Why a $5M P&C Agency Owner Stopped Producing

Gerry Rivas opened a captive insurance agency in September 2019. Then COVID hit, the agency did not grow, and he had to sell it. He walked into his John Galt Insurance interview and said it straight: "I'm just like an epic failure right now." He was not there to reinvent the wheel. He wanted to follow a system that works. Today he and his wife Kimberly run a $5 million book that has grown about 30% year over year. When Gerry went back into his agency, he stopped producing and put that time into his team and his referral partners. Now they sign two to three new referral partners every month. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER How one referral partner turns into three more introductions, and why that stacking got him to a million dollars in production Transactional versus relational: The test that tells you which one you are How he hires producers on commission, and what he tells the candidate asking for a $100,000 salary Why he interviews people all year long, even when he is not hiring The question that changed how he manages: Would you like working for you? CHAPTERS 0:00 - "I'm Just Like an Epic Failure Right Now" 0:52 - From a Captive Agency to John Galt 3:34 - A $5M Book, Growing 30% a Year 5:38 - How He Became a 100K Producer 9:32 - Transactional vs. Relational 11:46 - From Top Producer to Owner 14:41 - Can't Afford to Hire? Start Here 16:32 - Commission Only vs. Salary 19:31 - Practice Hiring 21:19 - "Would You Like Working for You?" 25:15 - The Four-Step Interview 27:32 - Husband and Wife, One Agency 28:59 - Why Agents Fail 30:51 - The Follow-Up Obsession 35:23 - Owner Training: Day One 37:43 - The Hire-Three Math 41:37 - Why He Stopped Producing 44:06 - Friday One-on-Ones With His Team 47:12 - Get Away From Your Desk 52:56 - The Billboard Line ABOUT GERRY Gerry Rivas is an agency owner with John Galt Insurance in South Florida. He runs the agency with his wife, Kimberly. ABOUT PETE Pete Poggi grew a P&C insurance agency from $3 million to $180 million in 84 months. Personal lines only. No cold calls. He now works with independent P&C insurance agency owners stuck between $2 million and $5 million in premium, teaching the systems, hiring standards and referral relationships that turn a top producer into an owner who actually owns their agency. Learn more at https://petepoggi.com Subscribe for a new episode every week. #PetePoggi #PCInsuranceAgency #AgencyGrowth