We Insure

The U.S. insurance industry presents a fundamental challenge that frustrates millions of consumers every year: the choice between the personalized service of an independent agency and the technological infrastructure and scale of a large captive carrier. Consumers who want access to multiple carriers, competitive pricing, and real human guidance often find that independent agents lack the back-office tools and support systems to deliver a seamless experience — while captive agents offer strong infrastructure but only one carrier's products. Philip Visali, a former captive agent who lived that tension firsthand, founded We Insure in 2009 in Jacksonville, Florida, with a specific answer to that problem: build an independent insurance franchise model that combines the carrier breadth of an independent agency with the operational and technological muscle of a captive system. The result is a franchise concept that now operates across more than 200 locations in 36 states, serving more than one million policyholders. The company is privately held, with Visali serving as CEO alongside Co-CEO Deb Franklin, Chief Development Officer Chris Pflueger, and Franchise Sales Consultant John Henning rounding out the leadership team. The We Insure franchise has earned consecutive recognitions from Franchise Business Review, including a 2022 Top Franchise designation, a Top 100 Low-Cost Franchise ranking in 2020, and a Top 200 Best Franchises to Buy ranking in 2021. The brand has also appeared on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list and has made the Inc. 5000 list three separate times — signals of sustained revenue growth at the corporate level. For franchise investors evaluating the insurance brokerage category, We Insure represents a structurally differentiated model in a large, recession-resilient, and highly fragmented market. This analysis is independent research, not promotional copy — the goal is to give prospective investors the unvarnished facts needed to conduct serious due diligence.

The U.S. insurance brokerage and agency industry is one of the largest and most durable sectors in all of financial services. The domestic property and casualty insurance market alone generates hundreds of billions of dollars in annual premiums, with the broader insurance distribution market representing a multi-trillion-dollar ecosystem. Independent insurance agencies and brokerages account for an estimated 36% of all personal lines premiums written in the United States, and that share has been growing steadily as consumers increasingly demand carrier optionality and price comparison. Several powerful secular tailwinds are accelerating demand for independent insurance distribution. Rising homeowners insurance premiums driven by climate-related loss events have pushed consumers to shop their coverage more aggressively, creating an ideal environment for multi-carrier brokerages that can present alternatives. Auto insurance rates have surged in recent years due to elevated repair costs, supply chain disruptions in vehicle parts, and increased litigation frequency — all of which motivate consumers to compare quotes across multiple carriers rather than accept a renewal from a single captive agent. The aging U.S. population is simultaneously driving demand for life, health, and Medicare supplement products, categories where independent agents have a structural advantage over single-carrier captive models. The franchise model in insurance distribution is relatively underpenetrated compared to categories like food service or retail, which means early-stage franchise investors in concepts like the We Insure franchise are entering a category that has substantial room for franchise-model market share expansion. The competitive landscape in independent insurance distribution remains highly fragmented, with the majority of independent agencies being single-owner operations with fewer than five employees — a structural dynamic that benefits franchise systems capable of aggregating carrier relationships and delivering shared back-office infrastructure at scale.

The We Insure franchise investment is structured as one of the more accessible entry points in the financial services franchise category. The initial franchise fee is $50,000, though historically We Insure has offered the fee at a range of $25,000 to $50,000 depending on the period of entry. Veterans receive a 10% discount on the franchise fee, reducing the upfront cost for qualifying military applicants. Total estimated initial investment ranges from approximately $44,000 to $137,000, with various sources citing the range as $44,445 to $136,945 — a spread that reflects meaningful variability in office setup choices, leasehold improvement decisions, geographic market differences, and the franchisee's choice between a home-based or traditional office format. The low end of this investment range makes the We Insure franchise cost one of the more accessible in the financial services category, where many competing franchise concepts require total investments exceeding $200,000 to $500,000. The itemized investment breakdown provides meaningful transparency: office rent ranges from $500 to $2,000 per month, leasehold improvements span $0 to $15,000 depending on space condition, furniture and equipment runs $1,000 to $5,000, exterior signage costs $300 to $3,000, and licenses and permits add $500 to $2,000. The branding package is a fixed $815. Working capital for the initial three-month operating period is budgeted at $15,000 to $52,500, which is the primary driver of the investment range's upper bound. Ongoing fees include a royalty structure described as variable, with some sources citing $600 to $1,000 per month as the royalty fee, alongside a 3% national brand advertising fund contribution. A monthly technology fee of $400 for the first user and $225 for each additional user is also part of the ongoing cost structure, along with an Agency Management System License Activation Fee of $200 to $400 at launch. The total cost of ownership at the low end — near $44,000 — is exceptionally lean for a franchise operating in a $400-billion-plus insurance distribution ecosystem, which is a core part of the brand's positioning as a low-cost franchise investment with access to an enormous addressable market.

The We Insure franchise operating model is built around a clearly articulated division of labor that the company describes as a "you sell, we service" framework. In practical terms, this means franchisees and their agents are focused entirely on customer acquisition, quoting, and policy sales — while a dedicated corporate service team handles the administrative, back-office, and policy servicing functions that typically consume 30% to 50% of an independent agent's time. This operational architecture is a meaningful differentiator: by offloading claims follow-up, policy changes, billing questions, and carrier communications to a centralized support infrastructure, We Insure agents can theoretically maintain a larger active book of business per producer than a traditionally structured independent agency. The franchise provides franchisees with access to a wide network of carriers across personal lines, commercial lines, and life and health products, giving franchisees the ability to compete on price and fit rather than being constrained to a single carrier's offerings. Training is available at the corporate level, with franchisees receiving operational, IT, service, and marketing support. The technology stack is supported through the monthly technology fee structure, which includes access to the Agency Management System that serves as the operational backbone of the franchise. Territory structures are defined within the franchise agreement, providing geographic boundaries that protect franchisee investment in local market development. The model accommodates both owner-operator franchisees who are licensed agents themselves and those who hire licensed producers to staff their agencies, giving investors flexibility in how they structure their business. The brand's expansion into 36 states as of 2024, with the largest concentration in the South at 170 franchise locations, reflects a geographic footprint that is growing but still concentrated — meaning available territories in underserved markets remain a realistic opportunity for new franchisees entering during this phase of the brand's national expansion.

Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document for the We Insure franchise, meaning prospective franchisees cannot source average unit revenue, median revenue, or profit margin data directly from the FDD. This is a critical fact for any investor conducting due diligence — the absence of Item 19 disclosure places a greater burden on the franchisee to independently verify unit-level economics through franchisee validation calls and conversations with existing owners. That said, several indirect signals provide useful context for evaluating We Insure franchise revenue potential. The insurance brokerage industry's average revenue per independent agent is well-documented: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and industry surveys consistently show that a moderately productive independent insurance agent writing personal and commercial lines can generate $100,000 to $250,000 or more in annual commissions, while top-performing agencies generating significant premium volume can reach seven figures. Commission structures in insurance brokerage typically range from 10% to 15% of premium on personal lines and higher on commercial lines, meaning that a franchise location writing $2 million in annual premium could generate $200,000 to $300,000 in gross commission revenue before expenses. The brand's claim of serving more than one million policyholders across 200-plus locations implies an average of approximately 5,000 policyholders per location — a meaningful active book of business if maintained and grown over time. The We Insure franchise's rapid unit growth — from 140 reported units in 2017 to over 200 by 2024, with a 55% increase in franchise agency footprint in 2020 alone — is a positive demand signal, as franchisees do not continue opening locations unless the underlying economics support the investment. Prospective investors should request audited Item 19 data directly from the franchisor and conduct structured interviews with at least 10 to 15 current franchisees across different markets before making a capital commitment.

The We Insure franchise has demonstrated a consistent and accelerating growth trajectory over its 15-year operating history since its 2009 founding. The brand expanded its franchise agency footprint by 55% in 2020 alone, a remarkable rate of unit growth achieved during one of the most economically disruptive years in modern history — suggesting that the demand for insurance products is genuinely recession-resilient and that the franchise model withstood a major stress test. From a reported 140 total units in 2017 to over 200 locations across 36 states as of 2024, the brand has added net new locations at a meaningful pace. Specific recent market openings document the geographic diversification strategy: New Jersey in June 2021, Miami, Florida in January 2022, Frisco, Texas in April 2022, Sarasota, Florida in July 2022, West Palm Beach, Florida in May 2023, and Plantation, Florida in May 2021. Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware are all identified as priority expansion markets, indicating corporate investment in carrier appointment infrastructure and local market support resources in these geographies. The brand's competitive moat is built on three structural elements: aggregated carrier access that a solo independent agent cannot replicate, a centralized service infrastructure that reduces the cost of operating a competitive agency, and a recognized franchise brand that carries marketing weight and consumer trust in local markets. We Insure's third appearance on the Inc. 5000 list confirms sustained corporate revenue growth, which matters because franchisor financial health is a direct determinant of the quality of support franchisees receive. The brand's technology investment — reflected in the monthly technology fee structure and the Agency Management System at the core of operations — positions it competitively as insurance distribution increasingly moves toward digital quoting and online policy management tools.

The ideal We Insure franchise candidate is a professionally oriented individual with either an existing background in insurance sales or a strong aptitude for relationship-driven financial services sales. Because the franchise model requires producing licensed insurance agents to generate revenue, the franchisee must either hold their own property and casualty license or hire licensed producers — meaning the business is not a passive investment and requires active management of a sales-oriented team. The brand is actively accepting inquiries from prospective franchisees in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas — states that represent a mix of high-growth Sun Belt markets and underserved Midwest and Mid-Atlantic territories where independent insurance distribution has significant room to grow. The South region currently accounts for 170 of the brand's franchise locations, establishing a proven playbook for what market conditions drive franchise success in that geography. Multi-unit ownership is a realistic ambition within this model, as the back-office support infrastructure reduces the marginal complexity of operating additional locations once the franchisee has mastered the carrier relationships and sales process. Given the total investment range of $44,000 to $137,000 and the accessibility of the initial franchise fee — with veteran discounts available — the capital requirements are low enough that a franchisee could theoretically fund a second location before their first reaches full maturity.

The We Insure franchise presents a genuinely differentiated investment thesis within the broader insurance distribution industry, and it warrants serious due diligence from investors evaluating the financial services franchise category. The combination of a $44,000 to $137,000 total investment range, access to a multi-carrier independent agency platform, a corporate service team that handles back-office administration, and a brand that has grown from a single founder's vision in 2009 Jacksonville to over 200 locations and more than one million policyholders represents a coherent and scalable franchise model. The Franchise Performance Index score of 55 on the PeerSense platform reflects a moderate rating — not a best-in-class mark, but a signal that the brand has credible operating fundamentals worth investigating further. The absence of Item 19 financial performance disclosure in the FDD is the single most significant caution flag for prospective investors, and it should be addressed directly during franchisee validation before any capital commitment is made. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools that allow investors to evaluate the We Insure franchise against every competing concept in the insurance brokerage and broader financial services franchise category. The PeerSense platform aggregates independently sourced performance data that is not available through franchisor marketing materials or broker-represented franchise sales channels, giving serious investors the analytical foundation they need to make an evidence-based decision. Explore the complete We Insure franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.