Michael sits down with Scott Smith, founder of True Network Advisors and executive at Patriot Growth Insurance, for a candid, deep-dive into how a “lifestyle business” became a 90+-agency enterprise—and what owners need to know before they sell. Scott traces his path from starving insurance salesperson in Atlanta to building Metro Benefit Consultants, returning to Alabama, and ultimately launching True Network Advisors in 2016 after a peer study-group inspired a bigger idea: a founder-run association laser-focused on helping independent agencies grow.

They unpack the pivotal moment when True’s collaboration model evolved into an industry roll-up, culminating in the formation of Patriot Growth Insurance in 2019. Scott shares what he wishes he’d known going into private equity: why deal structure matters more than headline price, how to evaluate buyers (and their PE sponsors), the danger of “squeezing” a valuation you can’t operate to, and why sellers must protect operating room post-close. He also covers the emotional side of exit—deciding what you really want the next 5–10 years to look like, shifting from “me” to “we,” and taking quiet control of a process that can otherwise run you.