Joining a Cluster for Carrier Access

[FloridaStartup]

I am thinking about starting my own commercial brokerage here in Florida and am wondering if anyone on here has used a cluster to get carrier access at first. Specifically a situation where you pay a fee or a % of revenue for access to the carriers that the cluster contains.

Has this been successful for you?
What was the cost?
Were you able to seek direct appointment at some time?
How hard is it to get appointed as a new agent, to the general big carriers (hardford, cna, travelers, etc).


Thanks ahead of time.