Hi all, this week we had the Executive General Manager, Distribution Strategy for the UAA Group, Marc Crossman.

In this episode, we hear about Marc’s journey to success, and how the Impostor Syndrome is real…and a good thing!

We also deep dive into Marc’s approach for work/life balance, which is probably more important now than ever, given how busy our industry is…and our lives are!

We did get a bit of FOMO hearing about Marc’s upcoming trip to Bali, but we pushed through it. 😊

We had a lot of fun with this one and we hope you enjoy it as well.

Hi all, this week we were lucky enough to 4 stars from Elantis Funding join us for a chat.  Those stars are Kristy Baunach, Effie Peal, Marcelle Morgan & Evangeline Tng.

In this episode, we spoke about the different  journey each person had in falling into our amazing industry.  During this chat, it reminded us that our industry can keep getting better at attracting new talent, as the phrase “black hole” was a common theme.

We also deep dived into in Elantis’ passion for Emerging Talent,  which is a great approach to bring more and better people into insurance.

We had a few deep belly laughs and played musical chairs a bit and had a ball throughout it all!

We had a lot of fun with this one and we hope you enjoy it as well.

Hi all, this week we were lucky enough to have two of the best in their field, Katrina Hickson and Hayley Morice, from Emergence.

In this episode, the gurus of Cyber insurance give some amazing hints and tips about a product that can be elusive to some brokers. Their approach cuts through the myths and awkwardness of cyber insurance, and made it easier for Millsy and I to wrap our heads around how to approach it with business owners and for personal use.

Katrina and Hayley give us some amazing stats that are truly…sobering.

We had a lot of fun with this one and we hope you enjoy it as well.

Thank you.

- Jay Hani, National Operations Manager – NTI

Hi all, this week we have one of the gurus of people and project management, Jay Hani, National Operations Manager of NTI.

In this episode, Jay shares his insights into how he approaches running a successful team within a large company, and from the start, it’s pretty clear that Jay is passionate about setting clear structures for his team. We also get an insight into how Jay recruits new team members. It’s unique and seems to work, so hopefully this is something that can help most people in business, regardless of the industry.

We also did a deep dive into how the market is changing and what effects Jay is seeing in the trucking industry.

We hope you enjoy this one…and the brief mention of Biff from Back to the Future!

Hi all, this week we were lucky enough to be greeted by the QBE Young Achiever Award, Tom Leis!

In this episode, Tom shares his journey in the insurance industry, from humble beginnings to being a successful broker. It is clear that Tom has an exceptional view on life, as he constantly thanked others around him for his success.

If you’re looking for a podcast that gives plenty of insight into how a successful broker approaches their work – and more importantly – remains a quality human being, check this out.

We hope you enjoy this one.

Hi all, today we were very fortunate to have Ben Church, GM Broker Distribution from Allianz, to give us some insight into the machine that is Allianz.

In this episode, Millsy and I deep dive into the successful performance of the portfolio with Allianz, including the different factors driving this growth.

We also hear some exciting news about the farm product hopping on Sunrise later in the year, so if you haven’t heard it already, you heard it hear first.

We finish with a blatant self promotion around the fun and benefits of the Ausure Camping Trip!

We hope you enjoy this one.

Hi all, you didn’t ask, but we still listened to you anyway, and did a simple podcast with just Millsy and me. 

In this episode, Millsy and I deep dive into what we’re seeing in the world of questionable endorsements.  This is Millsy’s sweet spot, and when you listen, you’ll understand why.

We get stuck into Underinsurance and how valuation tools are more readily available and more useful than ever before. 

We talk about the impact of Flexi Hoses on Home claims, and what to look out for with social housing tenants with landlords.

Lastly, we let the frustrations out about the upcoming Informed Consent legislation. I’m pretty sure we are reading the “insurance room” fairly accurately here as well.

We hope you enjoy this one.  

