Andy NearyI help insurance professionals turn brand awareness into business growth.

Ancillary rep or employee benefit consultant? Which has more upside?

20 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief excerpt, Andy Neary reflects on his early career conversation about why many professionals don’t gravitate toward brokerage roles despite their advantages. He contrasts the broker side—where agents are close to the action, can build an entrepreneurial book of business, enjoy recurring revenue, and have direct client impact—with the carrier/ancillary side, which he likens to selling commodities, offering many options but lacking personal business ownership and requiring a yearly reset. Neary emphasizes that the broker path provides sustained, recurring income and a more meaningful client relationship, making it a compelling long‑term career for those seeking entrepreneurship within the insurance industry.

Chapters

I remember being a rookie and asking one of my mentors, why would we not all want to be brokers? That seems like the— that seems like a good gig. A broker's— a few things. Being a broker allows you to be closer to the action. You know, when you're on the carrier side, you're very much— I always said we're like selling commodities. Like, there's always— there's a ton of options. You're not as close to the action. You're not really building a business of your own. You start over every year, which again, I think it's a great career. And I, and I tell a ton of people, if you can be blessed enough to get in the ancillary insurance business, it's a great gig. And I could have done it the rest of my life. I just wanted something that was more entrepreneurial, building a book of business, having an impact on clients directly. And then, and again, not starting over every year where you actually have a, you're building a book of business and it's recurring revenue. And so there was a number of reasons.