Agency Freedom

In this episode, James talks with Alexander Dopazo, Commercial Account Manager at Dopazo & Associates Insurance. To learn more about Dopazo & Associates Insurance, visit https://www.dopazoinsurance.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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Lani Cathey, CEO of XDimensional Technologies. To learn more about XDimensional Technologies, Inc, visit https://xdti.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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Oliver Connor, Board Member of NetVU. To learn more about NetVU, visit https://www.netvu.org/web. 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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Mark Breading, Partner at ReSource Pro. To learn more about ReSource Pro, visit https://www.resourcepro.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: 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

In this episode, James and guest co-host Peter MacDonald talk with Aviad Pinkovezky, President of First Connect Insurance. 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 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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Matt Masiello, CEO of SIAA. To learn more about SIAA, visit https://www.siaa.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 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

In this episode, James talks with Micah Salas, Senior Vice President of Christensen Group Insurance and author of The Business Insurance Playbook. To learn more about Christensen Group Insurance, visit https://www.christensengroup.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: 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

This one-off episode details James’ experience with payments vendor Ascend.

In this episode, James talks with Patrick McBride, Agency Owner of The McBride Agency. To learn more about The McBride agency, visit https://themcbrideagency.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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Kimi Donahue, Sr. Agency Success Manager at Openly. To learn more about Openly, visit https://openly.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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Stephen Sedlak, President of Workcompology. To learn more about Workcompology, visit https://workcompology.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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Wade Millward, CEO and Founder of Rikor. To learn more about Rikor, visit https://www.protectmyfranchise.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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Dane Williams, Insurance Advisor at Shoemaker Insurance Solutions. To learn more about Shoemaker Insurance Solutions, visit https://www.shoemakerins.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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Meg McKeen, Founder of Adjunct Advisors. 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 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: 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

In this episode, James talks with J.C. Wogomon, Owner and Founder of Catalyst Insurance Group. 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 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 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

In Part 2 of this two-part episode, James talks with Aaron Farmer, Principal of Top Dog Pet Health Insurance, and President of California Flood Insurance. 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 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: 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

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, James talks with Aaron Farmer, Principal of Top Dog Pet Health Insurance, and President of California Flood Insurance. 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 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: 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

In this episode, James talks with John Loeber, and Shea McNamara from Limit. 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 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: 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

In this episode, James talks with Shefi Ben-Hutta, Founder of Coverager. 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

In this episode, James talks with Ryan Hanley, the founder of Rogue Risk. Ryan also serves as a senior leader with SIAA. 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