In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey focus specifically on benchmarking and why it might be the most underutilized tool in an agency owner’s toolbox.

A lot of owners think benchmarking is just a “nice to have” report. In reality, it is a financial health check. It gives you a clear, unbiased look at how your agency stacks up against others your size and where you may be off without realizing it.

They walk through what benchmarking actually uncovers, including:

• Whether your compensation structure is in line with industry standards
• If your profitability is truly strong or just looks strong on the surface
• How retention impacts long-term growth more than new business does
• Whether your revenue per employee and spread support sustainable scaling
• Why misclassified expenses can distort how healthy your agency really is

They also talk about why benchmarking is especially important for agencies planning internal transitions, acquisitions, or long-term growth. You cannot improve what you do not measure, and you cannot confidently scale what you do not understand.

Sponsored by AgencyPoint

This episode is brought to you by AgencyPoint, your full-service partner for Accounting, Tax, Legal, and HR solutions built specifically for insurance agencies. AgencyPoint helps independent agencies streamline operations, stay compliant, and make confident financial decisions. Learn more at https://www.myagencypoint.com/partners/insurancerefocused

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

In this solo episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay sits down with sales coach and founder of The Sales Collective, Steve Heroux, for a direct and eye-opening conversation about why so many agencies struggle with producer hiring, motivation, and growth.

Steve shares his journey from a painfully shy kid to a top national sales performer, and now a coach helping organizations rethink how they hire and develop sales talent. He breaks down why most agencies are unknowingly sabotaging their growth by posting generic job descriptions, hiring based on “likability,” and underpaying top performers.

They also unpack some hard truths:

• Why you cannot “motivate” an unmotivated producer
• What a bad sales hire really costs an agency
• Why industry experience is often overrated
• How the wrong compensation structure limits profitability and long-term value
• Why hiring based on instinct instead of assessment leads to high turnover

Steve introduces the idea of “sales DNA” and explains why identifying the will to sell matters more than a resume full of licenses. The conversation challenges agency owners to rethink how they recruit, pay, and structure their sales teams if they truly want sustainable growth.

Sponsored by AgencyPoint

This episode is brought to you by AgencyPoint, your full-service partner for Accounting, Tax, Legal, and HR solutions built specifically for insurance agencies. AgencyPoint helps independent agencies streamline operations, stay compliant, and make confident financial decisions. Learn more at https://www.myagencypoint.com/partners/insurancerefocused

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

In this episode of Business Refocused, Carey and Lindsay welcome AgencyFocus Fractional CFO Lisa Melroy, CPA, for a very real conversation about budgeting inside independent insurance agencies.

Lisa has spent more than 30 years in financial roles, including working directly with independent agencies and networks. She shares what actually happens behind the scenes when agencies either skip budgeting altogether or build one that looks good on paper but doesn’t reflect reality.

They talk through common issues they’re seeing right now, especially in a shifting market. Many owners are focused on premium growth but not thinking through how rate changes impact actual revenue. Others are pushing for 10 percent growth without stepping back to ask whether staffing, compensation, and carrier appetite support that goal.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The biggest budgeting mistake agencies make and why “no budget” is still common
• Why aggressive top-line growth goals can backfire without the right foundation
• How softening markets impact revenue, not just premium
• Why profit does not equal cash and how to think about cash flow
• The hidden risks in producer compensation structures
• How benchmarking expense categories can highlight inefficiencies
• Why budgeting should be a living document, not a once-a-year exercise

Sponsored by AgencyPoint

This episode is brought to you by AgencyPoint, your full-service partner for Accounting, Tax, Legal, and HR solutions built specifically for insurance agencies. AgencyPoint helps independent agencies streamline operations, stay compliant, and make confident financial decisions. Learn more at https://www.myagencypoint.com/partners/insurancerefocused

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