Jenkins

Episode Highlights:

• Erik discusses what made him decide to enter the insurance industry. (11:16)
• Erik explains that there is a difference between gaining cash flow and business growth. (17:37)
• Erik tells business owners that they need to build their business as though they're going to sell it. (23:02)
• Erik shares that the thing that drives him most crazy in the industry is contracts and the process of getting them. (29:51)
• Erik discusses the captive agency he was with and the underwriting guidelines that had to be arranged when Katrina hit. (37:36)
• Erik debunks the myth that because you own a business, you have attained freedom. (40:47)
• Erik talks about every investment being a question of risk and offers examples. (45:05)
• Erik shares that the worst thing that can happen to you as a leader is to look back and realize no one is following. (55:28)
• Erik explains that the more you duplicate yourself in your business, the more freedom you gain. (58:58)

Key Quotes:

• "You know, the worst thing that can happen to you as a leader is to look back and no one's following you." - Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA
• "I want to be known as a financial planner. That's the work I enjoy. It gives me life. It is fun, there's nothing more fun than seeing people make good decisions with their money from an investment standpoint." - Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA
• "The more you duplicate yourself in your business, guess what? You just got freedom, you have just released yourself from a little bit more captivity because you are not needed." - Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Erik's office at https://www.plan-wisely.com.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Episode Highlights:

• Troy shares his background story and how he ended up joining the San Antonio Police Department as an officer and later as a hostage negotiator. (5:19)
• Troy discusses what led him to the Black Swan Group where hostage negotiation skills are applied in a business environment. (6:28)
• Troy shares the story of a powerful moment when he gave his badge to a young boy with terminal cancer who wanted to be in law enforcement one day. (9:06)
• Troy explains his day-to-day setup as a Black Swan coach and facilitator. (19:40)
• Troy shares that the foundation skills as part of the training are labeling, mirroring, and dynamic silence. (22:57)
• Troy shares how to use dynamic silence as a way to stay in the conversation and continue to get the information that you need. (29:54)
• Troy explains that if you are in any kind of negotiation, you have to learn to be patient and be willing to commit to it. (32:15)
• Troy discusses why they limit their coaching sessions to 1 or 2 per day. (41:40) 
• Troy shares how Chris spends his time on a day-to-day basis as he runs the business and makes important decisions. (45:16)
• Troy advises the listeners not to get consumed with how everybody is doing down the road, and instead, just give their best at the moment. (47:41)

Key Quotes:

• "If you don't use the silence to give them the time, you start over talking, you start talking over them. And before they can give you an answer, you've already moved on to the next thing." - Troy Smith
• “If you're in a negotiation, you have to learn to be patient. This is something that you have to be willing to commit to.” -Troy Smith
• "When you start saying it’s is all about you, it's not about them any longer. And most people are going to get turned off by that." - Troy Smith

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about the programs and live events from the Black Swan Group at https://www.blackswanltd.com.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Alan Kinney shares that before entering the insurance industry, he attended engineering school and worked for IBM for seven years doing process management work. (4:53)
• Alan Kinney mentions that he has a strong process background, and Drew has a strong data background, both of which have helped them operate their agency. (5:57)
• Drew Kinney mentions that before entering the insurance industry, he worked for one of the top consulting firms. (6:58)
• Alan Kinney believes that there is some value in engaging in Big I or PIA. It is important to network with them and work with them since there are some things they are doing that have a direct influence on the bottom line that others are unaware of. (10:39)
• Jason Cass believes that no one can do what the Big I does in the legislative effort because they have relationships that no one else can make because they've been making them for decades. (14:07)
• James Jenkins and Alan Kinney discuss what it's like to be a member of the Big I or the PIA. (15:26)
• Alan and Drew Kinney discuss what it was like to be generational agents and work for an agency run by a family. (20:34)
• Jason Cass explains that when someone has an abundance mentality, the first thing they want to do is attempt to take the abilities they have and help someone else gain those skills. (33:46)
• Jason Cass shares that he has decided to shut down the whole agency for next year's Brainshare and bring his entire staff together. (42:30)
• According to Jason Cass, most agency owners were good salesmen. However, the majority of good agency owners were not salespeople. (47:52)
• Jason Cass discusses how the Agency Freedom podcast provides the most value to the listening community and what should happen next from his perspective. (49:39)
• Jason Cass discusses the reasons for his desire to work with multiple podcasters. (52:10)

