how to make a business plan for insurance agency

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How to Start an Insurance Company

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1. Become a licensed insurance agent

2. write a business plan, 3. choose a business structure, 4. register and license your business, 5. get business insurance, 6. form relationships with insurance companies, 7. grow your client base.

Starting an insurance agency is a lot like starting any business . You’ll need to choose a business structure, register and license your business, get insurance and more.

But you’ll also need to become a licensed insurance agent and learn how to navigate a highly regulated field.

Here’s how to get started.

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You can get an insurance agent license in a matter of weeks or months, depending on the requirements in your state. Here are the steps to follow:

Learn about your state’s licensing process. The National Insurance Producer Registry or your state’s branch of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America can help you understand those specific requirements.

Decide what type of insurance to sell. You can be licensed to sell several different “lines of authority” or types of insurance. The most extensive lines of authority include:

Accident and health or sickness.

The names of these lines of authority may differ in your state. You can be licensed to sell multiple lines of authority. Life and health are often offered as one package, as are property and casualty.

In general, most types of business insurance are property or casualty policies. With a property and casualty license, you can sell personal and commercial insurance . Most agents choose to specialize in one or the other, though.

Take a pre-licensing class. Your coursework should focus on the type of insurance you choose to specialize in. Courses can be done in person or online in most states.

Schedule your licensing exam. These are usually administered at testing centers run by third-party testing companies, which may immediately inform you of the results.

Apply for your license. Submit your licensing application to your state’s governing body. You’ll need to provide personal information, such as your Social Security number, date of birth and residency information, and pay any applicable fees. If your application is approved, you’ll be able to sell insurance products.

If you’re new to selling insurance, you may want to get some experience working for an insurance company or another brokerage before venturing out on your own.

How much do you need?

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We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

Your business plan outlines what you want your business to look like and how you plan to get there. The process of writing it should force you to answer complex questions, like what unique value you’ll offer customers and how much money you’ll need to get started.

» MORE: NerdWallet's picks for the best business plan software

Your business structure determines how your business profits are taxed and how your personal and business assets are kept separate, among other things.

There’s also an insurance-specific question you’ll need to answer: Whether you want your insurance agency to work with one specific insurer or with many different providers.

Captive agents (agents who work with a particular insurance company) can benefit from brand recognition and don’t have to convince insurers to work with them. But, on the other hand, they can only sell a limited suite of insurance policies. For example, State Farm works with a network of independent contractor agents who run their agencies but only sell State Farm products.

Many other insurance agency owners are independent agents, selling products from multiple insurance companies. Independent agents might have to work harder to establish and market their brand to customers and insurers, but they can start relationships with many insurance providers.

Before running your business, you’ll need to register with your state, typically with the secretary of state’s office.

Most insurance businesses will probably need to apply for an employer identification number from the IRS. With an EIN, you can open a business checking account .

As part of this process, make sure to obtain a business license, a sales tax permit and any other documents your state or city requires.

Your business entity may also need a license from your state's insurance department. Check your state’s requirements to find out what you need.

» MORE: Everything you need to do to start a business

As an insurance agent, you already know how important it is for your customers to be fully insured. Get business insurance to protect your business assets.

Most insurance companies are likely to need professional liability insurance and general liability insurance . Depending on your agency’s size, location and day-to-day activities, you may also need commercial auto insurance, workers’ compensation insurance and other types of business insurance.

If you’re an independent agent, you’ll need to apply to work with any insurance companies whose products you want to sell. If they approve your application, they’ll grant you an appointment to sell their policies.

It can be challenging to start relationships with insurance companies directly without having several years of experience and a client base.

Joining a professional association, like the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, or an agent network like Smart Choice, can help you access insurance providers to sell their policies. These groups may also provide marketing materials, discounts on your business insurance policies, and other resources.

If you choose to start an independent agency, you may have to hustle for your first few clients. Start by joining your local Chamber of Commerce, attending networking events and advertising in your local market.

Having an online presence is essential, too. Make sure your website clearly outlines what kinds of insurance you sell and the customers you serve. Information about how to contact you should be easy to find.

If you start an agency affiliated with a particular insurance company, you might get referrals as customers seek out agents near them. However, you’ll probably need to do local marketing too.

On a similar note...

Insurance Agency Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 3,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their insurance agencies. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through an insurance agency business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Insurance Business Plan Template here >

What is an Insurance Agency Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your insurance agency as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for an Insurance Agency

If you’re looking to start an insurance agency or grow your existing insurance agency you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your insurance agency in order to improve your chances of success. Your insurance agency business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your agency grows and changes.

Source of Funding for Insurance Agencies

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for an insurance agency are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable. But they will want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate the business.

The second most common form of funding for an insurance agency is angel investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding, or, like a bank, they will give you a loan. Venture capitalists will not fund an insurance agency unless it is based on a unique, scalable technology.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

Your insurance agency business plan should include 10 sections as follows:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of insurance agency business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have an insurance agency that you would like to grow, or are you operating multiple insurance agency locations already.

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the insurance agency industry. Discuss the type of insurance agency you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of insurance agency you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types:

• Direct Writer / Captive : this type of insurance agency only sells one insurance company’s products – like Allstate or State Farm
• Independent Insurance Agent : this type of insurance agency is privately-owned, and sells policies with may different insurance companies

In addition to explaining the type of insurance agency you operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, new location openings, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the insurance business.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the insurance industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends. For example, if there was a trend towards weather-related policy purchases, it would be helpful to ensure your plans call for flood insurance options.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your insurance company business plan:

• How big is the insurance agency business (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key insurance carriers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your insurance agency. You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your insurance agency business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, households, businesses, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of insurance agency you operate. Clearly baby boomers would want different pricing and product options, and would respond to different marketing promotions than recent college graduates.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most insurance agencies primarily serve customers living in their same geographic region, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other insurance agencies.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from you that aren’t direct competitors. This includes self pay and public (Medicare, Medicaid in the case of health insurance) insurance or directly working with an insurance carrier. You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone who purchases insurance does so through an insurance agency.

With regards to direct competition, you want to detail the other insurance agencies with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be insurance agencies located in your geographic region.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What products do they offer?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide superior insurance agency products/services?
• Will you provide insurance agency products that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you make it easier or faster for customers to acquire your products?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For an insurance agency business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : in the product section you should reiterate the type of insurance agency that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products/services you will be offering. For example, in addition to P&C insurance, will you also offer life insurance?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the menu items you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your insurance agency. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your insurance agency located next to the Department of Motor Vehicles, or a heavily populated office building, etc. Discuss how your location might provide a steady stream of customers.

Promotions : the final part of your insurance agency marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Making your insurance agency’s front store extra appealing to attract passing customers
• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local bloggers and websites
• Partnerships with local organizations (e.g., auto dealerships or car rental stores)
• Local radio advertising
• Banner ads at local venues

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your insurance agency such as serving customers, procuring relationships with insurance carriers, negotiating with repair shops, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to acquire your 500th customer, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch a new location.

Management Team

To demonstrate your insurance agency’s ability to succeed as a business, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in the insurance agency business. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in insurance agencies and/or successfully running small businesses.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you acquire 20 new customers per month or 50? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. For instance, if you spend $100,000 on building out your insurance agency location and/or website, that will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing an insurance agency:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Marketing expenses
• Website development
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your store design blueprint or location lease.

Insurance Business Plan Summary

Putting together a business plan for your insurance agency is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the insurance agency business, your competition and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful insurance agency.

Download Our Insurance Business Plan PDF

You can download our insurance business plan PDF here . This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format.

Insurance Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my insurance business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Insurance Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Insurance Business Plan.

Where Can I Download an Insurance Business Plan PDF?

You can download our insurance business plan PDF template here . This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Insurance business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to learn about Growthink’s business plan writing services .

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

How To Write an Insurance Agency Business Plan + Template

Creating a business plan is essential for any business, but it can be especially helpful for insurance agencies that want to improve their strategy and/or raise funding.

A well-crafted business plan not only outlines the vision for your company, but also documents a step-by-step roadmap of how you are going to accomplish it. In order to create an effective business plan, you must first understand the components that are essential to its success.

This article provides an overview of the key elements that every insurance agency owner should include in their business plan.

Download the Ultimate Insurance Business Plan Template

What is an Insurance Agency Business Plan?

An insurance agency business plan is a formal written document that describes your company’s business strategy and its feasibility. It documents the reasons you will be successful, your areas of competitive advantage, and it includes information about your team members. Your business plan is a key document that will convince investors and lenders (if needed) that you are positioned to become a successful venture.

Why Write an Insurance Agency Business Plan?

An insurance agency business plan is required for banks and investors. The document is a clear and concise guide of your business idea and the steps you will take to make it profitable.

Entrepreneurs can also use this as a roadmap when starting their new company or venture, especially if they are inexperienced in starting a business.

Writing an Effective Insurance Agency Business Plan

The following are the key components of a successful insurance agency business plan:

Executive Summary

The executive summary of an insurance agency business plan is a one to two page overview of your entire business plan. It should summarize the main points, which will be presented in full in the rest of your business plan.

• Start with a one-line description of your insurance agency
• Provide a short summary of the key points in each section of your business plan, which includes information about your company’s management team, industry analysis, competitive analysis, and financial forecast among others.

Company Description

This section should include a brief history of your company. Include a short description of how your company started, and provide a timeline of milestones your company has achieved.

If you are just starting your insurance agency business, you may not have a long company history. Instead, you can include information about your professional experience in this industry and how and why you conceived your new venture. If you have worked for a similar company before or have been involved in an entrepreneurial venture before starting your insurance agency firm, mention this.

You will also include information about your chosen insurance agency business model and how, if applicable, it is different from other companies in your industry.

Industry Analysis

The industry or market analysis is an important component of an insurance agency business plan. Conduct thorough market research to determine industry trends and document the size of your market. 

Questions to answer include:

• What part of the insurance agency industry are you targeting?
• How big is the market?
• What trends are happening in the industry right now (and if applicable, how do these trends support the success of your company)?

You should also include sources for the information you provide, such as published research reports and expert opinions.

Customer Analysis

This section should include a list of your target audience(s) with demographic and psychographic profiles (e.g., age, gender, income level, profession, job titles, interests). You will need to provide a profile of each customer segment separately, including their needs and wants.

For example, customers of an insurance agency may include individuals, families and small businesses.

You can include information about how your customers make the decision to buy from you as well as what keeps them buying from you.

Develop a strategy for targeting those customers who are most likely to buy from you, as well as those that might be influenced to buy your products or insurance agency services with the right marketing.

Competitive Analysis

The competitive analysis helps you determine how your product or service will be different from competitors, and what your unique selling proposition (USP) might be that will set you apart in this industry.

For each competitor, list their strengths and weaknesses. Next, determine your areas of competitive differentiation and/or advantage; that is, in what ways are you different from and ideally better than your competitors.

Below are sample competitive advantages your insurance agency may have:

• In-depth knowledge of the insurance industry
• Broad product offering
• Customer focus and commitment to service
• Well-trained and experienced team
• Proven track record

Marketing Plan

This part of the business plan is where you determine and document your marketing plan. . Your plan should be clearly laid out, including the following 4 Ps.

• Product/Service : Detail your product/service offerings here. Document their features and benefits.
• Price : Document your pricing strategy here. In addition to stating the prices for your products/services, mention how your pricing compares to your competition.
• Place : Where will your customers find you? What channels of distribution (e.g., partnerships) will you use to reach them if applicable?
• Promotion : How will you reach your target customers? For example, you may use social media, write blog posts, create an email marketing campaign, use pay-per-click advertising, launch a direct mail campaign. 
• Or, you may promote your insurance agency via a mix of all the channels listed.  

Operations Plan

This part of your insurance agency business plan should include the following information:

• How will you deliver your product/service to customers? For example, will you do it in person or over the phone only?
• What infrastructure, equipment, and resources are needed to operate successfully? How can you meet those requirements within budget constraints?

The operations plan is where you also need to include your company’s business policies. You will want to establish policies related to everything from customer service to pricing, to the overall brand image you are trying to present.

Finally, and most importantly, in your Operations Plan, you will lay out the milestones your company hopes to achieve within the next five years. Create a chart that shows the key milestone(s) you hope to achieve each quarter for the next four quarters, and then each year for the following four years. Examples of milestones for an insurance agency include reaching $X in sales. Other examples include signing up a certain number of customers, expanding to a new location, or launching a new product or service.

Management Team

List your team members here including their names and titles, as well as their expertise and experience relevant to your specific insurance industry. Include brief biography sketches for each team member.

Particularly if you are seeking funding, the goal of this section is to convince investors and lenders that your team has the expertise and experience to execute on your plan. If you are missing key team members, document the roles and responsibilities you plan to hire for in the future.

Financial Plan

Here you will include a summary of your complete and detailed financial plan (your full financial projections go in the Appendix). 

This includes the following three financial statements:

Income Statement

Your income statement should include:

• Revenue : how much revenue you generate.
• Cost of Goods Sold : These are your direct costs associated with generating revenue. This includes labor costs, as well as the cost of any equipment and supplies used to deliver the product/service offering.
• Net Income (or loss) : Once expenses and revenue are totaled and deducted from each other, this is the net income or loss.

Sample Income Statement for a Startup Insurance Agency

Balance sheet.

Include a balance sheet that shows your assets, liabilities, and equity. Your balance sheet should include:

• Assets : All of the things you own (including cash).
• Liabilities : This is what you owe against your company’s assets, such as accounts payable or loans.
• Equity : The worth of your business after all liabilities and assets are totaled and deducted from each other.

Sample Balance Sheet for a Startup Insurance Agency

Cash flow statement.

Include a cash flow statement showing how much cash comes in, how much cash goes out and a net cash flow for each year. The cash flow statement should include:

• Cash Flow From Operations
• Cash Flow From Investments
• Cash Flow From Financing

Below is a sample of a projected cash flow statement for a startup insurance agency .

Sample Cash Flow Statement for a Startup Insurance Agency

You will also want to include an appendix section which will include:

• Your complete financial projections
• A complete list of your company’s business policies and procedures related to the rest of the business plan (marketing, operations, etc.)
• Any other documentation which supports what you included in the body of your business plan.

Writing a good business plan gives you the advantage of being fully prepared to launch and/or grow your insurance agency . It not only outlines your business vision, but also provides a step-by-step process of how you are going to accomplish it. All in all, a business plan is a key to the success of any business.  

