The Insura-Preneur Podcast

AI is no longer optional in the insurance agency world.

But neither is risk.

In this solo episode, Michael Jans steps away from vendor interviews to deliver a critical message every agency principal needs to hear—right now.

Because while one side of the industry is shouting “Do it or die,” another is warning “Don’t touch it.”

And the truth?

They’re both right.

They’re just talking about completely different things.

In this episode,...

Most insurance agencies don’t have a technology problem.

They have a trust problem.

In this episode, Michael sits down with Steve Pieroway, author of the 2026 InsurTech Trust Index, to unpack one of the most important (and overlooked) dynamics in the industry today:

👉 Agents trust the technology…

👉 But they don’t trust the vendors selling it

And that gap is costing agencies time, money, and momentum.

Inside this conversation, you...

AI could drive 3X productivity gains in white-collar industries within 12–18 months.

That includes insurance.

Ben Horowitz — co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz — is signaling a structural shift, not incremental change.

Here’s the real issue for independent agencies:

If productivity triples…

Will you convert that capacity into growth?

Or will it eventually convert into pressure — on payroll, margins, and valuation?

In this 10-minute ...

LinkedIn is no longer optional for commercial insurance agencies.

But most agents are using it tactically — not strategically.

In this episode, I sit down with Anthony Blatner to break down:

• Why LinkedIn is the dominant platform for commercial lines
• The right sequence: organic → direct messaging → paid ads
• Why text-only posts often outperform polished marketing graphics
• How LinkedIn newsletters quietly compound authority
• Why v...

What do a pair of socks, a red envelope, and artificial intelligence have in common?

In this refreshingly candid episode, Michael Jans returns from vacation with bold clarity and delivers a straight-shooting message to independent agency leaders: AI is here. And if you don’t have a strategy, you’re already behind.

From stories that date back to Agency Revolution’s early days to real-time warnings about cold outreach without credibi...

Last week, something happened in insurance that many independent agencies will underestimate.

Insurance quoting functionality appeared inside ChatGPT.

Within one trading session, major publicly traded brokerages saw billions in market capitalization erased — not because earnings changed, but because the interface moved.

This episode is not about AI writing emails or summarizing coverage forms.

It is about distribution risk.

In this...

AI isn’t coming — it’s already transforming insurance brokerages from the inside out.

In this episode, Michael Jans sits down with Canadian insurance veteran and IBAC advisor Tom Reid, who shares what he’s uncovered after mapping 45 core brokerage workflows... and discovering AI can revolutionize 44 of them.

🔍 You’ll hear:

– How quoting time dropped from 30 minutes to just 5

– Why 80% of agency phone calls are non-revenue-generati...

Agency 2030: How AI Will Reshape Everything

🎙️ with Michael Jans & Chris Tamm (AI Strategist + Former Agency Principal)

What happens when AI goes beyond blog posts and into the beating heart of your insurance agency?

In this eye-opening episode, Michael sits down with Chris—a 7x founder, agency veteran, and global AI implementation strategist—to unpack what really lies ahead for independent agencies.

🔥 Inside this episode:

Homeowners insurance is no longer “inflation + a little.” In many states it’s become volatile, uneven, and emotionally exhausting for consumers—and operationally painful for agents trying to retain clients through renewal shocks.

In this episode, Michael sits down with Dylan DiMarchi, CEO of Eventual (the company behind Premium Lock), to unpack a simple but potentially disruptive idea: multi-year premium predictability.

“Insurance...

How do you turn a tiny, rural, PC-10 agency into a multi-niche growth machine that closes six-figure accounts without traditional producers?

In this episode, Michael Jans sits down with Cheri Martinen, Managing Partner of Bancorp Insurance, to unpack how her family’s small Oregon agency has grown 6–7x while being surrounded by national forest on three sides.

You’ll hear how Cheri’s parents:

• Started by cross-selling their exist...

In this episode, Michael pulls back the curtain on what AI actually did in 2025—far away from the hype, and deep in the real numbers.

While most of the insurance world is still “thinking about AI,” other industries are already cashing in:

• A global fintech using AI to replace the work of ~700 people in 35 languages
• A major carrier cutting claim cycle times by weeks and slashing complaints by 65%
• A wealth management giant adding...

Still retyping the same client data into five different carrier portals?

In this episode of The AI for IA Podcast, Michael talks with Carl, founder of Gaya, the browser-based tool built specifically for insurance agencies. Gaya sits on top of the systems you already use and turns painful, repetitive data entry into a few clicks.

Instead of spending 10–15 minutes keying information into each carrier portal, agencies using Gaya often...

Most P&C agencies want stronger retention, deeper client loyalty, and higher revenue per client — but overlook the one conversation that delivers all three. In this episode, Michael Jans talks with Trae White, multi-acquisition P&C agency principal whose agency was recognized as Top 10 nationally in life insurance performance, to break down the simple culture and system behind his success.

Trae reveals how he built a life-i...

Featuring Dale Steinke, Director at Agent for the Future Advisors, Liberty Mutual Insurance

AI isn’t coming to independent agencies—it’s already inside them. In this fast, high-signal conversation, Michael Jans sits down with longtime industry friend Dale Steinke of Liberty to break down what agency owners are really feeling about AI today: the excitement, the confusion, the overwhelm, and the massive opportunity hiding in plain si...

In this rapid-fire 7-minute briefing, we break down the six industry trends reshaping the independent insurance agency landscape. You’ll discover why nearly 75% of Q3 insurtech funding went to AI-centric firms, what the softening market means for your organic growth strategy, and how smart agencies are using bolt-on technology to deepen client relationships.

We also dig into an overlooked profit lever that recovers 1–3% of annual r...

In this episode, Michael Jans sits down with South Florida agency owner Matt Livings, who grew his agency from absolutely nothing to more than 5,700 households—in one of the toughest, most volatile markets in the country.

Matt reveals the simple but powerful systems he’s used for two decades, including:

• His 24,000-postcards-a-month direct mail engine
• The niche strategy that built his affluent book (hint: boats)
• Why he stopped ...

Independent agencies survived the internet. They adapted to websites, email marketing, and social media. But AI is different. It changes the structure of work, speed of response, and expectations of clients—and it’s moving exponentially faster than any prior wave of technology.

In this episode, agency owner & industry thought leader, Chris Paradiso explains:

• Why AI is a fundamentally different kind of disruption
• How agenci...

In this fast, insight-packed 7-minute briefing, Michael Jans breaks down six forces reshaping the independent insurance agency world right now — from AI acceleration to PE consolidation, social inflation, compliance pressure, ENS growth, and the widening growth gap between digital agencies and everyone else.

In this episode you’ll discover:

✅ Why InsurTech funding surged in October and what it means for Main Street agencies

✅ How p...

Artificial Intelligence isn’t another wave—it’s a tsunami. In this episode, Michael Jans breaks down how AI will separate the winners from the walking dead in the independent agency world.

From the Niche Master who dominates their vertical… to the Complexity Specialist who thrives on sophisticated risks… to the Platform Powerhouse scaling like Geico on steroids—Michael reveals the six types of agencies that will define the next dec...