Insurance Agency Success

When you start an agency, you do everything. Sales, service, follow-up, hiring—you name it. But if you want the business to keep growing, eventually you have to stop being the person every task depends on.  In this episode, I sit down with Gregg Blanchard, who built a Florida agency from scratch to more than 22,000 customers and roughly $40 million in premium. We talk about referral relationships,...

Acquisitions can be one of the fastest ways to grow an independent insurance agency, but a bigger book of business doesn’t automatically mean a healthier business.  In this episode, I welcome Rick Pierce back to talk about buying, selling, and merging agencies. We get into agency valuation, due diligence, staff retention, profitability, and why acquisition growth works best when the agency you alr...

A lot of the frustration we feel as agency owners comes down to one question: did we actually make the expectation clear? It’s easy to tell someone to improve retention, make more calls, or take better care of customers. But if we haven’t defined what success looks like, we’re setting people up to guess.  In this episode, I’m pulling a few ideas from “The One Minute Manager” and applying them to a...

Over the past year, I’ve sat down with agency owners and industry leaders who have built strong businesses in very different ways. For this episode, I pulled together 12 practical ideas they’ve shared into one masterclass you can use to pressure-test your own agency.  Sustainable growth comes from how you serve people, the systems you build, and the decisions you make before growth creates a probl...

There are plenty of ways to grow an insurance agency. You can build a book of business from scratch, pursue an agency acquisition, improve your agency marketing, or bring in new technology. But over the long haul, growth still comes back to how well you take care of people.  In this episode, I talk with Cheryl Bowker, a longtime Michigan agency owner about what nearly three decades in the business...

There’s always another tool, marketing strategy, or technology promising to change the way agencies operate. But after more than five decades in the business, Tom Sly has seen enough change to know which fundamentals continue to matter.  In this episode, I sit down with Tom, owner of Turner and Sly Insurance Agency in Kent, Ohio, to discuss the habits that helped him build an agency around educati...

It's easy to compare your agency to someone else's, especially in an industry that's constantly talking about growth, acquisitions, technology, and what's coming next. But success isn't measured by the same yardstick for every agency owner.  In this episode, I sit down with Rick Pierce to talk about what really creates lasting agency success. From building authentic relationships and staying true...

Every agency owner wants to grow, but growth starts with the standards we set for ourselves and our teams. The little things—returning a phone call, responding to an email, or following through on a commitment—have a bigger impact than we sometimes realize.  In this episode, I share why standards, priorities, and excuses are closely connected, and how improving each one can strengthen your agency....

Agency ownership has a way of teaching lessons that no sales role can fully prepare you for. The transition from producer to owner comes with new responsibilities, bigger decisions, and a completely different perspective on growth.  In my conversation with Jacob Carroll, we talk about what he's learned over more than a decade of agency ownership and why humility, relationships, and a willingness t...

Most agencies already know that good customer service matters. One of the biggest challenges insurance agency owners face is figuring out how to truly stand out in a crowded market. In this episode, I talk about why agency differentiation rarely comes from simply offering good service. That’s the expectation. Real growth happens when we create customer experience moments that clients remember long...

Podcasting might feel like one more thing on an already full plate, but when it’s done right, it becomes a practical way to strengthen relationships and stay visible. In my conversation with Virginia Elder, we talk through how agency owners can use podcasting to build credibility, stay connected to clients, and create marketing that feels personal more than polished.  The point here isn’t to just...

If you want your agency to stand out online, video is one of the simplest ways to build trust faster, plus you can get started by simply using your phone. In this conversation with Brad Harvey, we dig into how agencies are using video to strengthen client relationships, improve retention, and create a stronger local presence without overcomplicating the process. The biggest takeaway is that video...

Building a successful agency doesn’t mean doing everything on your own. There are resources available that most agency owners either overlook or never hear about—and they can make a meaningful difference in how you grow, operate, and plan ahead.  One of those resources is the Small Business Technology Development Center (SBTDC). It offers confidential, no-cost support across marketing, financials,...

