Planting the Flag

In this premiere episode of Insuring Your Success, host Bram Bains reflects on a milestone moment — the launch of the Maverick Insurance Brokers website, celebrated with a bold 24-hour digital billboard in the heart of Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square.

Bram opens up about why this moment matters deeply, not just professionally, but personally. From the symbolism of “416 in the 416,” to the influence of creative culture, family, and legacy, this conversation explores what it means to build a brand with intention.

He shares how his philosophy is rooted in IKIGAI — the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for — and how that lens is shaping Maverick’s growth and messaging.

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In This Episode, Bram Talks About:

• Why he chose a billboard in downtown Toronto to mark Maverick’s launch

• The personal meaning behind “416 in the 416”

• How year one taught him to stay close to the ground before scaling

• His motivation behind building Maverick as a creative-first, values-driven brokerage

• The importance of bridging the gap between creatives and business owners

• Being a father and building a legacy that his daughters can be proud of

• Why creating and serving with intention matters more than performance

"I don’t want to get 20 years down the line telling my daughters they can do anything, and they ask me, ‘Well, what did you do?’ This is me living it — for them." — Bram Bains

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Connect with Bram:

WEB: www.maverickinsurance.ca
INSTAGRAM: @insuringyoursuccess

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brambains/
EMAIL:  [email protected]

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Full Transcript: 

Andrea: Ready? 

Bram: Yeah. Let's do it. 

Andrea: So this billboard launch is a huge moment for Maverick Insurance Brokers. What is seeing Maverick up on that big billboard mean to you, and why is it a significant milestone? 

Bram: t’s a very significant milestone for me personally and intentionally. I wanted to do it here, specifically at Yonge-Dundas, just to plant a flag in Toronto. It's April 16th as well. So 416, um, just my little nod to Toronto. You know, growing up for me, I spent a lot of time around creatives and photographers, videographers and artists and things like that. So I'm very used to like the hustle and the bustle and being being around, being in the city and seeing things from a creative point of view. So this is just my way of launching and planting that flag and giving a nod to the people that I've worked with through my path. 

Andrea: Awesome. So what inspired you to launch the new Maverick Insurance Brokers website with a 24 hour digital billboard takeover in the heart of downtown Toronto? 

Bram: Yeah. Great question. The website was necessary, you know, for the path that I'm on to to build the build out a brokerage. The tech was something that was absolutely necessary going through that first year, just learning the business from the ground level, learning the admin piece and how the organization moves and how the work flows in different places. So I wanted to stay really close to the ground before I integrated the website. So going into year two, out of necessity, you know, renewals are starting to come through. Plus still prospecting new business. I needed to have something to support me so I could focus on the the growth and the clients and the relationships. So working with the MIB team and Avi and integrating the quoter tool, that is going to be, you know, essential for my growth, for the brokerages growth as well moving forward. So having that in place just alignment being 416, we've got other brands that are going up as well that I'm connected to. So my wife Gurpreet, she's championing The Gratitude Company and the messaging really being 4 1 6 was Toronto, What are you grateful for? So that really set a deadline for me to execute towards and get the website in place. 

Andrea: So this campaign is more than just about insurance. So what's your bigger vision for the message that you're trying to share with this launch? 

Bram: Yes. So the message for me, I'm really pouring a lot of myself into this business and designing and creating it in a way that's in alignment with who I am as a person. So for me, a big philosophy that I believe in is the IKIGAI philosophy. And that is what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs and what you can get paid for, and just blending all of those different elements in into the insurance brokerage. I've been doing insurance now for going on 13 years, so it's the accumulation of my experiences and my relationships blended into what I can offer to the world. Service, People, Relationships, Integrity. You know, all of these things are values that I'm alchemizing and putting together into the brand. So to me, that's what Maverick stands for. Maverick is an independent thinker, somebody who is different from the crowd. And I really feel like what we're building here at Maverick is different. 

Andrea: So being in the industry for so long, what did you see that was missing in the industry that you cater with Maverick? 

Bram: Well, I don't want to necessarily say anything was missing. I just feel like it's just a, a unique, different way of offering the same service to a community, to a client base that I'm very familiar and tied in with. The creative community, those are a lot of the rooms that I move through. And from a communication standpoint I feel like I'm able to bridge that gap between the creatives versus the business and communicate and speak in a language that's received and understood, and it brings a lot of clarity.

Andrea: Just one last question, So what is being a maverick in the insurance insurance industry mean to you? And how do you hope that the spirit shines through this campaign and beyond? 

Bram: Yeah. Being a Maverick is just somebody that's willing to do things that are bold and unconventional and out of the norm. And, how it's received in the industry. I mean, We just create and we just put it out and we keep moving, how it's perceived - It will take a life of its own. But I guess for me, what motivates and inspires me is becoming a Father, having two girls, my Daughters, they look at me and and the values that I'm trying to instill in them at a young age. I really am pushing them to believe in themselves, and I try to teach them that they can do anything. So I have to just live that model for them. I don't want to get 20 years down the line and I'm preaching to them, girls, you can do anything. Be confident. And they look at me and say, well, what did you do? So in large part, this is this is me being pushed from below by my kids, just trying to make something good, something that I can build, that they can be proud of, something that I can leave for them to steward forward as well. And  I'm having fun with it. It's less about business for me. It's more about just the the joy of creating and being able to offer something of value to the communities I'm already in, the people I'm already invested in, just using my talents, my resources, my experience, and serving people at the highest level. 

Andrea: Awesome. Thank you so much.