How a Family Insurance Brokerage Pulled Off a Clean Succession (Without the Drama)
When Success Creates Its Own Problems
After decades of building a thriving insurance brokerage, the founder was ready for the next chapter. Two family successors were ready to step up. One would take over Personal Insurance. The other would lead Group Benefits through an eventual sale.
But the reality is, after so many years in business, nothing was actually separate. The two divisions shared everything. Same brand, same systems, same client database, same team. Try splitting that cleanly without breaking something valuable. The founder wanted a three-year succession that would honor client relationships, avoid family drama, and create a proper separation between the businesses.
The challenge? Doing it without the chaos that typically comes with family transitions.
What We Did
Switch Advisory came in as Fractional COO for 4 months to support the most critical phase of the transition. We structured the work into four parallel tracks:
1. We turned vision into an actual plan.
The founder knew what she wanted, but we needed concrete milestones, ownership structures, and timelines. We facilitated workshops with the founder and both successors to map the three-year journey, backed by legal and operational planning.
2. We carved out the two businesses.
This was the trickiest part. We had to separate Personal Insurance and Group Benefits without disrupting clients or diluting the brand. We drafted a Shared Services and Brand License Agreement that spelled out who could use what, quality standards, data ownership, and the transition plan off shared assets.
3. We executed the Personal Insurance transfer.
We created a deal blueprint and risk registry, prepared due diligence materials, and developed a communications plan so clients and carriers experienced a smooth transition.
4. We prepared Group Benefits for sale.
We implemented weekly syncs, monthly ops reviews, and quarterly OKRs. We reduced founder dependency and brought in the right partners (new bookkeeping firm, digital transformation advisor) to improve scalability.
What Changed
- The succession plan went from hopeful conversation to documented roadmap with legal backing.
- The brand was protected through explicit licensing terms and quality controls.
- Data ownership got crystal clear with documented separation plans and privacy compliance.
- Clients experienced zero disruption through carefully designed communications.
- The Personal Insurance transfer happened without chaos using milestone-based checklists.
- Group Benefits started operating with real structure instead of running on the founder's knowledge.
- We built a risk registry that kept the team calm and proactive when bumps came up.
The Result
By week ten, the Personal Insurance book was fully transferred. The two businesses were operating in parallel with clear boundaries. The founder shifted from bottleneck to mentor. The Personal Insurance business now runs independently under the first successor. Group Benefits operates with its own cadence and a clear path toward sale.
Most importantly, the business operates by design, not by default.
The Bottom Line
In 120 days, this family business went from vague intentions to concrete execution. The founder's legacy was documented and protected. The successors got set up to thrive independently. Sometimes the best succession isn't about dramatic change. It's about thoughtfully untangling what's been built so everyone can move forward with confidence.
