Hi, I'm
Michael Buhrt.
I spent 22 years as a Farmers agent before I sold my agency in 2024. Now I help captive agents do what I wish I'd done sooner — grow with systems, not just hustle.
Michael Buhrt
Founder, Prospect Connection
From 22 years in the trenches
to building the system I always wanted.
For 22 years I sat in the same chair you do today. I built my Farmers agency from the ground up — quoting auto policies on the phone, walking new homeowners through their coverage at the kitchen table, training producers who would later run their own offices, and trying to keep up with the mountain of leads, renewals, and follow-ups that comes with every captive agency.
Early in my career I earned the Blue Vase Award — Farmers' recognition for new agent excellence. Over the years that followed I made Topper's Club and was named a Championship Agent. On paper, I was doing it right. Behind the scenes, I was doing what most captive agents do — outworking the chaos.
"I loved my clients. I loved watching my staff grow into careers of their own. But I knew there had to be a smarter way to run a captive agency than sticky notes and willpower."
In 2024 I sold my agency. Not because I'd lost the love for the business — I hadn't — but because I'd quietly fallen in love with something else along the way: marketing, technology, and automation. I'd spent the last several years of my career experimenting with the tools and systems most agents never get the time to learn — and watching what those systems did to my numbers, my retention, and my own quality of life, convinced me that this was what captive agents had been waiting for.
That experiment became Prospect Connection. I built it for the agent I used to be — the one losing leads to the 5-minute cliff, missing renewals because my CSR was buried, and working weekends to keep up with the follow-up. The system I always wished someone had handed me.
Today, my favorite part of my work isn't writing policies anymore. It's helping other captive agents grow their books, get their evenings back, and finally stop drowning in the chaos. If you're a Farmers, Allstate, State Farm, or American Family agent — I've sat in your seat. I know exactly what's slipping through the cracks, because it slipped through mine for years.
22 years, condensed.
💙 Blue Vase Award
Recognized as one of Farmers' standout new agents. Learned that the agents who win early are the ones who build process before they build a book.
⭐ Topper's Club + Championship Agent
Joined the top tier of Farmers producers. Built a multi-producer office, mentored new agents in the district, and developed a passion for the back-office systems that actually drive growth.
🤝 Sold the Agency
After 22 years, sold my Farmers agency to a buyer who'd carry on for my clients and team. Closed one chapter — and opened another.
🚀 Founded Prospect Connection
Built the AI automation engine I wish I'd had as a captive agent. Now obsessed with helping Farmers, Allstate, State Farm, and American Family agents grow their books — without the burnout I lived through.
Three things drive my work.
Helping Agents Win
I know what it feels like to be buried by your own success. My favorite outcome is an agent who finally gets their evenings — and their numbers — back.
Systems Over Hustle
I spent 22 years out-hustling broken processes. Then I learned: the right system installed once will outperform the hardest-working producer every single month.
Family First
My wife, my three daughters, and the life we've built together is the reason any of this matters. I help agents reclaim time because I know exactly what that time is worth.
Off the clock.
Because if you can't talk about your family, your hometown, or your weekend hobbies — what are we even doing?
My Crew
A loving and supportive wife, three amazing daughters — two in college and one in high school. Best part of every day.
Minnesota Roots
Grew up in Minnesota — which means I bleed purple and gold and know my way around a frozen lake. You can take the kid out of MN…
Hockey + Vikings
Lifelong hockey fan and a Vikings believer through every heartbreak. SKOL forever — even from the desert.
Golf (Just Not in July)
Love a long summer round of golf — though if you've ever played in an Arizona summer, you know that's not a Phoenix activity.
Now in Arizona, Always Minnesota
I traded blizzards for cactus and never looked back — except in July, when I'd happily fly straight back to a Minnesota summer evening on the lake.
I'm not a tech bro
selling you software.
I'm a former captive agent who spent 22 years living the exact problem I now help solve. I've answered the 4:52 PM Friday call, sweated the renewal that should have been called weeks ago, and watched leads die in an EZLynx queue overnight.
When we build your automation, it's not theory — it's the system I would have killed for as an agent.
22 years inside the captive system
Farmers contracts, corporate leads, district expectations — I lived it.
Championship-level production
Topper's Club + Blue Vase + Championship Agent. I know what works.
Built specifically for captive agents
Farmers, Allstate, State Farm, American Family — not generic CRM fluff.
Real conversations, no scripts
Talk to me directly. No SDR funnels, no sales theater.
I built my Farmers agency the hard way. I sold it the proud way. Now I help other captive agents grow theirs the smart way — with the system I always wished someone had handed me.
Want to talk shop?
If you're a captive agent and you'd like to swap stories, talk systems, or see what we'd install in your office — book a call. I personally show up to most demos.
15 minutes • No pressure • No obligation