ATO Podcast

Great conversation this week with Jeremy Goodrich.  Jeremy started Shine Insurance Agency with his wife nearly 10 years ago.  They focus on  Commercial  Real Estate Investors.   In this episode, we discuss his niche, culture of their insurance agency, what its like to work with your spouse and his program to supporting and advising independent insurance agents to help boost to the next level.   

Jeremy Goodrich  Linkedin: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/reiinsuranceguy/

https://www.shineinsurance.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-boldt-00318278/

https://www.ameriguardinsurance.com/

Great to connect with Luis Leal!  Without a doubt one of the coolest insurance agents in the country.  I learned a lot about Luis and his agency Leal Insurance Services.  It's clear Luis is a value based insurance agency that does what's best for his clients.  His marketing by Memes are creative, engaging and grab attention.   Which is what marketing should be.  Luis & I discuss his marketing program, core market, some challenges with hiring and his plans to improve in 2023.   

https://www.lealinsurance.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lealinsurance/

Instagram: lealinsurance 

[email protected] 

In my opinion, Indium nailed their hire of the new CEO.  This was a fun episode discussing the challenges ahead for not only Indium the company but the challenges of the independent agency force.  We discuss challenges of leadership, developing a team, meeting the very high expectations of peers, friends, board members, a network of agents.  Kat may not be the owner, but she is the leader this company which she is taken over in less than ideal circumstances.  So many parallels to many of us a business owners.   It was blast spending some time with Kat.  Enjoy!  

Carey Wallace, founder of Agency Focus adds so much value to the Independent Agency Channel. She solves a that so many of us desperately need.  The growth of her business is proof of that. Agency Focus provides Agency Valuation, Financial Consulting, expert advice on Mergers & Acquisitions and CFO Services.   In our podcast, we discuss what Insurance Agencies should be focusing on, what is an investment vs. an expense, common financial mistakes that insurance professionals make and so much more.  I can speak from experience that Carey is wonderful to work with. She truly wants us to win and cares about our business.   

https://agency-focus.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carey-wallace-393a8620/

ameriguardinsurance.com 

#insuranceagency #insuranceagent #businessowner #smallbusiness #businessdevelopment #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #scratchagent #businesspodca

It's hard not to be a huge fan of Teresa Kitchens.  She is one of the easiest people to talk to.  In this episode on the ATO Podcast we talk about what Teresa learned from her most recent acquisition.  There is always something to learn about an acquisition.  Her plans for future acquisitions.  We discuss building a strong insurance team, being a leader, struggles and making progress.   I always have a great conversation with Teresa.  This was a fun episode.  Enjoy! 

Great Episode with Jason Rodriguez of Prominent Insurance Services out of Philadelphia, PA.  Jason is changing the Game!!   After fine tuning Prominent Insurance Services, Jason has created franchise opportunities for people across the country.  Jason is specifically targeting minorities to expose this underrepresented group to the amazing world of Insurance Agency Ownership.  Jason Rodriguez has designed a playbook for new agency owners to succeed in this business.  In this podcast, we discuss how Jason grew his agency, what his biggest challenges have been as a business owner and this franchise venture in which his goal is to double the minority ownership in the insurance business.  It was a great to connect with Jason Rodriguez.  You will enjoy it!! 

https://www.prominentagency.com/

[email protected]

[email protected] 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-boldt-00318278/

agencyzoom.com 

hawksoft.com 

Dawnyel Smink is an inspiration!  Leader of Canyon Lands Insurance, Leader of CLI Select Agencies, Leader of Women In Insurance Sharing Empowerment, member of a number of Advisory Councils, Advocate for Women, Mother and an avid Golfer.  In this episode Dawnyel shares her path to growing to 200 Partner Agencies, some  challenges as a young business owner, what it was like to be a woman in male dominated field and much more!  This is a must listen for everyone in the insurance business!! 

Dawnyel Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnyel-smink-95988548/

https://www.canyonlandsinsurance.com/

Brad Boldt Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-boldt-00318278/

[email protected] 

ameriguardinsurance.com 

Great Talk this week with Elisha Cavanaugh, President of Sound Pacific Insurance in Tacoma, Washington.  Elisha started Sound Pacific in 2012.   A self described insurance nerd, Elisha is always investing in her growth and development.  She has recently taken on a leadership position on Safeco Advisory Council.  It is always a joy to speak with my friend about the insurance space and this podcast was no different.  We talked about trying to level up our agencies, adding staff to our team, battling our tech to become more efficient and many other of the ongoing challenges of growing agency owners.  

[email protected]

https://www.soundpacificins.com/

Brad's Email:  [email protected] 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-boldt-00318278/

Advisor Evolved:  https://advisorevolved.com/

Hawksoft:  https://www.hawksoft.com/

Agency Zoom:  https://www.agencyzoom.com/

Melissa Stallings is one of the most fun agency owners that you will encounter.  Melissa runs an all women agency in Douglasville, GA.  Melissa has grown Stallings Insurance Agency into a team of Rock Stars.  They work hard and play hard.  I first noticed Stallings from their entertaining social media videos and their consistent charitable contributions to the community.  Melissa and I had a great conversation covering a variety of topics from how she started, how she gained market access very early, how she grew Stallings Insurance, to mental health of both herself and her team, and much more.  

https://www.stallingsia.com/

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-stallings-7ab7854a/

[email protected]

[email protected] 

Beth and I cover a lot of ground from her insurance career.  Beth's professional development is impressive.  This growth does not happen overnight.  It's a process.  Beth posted recently on social media about Failing Forward.  Some decisions or investments don't work out.  You learn and move on.  Beth has made great progress because she has taken action and moved forward.  She has grown a large team and developed as a leader on her terms.  We discuss a recent her recent acquisition and the challenges of this entire process. 

Anyone in the insurance agent/agency space can learn a lot from this episode.