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November 1979 - September 2023

Crafting a Winning Business Plan for Your Insurance Agency

Deanna deBara

Whether you have experience as a captive insurance agent or you’re an independent agent looking to branch away from working for others,  starting an insurance agency  might make sense as your next career move.

And now’s as good a time as any to start. In fact, broker and agency revenue  increased by 1.5% over the past five years —with growth expected to continue as the economy improves.

But with this growth and opportunity comes competition. The insurance industry is continuing to evolve, which means different companies—like those that use  insurtech  to blend insurance with technological innovations—are entering the fray and  competing for market share .

To give your new agency the edge over its competition and make sure your company is viable, you need a plan—an insurance agency business plan. Let’s look at why you need this document, what it should include, and other things to consider before you present your plan and launch your agency.

What Is a Business Plan—and Why Do You Need One?

A business plan is a document that outlines your approach to starting and running your agency. This document serves as a roadmap to follow at each stage of business growth, from your initial planning stages to achieving your  long-term goals . 

It can include information about how to structure and fund your agency, financial projections and goals, and guidance for how to run the agency as it evolves and grows.

There are a number of reasons you should consider creating a plan for your insurance agency, including:

• Help your agency succeed: About  20% of startups  fail within their first year. Though creating a business plan doesn’t guarantee your business will succeed, business owners who write out formal plans are  16% more likely to succeed  than entrepreneurs who wing it without one. Why? Planning helps you lay a solid foundation for your business, giving you a step-by-step guide for how to reach your goals.
• Secure funding: Many lenders require you to provide a plan for your business if you apply for a business loan or investment. The reason? A plan can reveal how viable your business is—including if you (and your leadership) are qualified to run a successful agency, what your  financial forecast  is for hitting different milestones, and what your overall objectives are for achieving success. In other words, lenders and investors want to know the likelihood of you paying off your debt and earning a profit—and, if so, how soon you’ll hit both milestones. A business plan helps them get a better idea of that likelihood—information they can use to determine if they want to lend to or invest in your business.
• Inform your decisions over time: A business plan for an insurance agency is a roadmap that defines your goals and objectives—as well as how to achieve them. But as your business grows, it’s easy to lose track of your long-term plans. Being able to refer to a document that details your plans can help you remain committed, even as your team—and agency—grows.

What To Include in Your Insurance Agency Plan 

Now that you know the importance of writing an insurance agency business plan, the next question is: what do you include in it? 

When it comes to creating a plan for your insurance agency, there aren’t any hard requirements. In fact, your plan can be in any format you’d like (including a “lean plan,” which focuses only on key elements)—though, if you’re looking for a bank loan or investment, your plan  should  be as detailed as possible.

Elements you might want to consider including in a  traditional business plan  for insurance agencies include:

Executive Summary

As its name implies, the executive summary is a brief overview of your plan. It should include general information about your insurance agency, though this information might change over time depending on how long your agency is operational. 

For example, a startup insurance agency might include a brief mention of market competition and its planned growth strategy. On the other hand, an established agency might summarize past achievements and include information about employees.

Items to include in your executive summary are:

• Your agency name
• Your mission statement
• A high-level overview of the products or services you offer or plan to offer
• Background on you  and your agency’s leadership team
• Information about your employees
• The location and market you operate or will operate in
• A brief description of your marketing plan
• Brief financial information and an overview of your growth plan, including projected costs (though you’ll expand on that later in the document)

Because your executive summary is a top-level overview of your insurance agency business plan, keep it concise and enticing. 

The idea is to encourage a reader to keep reading your business plan and learn more about your agency—especially if you’re looking for funding. 

In other words, the executive summary should be just that: a  summary  that introduces ideas you’ll expand upon later in your plan. Limit yourself to a couple of short, brief sentences for each idea and save specifics for dedicated sections of the document.

Company Description/Business Summary

The second element to include in your plan for an insurance agency is a detailed description of your company. This is your opportunity to expand upon some of the ideas you introduced in the executive summary. Here are some things to discuss:

• Legal structure of your agency: Your agency’s form of business, like a  sole proprietorship, limited liability company , partnership, or S-Corp. (Not sure which structure to choose? Make sure to read the next section.)
• Organizational chart: An organizational chart identifies your management team members and highlights their qualifications and expertise to determine who’s responsible for different aspects of running the agency. (You can attach resumes in an appendix to the business plan too).
• Target market: Who you plan to market to (such as individuals, businesses, or a mix of both).
• Business history: If your agency has already been established, what it’s achieved since it first opened.
• What sets you apart from the competition: For example, if you serve a wider (or more specific) target market or offer products other agencies don’t, or if you or your agents are uniquely qualified.
• SWOT analysis: A  SWOT analysis  identifies your core Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to give you (and your plan’s readers) an accurate and objective insight into your agency to inform future decisions, like investing in your agency startup.

What is the Best Business Structure for an Insurance Agency?

Many insurance agencies structure their business as a limited liability company (LLC), as it provides certain tax benefits and helps to protect their personal assets. 

That being said, the best structure for  your  business will depend on a variety of factors, including your goals, number of employees, and projected revenue. 

If you’re not sure how to structure your business, consider talking to a business lawyer and/or tax professional with experience in the insurance industry.

Product List

An effective insurance agency business plan should include a comprehensive list of the products and services it offers or plans to offer. Include the lines of insurance you’ll sell—like personal lines or  commercial lines —as well as the specific insurance policies you sell (or plan to), like  workers’ comp , life insurance or professional liability insurance.

And don’t skimp out on details. Mention the benefits of the insurance products you plan to offer, premiums and pricing, and your sales projections for each product. 

You should also include which insurance carriers your agency will represent—and which policies they’re responsible for underwriting. You might also want to provide a brief description of what  appointment  and representation means (or, in other words, which insurance carriers allow you to sell their products and represent their companies)—especially if you’ll be using your plan to secure funding for your agency since lenders might not be entirely familiar with the insurance industry.

Market Analysis

A major reason for creating a plan for your insurance agency is to prove that your business idea is viable. In other words, you need to demonstrate that there’s a demand for the products you offer—and that you have a competitive advantage that lets you capture enough market share to turn a profit.

And the place to do that? The market analysis section.

In this section, include detailed information about your agency’s target clients. Try to determine if there’s room for your agency. If not, look for underserved niches that you might be able to fill. At the same time, look at your market’s demographics to make sure your potential offerings meet their demands for insurance products.

For example, if you plan on selling commercial insurance, will you market specifically to construction companies and contractors or businesses in general? You might also want to limit your marketing efforts to small businesses that earn up to a certain revenue (like businesses with annual revenue between $1 million and $2.5 million).

You should also include a competitive analysis that identifies your key competitors, including their market share, target customers, and the specific products and services they offer. From there, explain how your marketing strategy will be competitive. 

For example, do you plan to  partner with an insurtech  company to attract leads and drive conversions?  Hourly  combines time tracking, payroll, and workers’ compensation insurance into one easy-to-use platform. Premiums are based on real-time payroll data, so your clients can say buh-bye to those nasty audit surprises.

Finally, include the demand for your proposed offers—and your sales strategy for how your insurance products meet the needs of your potential clients.

Financial Plan

How your agency earns money—and when you can expect it to turn a profit—is crucial for securing lending and making sure you have a stable cash flow. Your financial plan should include your:

• Projected costs: How much will it cost initially to open your agency, purchase office furniture and supplies, and hire and train agents? How much will your ongoing expenses (like rent, advertising, health insurance and other employee benefits, and salaries and commissions) cost?
• Estimated cash flow: How much money do you expect your agency to generate and spend over time—and how much of that revenue is profit?
• Break-even analysis: What is the sales forecast for how many policies you need to sell before you’ve covered the cost of opening and running your insurance agency? At what point does your agency become profitable?

Generally, your financial plan should cover at least three to five years. If your agency is already established, you should support your financial plan with  balance sheets , cash flow statements,  income statements , and other financial statements. 

If your agency is a startup, you should include detailed estimates and projections supported by industry or competitor data. 

Similarly, you might want to provide monthly or quarterly projections for your first year in business (vs. annual projections for the following years) to help explain and emphasize how viable your agency will be in its first year—as well as when you expect to break even or achieve profitability.

How Profitable are Insurance Agencies?

Insurance agencies may see a profit margin of about 10% or more, however that number can vary widely based on agency size, where you're located, what you sell, demand, and your efficiency.

Funding Request

If the purpose of your insurance agency business plan is to request funding, you need to specify how much cash you need—and what you need it  for . Start by outlining the type of funding you need—like a bank loan or investment funds—and how long you need the funding to last. You should also outline your preferred structure—like debt or equity—and any repayment terms.

Then nail down the details.  Create a budget  that stipulates how the money will be used. Make sure to also tie your request into your overall financial plan. Ideally, funding should sustain your agency until it meets its break-even point and a stable cash flow—and how you plan to do that should be clearly outlined in your business plan.

Insurance Agency Business Plan Template

Creating a business plan can seem complex at first, especially if you’ve never done it before. The good news? You don’t need to start from scratch. 

This customizable template can help you get started. Just use it as an outline, fill it in with details about your business, and voila! You’ve got your plan.

Easy-to-Use Outline

Text Copied to Clipboard

Agency name

Mission statement

Products and services

Management team background

Employee information

Location/market information

Brief marketing plan description

Brief financial information:

Projected costs

• Growth plan

Company Description

Legal structure

Organizational chart

• Target market

Business history

Competitive advantage(s)

SWOT analysis

Product #1: Description, price, sales projections

Product #2: Description, price, sales projections

Competitive analysis: Competitor #1

• Market share
• Products offered

Competitor #2

Marketing strategy

Product demand

Sales strategy

Estimated cash flow

Break-even analysis

Financial statements

• Balance sheet/projections
• Cash flow statement/projections
• Income statement/projections
• Other financial documentation

Amount of funding required

Reason(s) for funding

Type of funding requested

How long of a period funds needs to cover

Preferred funding structure

Repayment terms

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Other Things to Do When Creating Your Plan

Now that you understand the importance and benefits of a business plan for your insurance agency, let’s jump into a few things to keep in mind while creating your plan to ensure that it sets the stage for launching a successful insurance agency: 

• Define your brand identity: Your agency’s brand—its name, purpose, and values—helps it stand out from your competition and draw in new customers. Defining and committing to your agency’s identity helps you establish trustworthiness and reliability.
• Apply for licenses and permits: Small businesses are subject to local and state laws that might require you to obtain a business license, insurance coverage, and other types of licenses and permits. And because the insurance industry is so heavily regulated, check with your state’s  insurance department  to learn if you require any additional licenses or permits.
• Research potential funding options: When it comes to funding, there’s no one-size-fits-all. Compare and contrast different funding options—like self-funding, taking out a loan, looking for investors, or even crowdfunding—and choose what makes the most sense for your agency.
• Identify potential insurance companies to represent: Before you launch your agency, research potential insurance carrier partners to find those that align with your goals and values. Partner with insurance companies that offer the types of insurance products your ideal clients want—at the prices they’re willing to pay—and don’t dismiss the importance of exceptional customer service.

Tips for Presenting Your Business Plan

After you’ve drafted your business plan, the final step is to present it to interested lenders and investors. But how do you successfully present your plan for an insurance agency with confidence?

• Set up an in-person meeting: A face-to-face meeting helps humanize the people behind your plan—you and your management team. It also gives you a chance to establish and build credibility, field any questions, and demonstrate your excitement and passion for launching your new business. If meeting in person isn’t doable, set up a video conference to recreate the face-to-face experience.
• Use a clean, detailed, and professional layout: Your business plan should be legible, concise, and direct. Make sure it appears professional by proofreading it to correct any typos or misspellings. Include clear charts that support your claims and statements. Finally, make both digital and physical copies to distribute (and print extras—just in case!).
• Practice and rehearse your presentation: Come prepared to answer any questions that your business plan might not have covered or that a lender needs extra clarification about. That doesn’t mean you need to memorize your presentation word-for-word, but you should have a solid idea of your plan’s specifics and certain important details, like your break-even point or the amount of funding you’re requesting.

Plan to Set Yourself Up for Success 

Starting a small business is hard. And in the competitive insurance space, you need every competitive advantage you can get to set yourself up for success when launching an insurance agency. 

Writing an insurance agency business plan can help you outline—and commit to—your goals and objectives, giving you a clearly-defined path to success.

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Crafting an Effective Insurance Agency Business Plan

If you're an independent insurance agent, you know that success doesn't happen by chance. It requires strategic planning and a clear roadmap for the future. That's where an insurance agency business plan comes into play. 

In this guide, we'll explore what a business plan is, why it's essential, and how to create one tailored to your home insurance agency.

At a glance:

• Crafting a well-defined insurance agency business plan provides strategic direction and goal-setting for success.
• A comprehensive business plan allows for adaptability in an ever-evolving industry.
• Defining your brand, researching funding options, and staying compliant with regulations, are the ingredients that can transform your business plan into an effective tool for growth.

Benefits of having a business plan

Having a solid roadmap is like holding a compass in a dense forest. It not only guides you on how to become a successful insurance agency, but also ensures you stay on course.

Strategic direction

So let’s continue that analogy: you’re on a road trip without a map, compass, or GPS. You might eventually reach your destination, but it would be a long and uncertain journey. Similarly, running an insurance agency without a business plan is like traveling without a guide. A well-crafted plan provides a clear path and helps you stay focused on your goals.

Goal setting

Setting realistic and achievable goals is vital for any business. Your insurance agency business plan acts as a compass, allowing you to establish clear objectives. Whether you want to increase your client base, revenue, or expand your services, a business plan helps you chart the course.

Investor confidence

If you find yourself in a place to seek external funding, whether from investors or lenders, a comprehensive business plan is a must. It demonstrates that you've thought through your business strategy, increasing your chances of securing financial support.

Adaptability

The insurance industry is never stagnant, and as such adaptability is key. A business plan isn't set in stone; it's a living document that can be adjusted as circumstances change. If done correctly, it allows you to stay flexible and make informed decisions as market trends shift.

Key components of an insurance agency business plan

Your business plan is the document that transforms your vision into a tangible reality, ensuring your journey as an independent insurance agent is not only successful but prosperous too. 

Let’s explore the key components of an effective business plan, including the executive summary, company overview and more. 

