What are some pros and cons of running an independent insurance agency?

The number one pro of having your own independent insurance agency is that there is no major insurance carrier hanging over your head, no district managers coming in and checking on your progress. As an independent agency, you are able to work with several other carriers, and you do have to work to meet requirements with them, but it allows you a lot more freedom than it would in a captive agency. Another really great thing is that you are free to brand and market your agency however you want. I am able to make YouTube videos, post Facebook ads, make TikToks, and so much more without any restrictions because it is my own independent agency.

The number one con that I noticed is that there is little to no support, compared to in a captive agency. You don’t have your backend franchise company to support you when stuff hits the fan. You are by yourself. There is no one to help you structure the phone systems, or the office, or the marketing, etc. Another con is that there is very little product training. There is no one to show you how to sell products or develop processes. As an independent agency owner, no one is handing you anything. No one is giving you a marketing budget or devoting resources to you. You are purely starting from scratch, especially with your own book of business.