Working from Home

[NCnatwidagent]

Who on this forum works from home? And what were the things you did to start up?
I'm a 14yr vetern of life insurance (9 + full time) and have had my P&C license for 4yrs. Overall I've done well.
I'm thinking about leaving the captive agency, this time very seriously and would like some input as to what works for you.
Any direction would be appreciated.

 

[brookfieldpartners]

I work mostly from home...granted I have a large home office that I remodeled when doing over my house...but I do work out of the house.

Everyone I work with for the most part I have to go see. My staff also consists of remote workers.

I run an entire paperless operations, so we don't need any filing cabinets, and we often do video conferences.

Thanks to technology, things are very flexible for me these days. I've worked from Germany for 3 weeks totally remotely, and from the Caribbean and Arizona for 2 weeks, and no one knew!! I'm highly technological.

 

[souldeux]

I work totally from home and love it. Best advice I can give you is to get a gym membership, because you're going to get real sedentary if you're not careful.

 

[LoriRutl]

I am a captive agent that works from home. I find if I get up, have my coffee and shower I am much more productive. Put together a Marketing plan to keep you on track. That really helps me.

I agree with getting a gym membership.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Work from home and 3rd the gym membership - go almost every day and it's a nice break.

 

[motoxxx]

I have worked form home for about 3 years as an independent, I put on about 50 pounds, got a gym membership over a year ago and lost about 40 of the 50 I had put on.

Bottom line, get a gym membership and use it!

The freedom you get from working at home is awesome and the savings from not driving all around, less gas expense, lower car insurance costs etc all add up to this.....GET A GYM MEMBERSHIP and a really good chair!

 

[jmhopkins40]

Who on this forum works from home? And what were the things you did to start up?
I'm a 14yr vetern of life insurance (9 + full time) and have had my P&C license for 4yrs. Overall I've done well.
I'm thinking about leaving the captive agency, this time very seriously and would like some input as to what works for you.
Any direction would be appreciated.

contact me at [email protected] and i would be glad to discuss my transition from captive to an independant working from home

 

[insurancemet]

which captive agency are you with Lori?

 

[LoriRutl]

which captive agency are you with Lori?

Humana

 

[Alston]

I've worked from home since 2005.

When I was a captive agent I almost never saw a client in my office. I always drove to a client's home or office. Because of that experience, when I started to work on my own I didn't consider renting an office.

Now I do all my business by phone, Internet, mail or fax.

I have a Brother MFC machine that prints, scans, copies and faxes. I have 2 phones, Wi-Fi Internet, two laptops, one filing cabinet and two desks in an office that is about the size of 2 walk-in closets.

That's about all my assistant and I need from a "costly" equipment standpoint.

I've read that the hardest part about working at home is the discipline piece. If you can't supervise yourself and make sure that you are always on track to reach your goals, don't start a business!

I'm not one who believes that you have to work a set schedule or put on a suit to get in the right frame of mind, but those strategies work for many people.

I have goals for each year and sometimes have shorter-term goals. I'll take time off when I reach my goals and sometimes when I'm ahead of schedule. I'll work until 5:00 in the morning if I'm not on track.

Family members may have a hard time adjusting to you when you start working from home. You have to set limits with them, but they should be reasonable.

Even though I'm the primary breadwinner, I'm the one who usually takes care of our son when he is too sick to go to school. It makes sense for me to do that. My wife is a professional with a traditional job. It is harder for her to take time off.

However, you can't be in two places at once, even if one of those places is your home office. Thoughtfully consider any request that you take on extra chores just because "you are home anyway."

If you are starting a new business you may need to work twice as hard and/or as long in the beginning. Make sure your family understands that!

Make sure they see that you are working when you are supposed to be working. It will make it easier for them to respect your boundaries.

There are advantages to working from home, but being able to goof of when you want to isn't an advantage until you get your cash flow and profits where you want them to be.

The time that you now spend commuting can be spend selling when you are on your own. This can be a huge advantage. Think about all the sales you can make in a year by making an extra hour of calls each day!

Ditto to the gym membership idea.