SALT provides a solution to the problem that many insurance agencies face of manual data collection. Often times the tedious and time consuming process of gathering their data and sharing it with the insurance professional is a road block from those wanting to shop their insurance. SALT is an Insuretech platform to streamline this process. Casey Hege is Director of Sales and Marketing for SALT. Casey was previously President of Box Insurance where Casey and her team created the SALT program to s...
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 57
Jennifer Standish is the Founder and President of Prospecting Works to give professionals the power to cold call with confidence. Jennifer brings a very unique methodology and mindset to this very necessary communication the producers in all industries can benefit from. Jennifer also provides motivational coaching and speaking for events, conferences, podcasts, groups, etc. Jennifer and I discussed her special talent of developing confidence in cold calling with women, introverts, "wall-flowers"...
Oct 09, 2023•54 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Adam has a great perspective on the insurance industry and running an agency. This is a great discussion. After a career practicing law, Adam was looking to itch the entrepreneurial spirit. He chose the insurance industry. He saw an opportunity and a problem he planned to solve. It is never easy to make this transition so we discussed Adams process, how he choose a Network to join and what agents should be looking at when joining a network, how he grew the agency, markets that he pursued. This i...
Oct 02, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 55
There are so many shiny tech objects in the insurance industry. It can be hard to determine which tools to select, which tools are actually a good investment and which ones are an unused expense. This episode is a discussion between two regular guys that are just willing to try new tech products to enhance and improve our agency process. We discuss Agency Zoom, Donna, Neon, Leo, Weston Labs, SALT, Risk Advisor, Canopy Connect. Tune In to hear a little about what these tech platforms are and how ...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 54
Margaret has a great story that is relatable to so many in the insurance industry. Specifically to those that started or worked in a family agency. It can be so difficult for the parents or other family members to let go to the next generation. Margaret also shared a great story of the 2011 Joplin Tornado. To date it was the costliest tornado in US History. With an office on main street in Joplin, Margaret's response to this disaster was inspiring. We also discuss growing and running a multi loc...
Sep 18, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Meg McKeen is founder of Adjunct Advisors LLC. Meg advises Producers, Leaders, Teams, Organizations within the Insurance Industry. Meg is a very talented writer, speaker, podcaster, listener. She is really a part time therapist in the insurance industry. We covered a wide variety of topics in our conversation from the journey in her business, to her consultative approach to the struggle that she is seeing and hearing within the insurance space. This episode will keep you interested! Enjoy!...
Sep 11, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Dr. Billy Williams, President of Inspire A Nation Business Mentoring never disappoints. In this episode, we get into the weeds on developing processes for Sales, Onboarding, Servicing and Renewals. Dr. Williams gives you a roadmap build a solid foundation for your business. These processes are not exclusive to the insurance business, they are interchangeable with any business. I love Dr. Williams passion for business and mentoring. He is very gracious with his time and constantly giving. https:/...
Sep 04, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Great conversation here with Kelly Donahue-Piro. Kelly is the owner of Agency Performance Partners. As described, they are truly the best friend to the Independent Agency. Kelly and her team are on top of the trends within the ever changing insurance market. They provide support to Executives, Producers, Service staff. We discussed the challenges of the insurance market and the challenges and growth of her own consulting business. Kelly is a tremendous resource to the insurance community. It was...
Aug 28, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 51
I learned of Kenny Hendricks from my first Hawksoft National Convention a few years ago. Many of the questions related to adding this feature or integrating with another tech company. The answer was the same, ask Kenny. Kenny Hendricks is the Director of Partner Integrations. I had no idea how the doughnuts were made at a management system company. As I paid attention more, I learned that there are many, many moving parts to a management system. Features and systems need to be plugged in for con...
Aug 21, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 50
This is a great small business story, specifically to the insurance industry. From starting a scratch agency with no income and 2 employees to pay, to operating the business that cater to the standards of 2023, to growing relatively quickly, to developing as a leader and balancing family life. I am so happy to have met Patrick and spent some time with him both on the podcast and off. Patrick is a great guy, runs a great business and is someone the insurance industry will be hearing a lot more of...