Hi all, we were lucky enough to have the estimable gents from SafetyCulture Care (formerly Mitti) come in and have a chat with us.

In this episode, Millsy and I deep dive into what is happening in one of the most unique underwriting businesses in the industry, which says a lot given we’re in the Age of Underwriters right now!

Dan and Damo give their honest take on how SafetyCulture Care have grown so large in such a little time, whilst maintaining a business model that treats brokers with an incredible level of service and respect.

Dan is especially passionate about his baby, and shares his journey as the founder of a game changing business model.

We shared a laugh or two and Millsy was nice enough to invite us into their “home” where the SafetyCulture team work. A bespoke building that needs to be seen to be believed.

Dan and Damo have a great story here and given how busy they are, we were lucky to have them in the office.

Click here for the podcast. We hope you enjoy this one.

Hi all, welcome to what will hopefully be a different type of year for our industry.  2024 took its’ toll and Millsy & I have a general plan to Make Insurance Fun Again.

To kick it off, we are excited to announce we have brought Steadfast Life to the Ausure network.  In this episode, Daniel Orrell, Chief Distribution Officer from Steadfast Life, introduces himself and what his company is doing for SME clients around Australia.   We deep dive into the similarities and differences between our industries, and how our clients can benefit from having a life insurance specialist to provide advice on the products and risk management that we can’t.  It seems clear that with the changes in legislation for Income Protection, our clients are now in a position where both Personal Accident and Income Protection are relevant for them to look at.  We also talk about the multiple products Steadfast Life can offer, including a really good discussion about Employee Benefits and Group policies.

 We spoke about changes that the Financial Planning industry has gone through over the last few years and how Steadfast Life has excelled in this time by providing a relevant service to busy SME clients while making the referral process simple and easy.

Hi all, for our final episode of the year, we thought we’d finish on a high and give you a proper star of the industry.  Unfortunately, they weren’t available…so we went even bigger!

In this episode, Millsy and I deep dive the year that was (still is…) 2024, with one of the sharpest minds in our industry.  Scott gives us his insights into how the year looked for him and what he saw happening for our reps and the industry.  We get some crystal ball action from Scott, with what he thinks is in store for 2025, and we also ruminate on what positive things we can do to close this year out and be ready to open up a new one. Thank you everyone for your support this year, Millsy and I have really enjoyed this little project.  Stay tuned for something bigger and better next year.

Hi all, in this episode we have the person with the best laugh in the industry…the estimable Jono Edwards from Point Insurance.

In this episode, we get straight into everything Accident & Health.  Jono discusses Points unique approach to Agreed Values, and their benefits to the client and the brokers.  We also talk about how the change in financial planning legislation has led to a great opening for clients and brokers to have an insurance product provided that is relevant for them.  We also deep dive into the benefits of providing more advice to clients via Accident & Health, especially for the micro SME and SME market.

If Jono’s passion about helping clients and brokers doesn’t catch you, then his infectious laughter certainly will!

We hope you enjoy this one.

Hi all, in this episode we have Bec and Bryce from Elantis, who took time during our Networking Day to have a chat with us.

We learn about Elantis and some of the projects they’re working on to help brokers provide solutions for their clients. We also deep dive into some surprising stats around the economy, as hear about what Elantis are seeing in the industry for how portfolios are funded and the potential for growth.

It seems funding is one of the last pieces in the puzzle for the client, and Elantis have some solutions to help the network with this.

We hope you enjoy this one.

Hi all, in this episode we have Daniel and Bernie from Arteva Funding, who took time out of their travels to stop in for a chat.

We learn some history of Arteva, with the merger from 3 ½ years ago through to how they’ve achieved their incredible growth.  The numbers are staggering!  We do a deep dive into what Daniel & Bernie see in the market, terms of the funding percentages and how increases can help improve broking businesses across several areas.

Arteva’s DNA is to make funding easy, which definitely comes across in the way they do business with Ausure.

