It easy to forget what you excited to focus on at the start of the year. Because once you cross the halfway point of the year all bets are off on your memory's credibility. Things come up and even the best of intentions start to stray from the plotted course. That's why it important to check in and see if they should still be sticking around for the rest of the year. That's what I brought back Rob McCarthy, of GRBM Insurance and Woody Brown, of The Rhoads Group, to see what's still making the cut this year.

There's a good chance you might realize the privilege you have to only work with the people you like. That same luxury is certainly not one afforded to all professions, even still we're often hesitant of at best. That hesitation usually shows itself in the form of generalization that leaves you vulnerable to everything you don't know. However, when you specialize you know everything someone else doesn't and that's the difference people will be able to see. That's what I talk to Kyle Rheiner, of Strickler Insurance, about how he enjoys saying no to everyone else.

It's amazing what's possible when you have a highly experienced roster of insurance professionals behind you. An ordinary presentation transforms from a solo act into a carefully crafted expert ensemble. However, to make sure it all works you need a strong quarterback holding the whole thing together. That person has to know the perfect moments to hit each team member to maximize the entire performance. That's what I talk to Jennifer Chenault, of Lovitt & Touche, about how she fills out her line up each presentation.

A lot has certainly changed, but it's possible there's even more that has stayed the same. That's because we're turning back the clock to re-examine a conversation that's nearly two years old. As dated as you might expect it to sound, there are plenty of principles that remain unadopted and tactics without execution. The good news is the ball is definitely rolling in the right direction, now it's a matter of picking up speed. That's what I talk to Marcus Sheridan (Impact) and Matt Simon (Hill & Hamilton Insurance) about the best ways to let people see what you can do.

It all starts by finding a way to handoff the tasks that create the least value. They usually include easily repeatable processes that don't need to be performed by someone in your agency. They are also items that would benefit greatly if they manually automated. Then you and your staff will be free to elevate your client interactions to level you didn't think was possible. That's what I talk to Ani Podder, of Marble Box, about the best ways to change the way you work.

The first thing you have to do is make sure you're a part of it so there's a chance it's sold to you. There always some level of hesitation and avoidance with any insurance career especially if the agency runs multiple generations deep. But once you decide to jump in it becomes a constant game of trying to wear as many hats as possible at the same time. Because that's often the life of most modest insurance agencies, but that doesn't mean you can't do fun and interesting things. That's what I talk to Cheri Martinen, of Bancorp Insurance, about all the things she's done to keep the agency in the family.

It all starts by finding an accurate way to track the estimated value of every piece of business you sell. When that happens your agency unlocks unlimited possibilities to forecast your financial future and benchmark current progress. Things like employee engagement, productivity and profitability can then become very tangible and effective part of your data strategy. Starting with that simple piece of clean data can't be underestimated, regardless of how long it takes to discover. That's what I talk to Ryan Deeds, of Assurex Global and host of the Digital Broker Podcast, about his extensive experience combining agency data.

It's amazing what can happen when you focus on creating repeatable actions that work. Things get even better if/when those actions start to happen automatically. That's when you know the only thing standing in your way is execution. The only thing you have to worry about is managing the flow to keep expectations consistent. That's what I talk to Jared Bellmund, of AllChoice Insurance, about the key he found to unlock his personal best.

When you start your insurance journey from scratch you rarely have moments of certainty. That's because you're experiencing everything for the first time and have to figure things out for yourself. There's no established legacy to lean on for support and offer experienced guidance. The only thing you have are the bold new proceses you've seen enough value from to define and repeat. That's what I talk to Adrin Monreal, of Monreal Insurance, about exactly how powerful his moment of validation was.

The process should actually start long before you find yourself needing it. When your agency is always on the lookout for the next person, you're always ready for what's next. Because then you'll have the luxury of essentially viewing their application in realtime. Having observed their career from afar you'll know excatly what they are made of. That's what I talk to Kimiko Donahue, of Everything Insurance, about how her agency got started so fast.