The Insura-Preneur Podcast

How Smart Agency Owners Buy AI (Without Getting Burned)

Every week, a new AI company shows up promising to revolutionize your agency. Most will vanish before your next renewal cycle.
The problem isn’t too few tools — it’s that most agency owners don’t have a system for buying them.
In this episode, Michael Jans lays out his 8-Point AI Buyer’s Filter — the same framework he uses to separate the brilliant from the bogus. You’ll learn how to evaluate:
Real business fit (not hype)
Whether the tech uses the right kind of AI
The team’s domain knowledge and credibility
Data security and financial stability
Onboarding, support, and roadmap transparency
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by AI noise or pressured by slick sales decks, this episode is your BS detector.
🎧 Listen in — and learn to buy AI like a strategist.

Six Bullets in Seven Minutes: AI, Growth & What Agency Owners Must Know Now

In just seven minutes, Michael Jans cuts through the noise and delivers six powerful bullets every insurance agency owner needs to know right now: slowing premium growth, looming soft market conditions, new AI tools (and red flags), carrier adoption pitfalls, and the single biggest missed play in the industry.
If you’ve been wondering how to separate hype from opportunity, this briefing is your shortcut. Get the signal without the noise—then decide how you’ll lead your agency into growth while others stumble.

5 Proven Strategies to Boost Revenue Per Client (and Valuation)

Most agencies underestimate the single biggest lever for growth: revenue per customer. In this episode, Michael Jans reveals why just a $200 bump in average revenue per client compounds into millions of dollars in income, higher retention, richer EBITDA, and premium valuation.
You’ll discover:
The 5 strategies every agency must execute to raise revenue per client.
How multi-policy households can quadruple retention rates.
Why “Defensive AI” only saves pennies… while “Offensive AI” creates exponential growth.
Plus, Michael shares free resources — including the Client Optimizer Tool and the AI Divide Report — to help you move from wondering and waiting to leading and winning.
👉 Listen now and make sure you’re on the right side of the AI Divide.

The 6 Signals Shaping Agency Growth, Valuation & AI in 2025

Every week, Michael Jans cuts through the noise to deliver six signals that matter for independent agency owners. In this 7-minute briefing:
Why slowing premium hikes point to an impending soft market 📉
M&A trends: fewer deals, bigger valuations 💰
California’s wildfire model shift — and what it could mean for the nation 🌲🔥
AI’s overlooked growth power (hint: it’s not cost-cutting) 🤖
Cyber coverage: new capacity, low penetration, big opportunity 🔐
Record profitability… but is it real? 📊
Plus: who got bought this week, and why niches always win.
👉 Subscribe for your weekly dose of growth intelligence — fast, focused, and built for Insura-Preneurs.

The 7 Laws of Influence That Drive Agency Growth

In this episode, Michael Jans unpacks Robert Cialdini’s timeless Influence and reveals how the 7 principles of persuasion shape every decision your prospects make. From reciprocity to scarcity (and the surprising “eighth” principle of unity), you’ll hear research, stories, and field-tested applications you can put to work immediately in your agency.
Discover why some agencies grow in leaps while others drop money on the way to the bank — and how to stop leaving half your growth behind. Plus: a behind-the-scenes look at Michael’s own career breakthroughs and the simple tactics you can steal today.

7 Minutes of Insurance Power: Profits, Commissions, Cat Losses & AI Governance

Insurance News Brief with Michael Jans
In less than 7 minutes, Michael Jans delivers the week’s must-know news for serious Insura-Preneurs.
Underwriting profit triples in 2025.
UnitedHealthcare slashes Medicare agent commissions.
Global cat losses surge to $80B.
AI governance shifts from optional to mandated (24 states onboard).
Liability costs continue their relentless climb.
M&A activity heats up with World, Duffy, and Everpeak on the move.
Short. Timely. Actionable. Stay future-proof in a fast-changing industry.

Red Flag Alert: 10 AI Mistakes That Put Your Agency at Risk

AI is the fastest-adopted technology in history—and it’s splitting the insurance industry in two. Some agencies are systematizing AI to drive growth, while others are dabbling and drifting into danger.
In this episode, Michael Jans sounds the alarm on 10 red flags that put your agency at risk—from the “expensive hobby” trap to the compliance catastrophe—and shows how to avoid them.
You’ll discover:
Why AI can’t just be a side project
The 5 elements of an AI governance framework
How AI impacts EBITDA, growth, and valuation
The difference between efficiency gains and exponential growth
If you want to stay safe, grow faster, and protect your agency’s valuation, this episode is your wake-up call.

7 minutes. The week’s biggest stories. For agency leaders who want the edge

Insurance News Brief with Michael Jans
A fast, 7-minute roundup of the biggest stories shaping the insurance industry — delivered straight to independent agency leaders who want to stay sharp without wasting time.
In this week’s brief:
📈 Health benefit costs set to climb 6–7% by 2026
💰 Valuations holding nearly 20% above the 10-year average
🤖 1 in 3 agencies already using AI — with principals leading adoption
🧭 Why AI may soon decide product “winners and losers”
🚗 Personal auto shows recovery, but claim severity still bites
📰 This week’s agency acquisitions…
Stay informed. Stay competitive. Each Thursday, get the industry brief that helps you move faster, grow smarter, and stay ahead.

How to Install a Growth Ritual in Your Agency

Every agency owner says they want growth. Few actually ritualize it.
In this episode, Michael Jans pulls back the curtain on the simple but powerful “Growth Ritual” that keeps agencies on track month after month.
You’ll discover:
Why your P&L is a lagging indicator—and what you should track instead.
The Rule of 50 (and why it’s the ticket into premium valuation lanes).
How to use the Four Tributaries of Income (referrals, retention, revenue per customer, and new customers).
The ACOR framework—Attract, Convert, Optimize, Retain—and how to use it as a monthly diagnostic.
The cultural ritual Michael used as CEO to hardwire growth into his team.
Plus: insider announcements, free strategic tools, and the launch of Michael’s new short-form podcast: The Insura-Preneur News Brief.
👉 If you’re serious about growth and valuation, you’ll want this in your calendar.

Up-Market, High-Margin, Built to Last: Lessons from Pasadena Insurance

When you peel back the layers of most “successful” agencies, you find mediocrity hiding behind luck and inertia. Not here. In this episode, Michael Jans sits down with longtime Mastermind member Frank Karkowsky to reveal the real drivers of a Rule of 50 agency—where growth, margins, and valuation stack up in the top tier of the industry.
Here’s what you’ll discover:
The deliberate decision to move up-market—and why Pasadena Insurance rejected the “small account ceiling.”
How adding benefits and high-value personal lines created handcuffs that lock in retention.
The “agency-within-an-agency” approach that turns every department into a self-sustaining growth engine.
Why investing in culture, producer systems, and client experience isn’t fluff—it’s strategy that drives EBITDA and valuation.
Whether you're chasing growth, improving EBITDA, or engineering a higher valuation, this episode is packed with strategies you can apply today.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.