We hope you enjoy this one.     

Hi all, in this episode we have the nicest hard person in claims…Mr Darren Free, who shares his insights into what he and his claims team are seeing in the market.  When we say “hard”, it’s because every day we hear how he and his team work hard to push for the best result for the client.

We also deep dive into a few “sexy” claims examples and get Darrens hot take on them, from how our brokers got an amazing result for the client, to some housekeeping areas we can all work on.

Darren has been running the Ausure Claims Department for what seems like 8 decades now, yet somehow he remains enthused with providing a service that delivers for our network.  You can hear it in his voice in this episode!

We hope you enjoy this one.     

Millsy & Mick Podcast #35 – Ellie Laidlaw & Michelle Wild

Hi all, in this episode we have the lot…and more!  Somehow we convinced our CFO Ellie Laidlaw and Finance Manager Michelle Wild, to put down their spreadsheets in mid June to come chat with us. 

We covered a fair bit on this episode, with a deep dive into Audits and how they positively affect broker operations, along with getting an insight into the time spent – and value achieved – out of the budgets.  We talk about the great Ausure-only benchmarking data we have available at our brokers fingertips, and get a look behind the curtains to see a day in the life of the Accounts team. 

Millsy & Mick Podcast #34 -  South Africa, Training Subsidy & the Ausure Camp Trip

Hi all, we’re recently back from South Africa and needed a few days to recover from a local cough…and some jet lag…and some Pinotage…

In this episode we are pumped to talk about our overseas conference and the fun we had from safaris to wine tours.  We deep dive into the Training & Promotion Programme with our partners SafetyCulture Care, Dual, UAA/Mecon and introducing Point Insurance. We also announce an exciting new extension to the training subsidy. Look out Tier 2’s!

We finish with some campfire confessions for the upcoming annual Ausure Camp trip. If you’ve been living under a rock and are not sure what it’s about, have a listen then touch base with Millsy and I. This year will be even bigger!

We hope you enjoy this one.     

G’day all,

First episode for 2024 – ‘Year of the Dragon’. For the special first podcast for the year we have been lucky enough to snare some curiosity and time from our new Marketing team member, Dana James.

We take a journey to get some great insight, into what our amazing Marketing team can do for our AR’s, what AR’s can do to enhance their brand and stand out in this competitive Broking world.   

This amazing team is doing great things so please listen in and enjoy.

Millsy & Mick

Hi all, in this episode we have an industry legend and the G.O.A.T of storytime….Mr Trent Brown. 

We deep dive with Trent about Allstate’s first play into SME Business Package insurance, along with how Allstate’s Claims and Underwriting service are differentiating themselves in the market.  We get a good Farm update and a sneak introduction to their new Livestock product.

Full disclosure…Millsy couldn’t make this one as he was busy holding the fort for most of Ausure, as he always does.  But he was there in spirit and will be back with his unique insights on our next podcast.

We hope you enjoy this one.     

G’day all,

And… we are back….

Put the kettle on, get some loose leaf Dandelion tea and sit back into this episode with CEO Glenn Ross from Mecon Insurance.

One of the nicest and most wise people in our industry and always willing to help Brokers navigate the complexities of Construction Insurance. 

We are taking an in-depth free dive with Glenn about his story and the birth of the mighty Mecon Insurance.  We also seek wise tips from Glenn on the things for brokers to look out for with Construction Insurance products.

We hope you enjoy this one.     

Millsy & Mick Podcast #30 - SafetyCulture Care with Dan Cummins

Hi all, in this episode we have an industry stalwart who used his experience and entrepreneurship to create something new in the business insurance space. 

We deep dive with Dan about his story, how he started Mitti Underwriting and how it turned into SafetyCulture Care, a business that is growing exponentially with a new approach to underwriting.  We also get a reality check on our own success, when we hear how many downloads the SafetyCulture app receives!

We hope you enjoy this one.