Key Quotes:

• “No one can match what the Big I does on the legislative effort because they have relationships and no one can recreate those relationships because they've been creating them for 40,50, and 60 years and that's where the Big I is a huge player in our life.” - Jason Cass
• “We've now built some depth into our agency. So, we can now bring some people in a very entry level position where they're learning the ropes and the ins and outs. And they have a career path to a more senior position where they're conducting these more complex count reviews.” - Drew Kinney
• “Most agency owners were good salespeople. But most agency owners that are good agency owners were not salespeople.” - Jason Cass

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Killing Commercial at https://www.killingcommercial.com.

Catch up on all of Season 2 of The Protege show here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL49Ufrhm-mQlXheQPUvlp7mDiZzc2jn7j

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Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• David Carothers explains that the major purpose of Killing Commercial Mastermind is to create a community of individuals who can rely on each other, learn from each other's experiences, and help each other improve. (4:52)
• James Jenkins recommends Killing Commercial to anyone searching for a community of commercial lines focused rockstars who are killing it in incredibly spectacular ways. (6:10)
• David Carothers mentions that the community has a lot of great things going on that will transform the financial futures of many families. (7:55)
• Doug Benz believes that establishing his agency in Buffalo was the smartest decision he's ever made. (11:38)
• Doug Benz explains how fantastic it is to talk to other individuals and hear about what you're doing in your agency. (13:11)
• David Carothers highlights how everyone in the community is upfront and honest about what they're doing well, what they're suffering, and what they could do better. (15:13)
• Dan Smith explains how the Killing Commercial mastermind helps him run his legacy agency. (21:44)
• Mike Carey shares what made him happy and at ease as a Killing Commercial mastermind member. (22:55)
• Justin Sloan explains how he met David Carothers and became involved in the community. (24:16)
• Dan Smith discusses their greatest success as a fourth-generation legacy agency. (28:55)
• Justin Sloane mentions that his agency recently merged with six other local businesses and are now more than just property-casualty. (31:22)
• Justin Sloan explains that during the first season of Protege, he had significant personal development. (35:32)
• Mike Carey mentions that the one thing they are successful at in their agency is ignoring rejection. (40:16)
• Dan Smith explains that the carrier selection process and procedures have been key to the success of his agency. (42:32)
• James Jenkins discusses his favorite feature of Key West as a first-time attendee. (45:56)

Key Quotes:

• “Our real goal was to build a community of people that could rely on each other draw off of each other's experiences and make each other better.” - David Carothers
• “It's been exponential growth since I surrounded myself with David Carothers and others and like-minded people.” - Dan Smith
• “I'm really trying to grow the agency, with some of the captive partners coming in and saying - You know what, that model was great while it lasted. But the future is definitely independent channel. And you're seeing it from all the other captive carriers across the board.” - Justin Sloan

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Killing Commercial at https://www.killingcommercial.com.

Catch up on all of Season 2 of The Protege show here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL49Ufrhm-mQlXheQPUvlp7mDiZzc2jn7j

–

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

  Episode Highlights:

• Michael tells James about the growth of Yellowbird since its inception three years ago. (4:37)
• Michael shares his background story, and what Yellowbird does in the industry. (11:48) 
• Michael explains that he started Yellowbird because the concept of skill set on demand was very interesting to him and he saw how useful it could be in the field of environmental health and safety that requires regular training. (16:36)
• James talks about how Yellowbird could help a small agency act big with the wealth of services they provide. (22:21)
• Michael talks about how people in the industry are starting to rely on third-party providers to outsource work for them. (31:29)
• Michael shares that the number one use case that they have in Yellowbird, is the hard to insure, those with unique risk profiles. (38:28)
• Michael explains that there is a big difference between an accident and an incident. (44:48)
• Michael shares that anything that is risk-related can generally be solved within 24 to 48 hours with Yellowbird because he has thousands of people in hundreds of locations. (46:20)
• James explains that Google is not research, but the Urmi International Risk Management Institute, and National Alliance ISO manual, is research. (52:00)

