The Insura-Preneur Podcast

AI Reality Check: What Independent Agencies Must Do Now

Featuring Dale Steinke, Director at Agent for the Future Advisors, Liberty Mutual Insurance
AI isn’t coming to independent agencies—it’s already inside them. In this fast, high-signal conversation, Michael Jans sits down with longtime industry friend Dale Steinke of Liberty to break down what agency owners are really feeling about AI today: the excitement, the confusion, the overwhelm, and the massive opportunity hiding in plain sight.
Dale shares what he sees across hundreds of agencies: why most principals underestimate how much AI their teams are already using, the tools that are quietly reshaping daily operations, and how top agencies are using AI to eliminate drudge work, sharpen renewal reviews, supercharge staff, and build client experiences that simply weren’t possible a few years ago.
You’ll also hear:
Why there’s never been a better time to start—or scale—an independent agency
How a 7-person agency is using two developers and AI tools to build a next-level customer experience
Why leaders must adopt AI themselves and create a clear AI governance policy
What agencies should do first to prepare for the next wave of change
Insightful, practical, and direct—this 10-minute “vitamin shot” delivers exactly what independent agencies need to know now.

The Insurance Industry’s Quiet Shake-Up: 6 Trends Smart Agencies Can’t Ignore

In this rapid-fire 7-minute briefing, we break down the six industry trends reshaping the independent insurance agency landscape. You’ll discover why nearly 75% of Q3 insurtech funding went to AI-centric firms, what the softening market means for your organic growth strategy, and how smart agencies are using bolt-on technology to deepen client relationships.
We also dig into an overlooked profit lever that recovers 1–3% of annual revenue, the surge in niche MGA/MGU valuations, and the surprising line of business slipping while everything else climbs.
If you want to lead your agency through a shifting market — not react to it — this is your essential weekly intelligence hit.

From Zero to 5,700 Households: How One Agent Built a Relentless Marketing Machine

In this episode, Michael Jans sits down with South Florida agency owner Matt Livings, who grew his agency from absolutely nothing to more than 5,700 households—in one of the toughest, most volatile markets in the country.
Matt reveals the simple but powerful systems he’s used for two decades, including:
His 24,000-postcards-a-month direct mail engine
The niche strategy that built his affluent book (hint: boats)
Why he stopped selling policies 15 years ago—and grew faster
How hurricane claims turned him into a local hero
The referral playbook that keeps the pipeline full
Carrier contingency tactics that added an extra 10% to his income
If you want to see how real, organic, sustainable agency growth is built—especially in hard markets—this is the episode.

The Agency Divide Has Already Begun: Chris Paradiso on AI, Efficiency, and the Future of the Independent Agency

Independent agencies survived the internet. They adapted to websites, email marketing, and social media. But AI is different. It changes the structure of work, speed of response, and expectations of clients—and it’s moving exponentially faster than any prior wave of technology.
In this episode, agency owner & industry thought leader, Chris Paradiso explains:
Why AI is a fundamentally different kind of disruption
How agencies can leverage AI to move faster than carriers
Real examples of AI in daily agency operations: sentiment scoring, policy gap analysis, coverage review, client communication, and multilingual training
Why some roles will shift—and why relationships still matter
The emerging divide between agencies that adapt and those that fall behind
Chris shares how his agency has implemented AI from frontline workflows to training systems—and what agency owners must do now to remain competitive.
Key Message: Do not sit on the sidelines. The agencies that act now will lead the market. The others will be forced out of it.

The 7-Minute Insurance Industry Intelligence Briefing (6 Trends Every Agency Owner Must Know Now)

In this fast, insight-packed 7-minute briefing, Michael Jans breaks down six forces reshaping the independent insurance agency world right now — from AI acceleration to PE consolidation, social inflation, compliance pressure, ENS growth, and the widening growth gap between digital agencies and everyone else.
In this episode you’ll discover:
✅ Why InsurTech funding surged in October and what it means for Main Street agencies
✅ How private equity now controls 72% of all M&A — and what that means for valuation
✅ The new wave of social inflation driving casualty costs through the roof
✅ Why 21 states now have comprehensive data privacy laws (and the NAIC Model 668 push for 2026)
✅ How ENS/surplus lines hit $130B and why the trend isn’t slowing
✅ The stat every agency owner should memorize:
👉 Agencies adopting advanced digital tools are growing 70% faster than their peers
If you’ve ever wished you had a “7-minute dashboard” for the industry… this is it.
Want to explore how the fastest-growing agencies are using AI to scale?
Grab a 15-minute call with Michael [Click here].