Executive summary

The executive summary serves as the elevator pitch for your entire business plan. It's designed to capture the reader's attention and give them a quick, compelling overview of your insurance agency. You'll want to concisely highlight your agency's mission, vision, and goals. Think of it as distilling your agency's essence into a few powerful sentences. It's an invitation for the reader to learn more about your agency's journey.

Company overview

The company overview is your opportunity to introduce your insurance agency in detail. It's where you set the stage for the rest of your business plan. In this section, you’ll want to dive into the history of your agency, including its founding story, location(s), and size. You should also describe every type of insurance product you offer and provide a snapshot of what makes your agency unique.

Industry analysis

The industry analysis puts your industry knowledge to good use. It's all about understanding the broader insurance market, including its trends, challenges, and opportunities. In this section, you'll research and present data and insights into the insurance industry. Discuss market trends, regulatory changes, and any challenges that could impact your independent agency. Identifying opportunities within the industry allows you to position your agency effectively to take advantage of them.

Customer analysis

Understanding your target market is essential for tailoring your services and marketing efforts effectively. Create detailed buyer personas that encompass their needs, preferences, and pain points. This information is the foundation for developing products and services that resonate with your audience.

Competitive analysis

Knowing your competition is about gaining insights into their strengths and weaknesses. When performing your market analysis, or market research, be sure to look at factors like their market share, marketing strategy, pricing models, and customer service practices. Understanding how you stack up against the competition will help you develop a winning strategy that sets your agency apart.

Marketing plan

Your marketing plan is the strategic playbook for how you'll attract and retain clients. Specify your marketing channels, both online and offline; outline your budget and set measurable goals. Whether it's through digital advertising, content marketing, or print advertising, your marketing plan should maximize your independent insurance agency's reach and impact.

Operations plan

The operations plan is the behind-the-scenes blueprint for how your independent agency runs day-to-day. Detail your team structure, office setup, and technology requirements. It's about ensuring smooth workflow and efficient service delivery. This section gives a clear picture of how your agency operates on a daily basis.

Management team

Your management team is the engine that drives your agency. Introduce the key members of your management team and highlight their expertise. Explain how their skills and experiences contribute to the agency's success. 

Financial plan

The financial plan is the heart of your business plan. It's where you demonstrate that your agency is not just a vision but a financially viable venture. For any enterprise, including insurance agencies, it’s important to provide detailed financial projections in your business plan, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Set clear financial goals and explain how you intend to achieve them.

Tips for creating an effective insurance agency business plan

Creating an insurance agency business plan is akin to crafting that roadmap we talked about earlier. But here's the twist—this isn't just any road; it's twisting and on an ever-changing landscape. To navigate it successfully, you need more than just directions; you need insider tips and tricks.

Define your brand

Your brand is more than just a logo; it's who you are. Define your brand identity, including your mission statement, core values, and unique selling proposition. A strong brand will set you apart in a crowded market.

Research funding options

If you need capital to start or expand your agency, explore different funding options, which could include personal savings, loans, or investors. Your business plan should outline your funding needs and how you intend to secure the necessary capital.

Apply for licenses

Ensure that you comply with all regulatory requirements in your area. This includes obtaining the necessary licenses and insurance policies to operate legally. Failing to do so could jeopardize your agency's success.

Set goals and establish metrics

Your business plan should include specific, measurable, and time-bound goals. Track key performance indicators to measure your progress and adjust your strategy accordingly. Regularly reviewing and updating your plan keeps you on the path to success.

A strategic roadmap for success

For an independent insurance agency, a well-crafted business plan is not simply a document; it's a dynamic tool that provides strategic direction, fosters adaptability, and instills investor confidence. By defining your brand, understanding your market, and detailing your operational and financial strategies, your insurance agency business plan becomes the compass guiding you through the complexities of the industry. 

With clear goals, a solid management team, and a proactive approach to change, your agency can navigate the insurance industry effectively, ensuring not only agency survival but also sustainable growth

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About the Author

Alyssa Little | Senior Content Strategist

Alyssa is the Senior Content Strategist at Openly, collaborating with industry thought leaders to provide insightful and informative content in the home insurance space. With over 15 years experience in content marketing strategy, copywriting, and editing, Alyssa has refined her expertise through her work at such companies as Gartner, Nike, and Trupanion. Alyssa holds a BA in History from the University of Puget Sound and an MA in Museum Studies from Newcastle University.

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Insurance Agency Business Plan Template

Writing a successful business plan for your insurance agency + template.

If you’re looking to start or grow an insurance agency , you need a business plan. Your plan will outline your business goals and strategies, and how you plan on achieving them. It will also detail the amount of funding you need, and if needed, present a case to investors and lenders regarding why they should invest in your business.

In this article, we’ll explain why you should invest the time and energy into creating an insurance agency business plan, and provide you with an insurance agency business plan template that includes an overview of what should be included in each section.

Why Write a Business Plan For an Insurance Agency ?

There are many reasons to write a business plan for an insurance agency , even if you’re not looking for funding. A business plan can help you see potential pitfalls in your business strategy, as well as identify opportunities you may not have considered. It can also help you track your progress and adjust your plans as needed.

That said, if you are looking for funding, a business plan is essential. Investors and lenders want to see that you have a solid understanding of your industry, your customers, and your competition. They also want to know that you have a realistic view of your financial situation and how much money you’ll need to get started.

How To Write a Business Plan For an Insurance Agency  

While every business plan is different, there are 10 essential components that all insurance agency business plans should include:

Executive Summary

Company description, industry analysis, customer analysis, competitor analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, management team, financial plan.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to tailor this information to your specific type of insurance agency , but these 10 components should be included in every plan.

The executive summary is the first section of your business plan, but it’s often written last. This is because it provides an overview of the entire document.

In the executive summary, briefly explain what your business does, your business goals, and how you plan on achieving them. You should also include a brief overview of your financial situation, including how much money you’ll need to get started.

For organizational purposes, you could create headings for each main section of your business plan to highlight the key takeaways.

For example, your insurance agency executive summary might look something like this:

Company Overview

[Insert Company Introduction / Short Summary]

Business Goals

[Insert Business Goals & How You Plan To Achieve Them]

Industry Overview

[Insert Industry Statistics on the Size of Your Market]

Competition

[Insert Overview of Competitors & Your Competitive Advantage]

[Insert Information About The Marketing Strategies You Will Use To Attract Clients/Customers]

Financial Overview

You can add and/or remove sections as needed, but these are the basics that should be included in every executive summary.

The next section of your insurance agency business plan is the company description, where you’ll provide an overview of your business.

Include information about your:

• Company History & Accomplishments To Date

Mission Statement and/or Company Values

With regards to the company overview, here you will document the type of insurance agency you operate. For example, there are several types of insurance agencies such as:

• Life insurance agency
• Health insurance agency
• Auto insurance agency
• Homeowners insurance agency
• Commercial Insurance Agency

For example, an insurance agency company description might look something like this:

We are an X type of insurance agency .

Company History

If an existing company: Since launching, our team has served X customers and generated $Y in revenue.

If startup: I conceived [company name] on this date. Since that time, we have developed the company logo, found potential space, etc. 

This is just an example, but your company description should give potential investors a clear idea of who you are, what you do, and why you’re the best at what you do.

The next section of your business plan is the industry analysis. In this section, you’ll need to provide an overview of the industry you’re in, as well as any trends or changes that might impact your business.

Questions you will want to answer include:

• What is the overall size of the insurance industry?
• How is the industry growing or changing?
• What are the major trends affecting the insurance industry?
• Who are the major players in the insurance industry?

For example, your industry analysis might look something like this:

The size of the insurance industry is $XX billion.

It is currently growing at an annual rate of XX% and is expected to reach $XX billion by the year 20XX. The insurance industry has been booming in recent years.

Major trends affecting the industry are larger companies consolidating and the rise of digital marketing and e-commerce.

How We Fit Into The Industry

This is just an example, but your industry analysis should give potential investors a clear idea of the overall industry, and how your company fits into that industry.

The next section of your insurance agency business plan is the customer analysis. In this section, you’ll need to provide an overview of who your target customers are and what their needs are.

• Who are your target customers?
• What are their needs?
• How do they interact with your industry?
• How do they make purchasing decisions?

You want a thorough understanding of your target customers to provide them with the best possible products and/or services. Oftentimes, you will want to include the specific demographics of your target market, such as age, gender, income, etc., but you’ll also want to highlight the psychographics, such as their interests, lifestyles, and values.

This information will help you better understand your target market and how to reach them.

For example, your customer analysis might look something like this:

Target Market & Demographics

The demographic (age, gender, location, income, etc.) profile of our target insurance agency customer is as follows: 

– Age: 25-60

– Gender: Male/Female

– Location: Anywhere in the United States

– Income: $50,000-$250,000

– Education: College degree or higher

Psychographics

Our core customer interests are as follows: 

– Saving money: They are always looking for ways to save money, whether it’s on their insurance premiums or other household expenses.

– Convenience: They value convenience and want to be able to do business with companies that make their lives easier.

In summary, your customer analysis should give potential investors a clear idea of who your target market is and how you reach them.

The next section of your business plan is the competitor analysis. In this section, you’ll need to provide an overview of who your major competitors are and their strengths and weaknesses.

• Who are your major competitors?
• What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• How do they compare to you?

You want to make sure that you have a clear understanding of your competition so that you can position yourself in the market. Creating a SWOT Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) for each of your major competitors helps you do this. 

For example, your competitor analysis might look something like this:

Major Competitors

XYZ Company is our major competitor. Its offerings include this, this and this. Its strengths include XYZ, and its weaknesses include XYZ.

Competitive Advantage

Your competitor analysis should give potential lenders and investors a clear idea of who your major competitors are and how you compare to them.

The next section of your business plan is the marketing plan. In this section, you’ll need to provide an overview of your marketing strategy and how you plan on executing it.

Specifically, you will document your “4 Ps” as follows:

• Products/Services : Here is where you’ll document your product/service offerings.
• Price : Detail your pricing strategy here.
• Place : Document where customers will find you and whether you will use distribution channels (e.g., partnerships) to reach them.
• Promotion : Here you will document how you will reach your target customers. For instance, insurance agencies often reach new customers via promotional tactics including online advertising, direct mail, and personal selling.

For example, your marketing plan might look something like this:

Products/Services

We offer the following products/services: 

We will use a premium pricing strategy to establish ourselves as the highest quality brand.

We will serve customers directly and through a partnership with XYZ company.

As you can see, your marketing plan should give potential investors a clear idea of your marketing objectives, strategies, and tactics.

The next section of your business plan is the operations plan. In this section, you’ll need to provide an overview of your company’s day-to-day operations and how they will be structured.

• What are your company’s daily operations?
• How are your company’s operations structured?
• Who is responsible for each task?

Your operations plan should be detailed and concise. You want to make sure that potential investors have a clear understanding of your company’s day-to-day operations and how they are structured.

You will also include information regarding your long-term goals for your operations and how you plan on achieving them.

For example, your operations plan might look something like this:

Daily Operations

Our company’s daily operations include XYZ.

Operational Structure

Our company is structured as follows:

• Department 1
• Department 2
• Department 3

Each department is responsible for XYZ tasks.

Long-Term Goals

Our long-term goals for our operations are to achieve the following over the next five years.

Date 1: Goal 1

Date 2: Goal 2

Date 3: Goal 3

Date 4: Goal 4

Your operations plan should give readers a clear idea of your company’s day-to-day operations, how they are structured, and your long-term goals for the company.

The next section of your business plan is the management team. In this section, you’ll need to provide an overview of your management team and their experience.

• Who is on your management team?
• What are their qualifications?
• What is their experience?

Your management team ideally includes individuals who are experts in their respective fields. You want to make sure that lenders and investors have a clear understanding of your management team’s qualifications and experience, and feel they can execute on your plan.

For example, your management team might look something like this:

Our management team is comprised of the following X individuals with the following experience.

Team Member 1: 

Team member 1’s qualifications and experience include XYZ.

Team Member 2: 

Your management team should give potential lenders and investors a clear idea of who is on your team and how their qualifications and experience will help your company succeed.

The final core section of your business plan is the financial plan. In this section, you’ll need to provide an overview of your company’s financials.

• What are your company’s projected revenues?
• What are your company’s projected expenses?
• What is your company’s projected growth rate?
• How much funding do you need and for what purposes? For example, most startup insurance agencies need outside funding for pre-launch activities such as licenses, office space, and marketing initiatives.

Your financial plan should give potential investors a clear understanding of your company’s financials. While you may include a summary of this information in this section, you will include full financial statements in the appendix of your business plan.

For example, your financial plan might look something like this:

Our company’s projected revenues over the next five years are $XYZ.

Expenses & Net Income

Our company’s projected expenses and net income over the next five years are $XYZ.

Uses of Funding

This is just an example, but your financial plan should give potential investors a clear idea of your company’s financial projections.

The final section of your business plan is the appendix. In this section, you’ll need to provide any additional information that was not included in the previous sections.

This may include items such as:

• Full financial statements
• Resumes of key management team members
• Letters of reference
• Articles or press releases
• Marketing materials
• Product information
• Any other relevant information

By including this information in the appendix, you are allowing potential investors and lenders to learn more about your company.

In summary, writing an insurance agency business plan is a vital step in the process of starting and/or growing your own business.

A business plan will give you a roadmap to follow. It can also help you attract investors and partners.

By following the tips outlined in this article, you can be sure that your business plan will be effective and help you achieve your goals.

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How to Create a Business Plan for an Insurance Agency

If the adage is true that even the greatest enthusiasm is no substitute for planning, independent insurance agents know that both are required in order for an agency to succeed.

An insurance agency business plan is therefore essential, especially for brand-new agencies in addition to established firms. A thoughtfully developed plan provides you direction for your efforts and structure for ongoing business development.

Without a plan, all you have is good intentions – and those won’t get you where you want to go. A map, on the other hand, will.

With this in mind, let’s dive into how to create a business plan for insurance agents and the things you’ll need to do to set your agency on the path to success.

Why is an agency business plan important?

A well-constructed insurance agency business plan helps you to set realistic goals, define your needs for specific resources, and focus your attention on the essential must-dos for accelerating your business.

As the principal, you must continually refine your vision for what you ultimately want to achieve: the type of business you want to run, its operations, its cash flow, its culture, and its workflows. Then, you can list the necessary steps to reverse-engineer the ideal agency that you’ve pictured.