Key Quotes:

• "I started Yellowbird, basically, in the back of an Uber, because the concept of skill sets on demand was very interesting to me. But the concept of commoditization of human beings was not interesting to me." - Michael Zalle
• "I always say there's a line of value. And as long as we stay within the line of value, then everybody wins." - Michael Zalle
• "To be truly helpful, you need to have resources. And so for me, I look at what I do, as the magic bag behind the broker. If it has to do with anything that's risk related, Yellowbird can generally have it solved within 24 to 48 hours." - Michael Zalle

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Yellowbird at https://www.goyellowbird.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Pat shares his career path in the insurance ecosystem. (4:51)
• Pat talks about what Tarmika is doing on the embedded side and that led to his position there. (6:25) 
• Pat explains that Tarmika sees embedded insurance as something they can offer to both consumers and agencies as an additional distribution method, a starting point, but not something that is going to complete the full journey. (11:33) 
• James shares his experience of going to a Coldplay concert and using Allianz concert ticket insurance. (16:09)
• Pat explains why the ability to offer multiple carriers from certain embedded offerings is very unique. (21:01)
• Pat shares that their new product, which is called "The Tunnel”, has been available for months now and they are continuing to expand. (25:03)
• Pat shares that it is very important to understand the experience an agency wants to create in order to be able to create the right platform. (31:00)
• Pat talks about how they have created integrations that their partner carriers do not have to do. (37:21)
• Pat talks about the notion of a disruptor and highlights the need to embrace different types of distribution. (44:10)
• James shares the benefits of agents partnering with loan officers and mortgage companies. (49:05)
• Pat shares some of the reasons why he loves working in this type of industry. (51:46)

Key Quotes:

• "So, I am of the opinion, this is a blanket statement across all things embedded, that the front end experience is insanely important to making this truly feel embedded." - Patrick Mulroy
• "I think we fell into a better position and others specific to the embedded space because of all of the years that we were involved in the rating side of the business." - Patrick Mulroy
• "I personally like working in this space so much because of the unknown, so many different parties, technology companies, agencies, carriers, consumers, are all trying to figure out, how this is ultimately going to play out and look, is wildly interesting to me." - Patrick Mulroy 

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Tarmika here: https://www.tarmika.com

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Dr. Billy Williams talks about his background and what led him to start Inspire A Nation. (5:23)
• Dr. Billy Williams shares that he does not worry about a person's mindset, but what is important is discipline. (10:27)
• Dr. Billy Williams explains that when he chooses an agency management system, he makes sure that it does 90% of everything he needs.  (20:03)
• Dr. Billy Williams mentions that he is a step-by-step guy, and gives out the steps he is guided through on a normal workday. (24:34)
• Dr. Billy Williams explains that the reason most people won't follow a process is that they don't take the time to create a process. (30:07)
• Dr. Billy Williams elaborates on common weaknesses that a lot of people have. (38:17)
• Dr. Billy Williams explains that he is not a cold caller type of guy, but a big referral type of guy. (44:31)
• Dr. Billy Williams shares that one thing agents can do to make themselves experts is to understand that insurance is all about claims. (46:43)
• Dr. Billy Williams explains the importance of having enough of a niche and knowledge in your demographics. (49:18)
• Dr. Billy Williams elaborates on the importance of people getting back to the process and understanding assurances about the claim. (56:39)

Key Quotes:

• "Profit sharing is a part of new business. If I didn't write new business, and I didn't have renewals, I don't have profit sharing. " - Dr. Billy Williams
• "The reason why most people won't follow a process is that they don't take the time to create a process. They don't take the time to follow a process." - Dr. Billy Williams
• "The process for me is freedom. Freedom for me is delegation. If I can't delegate it to someone, I'm not free. If I'm the only person who can do that, I'm not free." - Dr. Billy Williams

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Inspire A Nation and connect with Billy's team at https://www.inspireanation.org.

