---
title: Navigating Family Dynamics in an Independent Insurance Agency
description: Learn how several family-run HawkSoft agencies navigate family dynamics amid building a thriving agency.
image: https://blog.hawksoft.com/hubfs/Family%20Dynamics%20header%20-%20sm.jpg
---
- [Home](http://hawksoft.com/)
- [Product](https://www.hawksoft.com/agency-management-system/)
- [Agency Management System](https://www.hawksoft.com/agency-management-system/)
- [Feature Tour](https://www.hawksoft.com/agency-management-system/tour/)
- [Service That Delights](https://www.hawksoft.com/agency-management-system/wow/)
- [Conversions](https://www.hawksoft.com/agency-management-system/conversions/)
- [Why HawkSoft](https://www.hawksoft.com/why-hawksoft/)
- [Agency Stories](https://www.hawksoft.com/stories/)
- [About Us](https://www.hawksoft.com/about/story/)
- [Our Story](https://www.hawksoft.com/about/story/)
- [Core Values](https://www.hawksoft.com/about/core-values/)
- [Leadership](https://www.hawksoft.com/about/leadership/)
- [Partners](https://www.hawksoft.com/about/partners/)
- [Careers](https://www.hawksoft.com/about/careers/)
- [Support](https://www.hawksoft.com/support/)
- [Contact Support](https://www.hawksoft.com/support/)
- [Submit Support Ticket](https://www.hawksoft.com/support/ticket/)
- [Join a Support Session](https://www.hawksoft.com/support/join/)
- [System Requirements](https://www.hawksoft.com/support/system-requirements/)
- [Download Center](http://download.hawksoftinc.com/)
- [Resources](https://www.hawksoft.com/guides/)
- [Carrier Downloads](http://hawksoftinc.com/agency-management-system/carrier-downloads)
- [HawkSoft University](https://www.hawksoft.com/university/index.html)
- [HUG (HawkSoft User Group)](https://www.hawksoft.com/hugs/index.html)
- [Referral Program](https://www.hawksoft.com/referrals/index.html)
- [Shows & Conventions](https://www.hawksoft.com/shows/index.html)
- [Guides & Brochures](https://www.hawksoft.com/guides/index.html)
- [Contact Us](https://www.hawksoft.com/contact/)
- [Blog](https://hawksoft.com/blog/)
## [HawkTalk Blog](https://blog.hawksoft.com/)
## Industry insights for independent insurance agencies
[](https://www.hawksoft.com/)
[October 21 2026](https://blog.hawksoft.com/navigating-family-dynamics-in-an-independent-insurance-agency)
- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)
[No Comments](https://blog.hawksoft.com/navigating-family-dynamics-in-an-independent-insurance-agency#comments-listing) [industry topics](https://blog.hawksoft.com/topic/industry-topics), [agency management](https://blog.hawksoft.com/topic/agency-management)
# Navigating Family Dynamics in an Independent Insurance Agency
[](https://blog.hawksoft.com/navigating-family-dynamics-in-an-independent-insurance-agency)
It’s no secret that many independent insurance agencies are family-run businesses. Working alongside a spouse, parent or child, or other family member can be one of the most rewarding parts of agency life, but it also brings its own unique challenges.
We talked to four family-owned HawkSoft agencies to get their insights and advice on building a strong business with family members:
- **Dirk and Beth Ziegler** (spouses) of Ziegler Insurance in California
- **David and Grayson Carothers** (father and son) of Florida Risk Partners
- **Dee and Jackie Zampella** (mother and daughter) of EAB Insurance Group in New Jersey
- **Megan Ashmead Pacella and Kim Ashmead Leyens** (sisters) of Ashmead Insurance Associates in Pennsylvania
Here's what they've learned about bringing family into the agency, helping them thrive, and planning for the agency’s future.
In this article
- [Help family members find the best entry point](https://blog.hawksoft.com/navigating-family-dynamics-in-an-independent-insurance-agency#entry)
- [Find the right fit for their role](https://blog.hawksoft.com/navigating-family-dynamics-in-an-independent-insurance-agency#fit)
- [Separate work from the relationship](https://blog.hawksoft.com/navigating-family-dynamics-in-an-independent-insurance-agency#separate)
- [Plan for perpetuation](https://blog.hawksoft.com/navigating-family-dynamics-in-an-independent-insurance-agency#perpetuation)
- [Enjoy it!](https://blog.hawksoft.com/navigating-family-dynamics-in-an-independent-insurance-agency#enjoy)
## Help family members find the best entry point
Some family members know early on that they want to join the family business. Grayson Carothers was six months into a job at Publix when he called his dad, David, to ask what it would take to join Florida Risk Partners.
Others arrive by surprise. Dee Zampella was an art major who stepped in when her mother had health problems, and quickly found it was a great fit for her. Her daughter, Jackie, had a similarly unexpected arrival after leaving a job that wouldn’t allow her to take the time she needed for a medical recovery.
