This might be the best advice you never received, but who says you can't start at the top?

It's somewhat of a long held tradition that you need to work your way up in the insurance business. 

Start small, learn the ropes and eventually, after years of seasoning and experience, you'll finally be ready to go after the "big accounts."

But what if they were within your reach all along and all you had to do was set your sights a little higher?

That's what Ryan Anderson, Broker at AssuredPartners, is learning as he continues to climb the large account ladder. 

Is it your mission to make sure everyone knows you're an insurance agent?

Do you also make it a point to never be the first one to talk about insurance?

Those two objectives might seem like they are at odds with each other. 

However, if you think about it they actually form a very compelling combination.

John Darr, Owner and CEO of Darr Schackow Insurance, talks about his secrets to mastering conversations that lead to business. 

When was the last time you addressed coverage concerns from every primary stakeholder?

It's very easy to overlook, but will undoubtedly create an ultimate level of "buy-in" to close the sale. 

Surprisingly, the easiest way to get it is to send everyone a short video discussing all their potential concerns. 

That level of efficient consideration will certainly stand out from everyone else trying to get their foot in the door. 

Joe Brunsban, President and Founder of The Brunsman Group, talks about how he streamlined his communication to open up multiple contacts for a potential client. 

You might not realize it, but it's pretty important to be aware of how many hats you wear in your agency. 

If you're not, it becomes that much harder to eventually get someone else to wear it. 

Then you find yourself stuck in an endless, lopsided cycle of work-life balance that leads nowhere. 

Maybe all it takes is to remove one or two hats a little sooner than you think. 

Michael Cruz, owner of Foresight Insurance, talks about how he made sure to find help before he needed it. 

It's easy to worry about all the ways things might not work out.

It's even easier to let those fears completely control all your major decisions.

However, sometimes, if you just let go you might find a whole new level of freedom.

You might find that freedom creating empowerment and ownership for everyone in your agency.

Beth DeLaForest, Owner of Aspire Insurance Group, talks about how she constantly tries to free her agency from traditional insurance norms. 

What would it look like if your entire agency was just a little more focused on one thing?

It's often discussed but rarely done with complete dedication and execution.

Could that focus be repeated over and over again to any and all producers who wanted to participate?

It's possible the entire staff could be reshaped and structured to support this new deep dive approach to sell insurance. 

Chris Beardslee, Executive Vice President at Allied Insurance Managers, talks about how serious his agency is about finding specialties. 

Sometimes, it really is hard to see the forest through the trees.

That couldn't be more true when evaluating your own insurance career and agency.

However, there's often a strong reluctance to introduce an outside perspective.

Regardless of how you achieve a higher level of awareness, there are a few key areas you should look at.

Miles Merwin, President and Founder of Advisors Insurance Agency, talks about the evolution his agency has gone through to maximize its potential.

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times. 

Insurance gets easier when you can speak the language better than the next guy. 

But did you ever think that fluency was more important than insurance knowledge and experience?

Well, that's where things get interesting, and you might be surprised at how important talking the talk is with truckers. 

Jeffrey Gordon, President at The Bayou Agency, talks about why the insurance is the insurance and how he's taking his transportation clients to the next level. 

What would you do if your first interaction with the industry was less than welcoming?

It certainly wouldn't do much to increase your chances of sticking around and figuring things out. 

But, if you can push past that initial discomfort, there's plenty of room to explore and grow across the industry. 

Certainly, after all that, finding your place and calling it your own with comfort doesn't seem all that difficult. 

Patience Noah, Owner of Patience Noah Insurance, talks about how she did just that and rebelled her way to a fulfilling career.  

No matter what, there's a good chance it was far from your first choice. 

However, it probably remains pretty high on the list of decisions you've made that had the greatest impact. 

The reality is far fewer people know this potential life-altering decision is even available. 

Then the real question is, how do we make sure more people have a chance to make it? 

Jarrad "Rod" Powell, Principal at Encore Insurance Group, talks about his journey to the industry and why he thinks everyone needs to consider having a license.