Curtis Barton didn't take the traditional path to building a large platform agency. He convinced six agency owners to merge their businesses, raise private equity capital together, and build something that had never been done in the industry. ALKEME is now ranked 21st on the Insurance Journal top 100, with over $2 billion in premiums written, $122 million in EBITDA, and 83 acquisitions completed.

Callan Harrington sits down with Curtis to break down how ALKEME was built from the ground up, why they moved every agency onto a single integrated system before anyone was talking about it, and how they use AI today to turn account managers from reactive paper pushers into proactive mini-salespeople.

This episode is a blueprint for any agency owner thinking about what it actually takes to scale past a lifestyle business and build something that lasts.

Key topics covered:

[00:00] Intro
[01:18] Skiing teaches business adaptation skills
[04:24] Why leaders must explain change
[06:48] Building agency from zero revenue
[09:02] Lifestyle business versus generational wealth
[11:00] Constant reinvestment beats traditional playbooks
[12:36] Eight agencies merge into platform
[17:19] Roadblocks to starting agency platforms
[22:23] Pick niche then hyper niche
[25:18] Organic growth fuels acquisition capacity
[28:58] AI automates workflow from inbox
[32:16] Blind scoring acquisition targets
[36:22] Scale beats growth every time
[40:07] Maturity means leading with intelligence
[44:49] Building forever company not exit

Connect with Curtis Barton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisbarton

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