williamjones

Will Canterbury is an entrepreneur in the truest sense. From running a lawn care business to pursuing a music career to selling furniture, Canterbury has done it all.

Every agency has its own “unwritten rules”: those lessons, bits of wisdom or do’s and don’ts that may not show up in trainings or be written down anywhere but make all the difference in running a successful business

The COO works in partnership with peers to set the vision and direction, but also ensures the vision becomes a reality by aligning people, processes and performance.

Independent Agent magazine speaks with an agent from each revenue category about their experiences with the Best Practices Study and how their business operates.

Employee burnout takes a toll on health, productivity and ultimately an agency’s bottom line.

Coming from a family of insurance people, Dallas Ross always knew that she wanted to be in insurance.

Marianne Policastro-Wik is leading her agency, a 2025 Best Practices Agency, through thoughtful “modernization,” paying careful attention to embracing technology without losing the human touch.

Angela Ripley, president of VW Brown Insurance in Columbia, Maryland, brings two decades of agency leadership, eight acquisitions and a passion for mentorship and inclusion to the role of Big “I” chair.

The leaders who excel in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) will be those who lean harder into the human touch when it matters most.

Gonyo worked every role in an independent agency—from the front desk to producing—before starting her own agency at 32 years old with “minimal money in a tiny little office,” she says. Today, Blue Line Insurance has four branches and 15 employees, 14 of whom are women.