How A Young-at-Heart Agency Owner Reached New Heights with Unwavering Resilience & Agency Network Support
As a pilot, a heart transplant patient and the owner of a multimillion-dollar independent insurance agency, Sam Khair knows that the sky’s the limit. With Smart Choice network as his partner, he has survived challenging times. Now, he and his daughter are taking the Khairing Agency to new altitudes.
Challenge #1: Going Independent
Sam opened the Khairing Agency in 2019. At that time, he had already owned a captive agency for 13 years and had decades of insurance experience under his belt. Still, he wasn’t entirely prepared for the challenges of being completely on his own.
His biggest motivating factor for choosing to go independent was so he could offer his clients more choices. However, he soon discovered that securing carrier access wasn’t easy, and could very well be a make-or-break factor in his success.
“I found out it was very difficult to get contracts with carriers unless you’ve had some kind of independent book,” Sam says.
Although he had plenty of insurance experience, he didn’t have an independent book, so he needed another way to access carriers.
Challenge #2: Selecting a Network Partner
Sam knew he needed to join a network to access carriers, but found he had multiple options to choose from, and knowing the right one to choose proved difficult.
“I talked to many, and there were some I would’ve considered,” Sam admits. However, Elizabeth, his contact at Smart Choice, stood out. “Elizabeth was genuinely nice. She made it easy for me. She provided the documents. She answered all my questions.”
In the end, Elizabeth’s hard work and great attitude convinced him to choose Smart Choice.
Of course, Sam considered the business aspects of the network partnership, too. “You didn’t have to pay money upfront,” Sam says, explaining that this was something he found very attractive. He also liked that he could earn 100% of his commissions after reaching a paid commission cap. He was planning to aggressively grow his agency, so the commission cap made a big difference in his long-term projections.
Challenge #3: Heart Transplant
As a newly minted independent agent, Sam started with $0 in premiums. “I think the first six months, I wrote $200,000, and the next year went to $400,000, then it went to $800,000,” Sam said.
His book of business kept doubling.
Then he had to go into the hospital for a heart transplant. He was in the hospital for around six months, and he assumed his business would decline as a result, but he was wrong.
His daughter, Gail, had joined the agency by this time, and when Sam had to take time off for his health, she took over. She’d been working at State Farm before, and although Sam wasn’t able to help her learn the ropes at his agency, she applied her previous experience and made it work. When Sam went into the hospital, his book of business was at $800,000. By the time he was discharged, it was up to $1.2 million.
He’s now written around $3 million in premium, and he also has a new lease on life.
“I’ve got a 28-year-old heart,” Sam says. “I’ve got more energy than anybody else!” he adds.
Challenge #4: Hard Insurance Market
It’s a challenging time for the insurance industry, but Sam succeeds with determination and perseverance. When asked how he differentiates his independent agency, Sam said, “We call people back.”
It’s a simple thing, but Sam has heard that other agencies aren’t doing it. “People are being put off by insurance agents, auto shops and other services. We don’t do that - we call people back,” he says. If a prospect texts the agency, Sam texts back. If he’s not available, he lets them know. Most of all, he never leaves people without answers.
He also leverages online marketing. The Khair Insurance Facebook page has 1,900 followers and 1,800 likes – impressive for an independent agency. “My daughter does a great job with the marketing,” Sam says.
Smart Choice helps, as well. For example, Sam has been able to take on more commercial business, and his Smart Choice connections have helped with that. “With Smart Choice, one of our biggest carriers is Travelers,” Sam explained, “and we were able to run a lot of business with them, so it helps a lot.”
Facing the Future with Confidence
Running an independent agency can be difficult, but Sam is optimistic, young-at-heart, and up to the challenge.
Before Sam’s heart transplant, he was a licensed pilot. He lost his license because of his procedure, but in spring of 2023, he got it back. According to a FOX 5 article on him, it’s rare for pilots to regain their license after a heart transplant, but after a lengthy medical evaluation, the FAA ruled that Sam was safe to fly.
With the confidence, determination and positive attitude needed to overcome a heart transplant and return to flying, it seems like nothing can stop Sam.
Looking forward, Sam plans to take his agency to new altitudes. “I want to get to $10 million,” he says, adding that he might retire at that point and let his daughter run the agency.