Either way, the families agree that joining the agency shouldn’t be a golden ticket; family members should understand what they’re committing to and be willing to work their way up at the agency while learning the ropes. David had Grayson continue to work at Publix first to learn customer service, then let him get his feet wet editing the agency's videos and podcasts, which helped him learn about the industry while building his skills.
He wasn’t the only one who started at the bottom. Dee got her first agency experience cleaning the bathrooms at 16. Kim Ashmead Leyens did ride-alongs with her sister Megan's business partner to learn about the job before committing. When Jackie started, she made a point of learning claims, quoting, data entry, and bookkeeping so she would never ask staff for something she didn't understand herself.
> *“I came into the office and had to clean the bathrooms twice a week. That was my job as a 16-year-old. So everybody here saw me work my way up.”*
>
> *Dee Zampella*
## Find the right fit for their role
Once family members are in the door, the next step is finding where their strengths and interests can thrive. For Grayson, that meant starting narrow with a specific niche: he worked exclusively on monoline umbrella policies for solar panels before later expanding to home and auto. David feels this prevented Grayson from being overwhelmed by learning all lines of business at once.
At Ashmead, Kim started in commercial lines. Megan was juggling agency management with her own personal lines book and had been turning away referrals, and realized Kim could help her there instead. Kim soon found she preferred the relationship building aspect of personal lines. Dee had a similar realization: Jackie came on to sell, but she quickly proved strong at operations and HR.
Here’s how the agencies helped their family members learn and thrive at the agency.
**Look for complementary strengths**
The strongest family partnerships balance each other out. The families recommend looking for ways each person can play to their strengths. For example, Dee calls herself a big-picture thinker and admits she starts projects she doesn't finish. Jackie is detail-oriented, and staff often ask her to nudge her mom to finish something she promised weeks ago.
Megan describes herself as type A and quick to react, while Kim brings levity and pauses to see a situation from every angle. David credits Grayson with a patience for frustrated personal lines callers that he says he lacks.
> *“A lot of times I start a project and don’t finish it, and she \[Jackie\] takes me by the neck and says, okay, sit down. We’re going to get this done. It’s got to be done by Friday.”*
>
> *Dee Zampella*
**Empower evolution**
A family member coming from another industry often brings fresh perspective, new experience, and an understanding of the rising generation. This can help the agency continue to grow and evolve to better serve clients.
When Jackie came to the agency, was surprised to find they were still faxing applications and relying on paper. She introduced DocuSign, e-fax, VoIP softphones, and Teams channels, and within two months staff couldn't imagine going back. Dee and Jackie also worked together on moving the agency to HawkSoft from their prior management system.
At Florida Risk Partners, David has been helping Grayson build out technology, automations, and carrier offerings to support Grayson's private risk division.
**Help them build their network**
It can also be helpful for family members to build their own industry relationships and networks independent of each other, so they have a community to rely on even if family members come and go.
David brought Grayson to industry conferences so he could grow his own network, giving him people to lean on in addition to his dad. “I’ve got a pretty robust network across the country of people that are a heck of a lot smarter than I am, that he can lean on and have relationships with to ask questions and have an outlet other than me,” David says. “If I was the only one that he could go to, that would put a lot more strain on our relationship.”
The Zieglers made a conscious effort to give Beth equal visibility as Dirk in panels, conferences, and community work, which helps the community see them both as involved agency owners.
> *“She \[Beth\] never used to go to conferences. She goes to every conference now… it helped her meet new people, see new technologies, gain that knowledge.”*
>
> *Dirk Ziegler*
## Separate work from the relationship
Things can get messy when the people you work with are also your family, especially if you’re going home together at the end of the day. Here’s how these agencies recommend separating business from personal matters.
**Define responsibilities clearly**
Resentment can build if responsibilities are unclear or one person feels controlled. Make sure each family member has a clearly defined role with their own responsibilities. The Zieglers enlisted the help of a business coach to figure out how best to formally split the work between them, which resulted in Beth overseeing personal lines while Dirk took on commercial lines and benefits.
> *“I was open to the idea \[of having Grayson join\], but it came with rules. And I wanted to make sure those rules were clear and defined in the very beginning.”*
>
> *David Carothers*
**Leave work at work; be family at home**
Preserve home time for being family, so work doesn’t muddy the waters outside the office. Jackie admits that talking shop at family dinners can get her a kick under the table from Dee. Becoming empty nesters made it harder for the Zieglers to focus on things aside from the business, so they developed individual hobbies that helped them carve out some time for themselves (golf for Dirk and book club for Beth). They also make sure to take vacations to get an occasional break from the office.
For David, the stakes are personal. A negative experience partnering with his own father shaped how he approached bringing Grayson on. "It forced me to probably be the most deliberate and intentional in anything I've ever done inside the agency," he says. While work may still come up at home, he makes sure it doesn't define their relationship.
