Can I Scale My Insurance Agency Without Losing My Culture?

This week in Insurance Town, Mayor sits down with longtime friend and fellow insurance leader Heath Barnett, co-owner of Legacy, for a conversation about growth, culture, ownership, and building a business people actually want to be part of.

Heath Barnett is an insurance agency leader and co-owner of Legacy. After beginning his career in the captive insurance world, Heath transitioned into the independent channel and helped build Legacy into a multi-state insurance organization.

His leadership philosophy centers on developing people, creating opportunities for ownership, giving local leaders autonomy, and building an organization where professional success doesn’t have to come at the expense of family and the things that matter most.

Heath’s story starts in Memphis, Texas, where he grew up around agriculture, small-town relationships, and a family Farmers agency. After working alongside his grandfather and eventually purchasing the agency, Heath began seeing opportunities beyond the captive model. That journey ultimately led him into the independent insurance world and to what has become Legacy—an organization that has grown to roughly 250 people across multiple states.

But this episode isn’t simply about getting bigger.

It’s about how you grow without losing who you are.

Heath and Mayor talk about the importance of training agents to understand what they are actually selling instead of competing on price alone. They dig into what the captive world can teach independent agencies about carrier training and development, why Legacy intentionally recruits coaches and teachers, and why the right culture can become one of the strongest recruiting and retention tools an agency has.

They also get into ownership, succession planning, producer autonomy, burnout, family priorities, faith, and creating an organization where people have the opportunity to build something of their own.

If you’re an agency owner thinking about growth, recruiting, producer development, culture, or succession, there are plenty of nuggets in this one.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Insurance Town

03:21 – Meet Heath Barnett