Building a profitable insurance agency today requires more than opening an office and waiting for walk-in traffic. Consumer behavior has changed, marketing has evolved, and the agencies that thrive are the ones willing to adapt.   Focusing on a clearly defined market, building real relationships with clients, and using modern tools to communicate coverage clearly can dramatically improve both rete...

Steady growth doesn’t happen by accident. In this episode, we break down how one local insurance agency evolved from a traditional operation into a focused, growth-driven business generating 15% annual growth with 90% retention.  The shift wasn’t flashy. It was strategic. By committing to specialized niches, investing in systems that scale, and building a culture rooted in accountability and relat...

Starting from zero and building a $10 million insurance agency sounds extraordinary—but what you’ll hear in this episode makes it feel grounded, methodical, and achievable.   Tobiaz and I walk through what it really takes to grow from nothing: hiring before you feel ready, putting clients at the center of every decision, and building systems that can actually support scale. Instead of chasing shor...

Starting an insurance agency during an economic downturn is one of the hardest ways to enter this industry—and it’s also where real operators are made.   "Start working where your feet are and work out, and it'll grow exponentially." -Johnny Ellis  In this episode, I sit downwith Johnny Ellis to talk about what it takes to survive the early years, keep the doors open, and grow into a multi-locatio...

Insurance agency growth, customer retention, agency culture, and relationship-driven sales are at the heart of this episode of Insurance Agency Success. Eddie Price sits down with Chris Helms to unpack how long-term success in insurance isn’t built on discounts or shortcuts—but on trust, empathy, consistency, and honest service. From door-to-door beginnings to leading a thriving independent agency...

Employee care isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s one of the smartest growth decisions an insurance agency owner can make.  In this episode, I sit down with our corporate chaplain to talk about how intentional employee support transforms agency culture, strengthens team retention, and directly impacts business profitability. At Jenesis, investing in people has never been separate from growing the busines...

Building an insurance agency from the ground up is a journey marked by continuous learning, adaptability, and prioritizing authentic relationships within both the agency and the wider community. Jarette Sampson of Dial Insurance in North Carolina shares his path from starting as a newcomer to becoming a highly respected agency with enduring staff and a reputation for expertise.   He shared strateg...

Starting with a single insurance agency and expanding to seven locations and 21 team members, Lee Pridgeon of AllCare Insurance emphasizes the importance of meeting staff where they are, offering flexibility, and putting team member success at the center of the business model.  She shares how acquisitions helped her grow faster, which metrics she tracks to ensure healthy growth, and what she and h...

Thinking about how to grow your insurance agency for long-term success, without sacrificing happiness or work-life balance? In this episode, Eddie Price sits down with Keith Kiser to share real lessons from decades in the business.  Here's what you'll learn:  How Keith Kiser transitioned from a family-run, captive agency to thriving as an independent agent  The impact of adding multiple carriers a...

What mindset and actions do you think are most important when launching an agency from the ground up?   Mike McDaniel, owner of McDaniel Insurance Agency, began from a kitchen table with a single phone and family support led him toward a multi-million-dollar agency serving thousands today.  Longevity, authenticity, and a deep commitment to service play pivotal roles in developing a reputation stro...

Curious if you should go 100% remote or have physical locations?  Unsure how much emphasis should be put on Google reviews and staff training?   Reputation management, the impact of physical locations on agency credibility and visibility, and the broad skill set (and constant improvement of those skills) required of agency owners are all pillars of discussion on today’s episode.  (00:28:00) "I thi...

Sales and marketing strategies are the bread and butter of any successful business. Without a solid plan in place, your products or services may struggle to reach your target audience.  Building relationships during sales calls, being genuine, and having a passion for the product are critical for success. Over the past nine years, Jenesis Software has experienced substantial growth, with increased...