Agency Nation Radio

Scott Insurance, a Virginia agency founded in 1864, has been a Big "I" Best Practices Agency since the program started. With 30 years of Best Practices experience, agency leadership knows what it takes to strengthen incrementally with the right data and benchmarks. Keith Mann, COO/CFO sits down with Will Jones, editor-in-chief, Independent Agent magazine to talk about what the 100% employee-owned...

With the recent launch of ChatGPT, the insurance industry is taking a hard look at artificial intelligence and how it can be leveraged to help independent agents. In this podcast, Chip explores how AI may be able to streamline some of agents' biggest challenges with Marcus Daley, co-founder of NeuralMetrics.

Becoming an independent agency owner brings freedom and often that means a chance to leave the 9 to 5 behind. There’s a lot of flexibility, and with hard work, there’s no cap on the income potential. In June 2021 Christopher Sheely launched a new agency, but he used the Great Resignation to his advantage, creating opportunities that professionals were looking for. On this episode of Declaration of...

On this edition of Agency Nation Radio, Will Jones, Independent Agent magazine editor-in-chief sits down with Dr. Leroy Nunery II, president, Evolution Advisors LLC, and author of the 2018 “The Journey of African-American Insurance Professionals,” and the follow-up study “The Next Steps on the Journey: Has Anything Changed?” released in January 2023. While the new study shows positive change in th...

Live from the patio of the Big “I” InsurTech Summit! Listen as insurtech and IA channel leaders share their insights on agency technology adoption with hosts Chip Bacciocco and Chris Cline.

On the final edition of the three-part series from the Big “I” InsurTech Summit, Chris Cline, executive director of Agents Council for Technology, and Bill Haber, co-founder TEKRiSQ talk about the cyber age. Cyber is the new cost of doing business and agency owners need to be more proactive in their approach to data security—creating policies and having staff and services in place to prevent breac...

The Big “I” recently hosted an InsurTech Summit with TrustedChoice.com. Chris Cline, Agents Council for Technology, executive director, talks to Lou Moran III, Big “I" InsurTech Task Force chair, principal of Inter-Agency Insurance Services in Knoxville, and Jason Walker, president of Agency Revolution kick off the three-part series. The insurance leaders play a quick round of word association, in...

Join Chris Cline, executive director of Agents Council for Technology, and Jason Liu the CEO of Zywave on the water’s edge of Savannah, Georgia at the Big “I” InsurTech Summit. Dive into one of an agency's biggest technology spends—the agency management system. But, are agencies getting the most out of their investment? Probably not. Together the insurance technology leaders talk about spending le...

Insurtech: Enhancing the Transaction, Not Eliminating the Tradition Live from the inaugural Big “I” InsurTech Summit! Chip Bacciocco and Chris Cline take a minute to sit down with Bill Devine and Sean Ramalho of Travelers to discuss the IA channel’s urgent need to take ownership of insurtech strategy in order to avoid the possibility of external players or factors dictating the way agencies do bus...

Jessica Mulder started her insurance career 14 years ago as a CSR for Ambank Insurance, now Perspective Insurance in Sioux City Iowa. Six years ago she took on the role of operations manager for the agency and in this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Jessica reflects on purchasing three agencies in one year. Get a candid take on the challenges and opportunities that come with purchasing an agency....

In a two-part welcome to 2023 edition of Agency Nation Radio podcast guest host James Jenkins of host of Agency Freedom podcast and CEO RiskWell Insurance, Texas, hosts Michelle Rupp, owner NRG Insurance in Seattle, and Mark Ahart president of Ahart Frinzi and Smith with offices in New Jersey and Alexandria, Virginia. During part one, Resilience: Rising in a Recession, you’ll hear the group talk a...

In a two-part welcome to 2023 edition of Agency Nation Radio podcast guest host James Jenkins of host of Agency Freedom podcast and CEO RiskWell Insurance, Texas, hosts Michelle Rupp, owner NRG Insurance in Seattle, and Mark Ahart president of Ahart Frinzi and Smith with offices in New Jersey and Alexandria, Virginia. During part one, Resilience: Rising in a Recession, you’ll hear the group talk a...

