IA Forward
IA Forward is your playbook for success as an insurance agent.
Every week, Shane Tatum, Tonya Lied, and Mike Boesl tackle the real challenges insurance agents face, from growing a profitable book of business and building a stronger team to marketing, leadership, carrier relationships, industry changes, and the decisions that come with owning and running an agency.
No corporate talking points. No textbook advice. Just honest conversations, practical strategies, a few strong opinions, and lessons you can actually use in your agency.
Whether you’re building your first book, growing an established agency, or trying to figure out what’s next, IA Forward is about helping you think bigger, lead better, and build a business you actually want to own.
Learn more at www.integrapartnernetwork.com
Episodes
340 episodes
We're Headed Toward a Soft Market. Now What?
The insurance market is softening. That sounds like good news, right? Maybe. But for agency owners, a soft market brings a completely different set of challenges.Clients have more options. Carriers want to write business again. Prices ar...
The Problem With "Let Me Get You A Quote"
“Let me get you a quote.”Insurance agents say it every day.Shane, Tonya, and Mike talk about how the insurance industry became so focused on quoting, why agents should change the conversation.Because your value isn’t in pro...
Fast Forward: If You’re Not Talking With Your Clients, Who Is?
Four out of five policyholders say they’ve never received proactive communication from their insurance agent. 4 out of 5. That’s not a communication problem. It’s a customer experience problem.Shane and Tonya discuss why real client comm...
Compensation Matters. Culture Matters More.
Employee compensation matters. It has to be competitive. But a bigger paycheck will not fix inconsistent leadership, an unreasonable workload, constant chaos, poor communication, or an employee who feels like there is nowhere left to grow.<...
Let the Rainmaker Make Rain
The quarterback is not effective if he is playing every position. So why are you spending so much time doing exactly that in your agency?We discuss hiring for weakness, where AI and your tech stack fit into the equation, why delegation i...
Fast Forward: That $3,000 Bonus Could Cost You $50,000
The market is opening back up, and carriers are throwing bonus money at agents. But before you start chasing bonuses, there’s a bigger question: What could that short-term money cost you later?In this short update, Shane and Tonya discus...
Stop Chasing Your Tail
There’s a fine line between persistence and wasting your time.In this episode , we talk about knowing when to keep pursuing a prospect and how chasing one client too much can mean missing five other opportunities right in front of you.&n...
"It's Probably Going to Be Okay" is the Worst Thing You Can Say
Sometimes the biggest problems in an insurance agency don’t start with a giant red flag. They start with the little yellow ones we notice, question for a second, and then choose to ignore. We discuss the warning signs agents shouldn’t overlook:...
Where Are My Leads? The Truth About Marketing Your Agency
Everyone wants marketing to work immediately: post on social media, send the email, sponsor the event, drop off the donuts, and "Where are my leads?”Shane and Tonya are joined by Campbell Bagshaw to discuss why effective marketing rarely...
Would You Buy Your Own Agency? Stay Ready to Sell, Even If You Never Do
You may have no plans to sell your agency. But if someone wanted to buy it tomorrow, what would they find? We look at what makes an insurance agency valuable: from clean financials and organized customer data to documented processes, carrier co...
It's Not the Chicken: The Chick-fil-A Model for Agency Success
What can an insurance agency learn from Chick-fil-A? From the owner-operator mindset to servant leadership, we'll discuss how agency owners can build a business that earns loyalty, empowers employees, and creates clients who never want to leave...
What It Takes to Win Is Simple (But Not Easy)
What does Hall of Fame football coach Marv Levy have to teach insurance agents? As it turns out, quite a bit. Inspired by the timeless wisdom of the Buffalo Bills legend, the IA Forward team explores how some of the greatest leadership lessons ...
Ignore the Noise: Why Every Agency Owner Needs Fewer Outside Opinions
Everyone has an opinion. Your mentor. Your competitors. Social media. Industry Facebook groups. Even well-meaning friends and family. The challenge isn't finding advice. It's knowing which voices deserve your attention. We discuss why ask...
The Hidden Cost of Chasing Everything
Every week, agency owners are faced with another opportunity. A new product. A new carrier. A new technology. A new revenue stream. The question isn't whether you can pursue it, it's whether you should.In this episode of IA Forward, the ...
Why Agency Owners Dread Mondays (And How To Change It)
If Monday feels more like survival than opportunity, this conversation will help you identify what's really causing the frustration and give you practical ways to build an agency you're excited to lead every single week. Shane and T...
Halftime Adjustments: Winning the Second Half of 2026
As rates begin to stabilize, competition heats back up, and carriers return to growth mode, agency owners face a new challenge: balancing retention and new business, without losing momentum. If you're ready to finish 2026 stronger than yo...
Who Makes the Rules? The Great State Farm Shakeup
For decades, State Farm represented stability. Then one of the industry's largest carriers announced sweeping changes to contracts, benefits, compensation, and retirement programs.We explore the State Farm shakeup and what it means...
Don't Put Your Logo on That: Why Cheap Marketing Can Cost You
One of the most overlooked parts of building an insurance agency brand is the giveaways, promotional items, and marketing materials that represent your business long after you've left the room. We discuss why cheap giveaways can damage your bra...
How Customers Really Find an Insurance Agent
Everyone knows how to find Flo, the Geico Gecko, or Jake from State Farm. But how do customers actually find an independent insurance agent?One of the biggest challenges (and greatest opportunities) for independent agencies is visibility...
The Market Is Stabilizing. Are You? - With Mitzi Fox
The hard market forced a lot of agencies into survival mode. We became insurance hostage negotiators for frustrated clients. But as the market begins to stabilize, this is our opportunity to remember who we really are.We're not order tak...
AI Is Here. No Panic Required.
IA Forward tackles one of the biggest questions facing independent insurance agencies right now: Is AI going to replace traditional agency roles? From CSRs and account managers to producers and agency owners, the conversation explores ...
Built Your Way: Questions Every Exclusive Agent Should Ask Before Going Independent
Thinking about making the leap from being an exclusive agent to independent agency ownership? The right questions matter. Tonya, Mike, and Robby Jabour discuss what exclusive agents need to know before making the move. From book ownership...
Non-Resident Licensing: Are You Growing or Chasing?
This episode talks real strategy behind non-resident licensing: when expansion makes sense and when it becomes a costly distraction. From holding on to relocating clients, to the temptation of “collecting states,” our team discusses local exper...
The Secret to Growing a Successful Insurance Agency
Everyone wants the secret to growing a successful agency. Here’s the truth: there isn’t one. Shane, Mike, and Tonya break down what actually drives growth (and it’s not a magic strategy, a viral marketing idea, or a one-time win). We talk...
Think Like a Business Owner, Prepare Like an Athlete
What do successful agency owners and elite athletes have in common? More than you might think. Emma Tatum joins Shane, Mike, and Tonya to talk about creating momentum through stoic leadership. From agency growth to the danger of overreacting to...
