Hiring Smart: How Independent Agencies Can Compete for Talent

• February 25, 2026

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Jennifer Becker, Big “I” executive director of research and education, is joined by Claudia St. John, founder and CEO of The Workplace Advisors. 

During the episode, they explore how small independent insurance agencies can compete with large corporations for talent; whether artificial intelligence (A)I is helping agencies address staffing shortages or simply adding another layer of complexity; and what agency owners must do to attract the next generation of professionals. 

“Very few people have everything you’re looking for,” St. John says. “Every agency has to figure out how to develop and grow talent.” 

“Everybody who has experience started somewhere—someone taught them,” she adds. 

Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic to share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped shape their careers. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine, these are the stories insurance professionals want to hear.