Learn more about the Tango process documentation program at https://www.tango.us

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls, and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with the Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Corina discusses her background, as well as her life vision and values. (4:58)
• Corina explains when they discovered that the technology they had created for themselves may benefit others in the creative industry. (6:21)
• Corina mentions that their group prefers to focus on what they do best: being creative rather than spending a lot of time on software. (10:18)
• Corina shares the lessons she has learned along her journey that she is now using as a seasoned Executive. (14:31)
• Corina discusses FunctionFox's business structure. (18:48)
• Corina explains how FunctionFox supports its team members' personal and professional vision and growth. (19:48)
• Corina discusses their transition from 25% to 100% percent remote workforce. (21:35)
• Corina discusses the current developments in the advertising industry. (25:00)
• Corina discusses the freelancing trend in the advertising industry. (28:50)
• Corina discusses FunctionFox's platform and the flexibility it offers to its customers. (36:49)
• Corina explains that email doesn't operate the same way it used to, that traditional advertising is fading, and that there are many new channels in the advertising business. (40:22)
• Corina believes that there is a wealth of information and ideas available to us, regardless of the industry, and that there is a lot of overlap. (45:52)

Key Quotes:

• “When we started 22 years ago, the vision was simple. We wanted to help better understand our profitability, and to help increase our revenue at the end of the day. And so we built a tool for ourselves…and found that this was really helpful, not just for us, but also from the background that I had, knowing that there wasn't really anything in the industry.” - Corina Ludwig
• “We're helping people increase their revenue, increase their billable hours, and at the end of the day, be more profitable, and really, that's the goal. It's not just selling a software service or providing a productivity tool, but it's actually helping them grow their business.” - Corina Ludwig
• “There's lots of knowledge and insights that we can get, regardless of the industry you're in, and lots of overlap.” - Corina Ludwig

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Function Fox at https://www.functionfox.com.

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

A special thanks to Vonda Copeland, Ciara Gravier, Whitney Ricci, Teresa Kitchens, and Ngozi Nnaji for joining us on this episode.

Episode Highlights:

• Vonda, Ciara, Whitney, Teresa, and Ngozi share their background stories and what they love about the industry. (4:08)
• Vonda explains why she sees the female representation in the industry as a mother figure in terms of how they treat the business. (13:07)
• Ciara shares that as she grows, being more maternal is the challenge she aims to overcome. (17:54)
• Ngozi believes that having a female agency owner is the best of both worlds because of their resilience, power, influence, and sensitivity. (21:38)
• Ngozi believes that the industry needs to see that female owners are out there and bringing success to the industry. (26:04) 
• Teresa explains that women also can take the mission and the vision out into the world. (34:38)
• Ciara talks about CSRs in the industry, who are predominantly women, and showing them the opportunity of ownership and the possibility of becoming independent agents. (38:34)
• Vonda, Ciara, Whitney, Teresa, and Ngozi share their take on a tagline, "Insurance is Female." (44:07)
• Vonda and Teresa talk about how the female population goes about the word "we" in a healthy way. (53:36)
• Ngozi believes that labels matter for people to recognize and appreciate and allow people to create awareness. (1:01:42)
• Ngozi shares how she productively engages her clients. (1:13:15)
• Ciara explains how she engages her clients, most of whom speak Spanish. (1:17:18)

Key Quotes:

• "We've got to get to the fact that we want to be accepted as that “we”, you know when we're talking, we want to be a part of that. And not, you know, that we're still trying to fight to get into this industry." - Vonda Copeland
• “I think it's the opportunity to show the world that we have it all…the resilience, the power, the influence, the sensitivity that's needed." - Ngozi Nnaji
• "The women are the ones that are running your business. You get to go golf and all of your CSR’s are the ones that are running and making you your money. So I feel like as an agency owner, we need to highlight the career paths that they could have." - Ciara Gravier