Not only will the business plan for your insurance agency serve as a tool for internal management and decision-making, but it’s also extremely useful in conveying the vision for your business to other parties. Among these are investors, lenders, and potential partners – and new insurance carriers will often want to review your agency’s business plan before they’ll partner with you.

It’s worth noting that over time, the business plan for an insurance agency can and will change, and the agency owner must be flexible in both thought and execution as a new agency is forged. For example, you may envision writing a large portion of your agency’s book of business in a certain line, and later discover that market conditions or intense competition will encourage you to pivot to other lines that may also prove profitable.

What should be included in the business plan for an insurance agency

Agency principals will create a comprehensive summary that mindfully considers everything from the agency’s location and target markets to the products it will offer.

To get started, let’s review the various sections that make up a comprehensive business plan, and how each section contributes to the overall plan’s effectiveness.

Your insurance agency business plan should run about 5,000 words, outlining the following in detail:

• An executive summary detailing your “vision” for your agency
• Description of your company
• List of the insurance products your agency plans to offer
• Business analysis of your market
• Your agency’s marketing strategy
• Organizational structure
• Your agency’s financial plan
• Agency funding needs

If you’re already thinking, “I’m not a writer; I can’t do this,” fear not. You’re summarizing what you’re setting out to achieve and how you plan to get there – not writing a sonnet. Once you start writing, you’ll be surprised how far you’ll get.

The aforementioned word count, while a solid goal, isn’t set in stone. Don’t pad what you’re writing; stick to the facts. In the end, your business plan should be thorough, useful to you, and appealing to investors.

Let’s break down each of these sections one by one.

Executive summary

Think of this section as a concise overview of the overall business plan for your agency – your mission statement. Include highlights of your agency’s mission, goals, and its competitive advantage. Highlight your agency’s projected growth and potential profitability.

Be realistic and truthful in your assessments. It’s good to be optimistic, but not pie-in-the-sky level, especially for new agencies. Remember, you could find yourself answering to an investor sometime in the future.

Company description

Here’s where you explain what makes your agency special. Tell your story powerfully. What’s your vision for your organization? How would you describe your company culture ? How do you recruit new talent ?

What is your target market? What are your customer demographics? Who will be selling, and what are their strengths? How do you manage your relationships with your insurance carrier partners? What types of agency technology do you leverage in your customer service efforts?

Offer details on what you consider your unique selling proposition. Do you offer specialization in certain lines of business? If so, explain the inherent value in the expertise you possess.

Keep this question in mind as you write: What makes your firm exceptional, and why would someone want to invest in it?

List of products

The composition of your agency’s book of business is critical , and here you’ll lay out exactly what products you’re selling (or plan to sell). Provide a detailed breakdown of the insurance products and services offered by your agency, including a brief explanation of each product’s features and benefits.

In addition, include ideas for expanding your product lineup in years to come.

Market analysis

Investors and carriers alike want to know that you possess comprehensive knowledge of both your local insurance market and the forces influencing the wider industry. Offer analysis of your agency’s target market, including the demographics of your potential clients.

Then, provide a thorough analysis of the insurance industry’s current challenges and evolving exposures, with emphasis on how those trends affect the types of clients you serve. (This section doesn’t need to be exhaustive – again, don’t pad it – but it should reflect your macro perspective on the P&C market as well as how market forces will factor into your pricing and risk selection.)

Marketing strategy

How do you market your agency to prospects? Do you utilize digital marketing, social media, or create content that will resonate with potential customers? Community engagement is key in endearing your business to local prospects, as are networking events.

Detail your marketing strategy, and explain which types of outreach you’ve found most effective.

Note: As an agency owner it’s especially important to be flexible with your plans in this area, as certain approaches may prove less effective over time. When they do, you’ll need to pivot.

Organization and management

Effective leadership and a clear organizational chart will contribute greatly to your agency’s success. In this section, lay out your agency’s organizational structure – the hierarchy of your leaders. Include profiles of key team members, highlighting their various expertise.

Financial plan

Here’s where you begin to get more detailed on dollars and cents. Offer your realistic financial projections for your agency, taking into account expenses, revenue, and projected profitability.

Your projections should include a breakdown of any and all financial forecasts and possible variables taken into consideration. Contingency plans to address potential financial challenges should likewise be included.

Agency funding

Your agency’s financial needs are assessed in detail here. Apply your knowledge of what you want your agency to achieve, versus what it will cost. This includes (but is not limited to) rent, payroll, utilities, phone service, and business insurance.

Include the purpose behind each expenditure, and demonstrate how funding for your firm will be used to cultivate growth.

By the time this section is complete, you’ll have an informed understanding of exactly what it will cost to fund your organization – and how much you may need to borrow to manifest your vision. Provide an outline of potential sources of funding, including personal investments, loans, or investors.

What is the Best Business Structure for an Insurance Agency?

There are several business structures you can consider for your agency, each with various benefits. These include:

• Sole proprietorship
• Partnership
• Corporation

There are various legal, financial, and operational factors to consider in selecting the structure that’s best for you, which we’ll explore in greater detail in a future blog.

How your insurance agency business plan will evolve

As your agency evolves over time, so too will your firm’s business plan. It’s best to revisit and refine your overall plan at least every seven to 12 months, in order to chart your progress and adopt new strategies that will help to continuously drive revenue.

The path to agency success is long and at times extremely difficult, but thoughtful planning will aid your firm’s execution and growth for years to come.

About Renaissance

Powered by a differentiated suite of technology products and services, Renaissance drives organic, profitable revenue growth for your insurance agency.

Keep Reading

How insurance agencies can benchmark their success, how independent insurance agents can raise the bar on customer service, 4 strategies for growing your independent insurance agency.

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April 20, 2020

How to create a business plan for your insurance agency, 12 min read.

Topic: Insurance Marketing Insurance Agency Management sales Start an Agency Grow an Agency

“What’s the plan?”

That’s the question my wife and I ask each other every day about 3:00 in the afternoon. We have pretty busy lives with multiple businesses, children, hobbies, and activities to manage. So, probably just like you, we need a plan to get it all done!

If a plan is important for getting a family through the day, how much more important is a plan for an insurance agency with customers to serve, sales to make, companies to satisfy, and employees to manage?

It’s critical.

But who has time to plan with all that going on?

That’s a great and valid question. The other one for the typical Type A insurance business owner is, “Can I get someone else to do it for me?” and, “What’s the minimum planning that will yield the most impact?” 

Assuming you have goals to meet and would like every day to be something other than crisis management, let’s take a look at this from a high level. 

Getting Started With Your Business Plan

Creating a business plan sounds like work, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be. Really, this process is as simple as putting on paper your three-to-five-year goals and general means to achieve them. 

For example, this is a super-simple plan template:

What are sales going to be each year for 3 years?

Net profits? What do you want your balance sheet to look like? 

What is your ideal business mix? What products and services do you want to sell the most of?

What kind of customers do you want to serve? What do they look like demographically (i.e. target market)?

How many employees does it take to get this done? 

A plan can be a whole lot more complicated, and potentially more valuable, but if you have lots to do, this takes a couple of minutes and it’s a great start.

Consider This Question To Help You Focus:

During lunch with a successful entrepreneur in a business completely unrelated to mine, he asked me this wonderful and powerful question during our meal.

“What are the best opportunities in front of you right now?”

That question really focuses the mind.

I was able to give him an immediate answer and listed for him four priorities for myself and my team. We have more than four opportunities in front of us, so I was interested in my own immediate reaction. You see, like most entrepreneurs and small business owners, I am constantly seeing opportunities and weighing my capabilities and interests.

I answered my friend with four things and a quick note as to why they were important and valuable for our business. It didn’t take a lengthy market analysis or sales forecasting - the question really helped me to focus, prioritize, and verbalize what I want to capitalize on out of many choices. It happened in an instant and will now guide us as we plan for the next year or two - this is the simplest version of an executive summary and it will guide our sales strategy.

Most successful business owners are highly focused people, who don’t pursue every single business idea that runs through their heads. They understand that resources like time, capital, and people are limited. Regardless of their relative level of optimism (an absolute requirement and one of the main keys to success opportunities, but the more successful they become, the more realistic actual opportunities are for them.

So, as they go about building a bigger and bigger future, choosing which opportunities to pursue every year of operation becomes an ever more important task.

As we face the future and the demands of many others who want us to focus on their priorities (opportunities!), choosing which things we will concentrate our efforts on becomes a critical decision for every insurance agent and businessperson.

What about you? What are the best opportunities in front of you right now? Those are the ones to focus your planning.

Let’s Do Some Thinking

Everyone, and every business, is different. I start planning for the next year in the fourth quarter of the year before. Your timing may be different than mine. But you do set aside time to think about the business and plan for the coming year, don’t you? Or do you just let it happen?

This is a great time to be honest with ourselves about this! Let me suggest that if you don’t do annual thinking that you consider it. It’s not hard. It doesn’t have to take a long time but is really important in sustaining growth .

Here are some of the things I think about.

What can we accomplish?

What is a revenue goal that is achievable within our current capabilities? As I think about this I ponder the knowns about what the market is doing and which insurance products are more likely to sell.

Are rates up or down? Has the weather this year been good or bad?

What can we expect from Profit Sharing and PMSF (you do get PMSF, don’t you?)

What kind of activity and results are our current marketing efforts producing? How is our market share?

What is going to happen to overhead next year? 

Do we have rent increases, automation increases, or other overhead cost increases coming?

What about employee benefits and payroll?

Do we need additional employees to manage the expected normal growth?

Do we have a place for them to work? Equipment to use?

When do we need them?

Now comes the fun part! 

What could we do if we really stretched ourselves? 

If we are to do that, what else must we do?

Do we need to increase marketing investment?

Are there any potential investors we should talk to?

Hire additional people? Modify compensation strategies?

Open another office or expand this one?

Add a CRM program?

These and endless other things can and should be considered.

We can’t develop a plan for our business until we spend time thinking about it. Perhaps you do this ad hoc from time to time, but now is the time to organize your thinking and your thoughts and start putting things in written form, even if it’s just a few paragraphs. It’s time to think!

Now, Let’s Do Some Planning

I’ve described the thinking process that I use during the early fall to begin to get ready for a productive, growing period in the coming year. The results of the current year are beginning to take shape and the business environment is more clearly understood. After the thinking process comes planning.

Relax! This doesn’t have to be, nor should it be, complicated or time-consuming for a growing agency. Let me encourage you to make a plan that can be put on one sheet of paper. Two at the most. 

If you can’t describe your plans for a year in that space you probably can’t do it all either.

How I Do It

What I do is take the things I’ve uncovered in my thinking process and first use them to create a simple budget:

I increase current year results by what I think is the “steady as she goes” growth and expected rate, profit sharing, PMSF and other revenue changes should produce and put that in a month by month spreadsheet.

Then I take the overhead thinking I’ve done and put that into the expense ledger. Now I’ve got a simple budget. Is the result of that budget what I want it to be based on my goal setting? Or not? If not, I begin to tweak.

Once the budget is all tweaked up I turn to the thinking about the growth goals I want. What does that do to income? What expense increases are required? Those go down on paper and I work on this until I’m satisfied.

This is still not planning! This is budgeting. Now comes the plan:

• What will be required to get the results we are forecasting? (See the next section!)
• When and how will we market ?
• What changes to our website, social media , phone program, referral program, etc. do we need to make?
• Do we need more employees , insurance companies, cell phones, or other tools? When and where do we plan to acquire them?
• What else do we need to schedule to do to make the budget work out?

This is planning! See, it’s not hard. It’s really easy when you think about it first!

Now that you’ve done the thinking and planning, next year will be easy. And if you execute on the simple plan you’ve built, tweaking as you go, you’ll get wherever it is you want to go!

More Things to Consider for Your Business Plan

How much activity do you need to get the results you want.

The “Silver Bullet” to agency growth is activity. One of the natural questions is how much? How much activity will it take to get x results? Really, the question is what do I need to do? What do I need to plan for? 

Great questions!

To answer your questions I need a little more information. So, here are my questions to you:

What is your growth goal?

What is your average sale?

What is your closing ratio?

How do you get prospects?

Let’s assume I want to add $25,000 in commission revenue to my agency (growth goal). And let’s assume my average sale nets me $450 (note: this is commission, not premium). 

Let’s also assume I’m an average salesperson and my closing ratio is 35%. Lastly, let’s assume I get my prospects from a direct mail campaign and my response rate is 1.5% of pieces mailed. 

From these assumptions “how much” becomes very clear. 

• I need 56 sales! ($25,000 goal divided by $450 average sale).
• I need 160 prospects! (56 sales divided by 35%).
• I need to mail 10,650 mail pieces (160 prospects divided by 1.5%)

Don’t get hung up on whether you think direct mail is the best way to advertise, or whether you think my closing ratio is good or bad. That’s not the point. The point is, if you know some very basic numbers, you can figure out very easily how much activity you need to reach your goal!

Everyone has a different idea about the best way to sell insurance. We all have different goals, talents, resources, and abilities. But we can all achieve our goals with the appropriate amount of activity. 

Success is simple. Figure out “how much”. Then go do it!

Pay the Business First

One of our Agency Development team recently met with one of our agencies to work with them on business planning. This is a great thing, because without a plan it is virtually impossible to grow rapidly. This particular agent is my favorite kind of person: a dreamer with big dreams! They are ambitious, hard-working, and highly motivated

In their discussions, the agent and our Development Specialist talked about the agent's desire to hire producers and to build their own office building. Both are potentially great ideas. However, there is a small problem: money.

Our agent owner didn't have any…

When we start our businesses, we entrepreneurs usually need every nickel we can find, right? Every dollar that isn't nailed down often finds its way into gasoline, rent, or shoes for the kids. This is normal. But as the business begins to prosper there is a choice to be made: buy nicer stuff, or feed the business.

We often see agencies with little or no working capital, and without working capital, you simply can't expand, because you can't fund a producer. What bank is going to lend you money on a building when you haven't got any? None. Those days are gone forever.

My partner and I started our agency in 1996, and we didn't take a profit out of the business - not even to pay taxes - until 2003! We were reinvesting all our money in the business.

This is what you must do if you want to keep growing. That doesn't mean you can't take money to improve your family's situation - you can. Do that by increasing your salary over time.

But if you want to keep growing, give the business a raise before you give yourself one. 