Mikayla Cooper, owner of Mikayla Cooper Insurance Agency, Aurora Colorado, like many generations before her created a career in the insurance industry. But after years of working in a captive agency, she saw the need to provide more products and services to her clients. In April 2022, she started a fully-virtual independent agency. She created a network, built relationships and truly celebrated th...

Marketing doesn't need to be complicated, but it does take time, and it's absolutely a team effort. Three industry experts share insights and top strategies for 2023. Kasey Connors, Trusted Choice VP of operations at the Big "I" national headquarters hosts Casey Rotary, director of marketing at Mason McBride in Michigan and Stacie Cooper, marketing project manager Liberty Mutual/Safeco Insurance/S...

IA Advantage, presented by TrustedChoice.com TrustedChoice.com employees have taken over the IA Advantage podcast this month to bring you a master class in search engine optimization content strategies. Listen as Steve Gomez, Director of SEO, picks the brain of a leading SEO consultant to uncover strategies for creating web content that enhances your overall SEO. You’ll learn tips on selecting top...

Katelyn Aitken Myer is the third generation to work in the family agency, Aitken & Ormond Insurance in Michigan. On this edition of Declaration of Independents, we dig into expanding her role from accounting to overall agency operations and IT. She shares tips for keeping family drama at bay and how agencies should consider building roles that will help the agency grow and attract new talent. Agen...

On this edition of Agency Nation Radio, Avery Moore, owner of ECI Insurance, and Scott Freiday, InsurBanc Division Director dig into the intricacies of financing an independent agency. The two share strategies and anecdotes for aspiring owners on the importance of relationships, mentorship, valuation, and interest rates. They also share key factors used to evaluate an agency for financing. "Most i...

Tune in as Charles Symington, Big “I” EVP, and Nathan Riedel VP of political affairs give a preview of the 2022 election. Get an insider look at what's happening with the polls and dive into the fight for control of the House of Representatives. The beltway insiders will also share their perspectives on competitive Senate races. Who's going to take control of the House and Senate? Will history rep...

On this episode of Declaration of Independence on Agency Nation Radio, we meet Angela Trimble, TrustPoint Insurance & Real Estate in Burlington, Kansas. Angela and her best friend purchased a branch of a local independent agency in 2009 and since then her agency has grown from 5 to 20 employees at three locations. At the cornerstone of Angela's continued growth is knowledge. The insurance industry...

On this month's Agency Nation Radio Declaration of Independents we meet Brian Bradley, founder and co-owner of Covenant Insurance Services in Nebraska. The challenges of life as both a father and working in the community with a nonprofit presented Bradley with a dilemma. He loved giving back to the community, working with people and making a difference, “but if you can't take care of yourself, obv...

Hear from five young independent agents on how they found careers in insurance. Some found the industry by chance, others it's a family affair, but all of them note just how much they love their careers in insurance. And, with many agency owners navigating retirement, now is the time for professionals to consider an insurance career--- especially those with entrepreneurial spirit who want to help...

Tiago Prado We went from zero to 50 million in premium in less than five years.

One in 10 homes in the U.S. were impacted by natural hazards in 2021, according to CoreLogic. And, according to Swiss Re, insured losses from natural disasters in 2021 again exceeded the previous ten-year average, continuing the trend of an annual 5-6% rise in losses seen in recent decades. Those moments, days and months after an event can bring out the best in an independent insurance agency—if i...

John Bachmann, vice president of client relations, Norwood Insurance, Groveland, Massachusetts, sits down with Olivia Overman, Big “I” content editor on this edition of Agency Nation Radio’s Declaration of Independents to talk about building relationships. Not just with clients, but with carrier representatives and claims teams. Establishing these relationships helps agents better understand polic...

I find it just fascinating that I can learn something new every day. It's been a wonderful career for me as an academic where I just want to constantly expand my knowledge and use my brain. I love working with business clients, helping them run their businesses and advising them on things that are going to affect their businesses. Carrie Shaw, account manager with Mirabito-Grsham Insurance and hos...