Resources Mentioned:

• Vonda Copeland LinkedIn
• Ciara Gravier LinkedIn
• Whitney Ricci LinkedIn
• Teresa Kitchens LinkedIn
• Ngozi Nnaji LinkedIn
• Sterlings Insurance
• The Bunker Insurance & Risk Management
• Copeland Insurance Agency
• Ricci Insurance Group

Episode Highlights:

• Cory talks about how he got started in the insurance industry. (5:27)
• Cory shares that he bought his first Allstate agency in 2010. (6:42)
• Cory how he started KC Insurance Group and what helped him to get contracts with several carriers. (12:51)
• Cory shares that his referral partners are one of the secrets to his success. (20:46)
• Cory explains how he connects with his referral partners. (21:36)
• Cory shares his best practices for establishing value and connection with a channel partner. (26:03)
• Cory discusses what he believes works best with channel partners in 2022 and beyond. (30:37)
• Cory explains that most people, perhaps 90% of lenders, agents, wealth planners, CPAs, and insurance brokers, have no idea where a large portion of their business comes from. (32:39)
• Cory shares his thoughts on what he learned from IAOA. (37:55)
• Cory discusses some of his decisions that he would alter if given the chance. (51:57)
• Cory believes if you trust in yourself and bet on yourself, you'll be alright. (54:38)

Key Quotes:

• “We'd always heard the grass was greener on the other side. But then we really learned like, wow, the grass is greener. And these underwriters care about you and they're going to help you place the risk.” - Cory Schnabel
• “What can we do different and what we can do different is care. It's literally that simple. Like, there's no paid coaching program. There's no paid mentorship, there's no paid automation. It's literally just care.” - Cory Schnabel
• “If you believe in yourself, you want to bet on yourself, which is something I love doing. Failure motivates me. You're going to be okay and you just have to take it one day at a time.” - Cory Schnabel

Resources Mentioned:

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• James shares how he was invited by Jason Cass to join the AI Podcast Network and start his podcast. (3:49)
• James talks about how he has improved as a podcast host over the year. (6:27)
• James explains some of the topics that have not been discussed on his podcast yet but are soon to be. (8:57)
• James shares the reason why he will be changing the tagline for the podcast. (10:58)
• James explains that Agency Freedom is a place where agents and he have aligned values and visions. (17:24)
• James shares how he gets the ideas and context for his episodes. (20:20)
• James explains that he is sharing his story because he still has to deal with the negative effects of having a strong type of personality. (23:52)
• James expresses his unconditional apology to his listeners who perceive him as toxic, arrogant, or condescending. (27:57)
• James shares that he is one of the voices that is attempting to advance the status of the independent agency channel and push people in a positive direction. (34:20)

Key Quotes:

• "If you have found yourself disliking me or finding me to be toxic, or any of those other negative words, arrogant, cocky, condescending, elitist, confrontational, unkind, really any of those things, this is your unconditional apology from me, because my perceived communication really is at this point hindering my growth as a professional." - James Jenkins
• "When you peel out the layers of the onion, that really is what we are all about, is helping our peers, me helping my peers, get closer to what they want, closer to the ideal version of your in industry, your agency, anything that I can do to advance it, that objective is going to have my full attention." - James Jenkins
• "There is a battle that I think every very competitive person faces between being a good colleague, being a genuinely kind, industry peer, and being extremely competitive and wanting to win at all times." - James Jenkins

Resources Mentioned:

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls, and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Peter shares his background story and what led him to the insurance industry. (5:31)
• Peter shares that he met Wunderwrite’s Co-Founder, Joe Schnare, on his first day of business school. (11:11)
• Peter explains that one of the challenges the industry is facing is not having enough technology to capture underwriting data. (17:51)
• Peter mentions that the more interesting aspect for him and his company is being able to understand who their customers are. (21:21)
• Peter shares a concept he learned from Roger Sitkins and Larry Linne called the Trusted Advisor Team. (26:58)
• Peter explains that most people don't understand their insurance, but if they do, they will buy more. (31:22)
• Peter explains data input and output as well as digital signatures and their significance. (35:47)
• Peter shares that agents are doing interesting things with connectivity between software platforms. (42:13)
• Peter talks about the automatic handwriting tool that was originally invented for the President of the United States. (44:10)