Our method was to decide each year what the business was going to make in net profits. Until that number was satisfied we didn't get paid and we didn't get a raise either. This method allowed the business to have the money - its lifeblood! - that it needed to keep expanding.

Look around at the successful people you know. The businesses you admire. Very few of them got where they are except by following this little principle:

Pay The Business First!

Make sure your hours match your business plan .

The world is changing. Technology is taking customers away from us. The new world demands a higher level of service and availability from anyone who wants to sell anything.

If, as an independent agent, personal service is the competitive advantage that will help you reach your goals, why aren’t you open more?

I was at the office on a Saturday morning, and I received a nice note from one of our new members about one of our great team members (thanks Natalie!). I fired off a quick “thank you” to the member and said, “Glad to see another entrepreneur working on a Saturday!”

What was interesting was his response, which I quote verbatim:

“Yep. Many can only come in on Saturday. Plus set up apt to sign two Travelers app issued via Access Plus. And doing an auto and home app for Safeco.”

Why was he working on a Saturday?

Because that was the only time prospects and customers can come to see him.

It seems obvious that anyone trying to sell anything would go where the customers are when they are there.

So, why are almost all insurance agencies only open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm? By now, even banks have figured out for a couple of decades now that they need to be open past 5 o’clock and be open on Saturday. 

Mom and Pop businesses all across America have wrung their hands while they went bankrupt when Walmart came to town. They complained they couldn’t compete on price.

I think it’s much more than that. They refused to compete on service. They weren’t there when the customer needed them.

When will insurance agencies get the message? Before for or after bankruptcy?

Build Your Business Plan for the Long Term

“you must prepare for the future if you want one.”.

Plant acorns.

Tyler Asher, President of Safeco Insurance Company, made this headline statement in a speech to an SIAA semi-annual meeting in Boston. His comment was made in the context of a list of things his company is working on to sustain their growth and prepare for a future insurance market, much different from today’s.

If you just take the statement at face value it makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? Of course, we must all prepare for a bigger future if we want one, and oak is a great symbol of strength and stability. I was immediately captivated by the idea.

But, where the analogy breaks down for me is that it takes a long time to grow oak trees, and the future is coming upon us with breathtaking speed. Do we really have time to grow oak trees?

Then I thought again about a Jeff Bezos quote I wrote about where he says he is more concerned about what stays the same in the next 10 years than about what changes. 

I’ve decided that it’s the intersection of Asher and Bezos where we, as independent agency owners, need to focus.

For example, it’s estimated that 60% of the employees in our industry will retire in the next seven years, and if you believe “Outliers” author, Malcolm Gladwell, it takes at least five years (10,000 hours) to train an expert in anything. 

I believe, channeling Bezos, that customer service and person-to-person selling will be as important to agency success in the future as it is now. So, how are we going to replace the oak trees (people) in our industry fast enough to secure our future?

I don’t have an answer. But, it’s an incredibly important question for anyone who plans to continue to make this industry their career in the decade ahead.

In our organization, we are creating a streamlined training curriculum, coupled with third party courses and old fashioned apprenticeship, to meet our needs for new blood. Frankly, it’s expensive to do this. But the only other options are to hire other’s problems (which is getting harder and more expensive to do) or go out of business.

The need to invest in new people comes while commission compression and new competition (in the form of online sellers) are beginning to stress some agency income statements. As Tyler Asher points out, you must prepare for the future if you want one. 

Viewed in this way, spending on new employees is an investment, not a cost, and the promise of the future is a profitable business built for the long term.

Tony Caldwell

Tony Caldwell is a modern “renaissance man,” who is not only immensely successful in the field of insurance, but is also a writer, children’s advocate, mentor and even a licensed pilot. Always keen on helping others make their dreams come true, Tony and his team have helped independent agents grow into more than 250 independent agencies. This has made OAA the number one ranked Strategic Master Agency of SIAA for the last 5 years, and one of Oklahoma's 25 Best Companies to Work for. Tony loves to share his knowledge, insight and wisdom through his bestselling books as well as in free mediums including podcasts and blogs. Tony and his family are members of Crossings Community Church, and he is very active in community initiatives: he’s chairman of It’s My Community Initiative, Inc., a nonprofit working with disadvantaged people in Oklahoma City; and chairman of the Oklahoma Board of Juvenile Affairs., and he has served through many other organizations including the Salvation Army, Last Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Rotary Club. In his spare time, Tony enjoys time with his family. He’s also an active outdoorsman and instrument-rated commercial pilot.

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Insurance Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Business Plan Outline

• Insurance Business Plan Home
• 1. Executive Summary
• 2. Company Overview
• 3. Industry Analysis
• 4. Customer Analysis
• 5. Competitive Analysis
• 6. Marketing Plan
• 7. Operations Plan
• 8. Management Team
• 9. Financial Plan

Insurance Agency Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your own business plan.

We have helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their insurance companies.

Essential Components of a Business Plan For an Insurance Agency

Below we describe what should be included in each section of a business plan for a successful insurance agency and links to a sample of each section:

• Executive Summary – In the Executive Summary, you will provide a high-level overview of your business plan. It should include your agency’s mission statement, as well as information on the products or services you offer, your target market, and your insurance agency’s goals and objectives.
• Company Overview – This section provides an in-depth company description, including information on your insurance agency’s history, ownership structure, and management team.
• Industry Analysis – Also called the Market Analysis, in this section, you will provide an overview of the industry in which your insurance agency will operate. You will discuss trends affecting the insurance industry, as well as your target market’s needs and buying habits.
• Customer Analysis – In this section, you will describe your target market and explain how you intend to reach them. You will also provide information on your customers’ needs and buying habits.
• Competitive Analysis – This section will provide an overview of your competition, including their strengths and weaknesses. It will also discuss your competitive advantage and how you intend to differentiate your insurance agency from the competition.
• Marketing Plan – In this section, you will detail your marketing strategy, including your advertising and promotion plans. You will also discuss your pricing strategy and how you intend to position your insurance agency in the market.
• Operations Plan – This section will provide an overview of your agency’s operations, including your office location, hours of operation, and staff. You will also discuss your business processes and procedures.
• Management Team – In this section, you will provide information on your insurance agency’s management team, including their experience and qualifications.
• Financial Plan – This section will detail your insurance agency’s financial statements, including your profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. It will also include information on your funding requirements and how you intend to use the funds.

Next Section: Executive Summary >

Insurance Agency Business Plan FAQs

What is an insurance agency business plan.

An insurance agency business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your insurance business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can  easily complete your insurance agency business plan using our Insurance Agency Business Plan Template here .

What Are the Main Types of Insurance Companies?

There are a few types of insurance agencies. Most companies provide life and health insurance for individuals and/or households. There are also agencies that specialize strictly in auto and home insurance. Other agencies focus strictly on businesses and provide a variety of liability insurance products to protect their operations. 

What Are the Main Sources of Revenue and Expenses for an Insurance Agency Business?

The primary source of revenue for insurance agencies are the fees and commissions paid by the client for the insurance products they choose.

The key expenses for an insurance agency business are the cost of purchasing the insurance, licensing, permitting, and payroll for the office staff. Other expenses are the overhead expenses for the business office, utilities, website maintenance, and any marketing or advertising fees. 

How Do You Get Funding for Your Insurance Agency Business Plan?

Insurance agency businesses are most likely to receive funding from banks. Typically you will find a local bank and present your business plan to them. Other options for funding are outside investors, angel investors, and crowdfunding sources. This is true for a business plan for insurance agent or an insurance company business plan.

What are the Steps To Start an Insurance Business?

Starting an insurance business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop An Insurance Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed insurance business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your insurance business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your insurance business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Insurance Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your insurance business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your insurance business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Insurance Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your insurance business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your insurance business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful insurance business:

• How to Start an Insurance Business

Where Can I Get an Insurance Business Plan PDF?

You can download our free insurance business plan template PDF here . This is a sample insurance business plan template you can use in PDF format.

Agency Performance Partners

Insurance Agency Business Plan: How To Get Started

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Michelle Aguilar

Introduction to the Insurance Agency Business Plan

We get to the end of the year and it’s time to sit down and create your insurance agency business plan! For some agency owners they love this time of year, for others, it may be something they delay. 

However, we know hope is not a strategy, and aligning your team resources and energy is important to make sure you are running your agency and not vice versa. However, sitting with a blank page can be overwhelming. 

In this blog, we will give you an outline of how to get started on your annual insurance agency business plan. 

For some agents, they think a business plan is only needed when you first open your agency. However, every year it’s an opportunity to refocus and refresh your plans and strategy. 

We find in many insurance agencies the team is without a plan and they want to know where the agency is going! 

For this reason, we encourage every agency to sit down and create an annual insurance agency strategic plan!

Here are the top reasons your agency should create an annual insurance agency business plan:

• Your agency grows and develops each year you need to recalibrate the team
• Plans on what investments to make
• Identifications of the biggest problems and solutions
• Clarity for your team and where to focus
• Define success! Too often we keep grinding and don’t take a moment to realize we are winning!

Let’s take a moment to identify how to get started building your plan! 

Step 1: Review Current Business Performance

To plan for the future you want to make sure you review your year and performance. If your insurance agency created a plan last year, that is a wonderful place to start! How far did you get in your plan?

Here is a list of things to think about and or review that may help you get started in reviewing your agency’s performance. 

• As an owner what do you love and hate about your agency? Be honest – this is a great starting point to identify what is not serving you.
• Identify the insurance agency’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• Yes – is that still on track?
• No – this may be something you want to identify!
• The owner/leader’s job description. This can be very fluid. Is it clear what you should be spending your time on?
• Activity Reports – What is your team up to?
• Overdue Activities – How backlogged is your team?
• Book of business – What does your book look like?
• Lost Business – Who’s leaving and why?
• New Business – How are you winning? 

Another area you want to make sure to spend some time on is getting your team’s feedback. They may have a different perspective. 

You want to gather their feedback. The great news is we have a document you can use to gather their feedback for review!

Once you gather your team’s feedback, take some time to review it – remember their perspective is their version of reality! 

Step 2: Setting Insurance Agency Goals 

Now that you have a clear picture of where you are and have been it’s now time to identify where you want to be. To set a goal it’s important to know where you want to go and who you want your agency to be! 

Your goals need to connect to your ultimate target. Too often agencies select random goals and they rarely get stuck because they are disconnected. 

To start building your goals you want to have 2 things handy:

• Your agency’s 10 year Vision (what is your target 10 years from now)
• Your agency’s values (what are the norms and rules you live by)

As you set your goals they may not all be about selling new policies. It may be getting people on EFT, running off the bottom 10% of your book, or cross-selling.  The vision has to drive the goals. 

As you’re setting goals they need to be so clear that there is no question!

We recommend looking at SMART goals:

• Specific: You need to put a number to it!
• Measurable: You need to be able to easily get the data and digest it!
• Achievable: Is it something that with some effort and energy can be achieved and do you have all the tools you need
• Relevant: Do the goals relate to your 10-year vision
• Time: What is the deadline?

At APP we recommend your agency take your goals seriously! It’s critical you know what winning looks like. 

If you have a BIG goal we do also encourage you to put some milestones on your journey so you can celebrate being on track.  

Step 3: Reviewing the Insurance Market and Growth Opportunities

At the time of writing this blog we are experiencing a hard market. Every year you create your insurance agency business plan the market will shift and change. 

There are several market factors to consider:

• Insurance carrier market conditions
• Local insurance trends and law changes (for example when marijuana is legalized in a state it presents an opportunity)
• Local agency changes (agencies selling, merging, gaining or losing carriers)

Every market condition represents opportunity if you have a strategic plan. Too many insurance agencies get stuck when a challenge arises or they are late to the party. Reviewing and researching your market allows you to position your agency to capitalize. 

Allow me to review this hard marketing we are experiencing in 2023. 

Agencies that have been following the Agency Performance Program are in positions to capitalize:

• The team has clear job descriptions
• Every member of the team has an incentive
• There is clear tracking to work from facts not feelings
• The team is already making proactive renewal reviews so the clients trust the agency
• The sales team has as sales process to reject the unqualified leads and focus on the qualified leads

In a hard market these agencies are in a position to boost marketing and referrals because they are ready and primed to act. Agencies that do not have these items in place are struggling to build trust and scrambling with remarkets. 

Having a strategic plan based on your market will position you for the maximum growth. 

Step 4: Insurance Products and Services

At APP we believe in a 360 client. This means that every client has all the policies they can with the agency. If we can focus on earning the business from our existing clientele we reduce lead costs and boost retention. 

Too many agencies focus all on new business and miss a very equitable lead source – your clients. 

In looking at your agency it’s critical you identify if you have the right product mix and expertise. Here are some considerations:

• Personal Lines
• Commercial Lines
• Life Insurance
• Health Insurance/Medicare
• Financial Planning Services
• Risk Management Services

For some agencies you may be able to coordinate this in-house. For others, you may need to find a team member or strategic partnership. 

All too often agencies identify plans but we never really see it through. In your insurance agency strategic plan we highly recommend you outline a full plan, goals, and marketing plan to see it through. 

We see that agencies often focus on their comfort zone or agencies make some of these other policies optional when in fact it needs to be a requirement that every team member understands at a high level the services and how they work as well as how to transfer opportunities. 

The key to success in cross-selling is monitoring and measuring the progress – and making it a requirement. 

Step 5: Marketing & Lead Generation

In connection with selling more to your current clients your insurance agency should also be focused on expanding your reach. Personally, at APP I see agencies spend far too little on marketing and branding in comparison to other non-insurance agency businesses. 

This is generally caused due to lack of understanding and confidence in how to market the agency. 

In your insurance agency business plan, I recommend that you evaluate your current marketing strategy and also identify what you want to invest in for the year. 

There is so much your agency can do for low cost but high time expenditure. We recommend agencies at a minimum have the following marketing strategies in place:

• High quality easy to use website
• Search Engine Optimization (blogs, keywords, and ability to find your website for your target audience)
• Social Media posts and interactions
• Email marketing automation 
• Online Reviews
• Referral program 

This is the 101 strategy of insurance agency marketing. Many agencies may be looking to take it to the next level! If you do not have these items in place this is your starting point!

We also want to make sure that your agency has a solid sales process .  Your agency may not need more leads; you may need a better sales process.  

Step 6: Technology and Automation

The future of the independent insurance agency channel is technology-supported operations. It’s not complete operations via technology that are assisting your team. The challenge we have in the insurance space is technology is still lagging behind other industries. Insurtech is making great strides but we have some way to go. 

