I disagree with you and @BADTROUT . When you buy a franchise, you buy a system. If you want to do and figure it out on your own, nothing is stopping you. If you buy a McDonald's you go to Hamburger Univ, you do it their way, why? Because it works. I will say this, and I can tell from your posts you won't agree but that is fine, if you think you are going to open a captive agency and they are not going to tell you what to do, you are sorely mistaken. If you think you are going to go inde and its going to go smoothly, you are sorely mistaken. There is a reason that insurance is the largest section of the "proverbial" yellow pages (LOL, they don't really exist anymore but my point is still the same). I am not saying GH doesn't have issues, but this is "as you perform so shall you prosper" mechanics which is more than I can say about state farm, allstate and farmers. Those were choices I checked out before settling on this. AND this isn't my first rodeo. So, do what fits your budget and conscience best. But if you go into this looking to "put a nail in the coffin" it won't be hard to find... for any business model. Good luck.
You're comparing apples and oranges. People buy Mcdonalds franchises because of the name, not the process. I bet you couldn't find 1 person in 1,000 who would recognize the name Goosehead or Brightway, and there are plenty of designations you can get that are cheaper than that franchise fee and more useful in your practice.