Aug 14, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 49
This is a great discussion with Michael Cruz about scaling his Foresight Insurance Agency, developing as leader, learning from mistakes and much more. Michael has a great back story on where he came from, why he chose the insurance business and how he's decided to run his business. In addition to the insurance business conversation, it was fascinating to learn of his new Virtual Assistant venture in Columbia. There is a huge learning curve starting any business. To start a business in another co...
Aug 07, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Great conversation this week with Christos Provistalis. Christos is a public speaker focusing on the Customer Experience. He is a dynamic, emotional speaker. Christos has been trained by the best on customer service and has used this training and experience to share this powerful message through his speaking engagements and workshops We also discuss his journey as a public speaker. Like any other business, it takes some time to develop your brand and fine tune your process. Christos speaking car...
Jul 31, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Great discussion here with Greg Hogan from Curabba Insurance Agency out of Middleton, NY. Greg is a major contributor to our insurance industry. He is very active in helping agents on the the IAOA Facebook page. We discussed the current state of the insurance industry and did a deep dive into his acquisitions. Greg leads with education. He is a true insurance professional. Enjoy the episode!! https://www.curabba.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryhogan/ https://www.ameriguardinsurance.com/ ...
Jul 24, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 46
An absolute pleasure to connect with Rushang Shaw and Sean Hawkins to discuss all things Hawksoft. Hawksoft is truly the American Dream story that started with a passion for programming software to using this passion to find needed solutions to the dated insurance industry. Paul & Sean Hawkins founded their company by putting people first. Hawksofts Core Values are not just words on a wall, they live and operate by their core values. This was a great conversation about helping the insurance ...
Jul 17, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Great to have Stephen Turnbull back on the ATO Podcast. Stephen recently celebrated T5 Insurance One Year Anniversary. I wanted to circle back with Stephen to discuss what the first year in business was like, lessons learned, victories made and what's in store for Year 2. Stephen has some exciting plans for growth in Year #2, which included hiring a training the first employee and growing by Acquisition. There's no growth in your comfort zone as Stephen points out. Enjoy!
Jul 10, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 44
For anyone that is considering using a VA service, this is a must listen episode. It was a pleasure to meet with two of Savvital Assistants finest employees Uswa Zainab and Musab Shabaz. These are two talented, personable, intelligent young professionals. We discussed how they are supporting and benefiting the companies they work with. How they each have become valuable members of their organizations and provide a wide range abilities to not only support their companies, but improve their effici...
Jun 26, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 43
This is an episode for all small businesses. We talk in depth about best practices for hiring, the importance of an assessment for applicants and best methods to find the most qualified job candidates. Kevin is co-owner of IdealTraits. A hiring platform specifically for the Insurance Industry. Kevin started and grew 4 insurance agency locations before selling a few years back. In addition to Ideal Traits, Kevin is involved in multiple businesses. He is a true entrepreneur. Every Insurance Agency...
Jun 19, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Landry Fields started his agency from scratch 4 years ago. We had a great conversation about the landscape of the insurance industry, hiring good people, his real estate niche, plans for growth. marketing. This was an easy conversation with someone I had never met before this podcast. Enjoy!
Jun 12, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Great conversation here with Brad Kaplan of Kaplan Insurance Agency. We covered so many topics relating to the Independent Insurance Agency Channel. We discuss hiring staff, managing staff, Agency Management Systems, specifically Hawksoft and why Brad says they have such a great company, how Kaplan Insurance continues to grow, the overall agency operation and much more. There are a lot of key takeaways from this conversation. Enjoy! https://www.kaplaninsuranceagency.com/ https://www.linkedin.com...
Jun 05, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Jessica Holder & Keenan Rice left their well paying jobs in the Captive Insurance world to start their own Independent Insurance Agency. With little money, a lot of uncertainty and a baby on the way they were determined to find their own way. There were struggles, but 4 1/2 years later, they've made it. And add 2 more babies. As owners of Eclipse Insurance, they have formed a great partnership. Keenan focuses on Producing and Jessica focuses on running the operation. This was a really fun, r...
