Business Refocused

In this episode of Business Refocused, Carey and Lindsay sit down with leadership consultant Anne Baum to discuss a critical piece of agency mergers that often gets overlooked: culture. While most merger conversations focus on valuation, deal structure, and financial performance, Anne explains that the real work begins after the transaction closes. The long-term success of any merger depends on how well leadership brings two teams together, builds trust, and create a shared vision for the fut...

In this episode of Business Refocused, Carey and Lindsay explore how agency benchmarking is helping independent insurance agencies gain deeper financial visibility and make more informed business decisions. As more agency owners look beyond valuation and focus on long-term performance, health checks have become a powerful tool for measuring growth, profitability, book health, staffing efficiency, and operational risk. Carey and Lindsay discuss how agencies can use benchmarking data to underst...

In this episode of The Insurance Refocused Podcast, Lindsay and Carey Wallace welcome Beth DeLaForest back to the show to talk about Launchpad, a new webinar series designed to help the next generation of insurance professionals learn, grow, and build meaningful industry connections. Beth and Carey share why knowledge transfer matters more than ever as experienced leaders prepare to exit the industry and younger professionals step into bigger roles. They discuss the value of mentorship, outsi...

In this episode of Business Refocused, Carey and Lindsay break down what they’re seeing from real agency benchmarking data and how top-performing insurance agencies are driving growth and profitability. They walk through the key metrics that matter most, including organic growth, profitability, staffing, technology spend, and revenue per employee. More importantly, they explain how these metrics work together and what actually drives performance inside an agency. One of the biggest takeaways ...

In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey sit down with Todd Hufford, CEO of Conner Insurance, to talk about on a topic that’s shaping the future of agencies: bringing in young talent. The conversation starts light but quickly gets into something more meaningful. Todd shares how his perspective on time, shaped early in life, led him to think long-term about building an agency. Not just for today’s revenue, but for the next generation of leaders. Todd shares how Conner Ins...

The agency owners who walk away from a sale feeling good aren't the ones who got lucky — they're the ones who prepared. In the final episode of this series, Carey and Matt talk about fixing problems before they become deal killers, how to know what kind of seller you are, and why the question of what comes next matters just as much as the closing number. In this episode: How to fix valuation issues before you go to marketThe three seller personas — and why knowing yours changes everythingWhat...

Selling your agency isn't just a financial transaction — it's one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make. In part two of this series, Carey and Matt get into what it actually looks like to navigate an exit, whether that's keeping it in the family or going to market. They break down the difference between a broker and a true advisor, why the fee question is the wrong place to start, and what it really takes to feel good about the outcome. In this episode: Internal succession vs. external sa...

In this episode, Lindsay and Carey sit down with Adam DeLaForest to explore the key factors influencing agency valuation, including financial management, operational efficiency, and market conditions. Our guest, Adam DeLaForest, shares insights from his experience completing valuations on numerous agencies at his role in AgencyFocus, emphasizing the importance of profitability, contracts, and strategic planning for agency owners. Connect with us: Follow AgencyFocus for more conversatio...

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...

In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey sit down with Laurie Barkman, owner of The Business Transition Sherpa, to talk about one of the most common (and most avoided) conversations in independent insurance agencies: how to transition ownership without losing value, momentum, or key people. Laurie reframes “exit planning” as transition planning, emphasizing that leaving your business is a moment, but building a transferable company takes years. Together, they dig into why...

In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey welcome Tony Lew, Co-Founder of InsurTech New York, to kick off a new direction for the podcast: bringing on guests outside of agency ownership to help agency leaders learn how other parts of the insurance ecosystem operate. Tony shares how InsurTech New York was started in 2019, what the insurtech landscape looked like during the peak hype cycle, and what separates sustainable insurtech companies from the ones that flame out. Tony brea...

In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey dig into one of the most common yet misunderstood ownership paths in independent agencies: internal perpetuation. While internal transitions often feel simpler than external sales, the reality is the work is just different and, without urgency, these deals can quietly stall or fall apart. They share what makes internal transitions successful, where agencies tend to get stuck, and what they’ve learned from helping agencies plan ownership...

In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey sit down with Larry G. Linne, founder of InCite Performance Group, author of Make the Noise Go Away, and a lifelong student of business, leadership, and human behavior. Larry shares his unconventional path from a West Texas football player once told he “shouldn’t go to college” to becoming one of the most respected advisors in the insurance industry. Along the way, he explains why curiosity, critical thinking, and execution matter more ...