Is Investing Into AI Worth It?
AI is not here to replace independent agents, but it is here to amplify them. Disclaimer: This article was written with the help of generative AI. 7:45 a.m., not too far in the future. An agency owner sits at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, scrolling headlines before the day gets away from […]
Valuation Views: 2025 Q4 Marketplace Report
Choose Your Carrier Partners Wisely Carrier Relationships Significantly Impact Agency Value The carriers you choose to partner with in your agency are arguably the most important decision you will make in building your business. The impact on agency value is hard to precisely quantify, but it is safe to say it has a profound impact […]
Building Value Through Talent Acquisition – A Case Study for Independent Insurance Agencies
Today’s insurance landscape is facing a “talent desert,” and agencies that want to thrive are shifting their focus from chasing revenue to acquiring growth-minded professionals. These sellers, often younger, ambitious, and hungry for scale, are the oasis in this dry terrain. When you find one, the impact can be transformative. A well-aligned talent acquisition doesn’t […]
Valuation Views: 2025 Q2 Marketplace Report
2024 AGENCY CONTINGENCY PERFORMANCE CONTINUES DOWNWARD TREND WHILE P&C INDUSTRY REBOUNDS TO UNDERWRITING PROFITABILITY Last year was another rough year for contingency bonuses. While the P&C Industry posted a combined loss ratio of 97.1% and many carriers started to get back to underwriting profitability (Chubb was the league leader with 86.6% combined ratio and $9B […]
Building Value Through Acquisition – A Case Study for Independent Insurance Agencies
There are many ways to increase agency value, but there are always questions. Is organic or acquired growth better? What do I need to think about when considering an acquisition? How do I create the financial model to decide what to offer in an acquisition? What is the benefit of a new producer? Is an […]
How to Sell Your Insurance Agency
In today’s independent agency space, the increased frequency, size, and temptation of external sales are both inevitable and undeniable. IA Valuations, a DBA for the Ohio Insurance Agents Association (OIA), cares about seeing agency owners exit well, regardless of whether it is an internal or external sale. Good exits create good stories, which generates interest […]
Three Keys to an Internal Perpetuation
“What if one of your account managers or producers won the lottery at lunch and didn’t come back that afternoon? How would the agency manage?” asked keynote speaker Kelly Donaue-Piro of Agency Performance Partners at IACON 2024, the annual conference for the Ohio Insurance Agents Association (OIA). Start with a series of questions. What is […]
The Camouflaged Contributor to Consolidation
Backdrop of Burnout It’s 7 in the morning, you crack open your email inbox to see if there are any work red-alerts before you take the kids to school. You get them to school and get to the office at 7:30 just so you hopefully have an hour of uninterrupted time to get your inbox […]
What is Private Equity in the Independent Agency System?
In today’s insurance agent marketplace, the phrase “Private Equity” or PE is quite the buzz phrase. The mention of PE causes a wide range of reactions from agency owners. Some owners seek to sell their agencies to PE backed brokers and others are avoiding it like the plague. No matter where you fall on the […]
The Ins and Outs of EBITDA and How to Leverage It
“I bought this book of business for two times 25 years ago; I was just going to do the same when I’m ready to retire.” This is one of the most common quips IA Valuations hears from the generation of agency owners getting ready to retire, and we fear it could leave much on the […]