Why I’m Jumping Back In…And Couldn’t Be More Excited
The Benefits of Taking a Breather. This past November I had an opportunity that I don’t think many people have in their professional careers. I found myself in a unique position where I was able to step back, take some time off, and reflect on the past 5 years of my career.
Why just 5 years? I group these years together because this was the time I transitioned from being a “boots on the ground” commercial insurance agent to starting Bold Penguin, a company intent on driving innovation in the industry that I had grown to know so well first hand.
At Bold Penguin, we quickly took ideas from the whiteboard to action. And in just a few short years, we implemented customized solutions for some of the largest insurance carriers and brokers in the country. The partner companies we worked with saw results immediately—and to say it was “satisfying” to see your hypothesis proved out at scale is a massive understatement. As exciting as it was, I found myself deep in the weeds, and getting further away from dreaming up ideas to solve problems. I also realized that although we were helping the big players in the space, we really hadn’t done much to help the street corner agent, the agent I used to be. That was the moment I decided to take some time off.
Looking Ahead with a Fresh Perspective. Fast forward a couple months and the stars were starting to align. I reached out to my partner Ilya and we had conversations about ideas we discussed before Bold Penguin was even Bold Penguin. It was fun to brainstorm, look back on the incredible progress that the company has made, and dream about the future problems that we still wanted to solve.
The Next Big Thing for Agencies. One of the ideas we discussed was building a true solution for the independent agency… A single screen that they can live their day in, giving them a strong advantage over their competition when it comes to commercial lines… A solution that helps agents quickly close business that comes across their desk, with the carrier that really is the best fit for the business… A solution with no more guessing at carrier appetite or wasting time going back and forth with underwriters. In this portal, everything comes built in right out of the box and is integrated with the agencies’ current systems. I always imagined this being a beautifully-designed portal with a user experience that is so intuitive that agents wouldn’t help but love using it.
The more we talked, the clearer it became that the timing was right to bring this dream to life. So, this week marks my official return to the company that I started…and I could not be more excited about the road ahead!
My excitement comes from two places:
- The Team: Being surrounded by such an amazing group of talented, intelligent people who make up the team at Bold Penguin is invigorating. And now it’s not just a few of us dreaming up ways to make commercial insurance just a little bit easier—it’s a whole “waddle” of penguins working towards the same goal everyday.
- The Dream: This probably goes without saying, but the chance to finally lead the initiative to build the tool I always wanted for myself as an agent is nothing short of a dream come true.
So if you are an agent, stay tuned! We’re going to be moving quickly, and I cannot wait to show you what are team has in the works. One thing is for certain: selling commercial insurance will be more fun and more efficient than it ever has been before.
We're stoked to have you back, Marc! It's great reading about the original vision you had for the company and seeing how that vision has paid off massively. Bold Penguin is such a unique company that creates incredible value in commercial insurance, and it's obvious. I'm proud to be a penguin!