A business owner recently shared a gut-wrenching story that every insurance agency should pay attention to.

Their bookkeeper’s email was hacked. The hacker cloned her inbox and registered a fake domain that looked almost identical to the company’s real one. The hacker then emailed customers with a message that seemed legitimate—“Our wire transfer details have changed, please send funds to this account.”

One customer complied—without verifying—and wired $100,000 straight into a fraud account. The money was gone.

Now the customer believes the business should share the loss. The business believes they are not liable.

This is more than just a scary story. It’s a real-world example of why insurance agencies—and their clients—need to be prepared.

Who’s Responsible in a Case Like This?

In many cases, liability falls on the party that initiated the transfer without verifying the change. If a customer wires funds to a fraudulent account without a phone confirmation, the law often considers it their error.

But liability isn’t the only question here. As an agency owner, you know reputation and relationships matter just as much. Even if you aren’t technically at fault, clients may expect some level of help or goodwill when a loss happens.

Why This Matters for Insurance Agencies

Insurance agencies hold sensitive client and carrier information. That makes you—and your clients—prime targets for cyber criminals.

This story should serve as a reminder that:

• Your agency could be next. Without proper safeguards, a hacker could impersonate your agency just as easily.

• Your clients are exposed. Many businesses don’t realize that standard insurance policies may not cover funds transfer fraud or social engineering scams.

• You are the trusted advisor. Clients will look to you for guidance before and after a loss.

Steps Agencies Can Take

To protect both your agency and your clients:

• Enforce a “voice verify” rule. Confirm all changes to payment instructions by phone.

• Invest in cybersecurity training. Regular phishing tests and education reduce risk.

• Secure your domain. Register common variations of your agency’s web address.

• Review your own cyber coverage. Make sure your E&O or cyber liability includes wire fraud and social engineering protection.

• Advise your clients. Talk about cyber risks in your regular client reviews. Use real-world stories like this one to show the urgency.

Final Thought

The best agencies don’t just sell policies—they help clients prepare for risks they may not even know exist.

As one leader put it when reflecting on this $100,000 scam:

“Protect the company. Protect relationships. And seek to prevent this from happening again.”

That’s wise counsel for every insurance agency.

At Jenesis, we exist to help agencies grow stronger—whether through technology, tools, or simply sharing lessons like this one.

If you would like to share this information with your insureds and prospects, here’s a client-facing version you can share. I wrote it in plain, approachable language so you can easily copy, brand, and send it out as a newsletter, email, or blog. Let us know if we can help with this in any way. 

Protecting Your Business from Cyber Scams

We want to share an important real-world example that could happen to any business.

A company’s bookkeeper recently had her email hacked. The hacker created a fake email address that looked almost identical to the real one. Using it, the hacker told customers that the company’s payment instructions had changed and to wire money to a new account.

Unfortunately, one customer believed the email was real and wired $100,000 to the wrong account. The money was lost.

What Went Wrong?

The customer didn’t confirm the change before sending the payment. Hackers are counting on businesses to trust what looks like a familiar email.

This kind of fraud—sometimes called “business email compromise” or “wire fraud”—is one of the fastest-growing scams targeting small and mid-sized businesses.

How to Protect Your Business

Here are a few simple but powerful ways to reduce your risk:

• Always verify payment changes by phone. Never rely on email alone when wiring funds or changing payment instructions.

• Train your team. Make sure employees know how to spot suspicious emails and what to do if they see one.

• Secure your technology. Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication for your email accounts.

• Talk to your insurance agent. Ask whether your policies include protection for cyber fraud, wire transfer fraud, or social engineering scams. Not all do.

Why This Matters

Fraud like this doesn’t just cost money—it can damage customer trust and business reputation. Taking steps now helps protect both your finances and your relationships.

If you’d like to review your coverage or talk about additional ways to protect your business from scams like this, we’re here to help.

 

Running an independent insurance agency today can feel overwhelming. You’ve got dozens of marketing options—social media, Google ads, email, SEO, direct mail, and more. The temptation is to try everything at once, but that usually leads to scattered results, wasted money, and frustration.

That’s where Allan Dib’s book Lean Marketing offers a refreshing perspective. Just as lean manufacturing revolutionized factories by cutting waste and focusing on what matters, lean marketing helps small businesses—including insurance agencies—get results without burning through time and cash.

Here are five big lessons from Lean Marketing and how they apply to your agency.

1. Focus on Constraints, Not Abundance

Instead of thinking, “We could do Facebook, Google, direct mail, events, and sponsorships,” start by asking: What’s our biggest marketing constraint right now?

For many agencies, it’s not a lack of options—it’s a lack of clarity. Maybe you don’t have enough leads. Or maybe you’re getting leads, but not converting them. Lean marketing forces you to pinpoint your single biggest bottleneck and fix that first.

2. Small, Fast Experiments Beat Big, Risky Bets

Too many agencies spend thousands on an ad campaign only to find out it doesn’t work. Lean marketing says: test small, then scale what works.

For example, instead of committing $2,000 to a month-long ad, run a $200 test for one week. See if you’re getting clicks and calls. If it works, invest more. If not, you’ve learned without draining your budget.

3. Your Message Matters More Than Your Medium

Agencies often obsess over where to advertise—Google vs. Facebook, postcards vs. email. But Dib reminds us that the message is the real driver.

If your message isn’t clear, compelling, and customer-focused, it won’t matter where you put it. Before buying another ad, ask: Does our message clearly tell clients why they should choose us over another agency?

4. Measure, Don’t Guess

Lean marketing rejects “spray and pray.” Everything should be trackable.

