What’s the origin story of your business?
A recruiter from Farmers Insurance saw my resume and reached out to ask if I wanted to open up an agency. I said “ no but I’m listening”. So I talked to my dad, who was an agent for 40 years before he retired, to see if it was legit and to see what he knew about Farmers Insurance. After talking to my dad, I was thinking about the job but I still wasn’t sold. I was going to a karaoke night at a pub with my best friend and I started listing off everything I wouldn’t want to do at the job. Then I started talking about all the benefits that can come from it. My friend was a good friend and let me talk and I ended up talking myself into liking the job.
What’s an obstacle that you’ve had to overcome to build your business?
Learning everything about a business from how to get payroll setup to how to hire, keep, and train staff as well as learning all the nuances within insurance itself. You gotta know all there is to know on how to be properly educated yourself to properly educate your clients. The continual education has been not necessarily a struggle, it has been a welcomed challenge. I love growing and learning so it’s been fun to constantly every day learn something new and how to better help and assist not just myself or staff in the industry but even my clients. Every day I’m better equipped to help them make proper choices for themselves.
What is unique about owning and running a business in Murfreesboro?
Just the fact that we’re in Rutherford county and all that the community here brings to the table. Business owners that I’ve come across are very welcoming to the community of being a business owner, they were very encouraging and they’re not too reserved to help give you a negative truth to help you succeed. They’re not very selfish with the successful tactics they have learned. Their eager to have another person be successful in this community. Not to take away from the individual family units we have here but the opportunities we have for employment in the area come from the intention that was put forth in making these opportunities a part of Rutherford county as companies come and join this area.
As a business owner, what keeps you up at night?
All the things I have to do tomorrow. Being a new business there is always something new to be done and always something to look forward to whether it’s, how am I going to close this next deal or who am I going to meet with to build a new relationship to help foster a referral partnership. If I don’t get business from you I have at least helped empower you to do business properly to help take care of our neighbors. If my neighbor is winning, I’m winning because of the community. I am naturally incentivized to be a trusted resource to everybody. Of course, I gotta make a dollar but as long as I know that it’s a good healthy balance. So every night I’m thinking what am I going to do tomorrow to better my business and to better my community.
What’s one thing you’d say to a person starting a new business?
Join Rutherford county chamber of commerce. That really is a great resource to be involved in this community. You build rapport and trust by being present. Just being consistently present, that shows your commitment to yourself as well as the community. The more you support others the more support that will come back to you, this is not a karma thing, this is how society works, this is how humanity functions. If you are receiving positive things from somebody you are naturally inclined to return with positive things. Be open-minded to learn all the things you have to learn, it’s a never-ending chain of events that will teach you wonderful things. Don’t ever think something is a failure, it’s just a learning opportunity.
