Back in 2020, when our team had a few chance conversations with a handful of bolt access members, we realized we had some pretty powerful testimonies. Thankfully these guys agreed to tell us more.

So meet Ricky who owns The Ricky Ledford Insurance Agency in Texas. Ricky has spent 11 years as a captive agent and has been independent for just over a year now – working on both personal and commercial lines. He’s been with us as a member since December 2014.

This is his story.

"I’m one of those people who doesn’t buy into marketing hype. I work hard and I respond to results. So let me start by telling you this. Last summer alone I placed $300,000 of business that would have otherwise been missed, thanks to bolt access. That’s just one of many stories I could tell you.

Thanks to bolt access, I’m also able to maintain a bind ratio of 26%. In fact, I now write about 20% of my new business through the bolt access platform.  

I guess it’s fair to say that my original reason for signing up was ease of access and ease of doing business. Let’s be honest, clients are hard to get and hard to keep. bolt access makes it so much easier to not only win those clients but retain them too.

I have experience on both sides of the coin – captive and independent. It’s a very personal decision to go independent and I think part of that decision comes down to having the bravery to step out alone. But here’s the thing: with bolt access, you’re actually not alone. The support and expertise are built-in so I still feel like I’m part of a bigger team. On a personal level, that’s really rewarding.

If you’re in any doubt, I’d say to think of bolt access as a really smart tool to supplement your business. It enables me to focus on what I do best: build relationships and sell great insurance deals. The profits now speak for themselves – and those profits are all mine. I feel super proud of what I’ve built up.

Joining bolt access was one of the best decisions I made. Ultimately, if you or your agency needs easy access to the best markets, this is the place for you!"