--- title: How Bowling Relates to Insurance Agency Growth description: Has your insurance agency reached a growth plateau? If so, it's time to learn to throw a hook! image: https://www.tonycaldwell.net/hubfs/Stock%20images/Pins%20at%20the%20end%20of%20a%20bowling%20alley.jpeg --- [![Logo - TC](https://www.tonycaldwell.net/hubfs/Tony%20Caldwell/Logo%20-%20TC.png) ](https://www.tonycaldwell.net) - Type - Topic January 30, 2014 # How Bowling Relates to Insurance Agency Growth Blog, entrepreneurship, strategy - [**](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/bowling-2) - [**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/bowling-2&text=How%20Bowling%20Relates%20to%20Insurance%20Agency%20Growth) - [**](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/bowling-2&title=&summary=&source=) - [**](mailto:?&subject=https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/bowling-2&body=https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/bowling-2) Sometimes we have to start over because the way we are doing things doesn’t work as well as it should.  Or could. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you may recall that the genesis of it was a conversation I had with a partner who said his agency was “stuck” at $3 million dollars and wanted to grow to $5 million dollars.  My answer to him was do twice as much of whatever it is that got you to $3 million. While that works, I was reminded recently of my experience with bowling in college. As a teenager I bowled with friends quite a bit. I was pretty good by the time I got to college, scoring around 200 most of the time. So, when the bowling instructor taught everyone how to bowl with a hook I wasn’t interested. After all I was better than everyone else, so why change? You already know what happened.  Everyone else caught up and then passed me by.  That was frustrating!  You already know what the coach said too: “Learn something different. Something better. Start over and learn to throw a hook.” Well, starting over was very frustrating!  I got a lot worse pretty quickly.  > **But as frustrating as learning an entirely different way to play the game was, it wasn’t as bad as losing.**  Guess what?  I got a lot better and eventually began to win again!  This time with scores substantially higher than the average I had before.  Why does this matter to an agency owner?  Hopefully, the answer is obvious.  We all need to adapt and change at different points in our careers and the development of our businesses in order to continue our progress.  Have you gotten to a plateau? Learn to throw a hook! [Tony Caldwell Tony Caldwell is a modern “renaissance man,” who is not only immensely successful in the field of insurance, but is also a writer, children’s advocate, mentor and even a licensed pilot. Always keen on helping others make their dreams come true, Tony and his team have helped independent agents grow into more than 250 independent agencies. This has made OAA the number one ranked Strategic Master Agency of SIAA for the last 5 years, and one of Oklahoma's 25 Best Companies to Work for. Tony loves to share his knowledge, insight and wisdom through his bestselling books as well as in free mediums including podcasts and blogs. Tony and his family are members of Crossings Community Church, and he is very active in community initiatives: he’s chairman of It’s My Community Initiative, Inc., a nonprofit working with disadvantaged people in Oklahoma City; and chairman of the Oklahoma Board of Juvenile Affairs., and he has served through many other organizations including the Salvation Army, Last Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Rotary Club. In his spare time, Tony enjoys time with his family. He’s also an active outdoorsman and instrument-rated commercial pilot. ](https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/author/tony-caldwell) 1 minute read ## Recent Posts ### [Plant The Garden You Won't Live to See](https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/plant-the-garden-you-wont-live-to-see) Plant the Garden You Won't Live to See What Le Notre Knew About Building Institutions That Outlast Their Founders Here is a question most builders never ask themselves out loud. ... ### [Overcoming Insurance Industry Challenges](https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/insurance-industry-challenges) Those of us who own insurance agencies are no strangers to industry challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic brought several of the latest issues racing to the forefront as individuals ... ### [The Future of Digital Trends in the Insurance Industry](https://www.tonycaldwell.net/blog/digital-trends-in-insurance-industry) The times, as they say, they are a’changing! 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