Agency Freedom

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Michael Zalle, founder and CEO of Yellowbird, an environmental health and safety consulting company.  Episode Highlights: Michael tells James about the growth of Yellowbird since its inception three years ago. (4:37) Michael shares his background story, and what Yellowbird does in the industry. (11:48)  Michael explains that he started Yellowbird because the concept of skill set on demand was very interesting to him and he saw how useful it could be in the field of environmental health and safety that requires regular training. (16:36) James talks about how Yellowbird could help a small agency act big with the wealth of services they provide. (22:21) Michael talks about how people in the industry are starting to rely on third-party providers to outsource work for them. (31:29) Michael shares that the number one use case that they have in Yellowbird, is the hard to insure, those with unique risk profiles. (38:28) Michael explains that there is a big difference between an accident and an incident. (44:48) Michael shares that anything that is risk-related can generally be solved within 24 to 48 hours with Yellowbird because he has thousands of people in hundreds of locations. (46:20) James explains that Google is not research, but the Urmi International Risk Management Institute, and National Alliance ISO manual, is research. (52:00) Key Quotes: "I started Yellowbird, basically, in the back of an Uber, because the concept of skill sets on demand was very interesting to me. But the concept of commoditization of human beings was not interesting to me." - Michael Zalle "I always say there's a line of value. And as long as we stay within the line of value, then everybody wins." - Michael Zalle "To be truly helpful, you need to have resources. And so for me, I look at what I do, as the magic bag behind the broker. If it has to do with anything that's risk related, Yellowbird can generally have it solved within 24 to 48 hours." - Michael Zalle Resources Mentioned:Learn more about Yellowbird at https://www.goyellowbird.com/.Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, host James talks with Pat Mulroy, Head of Distribution for Tarmika.Episode Highlights: Pat shares his career path in the insurance ecosystem. (4:51) Pat talks about what Tarmika is doing on the embedded side and that led to his position there. (6:25)  Pat explains that Tarmika sees embedded insurance as something they can offer to both consumers and agencies as an additional distribution method, a starting point, but not something that is going to complete the full journey. (11:33)  James shares his experience of going to a Coldplay concert and using Allianz concert ticket insurance. (16:09) Pat explains why the ability to offer multiple carriers from certain embedded offerings is very unique. (21:01) Pat shares that their new product, which is called "The Tunnel”, has been available for months now and they are continuing to expand. (25:03) Pat shares that it is very important to understand the experience an agency wants to create in order to be able to create the right platform. (31:00) Pat talks about how they have created integrations that their partner carriers do not have to do. (37:21) Pat talks about the notion of a disruptor and highlights the need to embrace different types of distribution. (44:10) James shares the benefits of agents partnering with loan officers and mortgage companies. (49:05) Pat shares some of the reasons why he loves working in this type of industry. (51:46) Key Quotes: "So, I am of the opinion, this is a blanket statement across all things embedded, that the front end experience is insanely important to making this truly feel embedded." - Patrick Mulroy "I think we fell into a better position and others specific to the embedded space because of all of the years that we were involved in the rating side of the business." - Patrick Mulroy "I personally like working in this space so much because of the unknown, so many different parties, technology companies, agencies, carriers, consumers, are all trying to figure out, how this is ultimately going to play out and look, is wildly interesting to me." - Patrick Mulroy  Resources Mentioned:Learn more about Tarmika here: https://www.tarmika.comVisit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with the one and only Dr. Billy Willams, CEO of Inspire A Nation, an equity partner in over 100 retail insurance agencies, and an investor in many other businesses. Episode Highlights: Dr. Billy Williams talks about his background and what led him to start Inspire A Nation. (5:23) Dr. Billy Williams shares that he does not worry about a person's mindset, but what is important is discipline. (10:27) Dr. Billy Williams explains that when he chooses an agency management system, he makes sure that it does 90% of everything he needs.  (20:03) Dr. Billy Williams mentions that he is a step-by-step guy, and gives out the steps he is guided through on a normal workday. (24:34) Dr. Billy Williams explains that the reason most people won't follow a process is that they don't take the time to create a process. (30:07) Dr. Billy Williams elaborates on common weaknesses that a lot of people have. (38:17) Dr. Billy Williams explains that he is not a cold caller type of guy, but a big referral type of guy. (44:31) Dr. Billy Williams shares that one thing agents can do to make themselves experts is to understand that insurance is all about claims. (46:43) Dr. Billy Williams explains the importance of having enough of a niche and knowledge in your demographics. (49:18) Dr. Billy Williams elaborates on the importance of people getting back to the process and understanding assurances about the claim. (56:39) Key Quotes: "Profit sharing is a part of new business. If I didn't write new business, and I didn't have renewals, I don't have profit sharing. " - Dr. Billy Williams "The reason why most people won't follow a process is that they don't take the time to create a process. They don't take the time to follow a process." - Dr. Billy Williams "The process for me is freedom. Freedom for me is delegation. If I can't delegate it to someone, I'm not free. If I'm the only person who can do that, I'm not free." - Dr. Billy Williams Resources Mentioned:Learn more about Inspire A Nation and connect with Billy's team at https://www.inspireanation.org.Learn more about the Tango process documentation program at https://www.tango.usVisit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls, and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with the Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Corina Ludwig, CEO of Function Fox, a task and project management software platform.Episode Highlights: Corina discusses her background, as well as her life vision and values. (4:58) Corina explains when they discovered that the technology they had created for themselves may benefit others in the creative industry. (6:21) Corina mentions that their group prefers to focus on what they do best: being creative rather than spending a lot of time on software. (10:18) Corina shares the lessons she has learned along her journey that she is now using as a seasoned Executive. (14:31) Corina discusses FunctionFox's business structure. (18:48) Corina explains how FunctionFox supports its team members' personal and professional vision and growth. (19:48) Corina discusses their transition from 25% to 100% percent remote workforce. (21:35) Corina discusses the current developments in the advertising industry. (25:00) Corina discusses the freelancing trend in the advertising industry. (28:50) Corina discusses FunctionFox's platform and the flexibility it offers to its customers. (36:49) Corina explains that email doesn't operate the same way it used to, that traditional advertising is fading, and that there are many new channels in the advertising business. (40:22) Corina believes that there is a wealth of information and ideas available to us, regardless of the industry, and that there is a lot of overlap. (45:52) Key Quotes: “When we started 22 years ago, the vision was simple. We wanted to help better understand our profitability, and to help increase our revenue at the end of the day. And so we built a tool for ourselves…and found that this was really helpful, not just for us, but also from the background that I had, knowing that there wasn't really anything in the industry.” - Corina Ludwig “We're helping people increase their revenue, increase their billable hours, and at the end of the day, be more profitable, and really, that's the goal. It's not just selling a software service or providing a productivity tool, but it's actually helping them grow their business.” - Corina Ludwig “There's lots of knowledge and insights that we can get, regardless of the industry you're in, and lots of overlap.” - Corina Ludwig Resources Mentioned:Learn more about Function Fox at https://www.functionfox.com.Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this super-packed episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with five outstanding female agency principals from across the country. They cover a wide variety of topics and provide valuable insight and perspective on the state of the industry and how we can better foster growth in our teams and agencies.A special thanks to Vonda Copeland, Ciara Gravier, Whitney Ricci, Teresa Kitchens, and Ngozi Nnaji for joining us on this episode.Episode Highlights: Vonda, Ciara, Whitney, Teresa, and Ngozi share their background stories and what they love about the industry. (4:08) Vonda explains why she sees the female representation in the industry as a mother figure in terms of how they treat the business. (13:07) Ciara shares that as she grows, being more maternal is the challenge she aims to overcome. (17:54) Ngozi believes that having a female agency owner is the best of both worlds because of their resilience, power, influence, and sensitivity. (21:38) Ngozi believes that the industry needs to see that female owners are out there and bringing success to the industry. (26:04)  Teresa explains that women also can take the mission and the vision out into the world. (34:38) Ciara talks about CSRs in the industry, who are predominantly women, and showing them the opportunity of ownership and the possibility of becoming independent agents. (38:34) Vonda, Ciara, Whitney, Teresa, and Ngozi share their take on a tagline, "Insurance is Female." (44:07) Vonda and Teresa talk about how the female population goes about the word "we" in a healthy way. (53:36) Ngozi believes that labels matter for people to recognize and appreciate and allow people to create awareness. (1:01:42) Ngozi shares how she productively engages her clients. (1:13:15) Ciara explains how she engages her clients, most of whom speak Spanish. (1:17:18) Key Quotes: "We've got to get to the fact that we want to be accepted as that “we”, you know when we're talking, we want to be a part of that. And not, you know, that we're still trying to fight to get into this industry." - Vonda Copeland “I think it's the opportunity to show the world that we have it all…the resilience, the power, the influence, the sensitivity that's needed." - Ngozi Nnaji "The women are the ones that are running your business. You get to go golf and all of your CSR’s are the ones that are running and making you your money. So I feel like as an agency owner, we need to highlight the career paths that they could have." - Ciara Gravier Resources Mentioned: Vonda Copeland LinkedIn Ciara Gravier LinkedIn Whitney Ricci LinkedIn Teresa Kitchens LinkedIn Ngozi Nnaji LinkedIn Sterlings Insurance The Bunker Insurance & Risk Management Copeland Insurance Agency Ricci Insurance Group