> *"It forced me to probably be the most deliberate and intentional in anything I've ever done inside the agency to make sure that the father-son relationship is as separate as it can be from the professional relationship."*
>
> *David Carothers*
**Foster respect, trust, and good communication**
Each of the families point to honest communication as the glue. Megan feels self-awareness is crucial in a partnership, saying “you need to know where you may fall short, or maybe you’ve made a mistake.” David says admitting your mistakes promptly is crucial, because leaving them unaddressed can plant seeds for bigger blowups later.
“Communication is huge,” Beth says. “You can’t keep everything inside.” Dirk adds, “you’re going to make some mistakes and it’s okay. Learn from them and move forward.”
## Plan for perpetuation
Family agencies have a built-in succession advantage, but it still takes planning and intention to make sure the family legacy continues. Dirk recommends getting all family members at the agency licensed so the business isn’t entirely dependent on one person. "You need to make sure that if something happens to somebody, the other partner has a clue on what to do," he says.
Talking openly about the future helps, too. The Ashmeads had a runway of five or six years for the ownership transition, and Megan and her partner talked through worst-case scenarios to ease the weight of carrying a 60-plus-year legacy. David says his peace of mind comes from knowing Grayson will be okay no matter what, and his younger son, Landon, is now following in his footsteps.
Don't be afraid to enlist outside help from your network. Dirk shares he’s lined up four or five fellow agency owners Beth can call for help with the business if something ever happens to him.
> *"You need to make sure that if something happens to somebody, the other partner has a clue on what to do."*
>
> *Dirk Ziegler*
## Enjoy it!
For all four families, the hard work pays off in time spent together. Kim says the best part is simply getting to work with one of her best friends. For Megan, the feeling is mutual. "It is the honor of my life to get to run this agency and to have a family member be here," she says.
Jackie loves walking into rooms where people know and admire her mom, who blazed the trail before it was common to see women as agency owners, and Dee loves being able to see her grandson more. Beth values a partner who understands how crazy the industry can be, and Dirk has enjoyed watching her confidence grow to the point that she now spots problem roofs on weekend drives.
David says he's proud of Grayson's accountability, and Grayson sees his work as an investment in something bigger. "If I'm going to work hard at any job,” he says, “why would I not work hard toward something that's going to benefit my family and my future?"
| ### Watch our podcast series on family dynamics Check out the episodes from each of the families in this piece on HawkSoft's Insurance Perspectives Podcast! - [Dirk and Beth Ziegler](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_nB4OLRnqc&list=PL4QI5P2PqOwrTmfPKxZWNI0AtseGSyMN7&index=19) - [Megan Ashmead Pacella and Kim Ashmead Leyens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpXGXPYLqhc&list=PL4QI5P2PqOwrTmfPKxZWNI0AtseGSyMN7&index=20) - [Dee and Jackie Zampella](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHEPc5BMeHo&list=PL4QI5P2PqOwrTmfPKxZWNI0AtseGSyMN7&index=21) - [David and Grayson Carothers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BQydUvfopI&list=PL4QI5P2PqOwrTmfPKxZWNI0AtseGSyMN7&index=22) |
| --- |
### Author: Rachel Stauffer
Rachel is the Content Manager at HawkSoft, where she focuses on creating engaging content for the independent agent community.
[industry topics](https://blog.hawksoft.com/topic/industry-topics), [agency management](https://blog.hawksoft.com/topic/agency-management)
Previous post: [The Intake Blueprint: A Practical Workflow for Reducing Rework ](https://blog.hawksoft.com/the-intake-blueprint-a-practical-workflow-for-reducing-rework)
Search this site on Google
Search
### archives
- [partner content (73)](https://blog.hawksoft.com/tag/partner-content)
- [HawkSoft news (70)](https://blog.hawksoft.com/tag/hawksoft-news)
- [industry topics (68)](https://blog.hawksoft.com/tag/industry-topics)
- [Automation (45)](https://blog.hawksoft.com/tag/automation)
- [insurance perspectives podcast (27)](https://blog.hawksoft.com/tag/insurance-perspectives-podcast)
### Follow Us
-
-
-
### you might also like
[How to Implement AI at Your Independent Insurance Agency](https://blog.hawksoft.com/how-to-implement-ai-at-your-independent-insurance-agency) [Read More](https://blog.hawksoft.com/how-to-implement-ai-at-your-independent-insurance-agency)
[The HawkSoft Help Portal: Your New All-in-One Help Resource](https://blog.hawksoft.com/help-portal-introduction) [Read More](https://blog.hawksoft.com/help-portal-introduction)
**Address**
1230 SE 3rd Ave
Canby, OR 97013
**Phone**
866-884-4680
**Hours**
Monday – Friday | 6:00AM – 5:00PM
Pacific Standard Time
[© Copyright 2017 HawkSoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved.](https://www.hawksoft.com/)