The Scratch Agency Podcast

In Episode 179 of the Scratch Agency Podcast, Stephen Turnbull and Shawn Fitzgerald tackle one of the biggest early challenges for independent insurance agency owners: obtaining carrier appointments. When you're starting from scratch, it can be tempting to believe that having more carriers automatically makes your agency stronger. Stephen shares how he initially said yes to almost every carrier opportunity available to him—only to realise that having too many appointments meant having too many relationships and production requirements to manage. The conversation explores a different approach: go deeper instead of wider. Rather than chasing dozens of carrier appointments, Stephen and Shawn discuss the value of building strong relationships with a smaller group of carrier partners that align with your market, business plan, and long-term vision. Shawn shares his own experience starting with only a handful of appointments and adjusting his original business plan around the carriers he could actually access. They also discuss how geography, prior insurance experience, existing relationships, and market conditions can significantly affect which appointments are available to a new agency. For agency owners struggling to get direct appointments, Shawn recommends getting involved with local insurance associations, attending meetings, meeting carrier representatives, and building relationships with established agency owners who may eventually help make introductions. They also discuss aggregators, wholesalers, carrier-specific business plans, and why you should carefully understand any contract before committing to an aggregator relationship. 🔍 If you're starting an independent insurance agency and wondering how to get carrier appointments—or whether you actually need more carriers—this episode breaks down how Stephen and Shawn approached carrier access and what they've learned about building stronger carrier partnerships. 🕒 Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome & HawkSoft 01:29 – The Carrier Appointment Conversation 01:59 – Do You Really Need More Carriers? 02:29 – Stephen's Early Carrier Appointment Experience 02:57 – Going Deeper Instead of Wider 03:54 – Building Strong Carrier Relationships 04:46 – Geography & Carrier Availability 06:07 – Shawn's Carrier Appointment Journey 06:42 – Starting With Only a Few Carriers 07:32 – Growing Carrier Relationships One by One 09:06 – Aggregators, Wholesalers & New Agency Owners 10:35 – Using Local Insurance Associations 10:46 – Relationships Can Unlock Appointments 11:45 – Choosing the Right Aggregator 12:44 – Make Carriers Understand Why You Want Them 13:08 – Treat Carrier Reps Like Prospects 13:31 – Community & Closing Thoughts 💼 Sponsored by HawkSoft https://www.hawksoft.com A family-owned and operated agency management system serving independent agencies with teams from one to 300+ employees. In this episode, Stephen highlights HawkSoft's customer success team and the value of having real people available to help agencies get where they need to be. 🔗 Links & Resources: 📘 Join the Scratch Agency Podcast Community on Facebook to connect with other Scratch agency owners, ask questions, access community conversations, and contribute ideas for future episodes. 📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescratchagencypodcast 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hutxCZ5NUPqF5hRdC79Hl 🌐 Visit Our Website: https://scratchagencypodcast.com Thank you for tuning into another episode of the Scratch Agency Podcast. 👍 Like the show. 📤 Share it with another scratch insurance agency owner. 🔔 Subscribe to the YouTube channel so you don't miss the weekly episodes, updates, and shorts. Most importantly, remember to dig down deep, believe in yourself, and own your own future.

In Episode 178 of the Scratch Agency Podcast, Stephen Turnbull and Shawn Fitzgerald sit down for another shop-talk conversation about something every scratch insurance agency owner eventually has to face: taking the next risk. Starting an independent agency is already a massive leap. You may take out a loan, drain your savings, leave a stable job, or start completely from zero. But something interesting can happen once the agency begins generating consistent revenue—you finally have something to lose, and taking the next risk can suddenly feel much harder. Stephen and Shawn discuss why agency owners can become more risk-averse as their businesses become stable and why continued growth often requires getting uncomfortable again. That next risk might mean hiring a producer, increasing lead spend, adding service staff, acquiring a book of business, bringing on another carrier, or investing more heavily into something that's already working. Stephen also shares a simple framework that has shaped how he makes major business decisions: write down the worst-case scenario, best-case scenario, and what will probably happen. If you can live with all three outcomes, the opportunity may be worth pursuing. The bigger lesson isn't that every agency owner needs to take the same risks. Your goals, stage of business, and definition of growth will be different. What matters is knowing your vision, understanding your risk, and making decisions that move you toward your own North Star. 🔍 If you've built some stability in your scratch agency but feel yourself hesitating on the next big decision, this episode will challenge you to evaluate what's actually holding you back—and whether the next stage of growth requires taking another calculated risk. 🕒 Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome to the Scratch Agency Podcast 00:39 – The Emotional Roller Coaster of Entrepreneurship 04:04 – The Risk of Starting From Scratch 05:03 – Why Growth Requires Another Risk 05:43 – When Everything Is Working, Why Change It? 07:32 – You Finally Have Something to Lose 08:55 – Worst Case, Best Case & Most Likely Case 10:34 – Should You Hire Another Producer? 11:29 – Risk Goes Beyond Hiring 12:19 – Bigger Goals Require Bigger Moves 12:45 – Know Your Vision & Your North Star 14:03 – Could You Take More Risk? 14:18 – Community, YouTube & Closing Thoughts 💼 Sponsored by HawkSoft https://www.hawksoft.com A family-owned and operated agency management system serving independent agencies with teams from one to 300+ employees. In this episode, Stephen also shares his experience attending a HawkSoft regional meetup and highlights the company's approach to listening to agency feedback and helping users get more from the platform. 🔗 Links & Resources: 📘 Join the Scratch Agency Podcast Community on Facebook to connect with other Scratch agency owners, share questions, and suggest topics for future episodes. 📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescratchagencypodcast 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hutxCZ5NUPqF5hRdC79Hl 🌐 Visit Our Website: https://scratchagencypodcast.com Thank you for tuning into another episode of the Scratch Agency Podcast. 👍 Like the show. 📤 Share it with another scratch insurance agency owner. 🔔 Subscribe to the YouTube channel so you don't miss the weekly episodes, updates, and shorts. Most importantly, remember to dig down deep, believe in yourself, and own your own future.

