Rich Bales - Independent Insurance Agent

Rich Bales - Independent Insurance Agent Helping business owners and homeowners make confident insurance decisions—by understanding risk before buying coverage.
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Rich Bales helps business owners and homeowners protect what they’ve built through a modern, process-driven approach to insurance. Insurance should not be rushed, reactive, or reduced to price alone. Too often, people don’t find out their coverage is wrong until a claim exposes the gaps. Rich works differently—starting with clarity, not quotes. For business owners and clients with layered exposure

s, Rich uses a structured risk review process to uncover hidden gaps, stress-test existing coverage, and ensure insurance actually aligns with how a business or household operates in the real world. For others, the right solution is simplicity, efficiency, and reliable protection—without unnecessary complexity. Regardless of size or scope, the goal is the same: clear understanding, intentional coverage decisions, and long-term confidence in the protection in place. Based in Iowa and serving clients across the Midwest, Rich works with individuals, families, and business owners who value clarity over convenience and strategy over transactions.

04/24/2026

Quick heads up for anyone who likes free grills.

We’re doing a random drawing for a free Blackstone prize pack and have made it easier than ever to get entered!

How is how to get entered :

Leave Avanti Group a Google review: 1 entry
Follow my business account on social media: 1 entry
Home, auto, life, or disability referral: 3 entries
Commercial referral: 10 entries

Every entry goes into a random drawing. More referrals, better odds. Simple as that. They don’t need to purchase a policy, simply give us enough information to have us a send a quote, and they are in!

Referral link is attached in my bio, or shoot me a DM to have it sent directly. Important piece: tell anyone you send to mention your name. If they don’t, we can’t credit you, and you’ll miss the entries you earned.

Winner announced Monday, May 25. Good luck.

04/24/2026

Quick heads up for anyone who likes free grills.

We're doing a random drawing for a free Blackstone prize pack and have made it easier than ever to get entered!

How is how to get entered :

Leave Avanti Group a Google review: 1 entry
Follow my business account on social media: 1 entry
Home, auto, life, or disability referral: 3 entries
Commercial referral: 10 entries

Every entry goes into a random drawing. More referrals, better odds. Simple as that. They don’t need to purchase a policy, simply give us enough information to have us a send a quote, and they are in!

Referral link is attached in the comments to share. Important piece: tell anyone you send to mention your name. If they don't, we can't credit you, and you'll miss the entries you earned.

Winner announced Monday, May 25. Good luck.

04/08/2026

Most business owners spend years building something remarkable and almost no time thinking about what happens when they’re ready to walk away.

Yesterday we fixed that for a room full of them.

We brought together an exit planner, a financial advisor, an estate planning attorney, and me for a few hours of real, practical conversation about what it takes to exit well and protect what you’ve built getting there.

The exit planner laid out what your actual options look like, what’s quietly dragging your EBITDA down, and why this conversation needs to happen long before you think it does.
The financial advisor got into what an exit really looks like on paper and how to make sure the number you sell for is the number you actually keep.
The estate planner covered entity structures, because wrong setup costs more than a bad deal sometimes.
I talked through what real risk management looks like as a business scales and eventually transitions, because most owners don’t know what they’re exposed to until it’s too late.

The room was locked in. Business owners left with clarity they didn’t have walking through the door.

Next one is already in the works.

Want a seat? Message me now.

03/27/2026

80% of businesses never sell.

Not because the owner didn’t work hard. Not because the revenue wasn’t there. Because the business couldn’t survive without the person who built it.

That’s not a sellable business. That’s a really expensive job.

Between the four of us, we sit across the table from business owners every single week. An exit planner, a wealth advisor, an estate attorney, and a commercial insurance broker. Different seats. Different conversations. But we keep watching the same thing happen.

Owners building real companies with no clear picture of what they’re actually worth, what would happen if they needed to sell tomorrow, or whether the people and assets around them are protected enough to make an exit actually work.

That’s why we put this together.

April 7th at St. Kilda Collective in West Des Moines, Jeremy Vos from Exit Factor walks through what drives your valuation and what quietly kills it. Jacob Olson from Harvest Point covers how to build your financial plan around the exit, not after it. Noah Ridgway from HGKR handles the estate and legal structure most owners don’t think about until it’s a problem. And my piece covers the risk management side, because none of the rest of it works if the business isn’t protected along the way.

This is for business owners doing $1 million or more in revenue who want real answers, not a pitch.

25 seats. Half a day.

April 7, 10AM to 2PM

St. Kilda Collective
333 5th St, West Des Moines

Register here: https://bit.ly/ExitPlanningReg

I cut a ribbon this morning in the town that made me who I am.Pella, Iowa. Where I went from 1st grade to graduation cap...
03/25/2026

I cut a ribbon this morning in the town that made me who I am.

Pella, Iowa. Where I went from 1st grade to graduation cap. Where people know your name, your parents’ names, and probably what you ordered at the Dutch bakery last Tuesday.

My daughters July and Vienna were standing right next to me when the scissors hit that ribbon. July held on a little tighter than I expected. Vienna just wanted the giant scissors.

The Avanti Group is officially open in Pella.

We protect what matters most to the people who live and work here. Whether that’s your business, your home, or the vehicles your family depends on every day. And we do it differently than what this town has probably seen before.

While most brokers send a renewal and disappear, we run automations behind the scenes tracking your rates in real time. When the market shifts and your premium is about to climb, we already know. You don’t get a surprise bill. You get a phone call before the problem shows up.

Business owners, homeowners, families putting everything into building something here. You deserve an insurance partner who’s actually paying attention.

To everyone who showed up this morning, signed that ribbon, and welcomed us home, this one meant more than you know.







RibbonCutting

03/16/2026

Happy 3:16 Day! 🤣

One year ago,  made a decision that most people will never make.He bet on himself.He stepped into an industry where ther...
03/12/2026

One year ago, made a decision that most people will never make.

He bet on himself.

He stepped into an industry where there are no guarantees, no salary waiting for you, and no easy path to figuring it out. Just opportunity… and a lot of pressure.

That first year can test you.

There are long days. Moments where you wonder if you made the right call. Conversations that don’t go your way. Weeks where the results don’t match the effort.

Most people don’t realize how uncomfortable that stretch can be.

James stayed with it.

And that’s the part that has me excited about where he can go from here.

If someone can push through year one in this business, the ceiling changes. Confidence starts to build. Relationships deepen. Momentum starts to show up where it used to feel like pushing a boulder uphill.

Year one is about proving to yourself that you belong in the arena.

The next years are where things start to get really interesting.

James, I’m proud of you for making the jump and sticking with it when it would have been easier not to. I’m excited to see what you build from here.

If you know James, shoot him a message today and congratulate him on surviving year one.

That’s a big deal.

desmoinesbusiness betonyourself

03/09/2026

Think you run a top 10% business?

Still question it.

Think you’re the best at what you do?

Surround yourself with people who will challenge that too.

The fastest way to stall in business is believing you’ve already figured it out.

This past week I sat in a room with business owners willing to put their teams, their numbers, and their strategies on the table and let others challenge them.

That’s where real growth happens.

The goal isn’t comfort.
The goal is getting better.

If you’ve been looking for a room like that, let me know. I might be able to point you in the right direction.

mastermind desmoinesbusiness midwestbusiness executiveleadership

Address

5700 Merle Hay Road
Johnston, IA
50131

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