Justin Slocum joins Ask the Experts for a conversation about agency ownership, acquisitions, remote teams, recruiting, leadership, and what it takes to build a business with real freedom.

Justin shares how he started as a producer, was told he was not a fit for State Farm, walked into an Allstate office, and ended up buying an agency within 30 days. From there, he grew into a $40 million agency, with $28 million built organically and $12 million through strategic acquisitions.

This episode dives into Justin’s journey from staffer to agency owner, how remote work became part of his model before it was common, why processes matter before hiring, how to build and train the right people, and why integrity is the legacy he wants to leave behind.

• How Justin went from producer to agency owner

• Why being told “you’re not a fit” did not stop him

• How acquisitions helped him break through a growth ceiling

• Why remote work became a major advantage in his agency

• How his agency was already prepared when 2020 changed the workplace

• Why marketing strategies need to evolve over time

• How organic community marketing helped him grow early on

• Why agents should not rely on one lead source forever

• Why asking for help is one of the biggest growth moves an agent can make

• Why processes need to come before hiring

• How training and development separate great agencies from average ones

• Why integrity matters more than short-term wins

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Makaila Kelsey joins Ask the Experts for a practical conversation about insurance marketing, lead generation, direct mail, buyer psychology, and why generic campaigns often fail to produce real results.

As co-founder and CEO of Renz Marketing, Makaila explains why marketing and lead generation should not be treated as separate worlds. Her approach focuses on understanding the customer, personalizing the message, targeting the right households, and using marketing dollars to create actual calls, quotes, and ROI.

This episode dives into handwritten direct mail, campaign testing, call tracking, CTAs, AI in marketing, and how Makaila built a business that not only serves insurance agencies, but also supports a growing community of moms and families in Arkansas.

• Why marketing and lead generation are not the same thing

• How psychology helps create better insurance campaigns

• Why cookie-cutter campaigns fall flat

• How to target the right households before launching a campaign

• Why direct mail still works when it feels personal

• How handwritten envelopes can increase trust and open rates

• Why agents should not always wait 90 days to judge a campaign

• How to track calls, QR codes, landing pages, and campaign performance

• Why AI can help organize ideas, but should not replace human voice

• How Renz Marketing built a community-driven handwritten mail operation

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Stan Tebow joins Ask the Experts for a powerful conversation on proper protection, value selling, agency leadership, training, and the danger of treating insurance like a commodity.

With over 40 years in the insurance industry, 74 national recognitions, and the distinction of being the only Allstate Hall of Fame member in Alaska, Stan brings a deep perspective on what it means to serve clients the right way. His message is simple: insurance should never be just about price.

This episode dives into how agents can educate clients through real-world stories, train their teams to have better coverage conversations, build stronger systems through EOS, and keep growing by staying in the right rooms with the right people.

• Why insurance has become too commoditized

• Why cheap coverage can create major problems after a claim

• How real-world stories help clients understand risk

• Why agents need to stop leading with price

• How to position yourself as a true advisor

• Why talk time can be more valuable than rushing the call

• How Stan trains his team through a 90-day boot camp

• Why EOS scorecards help remove emotion from accountability

• How mastermind rooms and coaching helped Stan evolve

• Why the best agents never stop learning

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In this episode of Ask the Experts, host Andy arter sits down with Michael Weaver, founder of Weaver Sales Academy and creator of Agency Coach AI, to break down how artificial intelligence is reshaping insurance agencies from the inside out.

Michael explains how AI improves accountability without micromanagement, accelerates training, and helps agency owners scale without adding layers of management. This conversation focuses on real use cases, real data, and how agencies are already seeing measurable performance gains.

If you want to understand how AI is being applied practically in insurance today, this episode delivers clarity and direction.

• Why AI enhances leadership instead of replacing people
• How agencies save 10 to 15 hours per week using AI coaching
• Why accountability alone drives higher performance
• How AI evaluates calls, tonality, and engagement
• The difference between human bias and data driven feedback
• Why most agencies struggle to scale past their current size
• How AI allows managers to coach more producers effectively
• Why this is the worst AI will ever be

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Dr. Taj Haynes shares how a near-breakdown pushed him to reinvent his health, energy, and mission—proving it’s never too late to reclaim your vitality.

In this episode:

• The wake-up call that forced Dr. Taj to rethink his health and career
• How the Energy Freedom Formula helps parents and leaders create all-day vitality
• The 5 Cs framework for transformation: Calibrate, Commit, Courage, Confidence, Celebrate
• Why oral health and gut health are deeply connected
• The role of mindfulness and faith in rebuilding your energy and presence
• How to “earn your energy” instead of relying on caffeine and quick fixes
• The lesson behind his book The Man’s Manifesto and the power of leading by example

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Coach Carroll joins Ask the Experts for a high-energy conversation about entrepreneurship, AI, sales psychology, advertising, leadership, culture, and what it really takes to build something meaningful.

