Credit: TimeStopper/Adobe Stock

The independent insurance model is booming. More agents than ever are leaving the safety of captive carriers behind to carve out their own path. But while the rewards can be great, the journey is not without its pitfalls.

I’ve lived both sides. After beginning my career in the captive world, I launched my own agency, Garzella Group, and grew it from scratch to more than $86 million in premium over just 10 years. Along the way, I learned some lessons the hard way - and now I help others avoid those same mistakes. If you're considering going independent, here are four essentials to keep in mind:

Recommended For You

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more inforrmation visit Asset & Logo Licensing.