For insurance agencies, this means:

• Track how many leads each campaign generates.
• Track how many of those leads become policies.
• Track the lifetime value of those clients.

If you don’t measure, you’re just guessing. And guessing is expensive.

5. Marketing is a System, Not a Random Act

The biggest lesson is that successful marketing isn’t about one-off campaigns. It’s about building a repeatable system: attract, convert, retain.

That’s how you grow consistently year after year. In my book The Perfect Insurance Agency, I talk about building an agency where marketing, sales, and service all work together. Lean marketing echoes that—emphasizing simplicity, repeatability, and continuous improvement.

Bringing It Home

Independent insurance agencies don’t have the marketing budgets of giant carriers. But the truth is—you don’t need them. If you adopt lean marketing principles, you’ll grow by focusing on what matters most, cutting out the waste, and doubling down on what works.

The next time you feel overwhelmed by marketing options, take a step back. Ask yourself: What’s the one bottleneck we need to fix right now? Start there, test small, measure everything, and build a system you can repeat.

That’s lean. And that’s how your agency wins.

Key Takeaways

• Fix the biggest bottleneck first instead of trying to do everything.
• Test small, then scale—don’t blow your budget on unproven campaigns.
• Get the message right before worrying about the medium.
• Track everything so you know what’s working (and what’s not).
• Think in systems, not random acts—marketing should be repeatable.

I’m blessed to be part of C12, the world’s largest peer advisory group for Christian CEOs and business owners. Month after month, it’s been an incredible source of wisdom, encouragement, and accountability in both my faith and my leadership. The August 2025 curriculum really hit home for me, and I want to share some takeaways that I believe every leader—whether you run a small team or a large organization—can benefit from.

One of the central themes this month was rooted in Joshua 24:15:

“Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

It’s one thing to nod in agreement on Sunday. It’s another thing entirely to carry that choice into Monday morning budget meetings, sales strategy calls, and difficult conversations with your team.

The Leadership Choice Is Daily, Not Occasional

Joshua wasn’t speaking to people who had no history with God—he was addressing those who had seen His faithfulness firsthand. Yet he knew that loyalty has to be reaffirmed daily.

In business, we face our own version of the same challenge. Will we chase success at any cost, protect comfort and control above all else, or sacrifice integrity for a short-term win? Or will we honor God in the way we lead—choosing faithfulness over fear, service over self-interest, and obedience over convenience?

In my agency days, I made plenty of good decisions—and a fair share of bad ones too. I think most of us have. As I reflected on this idea of daily choices, one moment from early in my career came to mind. It was around 1991, my very first year of owning an agency.

From time to time, a client would ask me to backdate a receipt so their coverage wouldn’t show a lapse. At first glance it seemed harmless—“no real harm done,” right? But I knew in my gut it was wrong. Faced with that decision, I drew my line in the sand.

Here’s how I explained it: “I really wish I could help you, but I’m not comfortable doing anything unethical. The good news for you is that this conviction applies to every part of our relationship. You can have complete confidence that I will always do the right thing for you. Bottom line: I won’t lie for you, and I won’t lie to you.”

It wasn’t always the easiest answer in the moment, but it became one of the best leadership decisions I ever made. That simple stand set the tone for how I wanted to lead my agency—with integrity that clients could count on, even if they didn’t always like the immediate outcome.

Cost Leadership as Stewardship

Another big takeaway for me this month was how cost leadership—done right—can be an act of stewardship. It’s not about being cheap or cutting corners. It’s about managing the resources God has entrusted to us in a way that fuels mission, supports people, and strengthens long-term health.

That means:

• Aligning every cost decision with the mission and values of the company
• Involving the team in finding efficiencies without sacrificing excellence
• Tracking the right metrics so we can make decisions that are both financially smart and mission-driven
• Communicating why being wise with resources matters—not just for the bottom line, but for the impact we’re trying to make 

One caution: cutting costs for the sake of short-term relief can backfire. I’ve seen it happen when companies reduce quality, underinvest in their people, or compromise what made them unique. Real cost leadership strengthens a company’s future—it doesn’t weaken it.

Being “All In” for Christ at Work

The final and most important piece of the puzzle is this: Are we all in when it comes to our faith in the workplace?

There’s a big difference between cultural Christianity (faith in name only), convenient Christianity (faith when it’s easy), and committed Christianity (faith that shapes every decision).

Committed leaders:

• Live with daily dependence on Jesus
• Carry faith visibly into their leadership
• See their business as a ministry, not just a company
• Make decisions that may cost them in the short term but honor God in the long term 

Some of the most inspiring business leaders I know have made bold, countercultural moves—like giving away significant ownership of their company to fund ministry, closing on their busiest day to honor the Sabbath, or capping personal income to increase generosity.

At Jenesis, I do my best to live this out in practical ways. I’m open about my faith, but I never require others to believe the way I do. 

I pray daily for our business, our team, our customers, and for the wisdom to know what God wants me to do that day.

We’ve built a culture around caring for people. That’s why we have a dedicated Care Team and budget set aside to support team members, their families, our customers, and even people in the broader business community when needs arise.

Most importantly, everyone at Jenesis is expected to do the right thing—always. We never compromise our values, no matter the financial cost. Integrity isn’t just a talking point for us; it’s a standard we live by.

The Question for Us

We all get to draw our own line in the sand. The choice isn’t just about what we believe—it’s about how we lead, spend, hire, and serve.

So I’ll leave you with the same question I’ve been wrestling with: Where is God inviting you to take a stand?

Because in the end, our greatest legacy won’t be the profits we earned or the growth we achieved. It will be the people we served, the integrity we held, and the faith we lived out every single day.