He shares how he turned down football scholarships and a traditional college path to build a lawn care business that later grew to $3 million in revenue. From there, he moved into advertising, media, AI, and business coaching, eventually building Carroll Media and creating tools designed to help small businesses compete in a rapidly changing world.

This episode dives into the American Dream, the rise of AI, why branding matters more than ever, how small businesses can use content to grow, and why Coach Carroll’s mantra is simple: hustle is worth it.

• Why Coach Carroll chose entrepreneurship over the traditional path

• How self-belief becomes the first step in building anything meaningful

• Why AI will replace tasks, roles, and people who refuse to adapt

• The three major technology waves: access, attention, and artificial intelligence

• How insurance agencies can use AI for reception, sales coaching, and website lead capture

• Why agents need to build a brand instead of relying only on purchased leads

• The hook, teach, CTA framework for creating better content

• Why core values create the framework to hire, manage, and fire

• How giving back can become part of a company’s culture and brand

• Why action is where attribution happens

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Ryan Chao came into insurance in 2015 with a clear motive: ownership, income, and residuals. He had just come out of going broke on impulsive investments and wanted something stable he could build. His first agency did not cooperate. He came in without understanding a 25 minute sales cycle or a one call close, hired people who reminded him of himself, and watched a six figure investment go sideways. Around Christmas, in a stretch where the agency had not written anything in three days and his marketing budget was draining, Joseph Puckett called him at 6PM with an offer to run the Georgia sales agency for Craig Wiggins. The catch was that Ryan would have to close his own agency to take it. Within four or five days, it was done.

Eighteen months at Craig Wiggins gave him the piece he was missing. Not self belief, which he already had in surplus, but process, hiring, accountability, and profitable growth. He opened again with a modest goal of $100,000 in written premium a month and hit it every month. The agency started with a $720,000 book, grew to $17 million organically in under five years, acquired another $11 million, and now sits right under $30 million with a team of eight sales agents, eight service team members, five internal telemarketers, and two managers. Every one of them works remote. Ryan has still never met fifteen of his own agents in person.

The most useful part of this conversation is the part most owners skip. Ryan is direct about the fact that scaling exposed him. He is a relationship leader and a pleaser, and when he brought in takers and avoided friction, that team started running his business. He built a culture he did not want to walk into. What turned it around was a deliberate leadership rebuild built on visualization, neuroplasticity, and a rule he now applies to every hire, every metric review, and every hard conversation: friction up front. If you are an agency owner who has ever taken a bad number personally, tolerated a toxic producer because they wrote business, or found yourself apologizing after a conversation you wish had gone differently, this episode is your mirror.

• Self belief without tools guarantees failing forward. Ryan came in overestimating himself, not knowing what a one call close was, and it cost him a six figure investment.
• Friction up front is the whole hiring philosophy. Candidates put their best foot forward, so you have to create friction in the interview to hear the blame, negativity, and victim mindset before you hire it.
• Never hire the wolf in sheep's clothing, no matter how many items they can write and no matter how desperate you are.
• If you are a pleaser and you hire takers, that team will run your business, and you will let them because it is easier than confrontation. Scaling puts every weakness you have on stage.
• Internal visualization rewires how you lead. Ryan cites a 12 week study where guided visualization produced an average of 13.5% muscle growth, and applies the same neuroplasticity principle to rehearsing hard conversations.
• You are the common denominator in every interaction in your life. Ninety nine percent of what comes at you is that person's issue, not an attack on you.
• Metrics are a carrot, never a stick. There is a story behind every number, and asking for the story instead of reacting is what keeps agents from working out of fear.
• Ambiguity is the enemy of scaling. The job offer, the handbook, and the contract set the deal in black and white, which lets you stay kind and empathetic without ever lowering the standard.
• Culture scales, and it scales remote. Ryan's entire team is remote, they show up voluntarily, and he has never met fifteen of them in person.

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Daniel Austin joins Ask the Experts for a conversation on agency growth, servant leadership, customer experience, team culture, COIs, and how AI can help insurance agencies coach and scale more effectively.

Daniel shares how he started in insurance after selling credit cards, then quickly discovered the deeper purpose behind the industry when a major tornado outbreak hit Tennessee just 27 days after he began. That experience shifted his mindset from simply selling policies to understanding the real impact insurance has on people’s lives.

This episode covers how Daniel built and acquired multiple agencies, how he holds his team accountable without micromanaging, why handwritten cards and personal touches still matter, how he uses AI for call coaching, and why COI relationships can outperform expensive lead-buying strategies.

• Why Daniel’s first month in insurance changed his view of the industry

• How mentorship shaped his agency journey

• Why agents need to work on the business, not just in it

• How staffing accountability impacts agency growth

• Why positivity is a non-negotiable in his culture

• How Daniel uses a 90-day onboarding plan for new producers

• Why social media presence matters when hiring salespeople

• How call listening and redemption calls improve performance

• Why handwritten cards help build real customer relationships

• How AI can multiply coaching inside an agency

• Why COIs can drive high-converting, low-cost business

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