May 29, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 39
It was great to talk to Kim Beach, CEO & Founder of InsureWomen. Also owner of Village Insurance based out of Village of Mariemont, OH. Kim's passion is working with and helping women in many areas but namely the insurance buying process. Kim founded InsureWomen in 2021 in the state of Ohio and quickly recognized the need for the organization to expand nationally. Kim's insurance business is very relationship driven. Where there wasn't networking opportunities, she created them. Where there ...
May 22, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Christian Kopp & Nick Smith partnered to create BluePrintRisk in 2020. Two great guys with an exciting plan for the agency. This is a great BluePrint for a successful agency. With Christian focusing on Commercial Insurance and Nick the Personal they are growing working through the challenges that most face as an independent scratch agency. This a great conversation on partnerships. They have identified the Visionary and Integrator within their relationship as well as who will handle what tas...
May 15, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Great conversation with Niki Henley from Extra Mile Insurance. Niki has a great insurance backstory. She started Extra Mile Insurance as a scratch agency in 2018. She is a true grinder in this insurance game. Like many of us her expertise is sales. As you grow in this business, you run into a cross roads that you can't just sell yourself out of. You need a team to continue that growth. This is where it gets challenging. Niki's journey is no different. When staffing is a real issue, the rest of t...
May 08, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Virtual Professionals are one of the hottest topics in the insurance industry. In this episode I have the pleasure to sit down with Troy Thompson, Owner of Savvital Virtual Assistants and David Carothers, with Florida Risk Partners and Partner in Savvital Virtual Assistants. We cover most every question a business owner can have for hiring a Virtual Professional including the common question of security concerns. If you are thinking of one day hiring a VA or have a VA this episode is for you. We...
May 01, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Mark Flockhart opened Valor Insurance Group as scratch agency just over a year ago. Mark has a great backstory in insurance. We had a great conversation about starting the independent agency and the strategic plan to grow a super agency. I first noticed Mark on YouTube under @Thinkinsurance. The Think Insurance YouTube page has over 19,000 subscribers. The Think YT page focuses on educating the public. By educating the public, he generates more car insurance leads from around the country. He als...
Apr 24, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 33
In this episode of the Agents To Owners Podcast, I meet with Robert Bowen Jr. from Patriot Insurance Group. Bowen has a special niche in Real Estate Investment Insurance. We discuss why he choose this market, how he has developed relationships in this market and how, by developing relationships he has become a member of investors team of people. We also discuss challenges growing a team, managing team members and learning to let go and delegate. Rob also has the interesting/special dynamic of ha...
Apr 17, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 33
This week I connect with Dawn Janes-Bartley. Dawn has worked for and earned everything she has. I consider her pioneer. If there isn't a path to where she wants to go, she'll make one. Dawn shared a lot about all aspects of her most recent acquisition. This was a deep dive into the entire acquisition process. From managing a new team to due diligence of an agency purchase to the financing. Dawn offered so many great takeaways to running, growing, managing an agency. https://www.linkedin.com/in/d...
Apr 03, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 31
This is a great episode with Daniela. We covered a lot of insurance ground in this conversation. Daniela has gone through two acquisitions and plans on more. We discussed working remote and the challenges of staying active with the team. We discussed growing a production team, her growth plan and how she utilizes her virtual professional. Not to mention, Daniela is a lot of fun. https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielitaaf/ https://www.insuranceagencyfl.com/ https://www.ameriguardinsurance.com/...
Mar 27, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 30
In the Independent Insurance World, Captain Dave Jackson needs no introduction. As Founder to IAOA, he is the Godfather of Collaboration. He will never take credit for all the greatness that has come from this network of people. During our conversation we discussed the what's being added to the IAOA platform, including the Market Access connection, which is helping independent agents connect to one of the top Network/Aggregators within the insurance space, the IAOA Foundation which supports youn...
Mar 20, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Daniel Summers started his scratch agency Charles String Inc . 2 1/2 years ago. Daniel started with the Trucking niche. By providing value to the Trucking community, Charles String has exploded. Daniel created instructional and education videos on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@TruckInsurance. The response was overwhelming. Because the demand was so high, Daniel has expanded their operation Nationwide. In addition to the Insurance operation, Daniel has been able to monetize the You...
Mar 13, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 28