Key Quotes:

• "I think you have to be working with great people, you have to have great people doing what they love to do and what they're talented at." - Peter MacDonald
• "If you're running a vanilla insurance agency, if you're good at what you're doing, I guarantee you, your customers are going to be growing with you. At least if you're doing your job, they are." - Peter MacDonald
• "Agents are doing really interesting things with connectivity between software platforms, I think agents are recognizing that they're being held back by some legacy tools…I love the excitement, and I love the innovation that is ultimately going to benefit your customers and your business." - Peter MacDonald

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Wunderite and sign up for your demo and consultation at www.wunderite.com/agencyfreedom

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This is part 2 of a two-part episode. Make sure to catch the first half that was dropped a couple of days ago on our episode feed.

This is part 1 of a two-part episode. Make sure to catch the second half that will be dropping a couple of days after this episode.

Episode Highlights:

• Aaron shares that he is the second generation to work for their family-owned and operated independent agency. (4:53)
• Aaron mentions that some of the customers they have now were names he heard at the dinner table with his family while he was growing up. (7:27)
• Aaron mentions how fortunate he was to start with a book of business in front of him, which enabled him to try a few new things. (10:58)
• Aaron explains how he got his start at their family-owned business. (15:23)
• Aaron believes that many individuals who work in insurance lose sight of its history. (20:09)
• Aaron discusses why it is important for the second and subsequent generations to value and respect what came before them. (23:05)
• Aaron shares his experiences with one analog and one digital system. (28:40)
• Aaron mentions that they do not now take Bitcoin payments, but that they would in the near future. (33:10)
• Aaron explains that he produces or develops 20 pieces of content every week in order to get five pieces of content. (52:22)

Key Quotes:

• “I think that a lot of people get into our industry lose sight of the history.” - Aaron Gordon
•  “If you're authentic and you do you, it'll come through, you just have to be super consistent.” - Aaron Gordon
• “I think that there's something envious about looking at a business and building your structure, your operations, your processes, your tech, forming your ideal client, by the way, based on solely your vision. For me, a lot of the things that I do are clouded for lack of a better term by our already ideal client, already existing client.” - Aaron Gordon

Resources Mentioned:

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@riskwell.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Will shares that Better Agency focuses on the CBO and they are an agency success platform. (8:48)
• Will elaborates on how to define what an expense is and what revenue is in terms of cash flow and accrual basis. (12:01)
• Will discusses how the data they get comes directly from the carrier commission report. (21:21)
• Will explains why Better Agency is often labeled as a CRM and as an AMS type of company. (23:57)
• Will shares the reason why accounting has been really interesting for him. (28:30)
• Will elaborates on the usefulness of Quickbooks for accounting and keeping books in order. (41:14)
• Will shares that moving accounting platforms is as easy as plugging whatever accounting system you have into your bank account. (45:32)
• Will explains why you don't need to be a specialist for your agency, and how not to complicate things in your company. (50:31)
• Will shares that as the CEO of the company, your goals should be to set the vision, hire correctly, and not run out of money. (52:39)
• Will shares that they are planning to create a fundraiser to be able to help build up the insurance industry's success. (57:07)

Key Quotes:

• "What's been interesting to me is how many people want to use specific platforms versus using like a QuickBooks Online." - Will Shaw
• "At the end of the day, we want to help agencies sell more premium, sell more insurance, and be great at what they do." - Will Shaw
• "I think that's my point is that you don't need to be the specialist for your agency because it's unique to insurance, it is not, this is very common, we deal with it, like as a software company. This is across the industry." - Will Shaw

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Better Agency and request your demo here: https://www.betteragency.io

