Our Agent Roundtable is something you just won’t find anywhere else. This annual event brings together our ambitious freight agents from coast to coast, for a true mastermind weekend here in Kansas City. Many agents look back to this professional development experience as a turning point in their freight careers, a time when they took their businesses from good to great.
Inspired by the success of this one-of-a-kind annual event, we took things to new heights in 2024, with our Roundtable 2.0. Uniting both newer agents and veteran agents with million-dollar books, this weekend was unlike any other. Agents enjoyed all the panel discussions and resources of past roundtable events with dedicated presentations and training on expanding and leveling up your freight brokerage!
Learn more about this incredible event, and see how the Roundtable makes Tallgrass a true destination brokerage for agents who want to thrive.
Day One: A Celebratory Kick-off
One priceless aspect of the Roundtable is a camaraderie. There’s just something about networking with agents who have been in your shoes (or are in your shoes!), swapping stories and sharing strategies. So we like to kick off our Roundtable events with some good old-fashioned connection, inviting our agents to a happy hour at the office of one of our freight brokerages. We welcomed our agents from all over the country to our roots here in Kansas City and gave them the chance to enjoy good drinks, good snacks and good company!
Day Two: Elevating Our Veteran Agents
After giving everyone a chance to settle in the evening before, we launched the first day of Roundtable 2.0 with presentations and sessions curated for veteran agents who have already attended a Roundtable in the past and were hungry for even more in-depth insights and strategy. All of these agents share a commitment to excellence, whether they’re a one-person agency, looking to make their first hire or even grow a multi-million dollar freight agency. (Even our first-ever agent at Tallgrass, who has been with us from the early days, was present!)
“Building Blocks of Marketing” Presentation
The day started with an impactful presentation on the “Building Blocks of Marketing” by the founder of our marketing partner The Connection Shop, Sarah Koci Scheilz. Sarah coached our agents on how to build a strong brand, develop an effective communication strategy and create a targeted social media plan — emphasizing the importance of marketing for expanding a freight business!
Business Strategy Sessions
Next up were our business strategy sessions, which helped freight agents learn how a strategic vision can elevate their success. Facilitated by Tim James, an expert coach certified in the EOS Model, topics included understanding why the right people are crucial to a sustainable, thriving agency (something our large agency owners understand!), using data and KPIs to empower future success and defining your agency’s core values and culture.
With growing a team top of mind for many of these seasoned freight agents, much of the session involved strategic planning for an essential team. Agents learned how to define their ideal team members and attract ideal team members to further grow their companies, and worked to create a three-year picture of where they want their agency to be.
Breakout Sessions
After the marketing and business strategy talks, freight agents took the time to review, discuss and refine their goals and strategies with one another in breakout sessions. This was an opportunity for freight brokerages of all sizes to compare strategies and share best practices, empowering each other to future success. As agents shared with each other, they refined their plans and developed initiatives to fuel growth.
Day Three: Finances and Panel Discussion
The third and final day of Roundtable 2.0 was built for agents with a variety of tenures, from those who recently launched their agencies to those with more than a decade of expertise. This day was the most similar to how Agent Roundtable events have been in the past, with a session on financial planning followed by a panel discussion with some of our best and brightest freight agents!
Financial and Tax Planning as a Business Owner
Because all of the agents at Tallgrass Freight are independent freight brokers, they need to know the ins and outs of running their own business rather than being a W2 employee as many have been in the past. Presenters from Leonard & Leonard, as well as Renaissance Financial, walked our agents through everything they need to know about smart financial practices as an independent contractor, especially for those who hire on and expand their freight brokerage as an LLC. They covered essential finance and tax planning topics including:
- Building a “floor” for your business (including insurance needs, buy/sell agreements, etc.)
- Pros and cons of different retirement accounts (Roth, Traditional, 401(k), etc.)
- The significance of estate planning
- Strategies to protect your wealth and assets
- And what to expect when working with a CPA, attorney, financial planner and other financial professionals
Freight Agent Panel Discussion
Finally it was time for the highlight of the Roundtable event: the panel discussion! We invited some of our most successful veteran freight agents to share how they got their start in freight and how they reached where they are today. These agents addressed high-level concepts, like betting on yourself as an entrepreneur and being confident in your career, as well as boots-on-the-ground specifics like their hiring processes and compensation structures.
Each panelist had different experiences to draw from, sharing stories of resilience and bouncing back from challenges. They shared plenty of advice they wished they had early in their careers to avoid common freight hurdles, and detailed the different paths they each took to get to Tallgrass. All in all, Roundtable 2.0 would not have been possible without these incredible agents who made it a valuable experience for everyone!
Don’t Miss Our Next Roundtable!
Roundtable 2.0 was a rousing success, and we cannot wait for our next agent event! You deserve a company that invests in your career like we do. If you’re considering making a career move to Tallgrass as your freight brokerage, there is no better time than right now. Learn how you can become an agent at Tallgrass so you can be in the room at our next Roundtable!