Captive ->Independent Agent ?
Hello! I’m a third-generation insurance agent. My family owned a State Farm agency in the same town since the 1960s, and I spent most of my career in the captive world before my husband and I recently opened our own independent agency in 2019.
Transitioning from captive to independent has honestly been much harder than I expected. In many ways, captive agencies come with built-in structure, systems, and workflows, and trying to recreate that level of organization and efficiency independently has been really challenging.
I’d love to hear from other independent agents who have successfully built scalable, smooth-running agencies. Do you have any book recommendations, operational advice, systems/processes that helped, or lessons you learned during the transition?
I’m especially interested in ideas around agency structure, workflows, automation, team management, and growth strategies.
Thank you so much for any advice or insight you’re willing to share!