In Episode 177 of the Scratch Agency Podcast, Stephen Turnbull and Shawn Fitzgerald kick off a new style of community-driven episodes by answering questions coming directly from Scratch insurance agency owners. This week’s question: **What can a commercial-lines virtual assistant actually handle inside an insurance agency?** Shawn shares his experience hiring a VA as his first employee and gradually developing more specialised roles as his agency grew. Stephen also shares what he’s currently learning as he delegates more commercial-lines responsibilities to his own team. They break down practical tasks that can be delegated, including certificates of insurance, finance agreements, document management, renewal comparisons, exposure reviews, retention reporting, CRM and AMS maintenance, and client communication. The conversation also explores an important lesson for scratch agency owners: **you don’t need the perfect SOP before you start delegating.** Give your team one part of the process, review their work, correct mistakes in real time, and gradually expand their responsibilities as they become more confident. Stephen and Shawn also discuss simplifying commercial renewal workflows, creating different processes for VIP accounts, and why even smaller commercial clients still deserve meaningful renewal communication. 🔍 **If you’re growing a scratch insurance agency and wondering what you can finally take off your plate, this episode gives you practical ideas for using a VA to support commercial lines without giving up control of the parts that still require your expertise.** 🕒 **Timestamps:** 00:00 – Introduction & Community-Driven Episodes 01:09 – Answering Questions From the Scratch Agency Community 02:48 – What Can a Commercial VA Handle? 03:20 – Delegating Certificates of Insurance 04:54 – Start Delegating Before the Process Is Perfect 06:21 – Training Your VA on Different COI Scenarios 07:32 – Commercial Renewal Comparisons & Audits 09:24 – How Detailed Should a Commercial Renewal Audit Be? 10:08 – Creating a VIP Commercial Renewal Process 11:30 – Don't Overcomplicate Commercial Renewals 12:48 – Simplifying Your AgencyZoom Pipelines 13:53 – Why Smaller Commercial Accounts Still Matter 16:16 – Commercial Tasks You Can Delegate to a VA 16:48 – COI Follow-Ups & Client Communication 17:06 – Retention Reporting, AMS Data & Exposure Reviews 17:41 – Closing Thoughts & Join the Community 💼 **Sponsored by HawkSoft** https://www.hawksoft.com A family-owned and operated agency management system serving independent agencies with teams from one to 300+ employees. HawkSoft combines a user-friendly platform with support and service built around the needs of independent insurance agencies. 🔗 **Links & Resources:** 📘 Join the Scratch Agency Podcast Community on Facebook to ask questions, connect with other scratch agency owners, and contribute to conversations that may become future episodes. 📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescratchagencypodcast 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hutxCZ5NUPqF5hRdC79Hl 🌐 Visit Our Website: https://scratchagencypodcast.com Thank you for tuning into another episode of the Scratch Agency Podcast. 👍 Like the show. 📤 Share it with another scratch insurance agency owner. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Most importantly, remember to **dig down deep, believe in yourself, and own your own future.**

