Tell us about your career before entering the insurance industry and how your journey led you to Smart Choice.
I consider Smart Choice and the insurance industry my third career. I have an undergraduate degree in theater, and I moved to Los Angeles to pursue film and television for about seven or eight years, with varying degrees of success. Along the way, I fell into the nonprofit sector, working with at-risk and homeless kids on Hollywood Boulevard. That experience changed the trajectory of what I wanted to do.
After meeting my now-husband, I left entertainment behind and focused on the nonprofit sector. When we moved back to the Charlotte area, I knew I wanted something different. A family member introduced me to Smart Choice, where I started part-time before moving into a full-time administrative role.
I transitioned to the role of Director of Agency Development, then began working as an inside Territory Manager in West Texas. To my surprise, I loved the TM role! I'd never considered myself a salesperson, but I realized, "I'm not a salesperson. I'm a relationship person and a solutions person” which fit perfectly with the role.
Not long after that, the then State Director of NC called and asked, "What do you think about a Territory Manager role where you're from, in North Carolina?" I took the opportunity and spent two and a half years as a Territory Manager before transitioning into the State Director role earlier this year.
What do you enjoy most about your role and the people you work with, and what kind of feedback do you receive from them?
I fully believe that our roles are meant to serve both our agents and carrier partners. I say it at least once a day, and sometimes multiple times a week: Yes, I'm here to help our agent partners, but I'm also here to help the carriers – because developing great relationships with the carriers ultimately helps the agents satisfy their clients.
I genuinely love working with both groups, as well as my Smart Choice colleagues. We have a great team in North Carolina and throughout Smart Choice, filled with wonderful individuals who help and support me. I feel really lucky to work alongside them.
Some of the agents I've recruited have become true friends as well. One agent even calls me his blessing because I helped him through a challenging transition from another network toward the end of his career. I really value that and don’t take it lightly. I think Smart Choice has become a place where he's been able to land and find the support he needed. I also truly enjoy traveling the backroads and big cities of North Carolina, meeting our agents where they are and seeing this beautiful state. All in all it’s been a dream job!
Where are new agents coming from, and what career paths are they taking before starting their own agencies?
It's really a mixed bag. We're seeing a big uptick in agents coming from the captive community, especially as the independent agency channel continues to grow in the industry. We also have producers leaving other agencies, along with people who are completely new to the industry.
I actually have two brand new agents this year who just graduated from college, and it'll be interesting to see how things go for them. I asked both of them the same question: "Why don't you go work for someone else first?" Interestingly, they both gave me essentially the same answer: "I could do that, and I understand the value of it, but I want to grow my own thing."
I think that speaks to a quality that makes agents successful: having that entrepreneurial spirit to push themselves forward and build something of their own. And I think that's a big part of why captive agents are drawn to the independent channel. They want to take control of their own careers and build something lasting that they own.
Smart Choice has been recognized as an Inc. Power Partner for its support of entrepreneurs. How does Smart Choice embody that recognition?
I think it's in our DNA, going back to when Doug (Witcher) started Smart Choice. He saw an industry that wasn't really set up for someone to just open an independent agency on Main Street. So, he created a program that gave agents a path to building their own independent agencies.
I joke with prospective agents and say, "Hey, our marketing team will tell you we're the fastest-growing agency network." But it's true! We do have the most agent-friendly contract in the industry, with no cost to get in or get out, and we give agents tools to grow their business in a way no one else does.
People ask me about competitors, and I tell them I don't think we have one because no one is doing what we're doing the way we're doing it. Other networks don't have the same programs or relationships. You're not going to find someone from those groups with our access and hands on approach, visiting your office twice a year or someone to call when you're stuck with a risk.
Insurance has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. As a woman in leadership, what advice would you give to other women aspiring to leadership positions, and how have women like Carol Drake influenced your journey?
That's a great question, and it's something I think about a lot. I don't take it lightly that I'm in a position where many other women aren't. I'm grateful to be part of a company that supports women and minorities to grow.
I think it's important to surround ourselves with women we can lean on and cheer for, that will do the same for us. I've actually become good friends with a woman at another network. We don't see each other as competition. We bounce ideas off of each other and we're genuinely lifting each other up every time we cross paths.
Carol Drake (SVP of Personal Lines at Smart Choice) is another woman I really value. When I received the offer to join the NC Team, I was told I could only share it with a few people. My first question was, "Can I call Carol?" She was my one phone call, my phone-a-friend! Her advice in that call stuck with me; I still think of it today.
She's such a steady, positive, intelligent force, and that has nothing to do with being male or female. I think the men in this company would describe her the same way. And gosh, isn't that the goal?
What was your biggest takeaway from the NAAIA (National African American Insurance Association) experience, and what advice would you give someone considering attending for the first time?
My biggest takeaway was the beauty of community, even in a business setting. It was wonderful to see the community they created and to be a small part of it.
I also had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by The Hartford that week, which they sponsored in connection with NAAIA. That was an amazing experience, too. It was an extension of the community the conference started, proving how the conference could build community that will grow long after the event is over.
For someone considering attending for the first time, I would say the same thing I said about women in the industry: You should be in rooms where you are part of a community that is lifting you up.
There's something really powerful about being in that room and sharing that space with others. It's emotional, engaging, and motivating. I imagine people left that conference feeling more empowered and ready to move forward, and I think that's the biggest reason to go.