About this episode

Mike Hardle interviews Seth Cottle about building a successful insurance agency and the challenges faced in the industry.

In Episode 126 of the Agent Boost Podcast, Mike sits down with his best friend and fellow agency owner Seth Cottle, founder of Alchemy Health Plans, for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to build a thriving insurance agency in one of the most challenging markets the industry has ever seen. Seth spent years working at Comcast while quietly building his book of business on nights and weekends before going all in on insurance. He shares exactly how he made that transition, why it worked when it doesn't work for most agents, and how that same work ethic became the foundation for everything he teaches his agents at Alchemy today. This episode goes deep on the concept of the diverse, dynamic agent, why you can no longer survive as a Medicare-only or ACA-only agent, how to properly layer products without overwhelming your team, and why the agencies that built their entire book around one product line are the ones getting wiped out right now. Seth and Mike also break down income-producing activities, the real reason agents lose momentum and leave the industry, and what a new agent's first 90 days should actually look like. If you're a new agent trying to shortcut your…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Hardle

Guest: Seth Cottle

Topics covered

• insurance agency
• business transition
• agent diversity
• income-producing activities
• new agent success

Keywords

• insurance
• agency owner
• Medicare
• ACA
• business growth
• agent training
• product layering

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alchemy Health Plans, Comcast

More episodes of Agent Boost Marketing Podcast

• Episode 129: EnrollHere Founders with Tyler Rees & Josh Benson · July 14, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Episode 128: From Call Center Agent to Agency Owner with Riley Garner · July 10, 2026 · 41 min
• Episode 127: Telesales Agents Are Dead · June 29, 2026 · 59 min
• Episode 125: ACA Trends and Future with Jeff Gaston · June 15, 2026 · 56 min

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