Possibly Starting New Independent in South Florida

[JessicaP]

Hey all, recently I have had an offer thrown into my lap that I feel I can't refuse. Someone has offered to finance me to start an independent agency from scratch. I have been in insurance sales for about 7 years now, and in the industry since I was 15. Stunned by the offer, I have just started to research what it takes to open an independent in my area. If I decide to do this my plan is to specialize in P&C at first, and eventually get into financial later on down the road. I plan to focus on small businesses and standard auto and home. I'm confident in my sales experience, and have always been a hard worker, but have no experience in running a business. I guess that is what is scaring me. After reviewing this forum, I can see many people have a lot of knowledge and experience in the insurance industry and agency management. I guess I am looking for ANY pointers or advice. Without a book of business, I will probably be using a wholesaler for company access until I get built up. I have been researching Appalachian Underwriters and Smartchoice. Any advice, tips, warnings, whatever from you guys would be much appreciated!