Podcast
Wolf of Property Casualty
Hosted by Derek Laczniak · EN
The commercial property and casualty industry is desperate for a fresh voice. This podcast features a 15 year industry retail broker who grew a book of business to over $4M in commission but faced personal struggles and bad decisions, essentially the rise and fall of a 1% producer. The podcast aims to attack P&C concepts in a short format aimed at three target audiences - Brokers, Insurance Carrier Representatives, and Insurance Buyers. Authentic, real talk, from someone passionate for the business.
29episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Work Comp Endorsement I Wasn't Batting 100% On
3d ago00:09:50Tap to summarizeA conversation with a former customer reminded me of a mistake I made more than once in mt broking career — not consistently securing the alternate employer endorsement on staffing arrangements. We break down why a waiver of subrogation alone isn't enough, walk through a real injury scenario at "ABC Manufacturing," and explain why this endorsement matters even more outside states with strong workers' comp protections like Wisconsin.
Transcribe →How I Cut a $150M Distribution Client's Business Income Limit to $3M (Legally)
1w ago00:11:20Tap to summarizeMost buyers — and plenty of brokers — treat business income as a mystical number pulled from a worksheet. In this episode, we explain a niche but powerful strategy specific to value-added distribution companies: valuing inventory at selling price instead of cost, and using that to right-size (and often shrink) your business income and extra expense limits. Includes real client numbers, carrier pushback you should expect, and the coinsurance/agreed value details that make it work.
Transcribe →Claiming the News: Taylor Farms, False Positives, and Explosive Diarrhea
2w ago00:10:45Tap to summarizeTaylor Farms voluntarily recalls lettuce. The FDA confirms contamination. Then walks it back as a "false positive." Taylor Farms keeps recalling anyway. In this Claiming the News breakdown, we unpack the coverage triggers hiding inside this real, unfolding claim — voluntary vs. mandated recall language, the reimbursement-policy trap, and an "adverse media coverage" trigger most brokers have never actually seen paid out. If you touch food manufacturing, distribution, or product recall placements, this one's for you.
Transcribe →Commissions to Convictions: Putting Your Boot In Your Mouth
2w ago00:09:19Tap to summarizeThis episode reflects on impulsivity — the moments where words fly out before they're thought through, and the real cost of that habit. From an unwitting insult to my father's legacy, to a comment that mortified me in front of our CEO, to words twisted in a courtroom, this episode draws the line between being bold and being reckless with your words.
Transcribe →Call The Baby Ugly: 5 Things To Do With Carrier Declinations
2w ago00:14:27Tap to summarizeThe soft market is producing more marketing activity — and more declinations, as carriers hold their underwriting line instead of chasing growth. We break down five things every broker should do with a "no," from documenting the real reason in writing to using declinations as leverage for future submissions. If you're just logging "declined" on your marketing table and moving on, you're leaving value on the table — for your client and for yourself.
Transcribe →Pigs Get Fed, Hogs Get Slaughtered: Structuring Fee Agreements with KPIs
3w ago00:09:16Tap to summarizeSoft market got you eating commission cuts on every renewal? We break down how to build KPIs and bonus structures into your fee agreements — from captive quoting to shared-savings clauses — so you get paid for the work you're actually doing.
Transcribe →Commissions to Convictions: Condescension Kills Culture & Confidence
3w ago00:09:46Tap to summarizeCondescension doesn't announce itself — it hides in tone, in dismissiveness, in the small ways people remind you where you stand. A subtle exertion of power that doesn't just deliver a message, it delivers a reminder that you're a notch below. From a guard who wouldn't bend the rules just because he "didn't want to," to a moment I raised my hand in a room of executives and got laughed off instead of heard, this episode is an honest look at condescension from both sides — as someone who's received it, and someone who's dished it out. Because the damage isn't in being told no. It's in being made to feel small for asking.
Transcribe →Retrospective Rating Workers Compensation Explained In Plain English
3w ago00:19:14Tap to summarizeIn this episode we break down retrospective rating in plain English. You'll learn the difference between guaranteed cost and loss-sensitive programs, how basic premium and loss funding work, the difference between incurred and paid-loss retros, when these programs make financial sense, and the hidden negotiation opportunities that many brokers overlook.
Transcribe →Commissions to Convictions: Learning My Lines - What Acting Taught Me About Sales (and Surviving Jail)
4w ago00:08:57Tap to summarizeThis episode breaks down the one sales skill nobody talks about — treating your job like a performance, not a con. From reading a room to holding a consistent character through three months in jail, this episode reframes "acting" as discipline, not deceit.
Transcribe →What Is a Maquiladora? Cross-Border Manufacturing Insurance
Jul 600:15:24Tap to summarizeYour US insurance policy doesn't cover your "rented" Mexico plant — and the Mexican government made sure of it. This episode breaks down maquiladora structures, the locally admitted insurance requirement, and the one relationship every buyer needs on the ground before a claim.
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