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Mike shares his journey to becoming the Small Business Underwriter of Chubb. (9:25)
• Mike elaborates on the practice of underwriting, how they analyze business, and what constitutes good judgement in terms of underwriting. (14:58)
• Mike explains some unique traits that he would consider using to determine if an account is a great one. (22:48)
• Mike shares that the “Internet of Things” is one of the current trends that may have a positive or negative impact on the industry. (27:18)
• Mike explains how underwriters and commercial insurance as a whole have been affected by COVID. (29:55)
• Mike shares that not having a correct understanding of what your prospect should be insured with is one thing he sees as a common mistake of retail agents. (32:02)
• Mike discusses a couple of points about how the relationship between a great agent and an underwriter should be. (37:30)
• Mike shares that wholesalers are one of the classes of business that most underwriters would like to write for. (40:07)
• Mike mentions that one of the things he likes about working at Chubbs is that it is one of the largest pollution writers and defence-based writers. (49:57)

Key Quotes:

• "This is a fiercely competitive business. We're all out there both, you know, competing against our peers, but also, we're invested in success." - Mike Creamer
• "The partnership is only as good and as open as the partners are. And, you know, we're all here to do the same thing, ultimately is to hopefully toss a couple of extra nickels in the bucket at the end of the day and have that effort pay off." - Mike Creamer
• "The only surefire way as an underwriter to never pay a claim is to never write any business. You have to find that line of, how likely is my bad day to come? And, when my bad day comes on this account, how many zeros are on that check?" - Mike Creamer

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Chubb Insurance here: https://www.chubb.com/us-en/business-insurance/small-commercial.html

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@riskwell.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Tyler discusses his role as the President of Independent Distribution for Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance. (6:31)
• Tyler explains how he got to where he is today. (7:12)
• Tyler explains what Liberty Safeco's unique strategic advantage is. (9:00)
• Tyler mentions that the IA system is still lagging behind some of the major direct writers and consumer digital use which is a gap that they are actively working to fill by ensuring that agents have the technologies they need to succeed. (17:43)
• Tyler mentions that, from a character aspect, they are constantly trying to associate with agencies that have a handful of key characteristics. (22:57)
• Tyler shares his thoughts on what comes next for Liberty and how it will react to the InsureTech sector. (29:04)
• Tyler offers advice to anybody who is starting a new agency and wants to see immediate success. (36:48)
• Tyler mentions that they have a consistent product and market across the country for every one of their agencies. (40:39)
• Tyler expresses their gratitude for the opportunity to work with the 24,000 retail agents around the nation who have found a way forward. (51:09)
• Tyler discusses the book, The Infinite Game by Simon Sinik, which has been influential to him from a management perspective. (55:03)

Key Quotes:

• “My role is as president of independent distribution means I wake up every day with my team, and we're solely focused on how do we help agents win in the market today, and prepare to win tomorrow.” - Tyler Asher
• “Everything starts as a partnership, right? So it's really understanding what both sides need, where an agency is headed for its overall business, where is the carrier headed, and just making sure that that communication is in lockstep.” - Tyler Asher
• “A huge thing is just realizing that being independent, doesn't mean going in alone. And so, for any new agency, scratch agency, first time in the independent agency system, there's a lot to learn.” - Tyler Asher

Resources Mentioned:

Follow and connect with Tyler on his LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-asher-283a457/

If you're interested in becoming appointed with Liberty Mutual, click here: https://business.libertymutualgroup.com/business-insurance/contact/agency-appointment-request

If you're interested in becoming appointed with Safeco, click here:

https://www.safeco.com/agent-resources/become-independent-agent

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Email us at podcast@riskwell.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• James encourages listeners to join the Live Coaching Calls every Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. CST. (2:27)
• Erik discusses his background and what led to his decision to leave the corporate world. (17:15)
• Erik believes that failing is the best trainer in the world. (19:58)
• Erik discusses the thought process behind making the shift from Life & Health to Personal & Commercial. (22:34)
• Erik shares what he went through when made the jump to being independent. (27:51)
• Erik offers advice to anyone establishing their own agency. (36:48)
• Erik explains how he resists the desire to specialize. (41:37)
• Erik discusses the importance of company culture, which is often overlooked when starting a business. (54:59)
• Erik advises anyone beginning a company to read Phil Knight's book Shoe Dog and pay attention to the overtones of perseverance. (1:02:31)

