In this episode of Insurance Refocused, Carey sits down with Dan Vander Kooi of Manna Insurance to talk about the value of having the right people around you as an agency owner.

Dan shares the story behind Agent Underground, a small, collaborative event created for independent agency owners who want to learn from each other, talk openly about what is working, and have honest conversations about the challenges that come with ownership and leadership.

The conversation also gets into something many business owners experience but do not always talk about. Running an agency can feel lonely. Having a group of peers who understand the decisions you are making, the pressure you carry, and the problems you are trying to solve can make a real difference.

Dan and Carey also talk about technology, leadership, and how agencies can use tools like AI to create more capacity for their teams. The goal is not to replace people. It is to give them more time to focus on clients, relationships, and the work that actually needs a human touch.

A few things we cover

• Why agency ownership can feel isolating
• How trusted peers can help you make better decisions
• Why collaboration can make independent agencies stronger
• How technology can create more capacity for your team
• What agency owners can learn from each other about staffing, leadership, and growth
• Why smaller, relationship-driven events can lead to better conversations
• The importance of staying curious and open to new ideas

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Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

In this Coffee Break episode of Business Refocused, Carey and Lindsay talk through what agency owners should actually be looking at when evaluating an acquisition.

Too often, the conversation starts and ends with revenue or a rumored multiple. But as Carey explains, that can lead to a very incomplete picture. Growth, profitability, staffing, book mix, retention risk, and the people behind the business can all change whether an agency is a strong acquisition or one you should walk away from.

They also preview Carey’s upcoming “Buy or Pass” session at ITC Agents, where attendees will evaluate real agencies, decide whether they would buy them, and then see what those businesses actually sold for. The goal is to show just how much the answer can change once you look beneath the surface.

One example drives that point home. On paper, the agency looked attractive: strong revenue, solid profitability, commercial lines concentration, and positive growth. But once they revealed that 72% of the staff was over age 68, the risk profile changed significantly. A buyer would need to think about potential turnover, staffing gaps, client retention, and what happens when a major transition hits the team.

A few things we cover:

• Why revenue alone is not enough to evaluate an acquisition
• Which financial and operational metrics buyers should look at
• How staffing and succession risk can affect agency value
• Why the same agency can look very different once you dig deeper
• How buyers can avoid overpaying for an agency
• What sellers can strengthen before going to market

If buying an insurance agency is part of your growth strategy, this episode is a good reminder that the multiple is only one piece of the decision. The real work is understanding what you are actually buying.

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Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay sits down with Michael Ley, Director of Networks at HawkSoft, to talk about the career decisions that shaped his path through the insurance industry.

Michael grew up around insurance, joined his family’s agency, helped modernize the business, and eventually stepped into a larger leadership role. But after years of working in the agency, he reached a point where he knew something needed to change. That ultimately led to one of the hardest conversations he had ever had with his dad: telling him he was considering leaving the family business.

Michael shares what that transition looked like, why he waited until he had a plan before starting the conversation, and how his experience inside an agency continues to shape the way he works with agency owners today.

A few things we cover:

• What it is really like to work in a family-owned agency
• How Michael helped modernize the agency before COVID
• Why leaving the family business was such a difficult decision
• How he approached the conversation with his dad
• Why agency experience gives him a different perspective in his role at HawkSoft
• The importance of relationships, education, and client service
• Why putting off hard conversations usually makes them harder
• How to recognize when it may be time to explore a new direction

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused