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Over the past few years, more customers have started seeking out local deliveries of food and goods. This has caused a shift in the commercial auto and trucking space, dramatically impacting the demand for delivery and driving growth in the gig-economy delivery market.

By now you’re aware that Smart Start Commercial is an efficient way for agencies of all sizes to profitably write small commercial. Whether your agency is a start-up looking to gain access to our portfolio of Standard National Carriers and establish acumen in the Commercial arena, or a larger Commercially-focused shop leveraging the efficiencies of the Smart Start team to write and service small business clients profitably, Smart Start is a one-size-fits-all solution!   

In my home state of Minnesota, we have two seasons: winter and cabin season. Cabin season has finally arrived. The highways clog with RVs and trucks towing boats as people get out of Dodge and head up north to their cabins. I’m sure it’s the same in your neck of the woods during the summer months.

Gulraiz brought a lot to the table. He had experience as a claims adjuster and analyst. He spoke six languages and had done a lot to establish himself. So, he was looking for a place where he could use all his acquired skills and knowledge. When he heard Smart Choice® could help him set up his own agency, get his foot in the door with the carriers, and he didn’t have to pay anything, he said, “Great!”

“I knew from the very moment I met with Jeremy that he had that the “IT” factor that would absolutely make him successful not only in insurance, but any field he chose to be involved in. With that mentality, success will absolutely follow.” Rick Mathews, Smart Choice® Marketing Manager. And the success did follow. Jeremy Powers, a former captive, built his new agency from zero, to a book of approximately $1.6 million, within 18 months.

In 2008, Lee Ann Pridgeon became a first-time agency owner when she purchased the Smart Choice® agency she’d worked at for 15 years. She now owns eight agencies across the state, and six of them came to her through her local network of Smart Choice® agents.

Bryan Clinkscales’ relationship with Smart Choice® started early on in his agency’s history before his father’s retirement. “A mentor of mine introduced us to Smart Choice® and we did a contract, which gave us the chance to get some markets.” As the years went by, Bryan’s agency grew. When he acquired another Smart Choice® agency years later, he had a chance to look at all the different programs Smart Choice® offered.

Choosing a network partner can make or break your business. Independent agents should consider these four key characteristics of a network before committing to an insurance agency network.

Increasing numbers of new agency owners, existing independents, and former captive agents are looking to join agency networks to compete in a tough insurance market. But how do you choose the right agency network partner?

Like many people who wind up in the industry, Lee Ann didn’t plan to become an insurance professional. She fell into the industry, and ultimately realized it was the right career for her. Once she had dedicated herself to insurance, she needed to find ways to grow. Over the years, she’s done that with incredible success — and with the help of the Smart Choice network.

Agency Networks have historically been viewed as a great way to access markets, which is certainly a value proposition of most networks, aggregators, and cluster groups. However, the typical costs of participation make the financial equation puzzling. 

As we approach the halfway point of 2022, we continue to see the ripple effects on our industry of economic instability wrought by the pandemic. Although we’ve been seeing indications of a hard market for some time, the state of the insurance industry shows no signs of reversing this trend and it continues to tighten from a risk perspective.