This article originally published on InsNerds.com
Choosing a career is a lot like trying to choose a movie. You should be intrigued enough by the potential plot and projected outcome to buy a ticket, especially since movie tickets are so expensive these days! Similar to how weekends always feel fleeting, and committing time to a movie is a big deal, you only have so much time to build a career. While you may not invest as much time into picking a movie, a career can take months or years to choose. That was the case with me and insurance.
My sales career had taken me to Downtown LA first. I was estimating and managing office moves, sometimes for large Fortune 500 companies. I tried to read the tea leaves though. Companies and people are moving less and less belongings. Real Estate is always a big sexy game, but the door seemed extremely crowded, so that didn’t seem like a viable option. A wise friend clued me into the merits of the insurance industry. Every real estate deal needs insurance, which, as a salesman, sounded like a dream. Not only does the real estate have to be insured, but the liability does, products do, even the healthcare policies of the employees at the office are something you can cover.
Nowadays, I am on the personal lines side for day to day outbound calls and I work with a team on commercial leads I get through my network. None of that probably sounds too exciting on the surface. But, I am part of an industry that is already working with Bitcoin, Cannabis and Drones. Also, I’m watching the old guard of paper and pen battle the dreaded #insurtech, companies that use technology to try and edge out brokers. This job will never get old, there’s plenty of money in it, and I think there’s still a huge opportunity for young brokers that don’t fear the changes but rather want to leverage tech for their office’s benefit.
You can get tired of one vertical and build another. You can design niche websites, or participate on Facebook group message boards helping whole communities stay protected. Plus, everything you see needs insurance, and depending on your set-up, you usually get paid on your deals every year. The possibilities are endless on how you can engage and protect your community through being an insurance agent, and it is a product that I think is handled best by trusted advisers.
I wasn’t born into a family with independent wealth, or one that was in the insurance industry. I’ve covered just about the extra need I have had (outside of shelter and school, thank you mom and dad!) since I was 16. I have worked retail, as a busboy, at a church as a youth pastor, coached basketball, broken down office work flows for a document management company, as well as planned the relocation of hundreds of employees at a time. Insurance is a great progression of the responsibilities I have been given so far. It is awesome dealing with small business owners, trying to wrap myself around their operations, and I appreciate the opportunity to give honest advice to cold call customers from tougher neighborhoods, rather than just pushing a policy.
At this point my rant on why I love insurance could just sound like dollars and cents, but the bigger reason why I like insurance is because, when setup right, it protects the businesses and people you care about. I don’t want somebody under-insuring my friends or contacts, and in their greatest moment of need they’re hung-out to dry. I want my community to be taken care of in good times and bad.
I want to help people, I have a desire to make a great income, and I want flexibility in my life. Insurance is looking like an excellent fit so far. Plus, a lot of people in the industry are going to be retiring, and being an insurance agent is a career that has limitless potential. I am enjoying learning insurance from the ground up. A lot of people rip on millennials but most of the ones I know are hungry to learn and earn. We hit the world (2009) when there were zero jobs. Finding a career as ubiquitous as insurance, with a virtually zero unemployment rate felt great.
The numbers behind the business are interesting too, since, at it’s core, insurance is a group of people pooling money through an organization that guarantees to pay a claim in the event of a covered loss. The mechanics behind how insurance companies stay solvent are fascinating. I wouldn’t pretend to be a numbers guy (an actuary in industry speak) who could get it all. I simply go down this rabbit hole to say some insurance companies are more well covered than others, and I want to put my family, friends and network with the best protection I can, or intelligently inform them about the decisions they are making.
All of this is to say insurance is a great industry with tremendous opportunity and upside. I am glad I stumbled across a group of professions with such a unique way to contribute to their communities. When setup properly insurance keep the movie of society playing, I am proud to be a part of the industry.
Brett is an insurance broker in California.
