Like many of you, I recall breathing a sigh of relief when the calendar flipped over to 2021, with high hopes that the challenges of 2020 were finally behind us. Unfortunately, that was not the case and as the pandemic lingered, so did the obstacles for many industries, including ours. Yet Smart Choice, our agents and carrier partners all worked together to hit some amazing milestones and put together another great year in the books.

There are two different types of insurance agents — captive and independent. Which one's right for you?

One of the primary reasons so many agents choose to go the independent route is the freedom it brings – the freedom to manage your own life and business, and the freedom to build something on your own terms. It’s very different from running an agency in the captive world with all if its restrictions and requirements – and you have more decision-making capabilities when it comes to your clients and growth targets.

We present six points to consider when examining the contract of an agency network, cluster or aggregator group, alongside the approach Smart Choice uses in its agency-friendly contract.

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The COVID-19 pandemic may have created a need for online continuing education courses but agents have since found that learning remotely is what they want, particularly as many companies delay returning to their offices following a resurgence in virus cases.

Starting an independent insurance agency requires securing carrier access, building a marketing plan and developing strong product knowledge.

Want to stand out from other agents and win more clients? Set yourself apart by approaching sales in a way that shows off your expertise and brings more value. Here’s how.

The insurance industry has a handful of unique situational challenges that can turn into opportunities over the next decade if these societal shifts are recognized and leveraged properly. Our industry’s lack of diversity has always been uncomfortably apparent with relatively minor evolutionary change over the prior decades. Yet, there is a revolution coming brought not by good intentions, corporate initiatives or diversity awareness programs.

Ready to put 2021 behind you and up your game in 2022? Education and professional development is the place to start. Here are ten ways you can use education to up your game and grow your agency next year.