In Episode 176 of the Scratch Agency Podcast, Stephen Turnbull and Shawn Fitzgerald sit down for another shop-talk episode to share what’s actually happening inside their agencies—what’s working, what isn’t, and what they’re learning along the way. Stephen shares a recent challenge inside T5 Insurance Services. The agency didn’t have a lead problem—it had a **turnaround-time problem**. Instead of immediately deciding how to fix it himself, Stephen identified the problem, brought it to his team, and asked them to develop the solution. The result? His team identified workflow improvements Stephen hadn’t considered, reassigned responsibilities inside Agency Zoom, and even called out Stephen’s own lack of dedicated proposal time. That conversation led to a simple 3:00–3:30 PM proposal block that has already helped improve their process. Shawn shares a similar experience from his agency involving personal lines renewals and an incomplete SOP. Rather than stepping in with the answer, he empowered his team members to review the process, identify what was missing, and solve the issue together. 🔍 **If you’re building a scratch insurance agency and starting to grow your team, this episode is a reminder that leadership isn’t about having every answer. Sometimes the best thing you can do is identify the problem, give your team ownership, and let them help build the solution.** 🕒 **Timestamps:** 00:00 – Introduction & Another Shop-Talk Episode 01:23 – Realizing the Agency Didn't Have a Lead Problem 02:20 – The Turnaround-Time Bottleneck 03:00 – Asking the Team to Build the Solution 03:55 – When Your Team Calls You Out 04:56 – Time Blocking Proposal Work 05:56 – Empowering Your Team to Make Decisions 07:43 – Re-Auditing Roles, Responsibilities & Agency Zoom 08:20 – Shawn's Personal Lines Renewal & SOP Example 09:25 – Defining When a Process Is Actually "Done" 10:08 – Why Agency Owners Shouldn't Solve Every Problem 10:38 – Training Employees to Think for Themselves 11:27 – Give Your Team Ownership 12:17 – Building a Culture of Accountability 12:47 – Closing Thoughts 💼 **Sponsored by HawkSoft** https://www.hawksoft.com A family-owned and operated agency management system serving independent agencies with teams from one to 300+ employees. HawkSoft is focused on customer service, honest feedback, and helping independent insurance agencies get where they need to be. 🔗 **Links & Resources:** 📘 Join the Scratch Agency Community on Facebook for conversations, resources, and insights from other independent insurance agency owners. 📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescratchagencypodcast 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hutxCZ5NUPqF5hRdC79Hl 🌐 Visit Our Website: https://scratchagencypodcast.com Thank you for tuning into another episode of the Scratch Agency Podcast. 👍 Like the show. 📤 Share it with another scratch insurance agency owner. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Most importantly, remember to **dig down deep, believe in yourself, and own your own future.**

In Episode 175 of the Scratch Agency Podcast, Stephen Turnbull and Shawn Fitzgerald sit down with **Mariah Gates, owner of Accelerated Automation**, to talk about one of the biggest opportunities independent insurance agencies are leaving on the table: actually using their CRM to its full potential. After starting as a Farmers agency owner, Mariah began building automation inside her own business before realising other agents needed the same help. What started as a side business eventually became Accelerated Automation, which has now helped more than 1,000 insurance agencies improve their systems, workflows, and AgencyZoom implementation. Mariah explains why many agencies are essentially using AgencyZoom like a “fancy Excel sheet,” why structured data matters more than ever in the age of AI, and how properly documenting opportunities, quotes, carriers, and policy information can create years of future sales opportunities. The conversation also dives into integrations, choosing technology that actually works together, why more software does not automatically mean more efficiency, and how scratch agents should approach CRM implementation without overwhelming themselves. 🔍 **If you have AgencyZoom but know you’re barely scratching the surface—or you're building a scratch agency and trying to create the right tech foundation from day one—this episode gives you a practical roadmap for doing it right.** 🕒 **Timestamps:** 00:00 – Introduction & Meet Mariah Gates 02:00 – From Farmers Agency Owner to Accelerated Automation 03:10 – Why Accelerated Automation Focuses on AgencyZoom 04:35 – The Biggest AgencyZoom Mistake: Using It Like Excel 06:15 – Why Structured Data Matters in the Age of AI 08:20 – Where Scratch Agents Should Start With a CRM 10:40 – Building the Basics Before Adding More Technology 12:05 – Underused AgencyZoom Features 13:25 – Opportunities, Quotes & Retargeting Lost Leads 16:05 – Using Carrier Disruption to Create New Opportunities 17:45 – Why Producers Need to Document More Data 19:15 – AMS + CRM Integrations: What Actually Matters 21:05 – Choosing Tech Companies Built for Integration 22:35 – How Accelerated Automation Helps Agencies 24:15 – Be Careful Who You Hire for Consulting & Automation 26:15 – Why AgencyZoom Makes Sense for Scratch Agencies 28:05 – Where to Connect With Mariah 29:10 – Final Thoughts 💼 **Sponsored by HawkSoft** https://www.hawksoft.com A family-owned and operated agency management system serving independent agencies with teams from one to 300+ employees. HawkSoft continues to listen to agents, respond to feedback, and expand integrations that give agencies more flexibility with their technology. 🔗 **Links & Resources:** ⚙️ Accelerated Automation: https://acceleratedautomation.net 📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescratchagencypodcast 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hutxCZ5NUPqF5hRdC79Hl 🌐 Visit Our Website: https://scratchagencypodcast.com Thank you for tuning into another episode of the Scratch Agency Podcast. 👍 Like the show. 📤 Share it with another insurance agency owner. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Most importantly, remember to **dig down deep, believe in yourself, and own your own future.**