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Cory Schnabel, Agency Principal at KC Insurance Group in Kansas City, MO.Episode Highlights: Cory talks about how he got started in the insurance industry. (5:27) Cory shares that he bought his first Allstate agency in 2010. (6:42) Cory how he started KC Insurance Group and what helped him to get contracts with several carriers. (12:51) Cory shares that his referral partners are one of the secrets to his success. (20:46) Cory explains how he connects with his referral partners. (21:36) Cory shares his best practices for establishing value and connection with a channel partner. (26:03) Cory discusses what he believes works best with channel partners in 2022 and beyond. (30:37) Cory explains that most people, perhaps 90% of lenders, agents, wealth planners, CPAs, and insurance brokers, have no idea where a large portion of their business comes from. (32:39) Cory shares his thoughts on what he learned from IAOA. (37:55) Cory discusses some of his decisions that he would alter if given the chance. (51:57) Cory believes if you trust in yourself and bet on yourself, you'll be alright. (54:38) Key Quotes: “We'd always heard the grass was greener on the other side. But then we really learned like, wow, the grass is greener. And these underwriters care about you and they're going to help you place the risk.” - Cory Schnabel “What can we do different and what we can do different is care. It's literally that simple. Like, there's no paid coaching program. There's no paid mentorship, there's no paid automation. It's literally just care.” - Cory Schnabel “If you believe in yourself, you want to bet on yourself, which is something I love doing. Failure motivates me. You're going to be okay and you just have to take it one day at a time.” - Cory Schnabel Resources Mentioned:Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James welcomes co-host, Ciara Gravier, to the show. Ciara is the co-owner of The Bunker in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.Episode Highlights: James introduces the topic for this episode, Excess and Surplus insurance, and his episode co-host, Ciara Gravier. (0:11)  Ciara talks about the importance of efficiency in her two person agency. (6:38) Ciara shares that one of the things she did that helped her perform more profitably was to have an underwriter on her side. (10:23) Ciara mentions that a large portion of their referrals and leads come from their networking efforts. (14:42) Ciara explains that Wunderite has been very helpful in gathering their supplements. (18:38) Ciara shares going to conferences has provided her with valuable information that she has been able to apply to her agency. (23:59) Ciara mentions that they do turn away business if it is not the right fit. (34:04) Ciara explains that they utilize Think Direct for her other agency. (52:08) Ciara believes that one thing she learned from the Killing Commercial was to ask the underwriter, "What do you like to write?" (57:55) Key Quotes: “How do we write surplus and excess insurance profitably? How do we do it quickly and efficiently so that you can put more of it into your agency and do it in a way that makes sense in the larger operation?” - James Jenkins “It's all or nothing. If you're not ready to move everything, then we're not ready to help you let us know when you're ready to come into The Bunker.” - Ciara Gravier “The key is to find an underwriter that you click with, that you guys get along, and then treat them well with your submissions.” - Ciara Gravier Resources Mentioned:Learn more about Ciara's agency at https://www.bunkeryourrisk.com.Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this solo episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks about key points from the first year of the podcast, what the future looks like, and addresses some lessons learned about social media and digital communication.Episode Highlights: James shares how he was invited by Jason Cass to join the AI Podcast Network and start his podcast. (3:49) James talks about how he has improved as a podcast host over the year. (6:27) James explains some of the topics that have not been discussed on his podcast yet but are soon to be. (8:57) James shares the reason why he will be changing the tagline for the podcast. (10:58) James explains that Agency Freedom is a place where agents and he have aligned values and visions. (17:24) James shares how he gets the ideas and context for his episodes. (20:20) James explains that he is sharing his story because he still has to deal with the negative effects of having a strong type of personality. (23:52) James expresses his unconditional apology to his listeners who perceive him as toxic, arrogant, or condescending. (27:57) James shares that he is one of the voices that is attempting to advance the status of the independent agency channel and push people in a positive direction. (34:20)  Key Quotes: "If you have found yourself disliking me or finding me to be toxic, or any of those other negative words, arrogant, cocky, condescending, elitist, confrontational, unkind, really any of those things, this is your unconditional apology from me, because my perceived communication really is at this point hindering my growth as a professional." - James Jenkins "When you peel out the layers of the onion, that really is what we are all about, is helping our peers, me helping my peers, get closer to what they want, closer to the ideal version of your in industry, your agency, anything that I can do to advance it, that objective is going to have my full attention." - James Jenkins "There is a battle that I think every very competitive person faces between being a good colleague, being a genuinely kind, industry peer, and being extremely competitive and wanting to win at all times." - James Jenkins Resources Mentioned:Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls, and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with two insurance podcasting legends, Zack Gould and Matt Naimoli.Episode Highlights: Matt and Zack talk about their experiences and how they founded G&N Insurance. (8:54) Matt and Zack talk about what made them realize the value they could contribute to a channel they assumed was much smaller than it really was. (13:13) Zack shares that the BobbleOn experience was motivated by necessity. (14:24) Matt explains that BobbleOn began as a catchphrase, not as a company or brand. (14:47) Zack believes that many of the most successful enterprises are founded to serve and help our past selves. (19:26) According to Matt, nothing surpasses seeing other agency owners succeed and knowing that they have an impact and a positive influence on their performance. (25:32) Matt believes that starting with the end goal in mind is always a wise decision and is important in any project or journey. (28:34) Zack explains that if you don't believe you're on the right track, you must alter your path in order to live the life you want. (36:52) Zack and Matt both agree that vision boards are a creative way to encourage people to set goals. (37:43) Matt explains that if you can connect your objectives with the overall goals of your team, you will win. (44:00) Matt explains why they haven't been as active in the independent channel in the past two years. (51:17) Key Quotes: “If you can align your goals with your team's goals in general, you're going to win.” - Matt Naimoli “There's nothing that feels better than seeing other agency owners thriving and knowing that we had even 1% of an impact and a positive influence on their success.” - Matt Naimoli “Growth, just flat out is a sexy place to be around. And if you're an insurance agency that focuses a ton on retention, you're just not as fun. Retention is important. Serving your clients is important. But, if it's rephrased in some kind of growth manner, and if you really have a growth mindset as a company, it's just a more fun company to work with.” - Zack Gould Resources Mentioned:Check out their agency and what they're up to at https://insurewithgn.com/Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Peter MacDonald, Co-Founder, and CEO of Wunderite.Episode Highlights: Peter shares his background story and what led him to the insurance industry. (5:31) Peter shares that he met Wunderwrite’s Co-Founder, Joe Schnare, on his first day of business school. (11:11) Peter explains that one of the challenges the industry is facing is not having enough technology to capture underwriting data. (17:51) Peter mentions that the more interesting aspect for him and his company is being able to understand who their customers are. (21:21) Peter shares a concept he learned from Roger Sitkins and Larry Linne called the Trusted Advisor Team. (26:58) Peter explains that most people don't understand their insurance, but if they do, they will buy more. (31:22) Peter explains data input and output as well as digital signatures and their significance. (35:47) Peter shares that agents are doing interesting things with connectivity between software platforms. (42:13) Peter talks about the automatic handwriting tool that was originally invented for the President of the United States. (44:10) Key Quotes: "I think you have to be working with great people, you have to have great people doing what they love to do and what they're talented at." - Peter MacDonald "If you're running a vanilla insurance agency, if you're good at what you're doing, I guarantee you, your customers are going to be growing with you. At least if you're doing your job, they are." - Peter MacDonald "Agents are doing really interesting things with connectivity between software platforms, I think agents are recognizing that they're being held back by some legacy tools…I love the excitement, and I love the innovation that is ultimately going to benefit your customers and your business." - Peter MacDonald Resources Mentioned:Learn more about Wunderite and sign up for your demo and consultation at www.wunderite.com/agencyfreedom---Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.comConnect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedomEmail us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.