Integrations can be clunky and too often agencies do not spend the time understanding and setting up the technology. This leads to confusion and often the team is not using the technology – it’s frustrating them. 

It’s also very easy to get sold on new technology. I can’t tell you how many times I have encountered the following in agencies:

• Unused/underused systems
• Duplication of system features
• The team not knowing how the system works
• Lack of accountability
• Unclarity in the process

In creating your insurance agency business plan we recommend you stop and take a technology audit! You may want to identify if your team has the best computers, enough monitors, and also headsets (yes please headsets!)

From there, you want to identify your best tech partners. I encourage agencies to not look for the cheapest partners. 

Instead, I want to focus on the best. Some systems may be a bigger investment but offer more features or better onboarding. Your team needs fewer logins not MORE. 

If you can streamline your systems your team will thank you. 

Step 7: Insurance Agency Team Training 

As you identify your vision and business plan inevitably there will be areas you need to train and develop your team. I find that many insurance agencies do not choose to follow their vision because they can get discouraged that their team doesn’t have the skills or training today that they need to hit the target. 

Now, for many agencies, they feel training their team is impossible. Everyone is busy, will it work, will people want training?

I again ask us to get out of insurance. In any other industry, training is normal and natural. We in insurance tend to make excuses on why training is inconvenient. 

We also make excuses on why we can’t achieve the best practices targets.  

As part of your agency’s business plan make sure you add in the following:

• What training is necessary to achieve your 10-year vision
• Do you have the ability to train in-house or do you need to look at other vendors?
• What is the timeline for training?

Step 7: Insurance Agency Reporting & Tracking

As you set forth on your business plan, tracking, and reporting will be critical. Unfortunately, insurance reporting is not easy or simple. It may take some time to identify how and what track. 

However, just because it is hard doesn’t mean it’s impossible and you do need to commit to finding a way. Without a commitment to reporting and tracking you have no roadmap to success.  

Here are the common reports we recommend:

• Activity Report: What your team is doing every day
• Overdue Activity: What is the backlog
• New Business
• Lost Business
• Book of Business

The ability to share where you are each month with your team will help you celebrate wins, identify when your off track and get clues on how to succeed. 

Conclusion on Insurance Agency Business Plans

The first year you do a business plan may be your hardest! It gets easier. You will learn what works, what doesn’t, and how much to plan. 

The idea is not perfect on day one it’s getting stronger and better. Aligning your team and resources toward your vision will help you stay focused.

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Insurance Company Business Plan

An insurance agency can become a profitable business if done right. After all, insurance companies as a business help people deal with uncertainties, and that is something all of us want.

And if you have good negotiation skills, are brilliant at planning, and have a thorough knowledge of how insurance works then you might have thought of having your insurance agency.

If yes, then what are you waiting for?

Get started because now is a time as good as any. All you need is a little industry information and an insurance company business plan to help you have a thriving business.

Industry Overview

The global insurance industry stands at a whopping value of 5.3 trillion US dollars in 2022 and is expected to grow at a rapid pace going forward too.

The major reason for the growth of the insurance sector comes from the increasing uncertainty of life, property, and everything else that concerns people.

The increase in disposable income amongst people has also contributed significantly to the growth of the sector.

But as everything good attracts competition, the insurance industry attracts a lot of competition too. And if you want to stand out amongst all of it, you’ll need to be brilliant at what you do. Proper steps to set up your business and planning can help you with that.

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Things to Consider Before Writing Your Insurance Company Business Plan

Know the industry.

The first step towards having a successful business is to research the industry and know what you are getting yourself into. It helps you understand the ins and outs of the business and what steps you should take to help your business succeed. It also helps you stay updated with the latest trends and use them to your advantage.

Get the necessary licenses and permits

As insurance companies are prone to lawsuits, fraud, and other such problems, having all the necessary documents can help you stay on the right side of the law. The licenses and permits act as an assurance for both your clients and your business that you’ll be able to deal with any legal hassle that comes your way. And as you don’t need to worry about the legalities you can focus on what really matters.

Know your audience

Knowing your target audience, their fears, motivations, and preferences can give you the required edge over your competitors. As you know your customers you’re able to serve them better. This eventually makes them return to you and build long-term and mutually beneficial relationships with your customers.

Promote your business

Promoting your business is foundational to success because for your business to work you need to let people know that your business exists. Hence, once you get to know your target audience, it is important to promote your business in a way that speaks to your target audience.

Chalking out Your Business Plan

If you are planning to start a new insurance company, the first thing you will need is a business plan. Use our sample insurance company business plan created using Upmetrics business plan software to start writing your business plan in no time.

Before you start writing your business plan for your new insurance business, spend as much time as you can reading through some examples of  insurance-related business plans .

Reading sample business plans will give you a good idea of what you’re aiming for and also it will show you the different sections that different entrepreneurs include and the language they use to write about themselves and their business plans.

We have created this sample insurance company business plan for you to get a good idea about what a perfect insurance business plan should look like and what details you will need to include in your stunning business plan.

Insurance Company Business Plan Outline

This is the standard insurance company business plan outline which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan.

• Keys to Success
• 3 Year profit forecast
• Startup cost
• Funding Required
• Company Ownership
• Company Locations and Facilities
• Service Description
• Competitive Comparison
• Sales Literature
• Fulfillment
• Future Services
• Market Analysis
• Competition and Buying Patterns
• Business Participants
• Distributing a Service
• Cal Roberts, Patrick C. Johnson, Rob Champlain
• Agents (such as Co-operators)
• Mass Markets
• Group Plans – teachers, public employees
• Promotion Strategy
• Distribution Strategy
• Positioning Statement
• Pricing Strategy
• Sales Programs
• Sales Forecast
• Sales Yearly
• Strategic Alliances
• Service and Support
• Organizational Structure
• Startup Funding
• Important Assumptions
• Brake-even Analysis
• Profit Yearly
• Gross Margin Yearly
• Projected Cash Flow
• Projected Balance Sheet
• Business Ratios

After getting started with Upmetrics , you can copy this sample business plan into your business plan and modify the required information and download your insurance company business plan pdf or doc file. It’s the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

Download a sample insurance company business plan

Need help writing your business plan from scratch? Here you go;  download our free insurance company plan pdf  to start.

It’s a modern business plan template specifically designed for your insurance company business. Use the example business plan as a guide for writing your own.

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About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Insurance Agency

Back to All Business Ideas

How to Start an Insurance Agency

Written by: Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on May 25, 2022 Updated on May 15, 2024

Investment range

$2,850 - $6,500

Revenue potential

$60,000 - $300,000 p.a.

Time to build

Profit potential

$54,000 - $90,000 p.a.

Industry trend

Insurance protects the things we own and the people we love, which means it’s a massive industry — worth more than a trillion dollars in the US alone. If you’re an insurance agent, you’re already profiting from it and giving your clients peace of mind, but if you start your own insurance agency you’d have a broader impact, more control and higher income. 

But before you start writing policies, you’ll need to understand the business launch process. Luckily, this step-by-step guide has you covered with all the information you need to launch a lucrative insurance agency. 

Looking to register your business? A limited liability company (LLC) is the best legal structure for new businesses because it is fast and simple.

Form your business immediately using ZenBusiness LLC formation service or hire one of the Best LLC Services .

Step 1: Decide if the Business Is Right for You

Pros and cons.

Starting an insurance agency has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s right for you. 

• Good Money – Get healthy commissions on insurance premiums
• Flexibility – Run your business from home
• Provide Peace of Mind – Help people protect their possessions and family
• Crowded Market – The market is saturated with insurance agencies
• Continuing Education – To meet strict education and licensing requirements

Insurance industry trends

Industry size and growth.

• Industry size and past growth – The US insurance industry was worth over $1 trillion in 2020.(( https://www.statista.com/topics/3140/insurance-industry-in-the-us/#dossierKeyfigures )) 
• Growth forecast – The US insurance industry is expected to continue to grow for the next five years. 
• Number of businesses – In 2021, 1,225,407 finance and insurance businesses were operating in the US. 
• Number of people employed – In 2021, the US finance and insurance industry employed 7,509,253 people.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/finance-and-insurance-sector/ ))

Trends and challenges

Trends in the insurance industry include:

• Tech-enabled data, including data about driving, is making insurance premiums more personalized.
• AI and automation technologies are enabling faster insurance claims processing.

Challenges in the insurance industry include:

• Insurance agencies are facing pressure to digitalize their business processes, creating the need for additional investment.
• The trend toward purchasing insurance online is decreasing revenues for independent agencies, which often lack the resources for e-commerce. 

Demand hotspots

• Most popular states – The most popular states for insurance agents are Vermont, Hawaii, and Ohio.(( https://www.zippia.com/insurance-agent-jobs/best-states/ )) 
• Least popular states – The least popular states for insurance agents are New Mexico, Idaho, and Georgia. 

What kind of people work in insurance?

• Gender –   48.4% of insurance agents are female, while 51.6% are male.(( https://www.zippia.com/insurance-agent-jobs/demographics/ ))
• Average level of education – The average insurance agent has a bachelor’s degree.
• Average age – The average insurance agent in the US is 45.9 years old.

How much does it cost to start an insurance agency business?

Startup costs for an insurance agency range from $2,800 to $6,500. Costs include a computer, a website, and a marketing budget. These numbers assume that you will start your agency from home.

You’ll need to be licensed in all types of insurance. Every state has its own education and licensing requirements, so check with your state’s licensing board.

How much can you earn from an insurance agency business?

Your income will depend on the type of insurance sold. You’ll earn a commission of about 15% of the annual premium. These calculations assume that your average customer will pay $2,000 per year on various types of insurance. Your profit margin will be high when you’re working by yourself, about 90%. 

In your first year or two, you could work from home and sell 200 policies per year, bringing in $60,000 in annual revenue. This would mean $54,000 in profit, assuming that 90% margin. As you start to get referrals, sales could climb to 1000 policies a year. At this stage, you’d rent a commercial space and hire staff, reducing your profit margin to around 30%. With annual revenue of $300,000, you’d make a healthy profit of $90,000.

What barriers to entry are there?

There are a few barriers to entry for an insurance agency. Your biggest challenges will be:

• Meeting the education and licensing requirements
• The massive competition in the insurance industry

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Step 2: hone your idea.

Now that you know what’s involved in starting an insurance agency, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market. 

Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.

Why? Identify an opportunity

Research insurance agencies in your area to examine their products, price points, and customer reviews. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing an independent insurance agency that sells errors and omissions (EO) insurance, or an agency that works with a certain insurance carrier. 

You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as life insurance or homeowner’s insurance.

This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away. 

What? Determine your services

Your best bet is to become licensed in all types of insurance so that you have more revenue potential. You can offer both personal and business insurance. 

How much should you charge for insurance?

Your prices will be dependent on the premiums that the insurance carriers quote for each client. Your commission will depend on the type of insurance, but will typically be about 15%. 

Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.

Who? Identify your target market

Your target market will be consumers and businesses. You should spread out your marketing to include TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

Where? Choose your business premises

In the early stages, you may want to run your business from home to keep costs low. But as your business grows, you’ll likely need to hire workers for various roles and may need to rent out an office. You can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist , Crexi , and Instant Offices .

When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:

• Central location accessible via public transport
• Ventilated and spacious, with good natural light
• Flexible lease that can be extended as your business grows
• Ready-to-use space with no major renovations or repairs needed

Step 3: Brainstorm an Insurance Company Name

Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:

• Short, unique, and catchy names tend to stand out
• Names that are easy to say and spell tend to do better 
• Name should be relevant to your product or service offerings
• Ask around — family, friends, colleagues, social media — for suggestions
• Including keywords, such as “insurance” or “insurance agency”, boosts SEO
• Name should allow for expansion, for ex: “Apex Insurance Solutions” over “AutoShield Insurance Agency” or “Sportsman’s Insurance Group”
• A location-based name can help establish a strong connection with your local community and help with the SEO but might hinder future expansion

Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these. 

Find a Domain

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Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.

Step 4: Create an Insurance Agency Business Plan

Here are the key components of a business plan:

• Executive Summary: Provide a brief summary of your insurance agency’s mission to offer comprehensive insurance solutions and excellent customer service.
• Business Overview: Describe your insurance agency’s focus, whether it’s personal, commercial, or a mix, and emphasize the types of insurance you specialize in, like auto, home, life, or business insurance.
• Product and Services: Detail the insurance products you offer, including coverage options, policies, and any unique features or add-ons that set your agency apart.
• Market Analysis: Analyze the insurance market in your target area, including demographics, competitors, and the demand for insurance services.
• Competitive Analysis: Assess your competition in the insurance industry, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, pricing strategies, and customer acquisition methods.
• Sales and Marketing: Explain your marketing strategies, which may involve partnerships with local businesses, digital marketing, or networking within the community.
• Management Team: Showcase the expertise and qualifications of your team, particularly in insurance sales, underwriting, claims processing, and customer relations.
• Operations Plan: Describe your agency’s daily operations, from client onboarding to policy administration and claims handling, ensuring efficiency and excellent service.
• Financial Plan: Provide financial projections, including startup costs, revenue forecasts, and profit margins, outlining your agency’s path to profitability.
• Appendix: Include additional documents such as insurance industry certifications, testimonials from satisfied clients, or case studies demonstrating successful insurance coverage.

If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.

Step 5: Register Your Business

Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.

Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business! 

Choose where to register your company

Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to insurance agencies. 

If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state. 

Choose your business structure

Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your insurance agency will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely. 

Here are the main options:

• Sole Proprietorship – The most common structure for small businesses makes no legal distinction between company and owner. All income goes to the owner, who’s also liable for any debts, losses, or liabilities incurred by the business. The owner pays taxes on business income on his or her personal tax return.
• General Partnership – Similar to a sole proprietorship, but for two or more people. Again, owners keep the profits and are liable for losses. The partners pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC) – Combines the characteristics of corporations with those of sole proprietorships or partnerships. Again, the owners are not personally liable for debts.
• C Corp – Under this structure, the business is a distinct legal entity and the owner or owners are not personally liable for its debts. Owners take profits through shareholder dividends, rather than directly. The corporation pays taxes, and owners pay taxes on their dividends, which is sometimes referred to as double taxation.
• S Corp – An S-Corporation refers to the tax classification of the business but is not a business entity. An S-Corp can be either a corporation or an LLC , which just need to elect to be an S-Corp for tax status. In an S-Corp, income is passed through directly to shareholders, who pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.

