The Insura-Preneur Podcast

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...

🎙️ How AI Agents Are Revolutionizing Insurance with Terry Walby of Open Dialog

In this episode, Michael sits down with Terry Walby, co-founder and CEO of Open Dialog, to explore how AI agents are transforming the insurance industry—far beyond the limitations of chatbots.

Terry breaks down the real-world impact of AI agents on improving quote conversions, reducing friction in online policy applications, and even predicting buyer be...

The independent agency channel is changing fast—and the firms that see the shifts early will take the lead.

In this episode, Michael Jans breaks down six critical developments reshaping growth, profitability, risk, client expectations, and agency valuation in the next 6–18 months.

You’ll hear what the data actually says about AI adoption, why cyber insurance growth is both a financial and ethical imperative, how top agencies are dr...

There’s a trillion-dollar wave of capital chasing AI in insurance. The question is — will your agency ride it or get rolled by it?

In this episode, Michael Jans lays out the 5-Step AI Playbook for Insurance Agencies:

1. Know – What’s real and what’s noise
2. Grow – Where AI actually drives revenue
3. Integrate – How to blend humans + automation
4. Buy – Smart investment decisions in tech
5. Scale – Building a system that compounds

Stra...

AI is accelerating faster than any technology in history — doubling in power every four to seven months. What does that mean for the independent insurance agency system?

Michael Jans sits down with Marc Lanzkowsky, founder of Lanzko AI and 30-year veteran of the insurance world — attorney, carrier exec, and IT innovator — to explore how AI is reshaping compliance, claims, and operations.

You’ll hear:

• The biggest AI compliance ...

When you’ve spent decades inside the independent agency system, you know the pain of underwriting chaos — juggling dozens of carriers, appetites, and rules that never seem to match up.

That frustration drove Trace Meek, a third-generation agency owner, to build something extraordinary: Ask Fetch — an AI-powered underwriting and quoting platform that cuts hours of manual work down to under 90 seconds.

In this episode, Trace shares:

Once a week, Michael Jans — founder of the Society of Insura-Preneurs and one of the most trusted voices in insurance marketing — drops into your world for seven focused minutes of high-impact insight.

Each episode packs six real-time bulletins on the forces shaping our industry: carrier performance, underwriting trends, tech disruption, and what it all means for your agency’s growth.

From profit margins to AI breakthroughs, you’ll...

The buyer’s journey isn’t a funnel anymore — it’s chaos. Google calls it the Messy Middle… and they’ve got the data to prove it.

In this episode, Michael Jans breaks down Google’s landmark behavioral-science study Decoding Decisions — and shows independent insurance agencies how to use the six psychological biases that actually drive buying behavior:

✅ Social Proof

✅ Authority

✅ Scarcity

✅ Power of Now

✅ Power of Free

✅ Category He...

In this 10-minute episode, Michael Jans sits down with tech pioneer Frank Sentner, who’s been building technology for the insurance industry since 1976 — long before most agents knew what a modem was.

Together they trace the path from the first digital ACORD forms to modern-day AI. You’ll hear:

• Why “Bad Data. Bad AI.” is the new truth every agency must face
• Real-world examples of AI that augment people — not replace them
• The s...

Insurance agency owners don’t have time for fluff — so here’s your seven-minute intelligence briefing from the trenches.

This week, Michael Jans fires off six rapid-fire insights you need to know:

🚗 Tesla gets busted (and proves agents are still the smart money 😉)

📉 Commercial lines soften — but not all markets

🤝 Networks gain power — and access is everything

🤖 57% of InsurTech deals now flow to AI-first firms

💰 Carrier inves...