In this episode of the Ridiculously Amazing Insurance Agent podcast, host Kelly Donahue-Piro interviews Emily Gerber Poe and Joshua Strange, of Gerber Insurance & Financial Services. Listen to how the team at Gerber Insurance went from captive to independent and mastered proactive renewal review calls.

Episode Highlights:

• Emily and Josh share how they went into business together. (7:39)
• What did Emily learn about being an independent agency owner? (15:53)
• Is it better to hire based on personality or skill? (20:05)
• Emily and Josh share how they fixed their retention problem. (23:02)
• Josh mentions the biggest challenge they’ve had in the team. (27:01)
• What advice would Emily and Josh give to any other agency going through their first 60 days? (33:38)

Key Quotes:

• “I really love supporting people. I always have found myself in positions where I'm really able to, in some ways, pour gasoline on a fire, so to speak. I really try to look at the business holistically and say, you know, here are some leaks...maybe here are some things that you're blind to.” - Josh Strange
• “There might be some things that we miss on the other side, but I really, truly believe that this was meant to be for us. I really truly believe that this will be the best opportunity and growth for us going independent, as well for our clients.” - Emily Gerber Poe
• “I'm very passionate about hiring to personality rather than hiring to skill. Because what I’ve found in the past, is the best fit for our team was the best personality fit.” - Emily Gerber Poe

Resources Mentioned:

• Emily Gerber Poe LinkedIn
• Josh Strange LinkedIn
• Gerber Insurance & Financial Services
• Kelly Donahue-Piro LinkedIn
• Agency Performance Partners