You've read about successful InsurTech start-ups, but when was the last time you read about a highly successful insurance agency start-up?

There are many insurance agency owners under 40, but most are family legacies, notes Zack Gould, co-founder of G&N Insurance. Along with his business partner, Matt Naimoli, the pair built their agency from the ground up. While G&N is only seven years old, as Naimoli explains, if the number of their speaking engagements is any indication, they're already viewed as thought leaders.

Gould and Naimoli were captive agents at a large carrier when they decided at age 26 to branch out on their own. They started from scratch in 2010 with no clients, one carrier and a shoe-box-size office. "We had a burning desire to be the best and the vision to transform a historically slow-moving, reactive industry," says Naimoli.