We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization , and answer any questions you might have. 

Form Your LLC

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We recommend ZenBusiness as the Best LLC Service for 2024

Step 6: Register for Taxes

The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number , or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN. 

Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.

The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist , and taxes can be filed online.

It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.

Step 7: Fund your Business

Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:

• Bank loans: This is the most common method but getting approved requires a rock-solid business plan and strong credit history.
• SBA-guaranteed loans: The Small Business Administration can act as guarantor, helping gain that elusive bank approval via an SBA-guaranteed loan .
• Government grants: A handful of financial assistance programs help fund entrepreneurs. Visit Grants.gov to learn which might work for you.
• Friends and Family: Reach out to friends and family to provide a business loan or investment in your concept. It’s a good idea to have legal advice when doing so because SEC regulations apply.
• Crowdfunding: Websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo offer an increasingly popular low-risk option, in which donors fund your vision. Entrepreneurial crowdfunding sites like Fundable and WeFunder enable multiple investors to fund your business.
• Personal: Self-fund your business via your savings or the sale of property or other assets.

Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding an insurance agency business. 

Step 8: Apply for Insurance Business Licenses and Permits

Starting an insurance agency business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.

You’ll need an insurance broker’s license and various types of insurance agent licenses. Education and licensing requirements vary by state. You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more. 

Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits. 

You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package . They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.

This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.

If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.

Step 9: Open a Business Bank Account

Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account .

Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your insurance agency business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.

Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account. 

Step 10: Get Business Insurance

Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.

Here are some types of insurance to consider:

• General liability: The most comprehensive type of insurance, acting as a catch-all for many business elements that require coverage. If you get just one kind of insurance, this is it. It even protects against bodily injury and property damage.
• Business Property: Provides coverage for your equipment and supplies.
• Equipment Breakdown Insurance: Covers the cost of replacing or repairing equipment that has broken due to mechanical issues.
• Worker’s compensation: Provides compensation to employees injured on the job.
• Property: Covers your physical space, whether it is a cart, storefront, or office.
• Commercial auto: Protection for your company-owned vehicle.
• Professional liability: Protects against claims from a client who says they suffered a loss due to an error or omission in your work.
• Business owner’s policy (BOP): This is an insurance plan that acts as an all-in-one insurance policy, a combination of the above insurance types.

Step 11: Prepare to Launch

As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business. 

Essential software and tools

Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks. 

You may want to use industry-specific software, such as  Vertafore ,  EZLynx , or  Zywave , to manage your leads, sales, policies, invoicing, and payments. 

• Popular web-based accounting programs for smaller businesses include Quickbooks , Freshbooks , and Xero . 
• If you’re unfamiliar with basic accounting, you may want to hire a professional, especially as you begin. The consequences for filing incorrect tax documents can be harsh, so accuracy is crucial.

Develop your website

Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.

You can create your own website using services like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace . This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.

They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.

Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:

• Localized Sponsorships: Partner with local events, sports teams, or community organizations to sponsor their activities, gaining exposure among your target audience and establishing a trustworthy local presence.
• Educational Workshops: Host workshops or webinars on insurance-related topics, providing valuable information to potential clients and positioning your agency as an authority in the field.
• Customer Referral Program: Encourage satisfied clients to refer friends and family by implementing a referral program with incentives, such as discounts or small rewards for both the existing and new clients.
• Strategic Partnerships: Build relationships with other local businesses, such as real estate agencies or car dealerships, for mutual referrals and cross-promotions.
• Social Media Engagement: Leverage social media platforms to engage with your audience by sharing relevant content, answering queries, and participating in community discussions, showcasing your agency’s expertise.
• Online Reviews and Testimonials: Actively encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google My Business or Yelp, enhancing your online reputation and credibility.
• Targeted Direct Mail Campaigns: Send personalized and targeted direct mail campaigns to specific demographics within your local area, emphasizing the benefits of your insurance services.
• Mobile Optimization: Ensure your online presence, including emails and website, is optimized for mobile devices, as many potential clients may access information through smartphones and tablets.
• Content Marketing: Develop high-quality, informative content through blog posts, articles, or videos that address common questions and concerns related to insurance, showcasing your agency’s expertise.
• Customer Loyalty Programs: Implement loyalty programs that reward clients for long-term relationships with your agency, fostering customer retention and positive word-of-mouth.

Focus on USPs

Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your insurance agency meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire. 

Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your insurance agency business could be: 

• Protect your family long-term with life insurance and annuities
• A family-run agency for all your insurance needs 
• We’ll shop for the best insurance rates for you

You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running an insurance agency business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in insurance agencies for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections. 

The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in insurance. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership. 

Step 12: Build Your Team

If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for an insurance agency business include:

• Licensed Insurance Agents – sell insurance policies
• Customer Service Representatives – answer calls, make appointments
• Receptionist – greet customers
• General Manager – scheduling, accounting
• Marketing Lead – SEO strategies, social media

At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need. 

Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed , Glassdoor , or ZipRecruiter . Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent. 

Step 13: Run an Insurance Business – Start Making Money!

In a trillion-dollar industry, a startup insurance agency has enormous potential. Almost everyone has some type of insurance, and most people and businesses have more than one type. If you’re a licensed insurance agent or want to become one, starting a thriving insurance agency is not too difficult if you have a passion for serving customers and addressing their needs. 

You’ve done your business homework now, so it’s time to get to work ensuring your future success!

• Insurance Agency Business FAQs

An insurance agency can be very profitable. You’ll just need to invest in some marketing and serve your customers well by finding them the best products and premiums and you can be successful.

You’ll need to be licensed in the type of insurance you want to sell. Every state has its own education and licensing requirements, so check with your state’s licensing board.

To differentiate your insurance agency from competitors in the market, you can specialize in a niche, provide personalized service, highlight unique offerings, leverage technology, and build strong relationships with clients.

To build a client base for your insurance agency, define your target market, develop a strong online presence, network and build relationships, offer incentives for new clients, and leverage existing contacts to spread the word about your agency.

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• Decide if the Business Is Right for You
• Hone Your Idea
• Brainstorm an Insurance Company Name
• Create an Insurance Agency Business Plan
• Register Your Business
• Register for Taxes
• Fund your Business
• Apply for Insurance Business Licenses and Permits
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get Business Insurance
• Prepare to Launch
• Build Your Team
• Run an Insurance Business - Start Making Money!

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Our sample business plans are examples of what one business owner did. That doesn't make them perfect or require you to cram your business idea to fit the plan structure.

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 How to Create a Business Plan for a Health Insurance Agency

Starting an insurance agency is a rewarding venture that demands meticulous planning and strategic foresight. One of the essential tools in this journey is a well-crafted business plan. A business plan not only guides your agency through its initial stages but also serves as a roadmap for growth and sustainability. In this blog post, we will explore why a business plan is crucial for an insurance agency and outline the key components that should be included in it.

Why is an Agency Business Plan Important?

Provides direction and focus.

A business plan is like a compass for your insurance agency. It defines your goals, outlines your strategies, and establishes the milestones you need to achieve. This direction helps you stay focused on what’s important, ensuring that every action you take aligns with your overall objectives.

Attracts Investors and Partners

If you’re looking to secure funding or attract business partners, a comprehensive business plan is indispensable. Investors want to see a clear and detailed plan that demonstrates the potential for profitability and growth. A well-prepared business plan shows that you’ve done your homework and are serious about your venture.

Identifies Potential Challenges

Every business faces challenges, and an insurance agency is no exception. A business plan helps you anticipate potential obstacles and devise strategies to overcome them. By thinking ahead, you can mitigate risks and navigate through tough times more effectively.

Sets Benchmarks and Metrics

A business plan establishes benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure your agency’s progress. These metrics allow you to track your performance, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions to drive growth.

Ensures Operational Efficiency

Detailed planning helps streamline your operations. By defining processes, roles, and responsibilities, a business plan ensures that your team operates efficiently and effectively, minimizing wasted time and resources.

What Should Be Included in the Business Plan for an Insurance Agency?

Creating a robust business plan involves several key components. Here’s a comprehensive guide to what should be included:

Executive Summary

The executive summary provides a snapshot of your agency. It should include your mission statement, business objectives, and an overview of your strategies. This section should be concise yet compelling to capture the interest of readers, especially potential investors.

Company Description

This section offers a detailed description of your insurance agency. Include information about your agency’s history, the types of insurance products you offer, the market you serve, and your unique selling propositions (USPs).

Market Analysis

Conduct a thorough market analysis to understand the landscape you’re operating in. Identify your target market, analyze your competitors, and outline market trends. This analysis should demonstrate your understanding of the market and justify the demand for your services.

Organization and Management Structure

Detail your agency’s organizational structure. Include information about the ownership, management team, and board of directors if applicable. Describe the roles and responsibilities of each team member and highlight their qualifications and experience.

Products and Services

Provide a detailed description of the insurance products and services your agency offers. Explain the benefits of each product, your pricing strategy, and any unique features that set your offerings apart from the competition.

Marketing and Sales Strategy

Outline your strategies for attracting and retaining clients. This should include your marketing plan, advertising strategies, sales tactics, and customer service approach. Define your brand positioning and explain how you plan to communicate your value proposition to your target market.

Operational Plan

The operational plan details the day-to-day operations of your agency. Include information about your business location, facilities, technology, and equipment. Describe your workflow processes, customer service protocols, and any other operational details critical to running your agency smoothly.

Financial Plan

A comprehensive financial plan is crucial. Include projections for revenue, expenses, and profitability. Provide a break-even analysis, cash flow statement, income statement, and balance sheet. This section should demonstrate the financial viability of your agency and provide a roadmap for achieving financial stability and growth.

Risk Management Plan

Identify potential risks to your business and outline strategies for mitigating them. This could include market risks, financial risks, operational risks, and compliance risks. A proactive approach to risk management is essential for long-term success.

Include any additional information that supports your business plan. This could be resumes of key team members, legal documents, detailed market research data, or technical specifications of your products.

A well-developed business plan is the cornerstone of a successful insurance agency. It provides direction, attracts investors, identifies challenges, sets benchmarks, and ensures operational efficiency. By including the essential components outlined above, you can create a comprehensive business plan that not only lays the foundation for your agency’s success but also positions it for sustainable growth in the competitive insurance market. Start planning today and pave the way for your insurance agency’s prosperous future.

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11 Insurance Agency Growth Strategies From 4 Successful Agents

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” You’ve probably heard this saying before—and if you’re an insurance agent intent on growing your agency, take it to heart. For most agents, growing your book of business frequently means venturing into uncharted territory to try new things in all areas, including staffing, marketing, sales, and more. We asked top agents and successful professionals in the industry―John Heep, Perry Olson, Chris Robertson, and Todd McClain―for their best tips on how to build an insurance agency successfully.

Each has a proven track record of success (with multiple sales awards and successful offices) and all are experts on the topic of insurance agency growth strategies. Take a look at the strategies they recommend below, and get started implementing them in your own agency today.

1. Set goals.

Goal-setting is the first step toward helping you realize your personal goals as well as your agency growth targets, because if you don't know where you want to go, it's going to be tough to get anywhere. Take a few minutes each day to set and write your daily goals and to check in on your longer term goals. Then, you can evaluate your progress at the 90-day mark, the six-month mark, and beyond. (And if you’re looking for what to avoid when setting goals, check this out: Insurance Producers & Agents: Doing These 9 Things Will Tank Your Sales Goals. )

2. Invest in your staff.

To grow your business, you must invest in your greatest asset: your employees. They are the lifeblood of your agency, so the importance of investing in them initially—and with continued training—cannot be overemphasized.

At the end of the day, you want your employees to represent your agency, and to be its biggest fans. (Tweet this!) When you compensate your staff well, pay them bonuses, and help them realize how their work impacts the success of the agency as a whole, they'll play an integral role in client retention and referrals.

While monetary investments will motivate employees, investing in staff is so much more than just giving away cash. Consider buying ebooks for staff upon request, paying for seminars and training, and always bring as many people as you can afford to industry/carrier-sponsored training events.

Agent Perry Olsen says: Every successful "mega-agent" has a support team that keeps the business flowing smoothly every day. Within your team are hand-picked recruits that have a particular role. Olsen suggests that your team might be structured as such:

• Operations Manager: The person in this position ensures that all activities within the agency happen on a consistent level while minimizing issues that might arise. The OM may perform several jobs including resolving customer inquiries, tracking down forms and payments, tracking the sales team’s progress, and ensuring that all follow-up action is prompt. The OM may also be in charge of multiple agency locations.
• Claims Manager: A claims manager handles the details of every claim that comes into the agency. He or she submits claim transfers, follows up with customers, takes photos on-site, handles car rentals and towing, and sets clients up with third-party restoration or mitigation companies. The claims manager supervises the entire claims process from beginning to end.
• Office Manager : Whereas the operations employee is more of an umbrella role, the office manager is in the trenches. This person will handle inbound calls, process forms, greet those who come into the agency, and handle various clerical responsibilities. He or she may also handle customer complaints or correspondence that goes directly to the office owner.
• Accounting: An in-office accountant handles commissions, payroll, time clocks, and all financial matters within the office.
• Sales Team: The sales team is the lifeblood of the organization. Each team member is responsible for gaining new business through referrals and leads.

3. Create a winning environment.

With a trained team in place and an established compensation plan, it’s time to create an environment that breeds success. How will you keep your agents motivated? What will you do to maintain a positive vibe and ongoing energy day in and day out?

• Foster honesty. Empower your team so that each agent can feel free to ask you questions and interact with you in a way that is honest and genuine. Keep your commitments and train your agents to do the same. Help your entire team as needed and as often as possible to earn everyone’s trust.
• Build relationships. Insurance agency growth strategies only go so far without a genuine interest in your clients and prospects. Two key components to building strong working relationships are communication and collaboration. The office dynamic is healthier when everyone learns to do both effectively. Give honest and direct feedback on a regular basis. Employees are more likely to succeed when they know where they are on the measuring stick. Position yourself to be available to your staff when they need you.
• Maximize talents. Every person working in your agency has a role. Create experts who can fulfill the duties of each position better than anyone else. Establish clear job descriptions that encourage people to collaborate but prohibit them from stepping on each other’s toes. That way, everyone can sharpen their talents within the job description.
• Establish goals. People can achieve great things when a reward or recognition is in sight. Goals should create excitement instead of intimidation, so set goals that are attainable and keep each agent on the move.
• Set priorities. Everyone in the office needs to have a clear mandate of daily prioritization. Everyone needs to know their role and responsibility and play their part to get the work done.
• Maintain reliability. Both your clients and your employees depend on you every day to deliver bottom-line results. Your policyholders depend on your agency to follow through with every transaction without fail.