Key Quotes:

• “I knew what I wanted to build, I was laser focused on it. And I was willing to make every sacrifice to achieve my goal.” - Erik Sjolie
• “I love working with people that are new to the industry or making that transition because it's good to share some of my experiences just to try to save them, or just educate them a little bit.” - Erik Sjolie
• “In this industry, especially nowadays with the technology where it is and where the industry is going, it's going to take a lot of that level of focus and willingness to take on obstacles to succeed and get where a lot of people want to go.” - Erik Sjolie

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Erik's office here: https://www.skyinsurancebrokers.com

Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@riskwell.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

Episode Highlights:

• Miles mentions the first time he met James and shares a little bit about his background. (9:05)
• Miles discusses a few of his hobbies, including musical instruments, kayaks, classic cars, and golf. (11:33)
• Miles shares why he always retrains himself to stay focused on the things that created success in the first place. (16:22)
• Miles explains that working with and helping agency owners excites him and is what led to the creation of his Producers to Principals coaching program. 
• Miles discusses how he figures out how to attract top talent and retain top talent in his insurance agency. (22:20)
• Miles explains something that he learned from the 80/20 principle and how he was able to apply the principle. (30:00)
• Miles shares his insights about flashy stuff and tech decks that are out there. (37:24)
• Miles mentions that as agency owners, it's your job to challenge your team and be a coach. (43:38) 
• Miles shares how he has created such a well-documented and well-processed agency. (50:57)
• Miles shares his new project which is a new service page that will be available on their website. (57:26)
• Miles gives his advice to all agency owners that want to grow successfully. (1:04:38)

Key Quotes:

• "It's not our responsibility to be on the court actually playing the game and taking the shots. Right? Our job is to stand beside the court and coach the game that's happening in front of us." - Miles Merwin
• "Instead of my product being insurance policies, it was people. My product was the successful people in our organization. And that's what I was going to focus my time on. And so I 100% separated myself from sales." - Miles Merwin
• "The biggest thing that helped me cross barriers was changing my network. If you're at half a million dollars in revenue, then you should be talking to agency owners who are in your network that are three times your size." - Miles Merwin

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Advisors Insurance Agency at their website: https://www.advisorsinsuranceagency.com/

Miles is also the founder of the Producers to Principals coaching program. Learn more and schedule your no-cost Discovery Call at https://www.producerstoprincipals.com/.

Visit our website to join our email list, sign up to be a potential guest on the show and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com

Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom

Email us at podcast@riskwell.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

Learn more at https://www.oneheartmckinney.com/

Learn more about the Save A Suit organization, championed by Rob Bowen, Chris Paradiso, and others at: https://www.saveasuit.org/get-involved/

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You can buy his book, and check out all of the useful links to the variety of resources from Grant here: https://www.liinks.co/grantbotma

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Learn more about Armadillo and their partner program at https://www.armadillo.one

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To learn more about Fetch Underwriting, visit their website at: https://www.fetchuw.com.

To catch up on the current news and updates in the insurance industry, bookmark and visit https://insurancedailynews.com/.

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The main topic of their conversation is on tactics and strategies you can deploy in your agency to begin prospecting for and landing larger and more profitable accounts in 2022.

Visit our website to join our email list, sign up to be a potential guest on the show and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedompodcast.com

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Learn more about Beth's operation at https://www.aspireinsurancegroup.com/

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Joining in the conversation are J.C. Wogomon, Lucas Jones, Eric Roberts, Jared Lorenz, Casey Nelson and Michael Franke.

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Learn more about Openly at https://www.openly.com.

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Learn more about Better Agency and request your demo at https://www.betteragency.io.

Learn more about IAOA and join the Facebook group at https://www.iaoa.com/.

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For more information about InsuredMine, please visit their website.

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Learn more about RD Advisory Group.

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