The Agencies That Will Thrive, Survive, or Dive in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence isn’t another wave—it’s a tsunami. In this episode, Michael Jans breaks down how AI will separate the winners from the walking dead in the independent agency world.
From the Niche Master who dominates their vertical… to the Complexity Specialist who thrives on sophisticated risks… to the Platform Powerhouse scaling like Geico on steroids—Michael reveals the six types of agencies that will define the next decade.
You’ll learn:
✅ Why strategy means “thriving in the world as it is”
✅ What separates the green zone agencies from the red zone wreckage
✅ Why 2030 isn’t the starting gun—it’s game over
✅ How to engineer growth and efficiency through AI
Subscribe, listen, and get your agency ready for the AI age.

20% More Policies in 4 Weeks: AI Agents for Agencies

🎙️ How AI Agents Are Revolutionizing Insurance with Terry Walby of Open Dialog
In this episode, Michael sits down with Terry Walby, co-founder and CEO of Open Dialog, to explore how AI agents are transforming the insurance industry—far beyond the limitations of chatbots.
Terry breaks down the real-world impact of AI agents on improving quote conversions, reducing friction in online policy applications, and even predicting buyer behavior. With Open Dialog’s footprint now extending from the UK to the U.S. (and soon, Canada), this conversation is a must-listen for insurance leaders looking to stay ahead.
💡 Learn:
What makes an AI agent actually different from a chatbot
How behavioral psychology and real-time interaction boost conversions
The compliance edge AI agents offer in regulated environments
🔗 Dive deeper at www.opendialog.ai

6 Industry Shifts Every Insurance Agency Leader Must Track in 2025

The independent agency channel is changing fast—and the firms that see the shifts early will take the lead.
In this episode, Michael Jans breaks down six critical developments reshaping growth, profitability, risk, client expectations, and agency valuation in the next 6–18 months.
You’ll hear what the data actually says about AI adoption, why cyber insurance growth is both a financial and ethical imperative, how top agencies are driving organic growth even in tough markets, and the new frontier of AI-driven claims fraud.
If you’re an agency principal, marketing leader, or someone responsible for strategic planning—this is your briefing.

5-Step AI Playbook to Future-Proof Your Agency

There’s a trillion-dollar wave of capital chasing AI in insurance. The question is — will your agency ride it or get rolled by it?
In this episode, Michael Jans lays out the 5-Step AI Playbook for Insurance Agencies:
Know – What’s real and what’s noise
Grow – Where AI actually drives revenue
Integrate – How to blend humans + automation
Buy – Smart investment decisions in tech
Scale – Building a system that compounds
Straight talk. No hype. Just a clear path from overwhelm to opportunity.
Subscribe, listen, and get your agency ready for the AI age.

The AI Compliance Trap: What Independent Agencies Must Know Now

AI is accelerating faster than any technology in history — doubling in power every four to seven months. What does that mean for the independent insurance agency system?
Michael Jans sits down with Marc Lanzkowsky, founder of Lanzko AI and 30-year veteran of the insurance world — attorney, carrier exec, and IT innovator — to explore how AI is reshaping compliance, claims, and operations.
You’ll hear:
The biggest AI compliance traps agencies are walking into right now
Why “free” AI tools might expose your client data to model training
What smart agencies are doing to integrate AI safely and intelligently
Why AI won’t replace the human element — but will multiply your impact
How custom GPTs and prompt libraries are becoming an agency’s secret weapon
A fast, thought-provoking conversation — one that might just reshape how you lead your agency through the next 36 months of transformation.
🎙️ Hosted by Michael Jans
Follow for new episodes of AI for the IA — where independent agencies learn how to think, act, and grow with intelligence.