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IA Forward A community created to inspire, support, and agents in the independent insurance channel. Listen on Apple Music, Spotify, or any podcast platform.

The insurance market is softening. Now what?More carriers are writing business. Clients have more choices. Prices are be...
10/06/2026

The insurance market is softening. Now what?

More carriers are writing business. Clients have more choices. Prices are becoming more competitive.

Sounds great.

Except your competitors now have more opportunities to come after the clients you've worked so hard to keep.

This week on IA Forward, Shane and Tonya discuss what changes for agency owners when the market changes. Because you can't play 100% defense and expect to grow.

Watch or listen to IA Forward, Episode 338. Link in comments.

Thinking about building your own insurance agency?There’s a reason we believe agency ownership is one of the best busine...
10/02/2026

Thinking about building your own insurance agency?

There’s a reason we believe agency ownership is one of the best business models on the planet.

Watch Day 1 of The 30-Day Insurance Agency Playbook and find out why.

30 days. 30 Shorts. One full playbook for building your agency.

Watch link in comments.

“Let me get you a quote.”We say it without even thinking about it.But attorneys don’t build their businesses around quot...
09/29/2026

“Let me get you a quote.”

We say it without even thinking about it.

But attorneys don’t build their businesses around quotes. Neither do CPAs. And when people trust us to protect their homes, businesses, vehicles and everything they have worked to build, should insurance agents?

This week on IA Forward, Shane, Mike and Tonya take on the quoting culture in insurance and what happens when we start thinking differently.

Recommendation instead of quote.
Client instead of customer.
Relationship instead of transaction.

Sometimes changing the way you do business starts by changing the words you use.

IA Forward Episode 337 is out now.
The Problem With "Let Me Get You A Quote"
Watch link in comments.

09/22/2026

Your best employee may be drowning.
And they may be the LAST person to tell you.

We’ve created a work culture where saying “I’m at capacity” can feel like admitting you can’t do your job.

So what do great employees do?
They keep saying yes.
Until they can’t.

Watch link in the comments.

Compensation matters. It has to be competitive.But a bigger paycheck will not fix inconsistent leadership, an unreasonab...
09/22/2026

Compensation matters. It has to be competitive.

But a bigger paycheck will not fix inconsistent leadership, an unreasonable workload, constant chaos, poor communication, or an employee who feels like there is nowhere left to grow.

On Episode 335 of IA Forward, Tonya and Mike talk about finding the right people, building an onboarding process that actually works, recognizing when your best employees are reaching capacity, and creating a culture where people want to stay.

Because hiring great people is hard.
Losing them because you failed to give them a reason to stay is even harder.

Compensation matters. Culture matters more.

Watch link in the comments.

What does a Hall of Fame football coach have to teach independent insurance agents? More than you might think.In Episode...
07/28/2026

What does a Hall of Fame football coach have to teach independent insurance agents? More than you might think.

In Episode 327 of IA Forward, we're sharing leadership lessons from Buffalo Bills legend Marv Levy on persistence, character, embracing change, and what it really takes to win in business.

"What it takes to win is simple... but not easy."

Link in comments.

07/22/2026

How many opportunities have you missed because you were waiting for the "perfect" plan?

Perfection can feel productive, but more often than not, it keeps us stuck.

In Episode 326 of IA Forward, we talk about one of the biggest traps agency owners fall into: waiting until every question is answered before taking action.

The truth?
Sometimes the best strategy isn't waiting.
It's starting.

Link to full episode in comments.

If you're ready to finish the year stronger than you started it, Episode 323 of IA Forward is your halftime strategy ses...
07/01/2026

If you're ready to finish the year stronger than you started it, Episode 323 of IA Forward is your halftime strategy session.

Borrowing lessons from the locker room, this episode reminds agency owners that halftime isn't about celebrating the first half or dwelling on mistakes. It's about making the adjustments that position your agency to win the game.

Link to episode in comments.

06/28/2026

Who makes the rules in your career?
Most people don't think about it until the rules change.

This week's conversation started with State Farm, but quickly became about something much bigger:
Who controls your future?
Who controls your income?
Who controls your opportunities?
And what happens when those rules change overnight?
Are you building something you own, or something you rent?

"Who Makes the Rules? What State Farm's Changes Mean for Independent Agents"
Link in comments

06/26/2026

Who makes the rules in your career?
Most people don't think about it until the rules change.

This week's conversation started with State Farm, but quickly became about something much bigger:
Who controls your future?
Who controls your income?
Who controls your opportunities?
And what happens when those rules change overnight?
Are you building something you own, or something you rent?

Watch "Who Makes the Rules? What State Farm's Changes Mean for Independent Agents"
Link in comments

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