What Is BenZen?
Most insurance agencies are built around numbers. BenZen was built around people.
We are a health insurance media and technology company.
Benefits. Easy.
Individuals, families, small business owners deserve more than a policy and a phone number.
Who We Are
My name is Ted McNeil, independent insurance broker and founder of BenZen Insurance.
I started this agency because a few people told me I couldn’t do it.
And because health insurance was too complicated.
That’s how it was for my family.
Purpose Driven
The company wasn’t built from a sales playbook. It was built from personal experience — and necessity.
I navigated the system trying to help my dad and little brother fight diabetes. They both lost that fight.
When the stakes are that high, you learn fast how overwhelming it can be.
People aren’t looking for plans or policies. They’re looking for someone who actually gives a damn.
That became the foundation for BenZen.
No Choice
I’m not an engineer. I never had a tech team or a development budget.
What I had was a problem to solve and enough stubbornness to figure it out.
Building this pushed me into automation, CRM, content management and AI — not because it was fun, but because I couldn’t afford to hire anyone to do it for me.
Every piece exists for a reason: less time in the weeds means more time actually helping people.
Just a guy with a vision.
Agents, Brokers & Partners
BenZen came from zero — no book of business, no agency backing, and no budget.
Seven days a week. Missed dinners and soccer games.
Self-taught and certified across every tool in our stack:
- HubSpot
- Zapier
- Gemini AI
What came out the other side is a system that generates consistent inbound traffic with no paid advertising, an efficient back office, and a blueprint for building a lean and agile agency from scratch.
If you’re building something on your own, I know exactly where you are.
You’ve got two options: learn to build it or hire someone. One costs time, the other costs money.
Now what?
I talk to agents that want to plug in to our system. Others want to build their own.
If this resonates, let’s talk.
Building BenZen
This page is part of an ongoing story — not a finished one.
BenZen is still evolving. The systems, the team, the reach.
Going forward I’ll share what I’m learning along the way — the wins, the losses, and the lessons from building a modern independent agency from the ground up.
Stay tuned and follow me on social:
Ted McNeil
Owner, Founder & Principal Broker
BenZen Insurance
An Independent Agency