In this episode of Business Refocused, Todd Hufford interviews Carey and Lindsay Wallace on the story behind AgencyFocus, how they each found their way into insurance, and what it took to grow the business beyond agency valuation.

Carey shares how a role with the PIA of Ohio led her into valuation, perpetuation planning, and data analytics, eventually becoming the foundation for AgencyFocus. Lindsay shares her own path into the industry and how her experience helped shape the company’s next stage of growth.

Together, they talk about how AgencyFocus evolved from a valuation-focused business into a firm that also provides fractional CFO services, mastermind groups, and deeper financial consulting for independent insurance agencies.

This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at agency valuation, fractional CFO services, insurance industry career paths, and what it takes to build a business focused on helping agencies make better financial decisions.

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey sit down with Todd Hufford, CEO of Conner Insurance, to talk about on a topic that’s shaping the future of agencies: bringing in young talent. 

The conversation starts light but quickly gets into something more meaningful. Todd shares how his perspective on time, shaped early in life, led him to think long-term about building an agency. Not just for today’s revenue, but for the next generation of leaders.

Todd shares how Conner Insurance scaled by consistently bringing in and developing talent, even when it meant short-term tradeoffs. Over time, that investment compounded into real growth.

That means hiring early career talent with no book of business, funding their development, and accepting that not every hire will work out. For Todd, that’s not a risk. It’s part of the strategy.

A few key ideas from the episode:

•  Hiring young producers is an investment, not an expense 
•  Most agencies struggle here because they protect short-term profit 
•  Training matters more than experience, especially early on 
•  Data builds confidence when recruiting and developing talent 
•  Every team needs proof that success is achievable 

Agencies that grow aren’t just better at selling. They’re better at building people.

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

In this episode of Business Refocused, Carey and Lindsay sit down with Nicole Malachowski, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and the first female Thunderbird pilot, to talk about transition.

Not just planning for it. Actually going through it.

Nicole’s career ended unexpectedly after a serious illness forced her out of the role she had built her identity around. What followed wasn’t a clean next step. It was the messy middle that most people don’t talk about.

Her perspective is simple and practical: transition comes whether you plan for it or not. What matters is how you respond.

One idea that stands out is yield to overcome. Accept where you are so you can move forward with clarity.

For agency owners, this hits directly. Transition is rarely about the numbers alone. It’s about identity, control, and what you carry with you into the next phase.

A few key takeaways:

•  Transition is emotional before it’s strategic 
•  The hardest part is letting go of your role 
•  What you’ll miss isn’t always what you expect 
•  The skills that built your agency still matter, just in a different way

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

The agency owners who walk away from a sale feeling good aren't the ones who got lucky — they're the ones who prepared. In the final episode of this series, Carey and Matt talk about fixing problems before they become deal killers, how to know what kind of seller you are, and why the question of what comes next matters just as much as the closing number.

In this episode:

• How to fix valuation issues before you go to market
• The three seller personas — and why knowing yours changes everything
• What a competitive process does that a direct negotiation can't
• Why so many owners hesitate to pull the trigger (and what to do about it)
• How to make a decision you won't regret two years later

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

Your agency might be worth less than you think — and the reasons probably have nothing to do with your revenue. In part three, Carey and Matt dig into the valuation drivers most owners never see coming: producer-owned books, aggregator contracts, leadership concentration, and the transferability issues that quietly discount an otherwise strong agency.

In this episode:

• Why a multiple of EBITDA is just the starting point
• Producer-owned books: what they are and what they cost you at exit
• Aggregator and cluster contracts — what you signed and what it means now
• The value killers that show up too late to fix
• How leadership and culture factor into what a buyer will actually pay

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

Selling your agency isn't just a financial transaction — it's one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make. In part two of this series, Carey and Matt get into what it actually looks like to navigate an exit, whether that's keeping it in the family or going to market. They break down the difference between a broker and a true advisor, why the fee question is the wrong place to start, and what it really takes to feel good about the outcome.

In this episode:

• Internal succession vs. external sale — the real trade-offs
• Why "broker" and "advisor" aren't the same thing
• How the advisory fee pays for itself (and then some)
• Why working with a sell-side only advisor matters more than you'd think
• What a good exit actually looks like beyond the wire transfer

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

Most agency owners are great at insurance. The financial side? That's where things get fuzzy. Carey Wallace sits down with Matt Naimoli of Legacy Advisors to talk about what financial clarity actually looks like inside an independent agency — and why getting there changes everything from hiring decisions to long-term value. This is part one of a four-part series.

In this episode:

• Why most agency owners are making big decisions without the right financial picture
• What a fractional CFO actually does (and why "fractional" is the point)
• How to forecast staffing and growth before you need to
• Organic growth vs. acquisition — why doing both at once is harder than it sounds
• How debt, cash flow, and annual valuation connect to what your agency is worth

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

In this episode, Lindsay and Carey sit down with Adam DeLaForest to explore the key factors influencing agency valuation, including financial management, operational efficiency, and market conditions. Our guest, Adam DeLaForest,  shares insights from his experience completing valuations on numerous agencies at his role in AgencyFocus, emphasizing the importance of profitability, contracts, and strategic planning for agency owners.

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey focus specifically on benchmarking and why it might be the most underutilized tool in an agency owner’s toolbox.

A lot of owners think benchmarking is just a “nice to have” report. In reality, it is a financial health check. It gives you a clear, unbiased look at how your agency stacks up against others your size and where you may be off without realizing it.

They walk through what benchmarking actually uncovers, including:

• Whether your compensation structure is in line with industry standards
• If your profitability is truly strong or just looks strong on the surface
• How retention impacts long-term growth more than new business does
• Whether your revenue per employee and spread support sustainable scaling
• Why misclassified expenses can distort how healthy your agency really is

They also talk about why benchmarking is especially important for agencies planning internal transitions, acquisitions, or long-term growth. You cannot improve what you do not measure, and you cannot confidently scale what you do not understand.

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

In this solo episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay sits down with sales coach and founder of The Sales Collective, Steve Heroux, for a direct and eye-opening conversation about why so many agencies struggle with producer hiring, motivation, and growth.

Steve shares his journey from a painfully shy kid to a top national sales performer, and now a coach helping organizations rethink how they hire and develop sales talent. He breaks down why most agencies are unknowingly sabotaging their growth by posting generic job descriptions, hiring based on “likability,” and underpaying top performers.

They also unpack some hard truths:

• Why you cannot “motivate” an unmotivated producer
• What a bad sales hire really costs an agency
• Why industry experience is often overrated
• How the wrong compensation structure limits profitability and long-term value
• Why hiring based on instinct instead of assessment leads to high turnover

Steve introduces the idea of “sales DNA” and explains why identifying the will to sell matters more than a resume full of licenses. The conversation challenges agency owners to rethink how they recruit, pay, and structure their sales teams if they truly want sustainable growth.

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused