Finding Peak [Formerly The Ryan Hanley Show]

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comThis is a special multi-guest episode of The Ryan Hanley Show with a "Who's Who" lineup of technology power players including Steve Anderson, CEO of Catalyit, Peter MacDonald, Co-Founder & CEO of Wunderite, and Andrew Wynn, Co-Founder & CEO of Ascend.We get after all things independent insurance agents and technology.You don't want to miss this episode...Episode Highlights: Peter explains how they came up with the idea of talking about the future of insurance technology. (7:44) Steve explains the Catalyit concept and what they do. (9:33) Andrew introduces himself and what Ascend does. (12:10) Peter shares his background and Wunderite’s concept. (14:17) Steve discusses how technology is becoming more accessible to the general public. (17:53) Peter believes that insurance agents have always had a perspective on customer service and that it has always been a high concern for agencies. (24:46) Andrew discusses his thought process for launching his own company. (29:07) Peter mentions that their company's health insurance was recently changed this year and how technology was integrated into the sales demonstration. (36:38) According to Andrew, they wanted to create a solution that was more than just premium finance and gave a much better customer experience. (45:07) Peter explains how he came up with the idea for Wunderite. (47:36) Peter talks about the need for an ecosystem to support the tools that we want as agents. (1:02:00) Key Quotes: “It's not about technology, it's about meeting the customer where they want to be.” - Steve Anderson “The future of InsurTech is really about empowering independent agents.” - Peter MacDonald “We wanted to build a product that delivers that better customer experience, while staying competitive on the rate.” - Andrew Wynn Resources Mentioned: Steve Anderson LinkedIn Peter MacDonald Andrew Wynn Catalyit Wunderite Ascend. Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comThis is a special Billy Williams episode on maximizing agency growth in 2022. In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley and Billy Williams dive deep into what holds agencies back from growing and what the major keys are to breaking free of stagnation and making growth real moving forward.This is an episode you don't want to miss...Episode Highlights: Billy mentions that in 2022, he hopes to make the podcast rounds to help people get back on track. (3:53) Billy recalls winning the bodybuilding Natural Nationals two years in a row. (9:25) Billy believes that a lack of emotional discipline is the biggest factor preventing any firm from growing. (15:03) Billy explains that as leaders, we are only actually responsible for three things: hiring, training, and accountability. (20:53) Billy discusses the significance of effective processes and spot-checking. (30:30) Billy mentions that process is nothing more than the steps it takes to get something done. (35:11) Billy mentions that the real reason most agencies aren't growing is that they have terrible leads. (43:07) People often conflate popularity with profitability, according to Billy. (54:15) Billy discusses Fix My Insurance Agency in detail. (1:04:56) Key Quotes: “The thing that made me really really good as a bodybuilder, was not what I gave up. It was what I reallocated.” - Billy Williams “The real issue in most agencies when they're not growing…The reason why they have terrible staff, the reason why they have terrible technology, the reason why they have terrible processes, the reason why they have terrible cash flow, is because they have terrible leads.” - Billy Williams “Running an agency is not that damn hard. We make it hard. We get caught up in the admin, right? That's what happens. We get caught up in the admin and we think that's insurance. Insurance is not admin, insurance is issuing a damn policy.” - Billy Williams Resources Mentioned: Billy Williams LinkedIn Williams Family Investment Group Inspire a Nation Business Mentoring Fix My Insurance Agency Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, John Fohr, Co-Founder of TrustLayer, the digital platform helping agencies and business owners alike better track licensing, certificates, and insurance, joins the podcast for an EPIC conversation.This is one you don't want to miss...Episode Highlights: John sits down with Ryan and talks about when he started his business. (9:16) John shares how they started the accelerator broker tech ventures during the pandemic. (14:01) John shares more about his company, what they do, and how they operate with their clients. (23:05) John shares some of the challenges they had to face as a start-up company. (29:10) John tells us that their company and their clients are not brokers instead they work with brokers. (34:22) Johns explains that their main goal for the broker is to make them earn more revenue because of their services. (39:41) John shares that the way brokers adapt is by thinking that the value is for the customer and not just for you. (42:22) John tells us that we should want to focus on building ground truth to build a proof of coverage. (49:41) John talks about managing integrations in an efficient way. (54:43) Key Quotes: "So for us, like, we're the trust layer, right? We're happy to be that middle layer. And if people don't even know that we exist, that's fine, because we can work on just building infrastructure for the insurance industry." - John Fohr "We are either revenue-neutral, or we are revenue positive. For the broker, We're trying to help you guys make more revenue." - John Fohr "Remember, this isn't a value just for you. It's a value for your customer." - John Fohr Resources Mentioned: John Fohr LinkedIn TrustLayer Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by Bradley Flowers, entrepreneur-in-residence at Portal Insurance, for a tremendous conversation on what comes next for one of the most exciting and interesting young agencies in our industry.Don't miss this episode...Episode Highlights: Bradley talks about hiring someone to work on his various projects. (6:59) Bradley shares his definition of what a good salesperson and a good producer is. (14:14) Bradley tells us about his office space and the percentage of expenses that go to it. (20:20) Bradley shares that he does not think that there is anything wrong with being a mainstream generalist. (31:24) Bradley says that convenience beats price 98% of the time, and shares insights about retention. (36:45) Bradley shares that it is important to automate, outsource, and delegate. (41:56) Bradley talks about the two important things he has learned in the past two years. (47:49) Bradley shares a situation he had with one of the companies that offers InsurTech. (58:53) Bradley explains how agents are still important in a company's success. (1:02:42) Bradley and Ryan talk about NFTs and Cryptocurrency, and how it is going to revolutionize the video game. (1:05:37) Key Quotes: If you work with good independent agents, they are going to put you with the correct carrier for your risk. They're not going to try to fit something into a box that doesn't belong there. Generally speaking." - Bradley Flowers "Again, with your team. There are no better people than the people that work for you." - Bradley Flowers  "The hardest thing, I think, is to delegate the things that you're not good at, but you like doing." - Bradley Flowers Resources Mentioned: Bradley Flowers LinkedIn Portal Insurance Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by Josh Gurley, partner at HM Advisors, for an epic conversation to start 2022. They break down the business of insurance, selling commercials and growing your business. Josh is an all-time professional in our industry.Episode Highlights: Josh shares with us about doing a year in review. (6:00) Josh tells us that one of his top 10 happenings of last year was making new friends who inspire him. (11:55) Josh tells us that, to be successful in business you have to be brave enough to tell people the truth. (20:44) Josh says that it is very important to call the next move with your clients. (28:38) Josh mentions that his company currently operates in 23 different states. (33:33) Josh talks about what he’s learned from technology this year. (36:19 Josh says that people need to understand that technology should only do what works for them. (44:43) Josh shares what he thinks is the most valuable thing in the insurance industry. (52:41) Josh shares some advice he gave to a client. (56:51) Josh says that you only need to do the thing that you're good at and everything else will follow. (1:01:34) Josh shares the importance of family in his life and imparts some advice on a few things that you should not delegate. (1:02:51) Key Quotes: "I just really want to help provide education to our industry, because I think we're in one of the most honorable industries that a person could possibly be." - Josh Gurley "I think that what people need to understand about technology is that you should do what works for you." - Josh Gurley "I think from an ownership perspective, if growing the value of your agency is through personal production, and you can do that, then do it." - Josh Gurley Resources Mentioned: Josh Gurley LinkedIn HM Advisors Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this throwback episode of the Ryan Hanley Show, host Ryan Hanley interviews Josh Braun, the Founder of Sales DNA. The Master Guru of cold email prospecting, (and all things sales), Josh Braun, explains why we don’t get the response rate on cold outreach we should be and what to do about it.Episode Highlights: Josh mentions why salespeople will typically work with him. (17:50) What has been one of the huge obstacles right at the beginning for Josh? (19:26) Josh shares the best way to understand the customers. (21:47) Josh mentions why he would highly recommend interviewing five or six customers. Why does Josh prefer shorter emails? (26:25) Josh mentions the two factors that your prospect wanted. (31:27) Can Josh define their superpower and show them in a way that they even have a problem to begin with, and allow them to make the connection? (33:28) Josh shares a story that happened several years ago with his wife when he saw a U-Haul. (40:39) Josh shares a story of a man named, Dale Dupree. (46:43) Josh mentions the visuals that he teaches to people. (51:09) Key Quotes: “So, the biggest mistake that I see people make, and it's no fault of their own, is that they've never done the job of the person that they're reaching out to. And so oftentimes, they're speaking a completely different language.” - Josh Braun “Nobody wakes up one day and just buys a product, they will try to get by the best way they know how to get by because of habit and anxiety. It's hard to glean that information a lot of times from marketing materials because there's a spin to it.” - Josh Braun “The superpower is you need to shine a light on a problem that people don't know about because every one of your prospects is running in their own sneakers today. I call these illumination questions.” - Josh Braun Resources Mentioned: Agency Intelligence Reach out to Ryan Hanley Josh Braun LinkedIn Sales DNA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this solo episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley breaks down how he's positioning Rogue Risk for success in 2022 and what independent agents can do to put themselves in a position to dominate.Episode Highlights: Ryan opens the episode by telling his listeners his plans for 2022. (00:45) Ryan explains that it is important to recalibrate our minds on how we are going to plan for 2022. (3:18) Ryan shares why it is important to acknowledge our mistakes to create a better plan for the future. (7:52) Ryan expresses his love and appreciation to his listeners, company, and his podcast. (13:29) Ryan states that 2022 is going to be a big year for InsurTech. (15:30) Ryan shares his insights about giving importance to carriers, producers and vendors. (21:19) Ryan tells everyone to focus through the filter of who they are and who they want to be. (26:59) Ryan elaborates on the importance of not being afraid to try new things and get out of your comfort zone. (30:15) Ryan shares that no one really has the answer, but we all have parts to the solution. (35:11)  Key Quotes: “We've been laser-focused on only working towards projects, on only thinking through tools, on only taking meetings or having discussions around things that pass through the filter of who we want to be.” - Ryan Hanley “I want Rogue to be one of the largest high volume writers of small commercial premium in the entire country someday.”  - Ryan Hanley “We have to try things. You have to learn, you have to be willing to fail. That's how we dominate 2022. That's what we do at Rouge. I have zero ego for failure. - Ryan Hanley Resources Mentioned: Reach out to Ryan Hanley Rouge Risk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ricky Hayter, owner of ANR Insurance Group, joins the podcast for a tremendous conversation on what it takes to run an independent insurance agency.Ricky is growing his agency like crazy and shares some of the challenges they've faced as well as how they've overcome all of them on the path to world domination.Don't miss this episode...Episode Highlights: Ricky discusses his thoughts as a leader and his observations while acquiring an agency. (6:44) Ricky shares his personal view on the ability to provide energy in an office setting vs working remotely. (12:52) According to Ricky, it is critical to offer employees the same level of independence as everyone else in the firm. (19:15) Ricky says that when he interviews individuals now, he looks for people who can manage themselves, are self-motivated, and are reliable. (23:59) Ricky describes how he gives his people time off. (29:48) Ricky feels that the only way to properly develop a healthy unrestricted time off culture is to start from scratch. And you need individuals who can manage it. (32:10) Ricky says he can educate anyone willing to work hard how to sell insurance. (37:55) Ricky explains that he seeks highly skilled customer service representatives because he understands he needs to fill that gap for himself. (46:51) Ricky and Ryan discuss their hiring mindset. (52:47) Ricky cites Tarmika as a product he utilizes. (57:43) Key Quotes: “Hiring people around your weaknesses makes you better.” - Ricky Hayter “At the end of the day, I mean, I gotta do what I say I'm going to do. That's it. Yeah. And that just goes so far. They buy-in, because I tell him what we do. And I also tell them what we can't do and why.” - Ricky Hayter “I look for super skilled customer service people because I know I have to fill that gap for myself.” - Ricky Hayter Resources Mentioned: Ricky Hayter ANR Insurance Group Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Kevin Abramson, President at Cover Whale joins the show to discuss why the insurance industry is ripe for innovation and how Cover Whale plans to attack these opportunities. Cover Whale is currently providing insurance truckers by breaching the gap between insurance and technology.This is a tremendous conversation, don't miss it...Episode Highlights: Kevin discusses his firm, Cover Whale, and the work they accomplish. (4:28) Kevin provides his thoughts on what it takes to be a great leader and how to take charge of your own destiny. (10:45) Kevin shares some challenges that he encountered that he did not expect. (16:04) Kevin agrees that having that human aspect in a tech business is not very easy. (20:19) Kevin explains what he means by digesting data faster. (24:10) Kevin elaborates on how he manages to catch and spot bad behaviors in an app. (27:22) Kevin states that failure is part of being a start-up company. (32:35) Kevin shares his vision and plans for the future for his company. (38:01) Kevin talks about giving value to the insurance industry and making a difference. (48:14) Kevin shares the importance of having accurate and reliable metrics in a business. (53:38) Key Quotes “I would say, you know, we've got a lot of tech people at our company, but at my core, I'm an insurance person that really loves tech. And it's not the other way around.” - Kevin Abramson “It's been an industry where data has been prevalent, heavy, you know, lots of data, massive amounts of data. I think the difference-maker is being able to digest that data, but also to digest it faster, in real-time.” - Kevin Abramson “I think, if we look at where we'll be two years from now, one of the core tenants in our business and our mission of the company is, we will continue to take risks.” - Kevin Abramson Resources Mentioned: Kevin Abramson LinkedIn Cover Whale Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ciara Gravier CIC, CRM, CCIC, PWCA, CPIA, Founder and CEO of The Bunker Insurance & Risk Management joins the show to share all her secrets to winning the start-up independent agency game. Ciara is someone I’ve personally been a fan of for a long time and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to spend time and learn more about her story. You're going to love this episode...Episode Highlights: Why did Ciara establish her own agency? (5:15) Did Ciara ever regret letting the Allstate brands go? (8:09) Ciara shares what they did when she first started the agency. (12:41) Ciara mentions that they were able to assist others in starting their own businesses from the ground up. (15:16) Ciara discusses some of the challenges of not having direct appointments. (18:28) Ciara explains why including business in the books has been difficult for her.  (25:02) Ciara explains why engaging in the killing commercial is one of the best things their agency has ever done. (30:53) Ciara mentions that she enjoyed the podcast with Ryan and James Jenkins. (44:26) Ciara and Ryan discuss Crypto. (51:42) Ciara shares why she believes that her agency is on the right track. (1:04:04) Key Quotes: “We're able to help these people find an attorney, find an accountant, you know, set up their businesses from the ground up. They can trust us.” - Ciara Gravier “So we joined Killing Commercial and that has really been the best thing that we've done.” - Ciara Gravier “What's great about this industry is that everyone can achieve success however they want. And everyone has a different roadmap to it.” - Ciara Gravier Resources Mentioned: Ciara Gravier LinkedIn The Bunker Insurance & Risk Management Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9