When you’re starting an independent agency, there’s a lot that you need to consider, from licensing, marketing, technology, staffing, processes, procedures, markets, and all kinds of things.

The list below is a quick bullet point overview of some things that you might want to consider when you’re looking at starting up an independent agency and that you need to put in place over the first six months. This list is by no means exhaustive, but just some ideas to get you thinking through some of the things that you may need to be putting into practice when you launch your independent agency.

Key items to consider and implement

• Vision and niche: who you serve, what you sell first, and why you win.
• Carrier and market access: appointments or a quality aggregator/cluster; appetite fit; production commitments.
• Licensing and compliance: entity setup, resident/non‑resident licenses, E&O, data/privacy policies, documented procedures.
• Business plan and metrics: SMART goals, budget, break‑even, targets for quotes, binds, retention, revenue per employee.
• Sales motion: lead sources, quote-to-bind workflow, scripts, proposals, pipeline management.
• Service model: renewal review process, remarketing rules, documentation standards, voicemail/email templates.
• Technology stack: AMS as system of record, rating/bridging, phones/call recording, e‑signature, VOIP, CRM/automation, reviews.
• Financial ops: bank/merchant, commissions reconciliation, producer comp plan, expense controls.
• People plan: your role vs. outsourced help, onboarding checklists, training cadence, accountability rhythm.
• Marketing foundation: brand basics, Google Business Profile, reviews plan, website with forms, SEO content cadence, basic email nurture.
• Risk management: cybersecurity hygiene, backups/MFA, vendor contracts, continuity plan.

Your 180‑day roadmap
Days 0‑30: Foundations and access

• Form the entity, secure E&O, licenses, bank/merchant.
• Choose AMS and phone, set up call recording and e‑signature.
• Lock carrier access or aggregator; confirm appetites and minimums.
• Define simple value proposition, niche, and first‑year goals.
• Publish basic website, claim Google Business Profile, create reviews request template.
• Build core scripts: discovery, quote, voicemail, renewal review.
• Daily: 3–5 new quoting opportunities; nights/weekends for tools and research.

Days 31‑60: First binds and process discipline

• Start writing business; document every step in the AMS.
• Implement quote-to-bind checklist and submission standards.
• Stand up pipeline tracking and weekly scorecard: quotes, binds, hit ratio, average premium.
• Launch review/cross‑sell on every new policy; ask for a review after each bind.
• Tighten expense budget and commission tracking.

Days 61‑90: Scale the motion

• Add automation basics: email/text status updates, renewal review reminders.
• Create a 3‑touch new‑lead follow‑up sequence and objection handling guide.
• Formalize remarketing rules to protect E&O and time.
• Evaluate lead sources; double down on what’s converting.
• Consider a VA or part‑time help for data entry and certs if you’re at capacity.

Days 91‑120: Retention engine and capacity

• Launch a structured renewal review program with weekly call blocks.
• Add simple content: two niche-focused blog posts and one downloadable checklist; continue review requests.
• Revisit carrier mix and appetite gaps; pursue one additional appointment if needed.
• Document onboarding plan for your first hire or dedicated VA.

Days 121‑150: Optimize and hire

• Hire or contract support based on bottleneck data; run a 90‑day onboarding plan.
• Build training snippets for your processes and scripts.
• Add basic CRM or workflows if AMS lacks task automation.
• Review pricing/comp plan and set Q3/Q4 rocks.

Days 151‑180: Systematize and forecast

• Clean data in AMS; standardize notes, activities, and attachments.
• Publish your playbooks: sales, service, claims, renewal review.
• Forecast next 2 quarters: production by line, retention target, budget, and capacity plan.
• Conduct a mini offsite to reset goals and finalize the next 90‑day plan.

Again, the items above in this 180-day bullet point list are not exhaustive, and are not all items that need to be implemented in these exact timeframes. For example, it may take you over a year before you learn enough and build enough to hire a part-time or full-time staff member or start to utilize a virtual assistant.

So the timing and implementation of these various logistics will vary based on your situation, but hopefully these give you some good food for thought and a general outline of things to consider making sure that you’re implementing.

Cheers.

Tague Alliance Team

*** If you are located in San Diego County, Orange County, or Riverside County and are looking to start an independent property and casualty insurance agency, or you’re an existing independent property and casualty agency that wants to grow, we would love to chat with you just to see if there is alignment and the ability to help each other strengthen our mutual organizations and grow together.

Connect For A Zero Pressure Alignment Chat

We have even more info about starting an independent property and casualty insurance agency on our “So You Want To Be Independent” page. Check it out, and we hope this provides you some real value.

So You Want To Be An Independent Agent