4. Establish a marketing game plan.

When it comes to insurance agency marketing, you will likely need to engage in some trial and error before you have an overflowing sales funnel. However, one thing is for sure: Passive marketing doesn't work. What is passive marketing , you ask? Let's call it the "if you build it, they will come" strategy. Or, "our products sell themselves" methodology. Unfortunately, you cannot just sit behind your desk and expect insurance business to land in your lap; it's going to take some effort on your part. Some business owners get skittish at the prospect of paying for marketing and leads, but here's a little secret: As long as it's profitable, paid marketing is worth it.

Don't be afraid to try new things. Here are some of the tactics that have helped others succeed:

Figure Out The Right Recipe For Your Audience

Before you can start making waves with your marketing, you need to establish your target audience. Who is your ideal client? What products are they looking for? What do you know about them that you can use to entice them into your office? Laying the groundwork first will improve the likelihood of binding more policies, as well as prevent your agency producers from wasting time on leads that won’t turn into clients.

Own Your Market

To succeed in your community or your natural market, you need to know who you are targeting. What does your typical policyholder look like? Where are they and how do they communicate?

When you have the answers to those questions, you'll need to get your name and face out in the community where your perfect client will see them. Try sponsoring community events like sporting events or festivals; consider print marketing in a local newspaper or other publication. Building a social media presence for your agency online may also help you reach your target customer.

Consider sending out personalized mailers to attract clients, in addition to using custom texting and email automation platforms. John Heep’s team keeps "preferred lists" to call those clients who have policies about to expire, which is a good way to keep loyal customers and slow down churn.

Drive Fresh Leads

Selling insurance takes work; you need to drive new leads consistently. Don't be afraid of buying online insurance leads, either. There are a lot of options out there; you may need to try more than one internet lead company before you find one that consistently provides reliable results.

Heep says, “Build your leads strategy through targeted marketing as you grow. Much how you need to narrow down your lead types as you grow and penetrate your ideal market, the same goes for your messaging strategy.” Take this stage of your scaling as a prime opportunity to practice your upselling skills. You won’t know how to do it unless you do it.

Follow Up With Prospects

It's going to be hard to be successful if you don't have a scalable, repeatable process for following up with your prospects. That process may include some or all of the following:

• Prospect CRM databases to track "touches."
• Be persistent with following up until a prospect says "no!"
• Survey prospects who don’t buy from you to learn why they chose not to.
• Create an automated email campaign. Put your name, face, and thought leadership in front of prospects on a frequent basis.
• Follow up by any means necessary, including mail, email, chat, etc.

5. Utilize a proven contact strategy.

While all agents would love to close deals on their initial calls with prospects, the most successful agents know that rarely happens—so they have a strategy in place to contact prospects over a set period of time.

At EverQuote, we provide our agents with a proven contact strategy they can put in place to make sure they’re reaching out to leads in a way that has shown to be successful for agents who actually follow through in using it.

You can access a whitepaper that details the process and download it for free here:

Want to boost your lead revenue by up to 128%? Binding Inbound Leads: Using Contact Strategy To Bind More Business

But keep in mind, learning the process without implementing it is like reading a book on how to ride a bike. You won’t be successful at it until you get out there and actually do it!

6. Understand that making money costs money.

It's cliche, but it's true. In your marketing, you're bound to make some missteps along the way; however, over time, you'll get a feel for what's working well. To ensure the money you’re spending is actually providing a return on investment, track your marketing dollars spent by using "vanity" phone numbers, where each ad or campaign uses a particular, different phone number. Baking in measurement tools to your process can be a major way to zero in on marketing copy and approaches that are working—and those that are not.

7. Hold people accountable to the goals you set.

An insurance agency that doesn't have goals, or doesn't track its production numbers, is not likely to be very successful. When you hold your staff—and yourself—accountable on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis, they will be able to see how their actions can result in greater sales.

Know your agency's numbers and insurance KPIS , including:

• Average premium per policy and item
• ROI and acquisition cost (CPS/CPA)
• Weekly sales staff productivity reports
• VOIP call volume reports.

Insights that can be accessed during reporting periods and by individual contributors can make or break your agency's strategic moves. Consider defining activity reports per producer, adding weight to calls, emails, texts, etc. Also, consider activating your insights mid-week to improve your sales funnel operation and make it more agile. If you’re not sure where to start with training your producers, our article, 6 Best Practices For Training Your Agency's Producers , is a must-read resource.

Another tip that can be beneficial is to post sales goals on a whiteboard in the office. Have daily huddles and weekly meetings to review progress. If your agency isn't making their targets, why not? What are the obstacles? If a particular agent is doing well, what are they doing? What's working well? Staying on top of your numbers is the best way to see those numbers move in the direction you want them to go.

8. Invest in Yourself. 

High-performing entrepreneurs across industries, and across the world, have one thing in common: They invest in themselves. One of the big mistakes that even successful business people can make is resting on their laurels. Sure, you've been a top agent in your area for 10+ years and all the numbers seem to look great, but what are you doing to stay ahead of the curve? Consumers change at the speed of thought, so products, services, and salespeople must change with them.

Don't stop learning; make continuing education a priority. Look out for carrier events, industry seminars & webinars. Consider what areas you would like to focus on improving, find companies that do it well, and then start by reading their blogs. When you invest in yourself, you're investing in the future of your agency and in everyone who works for you. Just as investing in your staff can make all of the difference in their performance, investing in your development can raise your entire agency to new heights.

9. Go above and beyond for all your clients.

Sometimes, it can be tempting to look at client’s premium and think that they may not deserve the same kind of exceptional service you’d offer your best customers. Don’t fall into this trap! As Chris notes, providing exceptional customer service for everyone you serve will only put you ahead in the long run, as your clients tell others about the way they were treated, and the help they were offered. Not only is this the right thing to do, word-of-mouth referrals you may gain are worth their weight in gold, and you can only earn these referrals if you treat everyone with the same level of dignity and respect.

10. Focus on underlying processes and try to improve them incrementally each week.

Even being 1% more efficient or focusing on a more competitive consumer or ZIP code gradually makes a big difference in ROI. If you’re tracking your growth using these metrics , it will be easier to see exactly where you can improve and what benchmarks you need to hit to incrementally improve.

11. Overtrain and consistently coach your staff.

In addition to finding and hiring the best people, consistently showing up to help them improve their skills will ultimately help your agency grow. Todd McClain suggests that listening to phone calls is the biggest eye-opener for an agent or manager to see how their staff is performing. Using what you hear on calls is the best way to properly coach your team. ( See also: 6 Best Practices For Training Your Agency's Producers )

In Conclusion

Building an insurance agency requires a lot of time, effort, and investment—thankfully, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to growth strategies and sales. To learn more tips for growing your agency, make sure to check out our free ebook, 5 Smart Ways To Set Up Your Auto Insurance Agency For Success.

Topics: Featured , Insurance Marketing , Insurance Agency Growth

About the Author Dennis Miller, Marketing Manager

Dennis is currently the Marketing Manager for EverQuote's Agency business. He has been with the company since early 2017, but has worked in the tech space for nearly a decade. Dennis holds a BA from Vassar College and produces music in his free time.

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Why Do So Many Business Owners Sell Themselves Short?

Can you answer a simple question? What do you want your life to look like? It’s a question that most insurance agency business owners don’t ask themselves, either because they don’t want to answer the question, or perhaps already know the answer and don’t want to reveal it publicly. Or worse – they don’t know the answer.  

When it comes to the future of managing and selling their insurance agency business, many owners keep their plans close to the vest. Even afraid to say it out loud for fear that they won’t be able to change their mind. If an owner decides to reveal their plans for retirement or perpetuation of the company, there may be an impact on how partners, employees or clients will react. A change in direction for a firm can create some jitters for those closely tied to that business, whether it be employees starting to abandon ship or clients starting to lose confidence. And once an insurance agency starts to make decisions based on the trajectory of those plans, the owner will have difficulty changing course.  

Without the forethought involved in answering the question, “What do you want your life to look like?”, owners often simply react to an opportunity – rather than seeking a solution that helps them reach their goals. They may receive a phone call from a potential buyer that prompts a decision without consideration of the full spectrum of options. This may yield a good outcome, but isn’t likely to result in the best outcome. When a business owner is ready to sell, they should look for the best deal rather than just a good deal, and that requires understanding both their options and their ultimate goals. 

How Can Insurance Agency Owners Achieve their Personal and Professional Goals?

As opposed to reacting to a proposition, no matter how good an opportunity may seem, there is significant value in taking a step back to see what other options or solutions are available. Options that might be more aligned with what they really want out of life, and what might be better for their company.  

For some, selling your insurance agency might be the answer. For others, taking on capital could offer a solution. And then for others, digging in and growing for another few years and perpetuating internally could be a viable path. If selling your insurance agency is the answer, it is important to consider sell side M&A advisory services .

The good news is, in this industry, there are a lot of options available to businesses and business owners looking to sell their insurance agency. The insurance brokerage landscape has changed rapidly over the past ten years, even the last five years. There are more buyers than ever, with a huge influx of private equity (PE) investors, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds or family office entities. Even in this heightened interest rate environment, there are plenty of options to secure debt capital.

So, no matter where you are in your journey – ask yourself the question: What do you want your life to look like? Obviously, it would be better if you asked it sooner, rather than later, and you may need to ask that question a few times during the journey – but it’s important to ask. Once you’ve asked, take that step back and understand all the viable options you have to help you reach your goals. 

Insurance Brokerage M&A Market Update

As of May 31, 2023, there have been 190 announced insurance brokerage merger & acquisition (M&A) transactions in the U.S. through May. Activity has increased by 16.6% compared to 2022, with 163 transactions being announced through this time last year. 

Private capital-backed buyers accounted for 138 of the 190 transactions (72.6%) through May, which is consistent with the proportion of announced transactions over the last five years. Total deals by these buyers increased at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 26.9% since 2018. The percentage of announced transactions by independent agencies have continued to decline since 2021. On average, 15.9% of total deals were done by independent agencies from 2018 to 2021, compared to 12.8% in 2022 and 10.5% in 2023. High valuations, coupled with limited availability of capital, are likely contributing to this decline in share of deal activity. 

Deal activity from the marketplace’s most active acquirers has remained strong in 2023. Ten buyers account for 53.7% of all announced transactions, while the top three (BroadStreet Partners, Hub International and Risk Strategies Company) account for 23.2% of the 190 total transactions. 

Notable Insurance Brokerage M&A Transactions in 2023:

• April 26: Risk Strategies announced that it acquired Johnson Insurance Services (JIS). JIS, a top 10 independent agent in Wisconsin, is a full-service agency offering personal and commercial coverages, as well as employee benefits insurance products and services to individuals and businesses.
• May 30: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Nashville, TN-based Bernard Benefits and Bernard Healthcare Financial Planning . Bernard Benefits is a health and employee benefits brokerage firm that focuses on small group business, while Bernard Healthcare Financial Planning advises individuals and families on health insurance coverage.
• June 5: Hub International Limited announced that it acquired the employee benefits assets of HORAN Associates , Inc. and HORAN Smart Business, LLC (collectively HORAN Health). Cincinnati, Ohio-based, HORAN provides employee benefits solutions to more than 650 small and mid-size companies and works with both corporate and individual clients in 48 states.

Investment banking services offered through MarshBerry Capital, LLC, Member FINRA Member SIPC and an affiliate of Marsh, Berry & Company, LLC. 28601 Chagrin Boulevard, Suite 400, Woodmere, Ohio 44122 (440.354.3230)

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MarshBerry continues to be the #1 sell side advisor in the industry (as ranked by S&P Global). If you’re considering selling your firm, we are the best choice to help you through the complicated process. If you don’t hire MarshBerry, hire a reputable advisor that can help you navigate one of the most important business decisions you will ever make. You will be much better off having an advisor in your corner that knows the industry than trying to do this on your own.

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How to Choose a Health Insurance Plan for Your Small Business

A s a small business owner, you're no doubt aware that it's important to not only attract solid talent, but do what you can to retain talented employees. And a good way to do that is to make sure you're offering a nice benefits package. That package might include a retirement savings plan you help contribute to, paid vacation time, and health insurance.

Now, you should know that if you run a business with fewer than 50 full-time employees, you're technically not required to provide health insurance. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't.

Healthcare can be an astronomical expense in the absence of insurance. And even if you're willing to raise salaries in lieu of providing insurance, you may find that prospective employees are turned off by the prospect of having to go out and purchase health coverage themselves.

Of course, choosing a health plan for your business isn't exactly an easy thing to do. Here are some tips for navigating the process.

1. Decide how much you're willing and able to spend

Within the realm of small business health insurance, there's a range of plans. As you might imagine, costlier plans tend to offer superior coverage, while those that are less expensive don't offer as much to participants.

It's important to be realistic about how much you can afford to spend on health insurance. As a smaller operation, you can't benefit from the bulk rates a company with 12,000 employees might snag. So you'll need to take a look at your banking records and see what's realistic, keeping in mind that you'll likely be picking up a large share of those premium costs.

2. Figure out if you want a high-deductible insurance plan

High-deductible health insurance plans can be burdensome for participants -- especially those with family members who tend to get sick often. But the costs for these plans can be more reasonable, as plans with higher deductibles tend to come with lower premiums. That's something to keep in mind if you'll be covering those premiums at 100%.

Also, if you offer a high-deductible plan, it may allow you to offer a health savings account in conjunction with that plan. That could make it easier for your employees to cover their medical costs while reaping tax savings.

3. Consider partnering up with an insurance broker

As a small business owner, you may not be all that well-versed on health insurance options. But it's the job of an insurance broker to walk you through your options and do research on your behalf, so you can focus on running your business. Not only might an insurance broker help you find the right plan, but they can generally help you get set up so you don't find yourself lost in a sea of paperwork.

Whether a health insurance plan is something you're looking to offer because it's a requirement or because it's a benefit you want to provide, it's important to find the best plan for your company. Take your time in making that decision so you and your employees wind up happy with it.

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