If you want your independent insurance agency to thrive long-term, planning isn’t optional—it’s essential. In this blog, we’ll explore how to create a strategic plan that sets your agency up for growth and resilience, not just this year, but for many years ahead.

But here’s the truth: a plan is only as strong as the foundation it’s built on. You can have the latest insurance marketing strategies, the most advanced agency management system, and the best people—but if your agency is built on shifting sand, it won’t last when storms come.

This month’s C12 curriculum brought me back to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7: two builders, two houses, one storm. One stood because it was built on rock, the other fell because it was built on sand. The same principle applies to insurance agencies: success without a strong foundation is temporary.

What Are You Building On?

Independent insurance agency owners face daily pressure to build on “shifting sand”:

• Trends – chasing the latest tactic just because others are doing it.
• Expediency – cutting corners to win business quickly.
• Fear – letting uncertainty shape decisions rather than clear conviction.

I’ve felt that temptation myself. At Jenesis, it’s easy to get pulled into what’s urgent instead of what’s foundational. But every storm—whether a market shift, client loss, or economic downturn—tests the strength of our foundation.

Strategic Planning with Purpose

C12 teaches a five-step framework for building a strong plan:

1. Look Inward – Clarify your mission, vision, and values (MVVs).
2. Look Back – Learn from the past year.
3. Look Up – Align with God and your key stakeholders.
4. Look Around – Assess your current position (SWOT, competitive edge, dominant selling idea).
5. Look Ahead – Define your future vision, goals, and execution plan.

For 2025, the focus is on Step 1: Look Inward. If your MVVs aren’t clear, everything else drifts. Your mission tells you why you exist. Your vision shows you where you’re headed. Your values guide how you behave along the way. Without them, even the best strategies lack staying power.

Questions for your agency:

• Can every employee explain your mission in 15 words or less?
• Does your vision inspire them to think bigger than daily tasks?
• Do your values guide hard choices, like hiring, pricing, and client selection?

A Jenesis Example

At Jenesis Software, our mission has always been to help independent insurance agencies grow. That statement isn’t just painted on a wall—it’s the filter for our decisions.

When we developed JenesisLink’s reputation management tool, it wasn’t just because the market demanded it. It was because we believe trust is the foundation of every insurance relationship. Reviews build trust, and helping agencies earn trust in their communities aligns perfectly with our mission.

That’s the power of anchoring strategy in MVVs. When your foundation is clear, decisions aren’t just smart—they’re aligned with your purpose.

Our Foundation at Jenesis

• Mission (official):
  “Our mission is to streamline our clients’ agency operations, enhance customer service, and improve their overall productivity, revenue growth, and success.”

(In blogs, we often summarize this simply as: “Helping independent insurance agencies grow.”)

• Vision (official):
  “To be a light in the insurance industry—where faith, technology, and service come together to transform how agencies thrive.”

(In blogs, we often describe this as: “Creating tools and services that empower agencies to thrive.”)

• Core Values:
  • Trustworthy & Transparent – We believe in being real. We are open and honest within our team and with our customers, always doing what’s right for them.
  • Passionate & Innovative – We believe in big ideas.
  • Fun – We believe in providing delightful experiences for those using and supporting our products.
  • Friendly – We believe in nurturing warm, kind, friendly relationships within our team and with our customers.
  • Serving with Faith & Kindness – We believe in leading with humility and grace.

Encouragement for Independent Agents

Here’s the encouraging part: you don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. Start small and simple:

• Rewrite your mission in 15 words or fewer.
• Turn your vision into a three-paragraph story describing your agency three years from now.
• Pick one core value and talk about it at your next team meeting.

Each step strengthens your agency’s foundation—just like pouring concrete before building higher.

Encouragement for the Journey

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

Your independent insurance agency isn’t just a business—it’s a calling. When you root it in mission, vision, and values that align with truth, you’re building something that can weather storms and stand the test of time.

So, consider this: What foundation are you building your agency on today?

Most agencies think sales are about pushing harder, polishing scripts, or tweaking the close. But in The Go-Giver Sell More, Bob Burg and John David Mann remind us of something far more powerful: sales is about giving value first.

Independent insurance agencies thrive not because they’ve memorized the perfect pitch, but because they’ve built a culture of trust, generosity, and service. That’s why the Go-Giver philosophy aligns beautifully with what we do every day in this industry.

The 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success (Go-Giver Style)

Let’s look at how you can apply them directly in your agency:

1. The Law of Value
   Your worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
   • For your agency: Every client interaction is a chance to add value—whether it’s explaining coverage in plain English, sending a helpful checklist, or simply being responsive.
2. The Law of Compensation
   Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
   • For your agency: Expand your reach through referrals, community involvement, and digital tools like JenesisNow to manage more relationships without sacrificing personal touch.
3. The Law of Influence
   Your influence grows as you place others’ interests first.
   • For your agency: Ask questions. Really listen. Make the conversation about the client’s life, goals, and family—not just their policy.
4. The Law of Authenticity
   The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
   • For your agency: Don’t hide behind jargon or stiff professionalism. Be real. Share why you care about protecting people. Authenticity builds loyalty.
5. The Law of Receptivity
   The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.
   • For your agency: Many agents struggle here. Be open to referrals, reviews, and yes—payment. Receiving allows you to continue serving others.

Bringing It Home to Insurance Agencies

In The Perfect Insurance Agency, I talked about how success isn’t just about numbers; it’s about impact. When your agency adopts the Go-Giver mindset, growth happens naturally:

• Clients trust you more.
• Referrals flow more easily.
• Sales conversations feel like problem-solving, not pressure.

Encouragement for the Journey

Think of your agency like a well-watered garden. When you sow seeds of generosity, service, and authenticity, you don’t just get a single harvest—you build a reputation that feeds your agency for years.

As Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

The Go-Giver isn’t just a sales strategy. It’s a way of doing business that aligns with who we’re called to be—leaders who give first, trust God with the results, and watch the blessings multiply.

Exciting New Features:

All Other Feature

• We have integrated AI-assisted capabilities into the marketing template creation and editing process for email and text campaigns. Enabling streamlined content generation and improved efficiency in developing high-quality marketing communications.

• The checkbox on the Acord 25 under Workers Compensation and Employee Liability will now populate with a check if any Officer or Employee is Excluded on the Workers Comp Policy Type.

• When forwarding an email from inside Jenesis, the original date and time will now be included.

• Added an opt-out option on the person screen for the single-run email and text campaign.

• Added the ACORD 137 commercial auto form for Illinois with a blank and prefilled version.

• We have made Acord 23 a complete prefill form.

• Updated the interface popup for the User Location select screen.

• Jmail Formatting has been fixed.

• When selecting the policy status to show on the client detail screen, users are now able to select multiple options like Active and Pending Cancel.

• Added total number of hours to the Time Clock report.

• Improved the way the Locations Options are displayed on the locations page.

• Updated the Grand Total Premium on the policy screen to not include duplicate carrier fees.

• Added the ACORD 143 (Transportation Section).

• We have increased the maximum file size to 60MB for media uploads.

• Policies with a cancel reason of “Rewrite” will no longer automatically send out an email or text to the insured to let them know the policy has canceled.

• We have updated the formatting of the Statement of Coverage including adding the policy number and effective and expiration dates.

• Added a results indicator when using the advance search feature.