Be wary of dabbling. That can be said for any business, but it is truly critical for Independent Insurance Agencies. Choose your focus and build your foundation. Do it over and over again until you create enough breathing room (financial and time) to benefit from a little slack in your system.
Then, and only then, with a little slack and a solid financial foundation that your focus as created, make the required investment to launch the next phase. Trying to dribble 3 or 4 balls down the court at the same time and being constantly busy is so 2000's. It's not cool and it really should have never been cool in the first place, but we thought "busy and exhausted" made us look important. We got caught up in the startup lifestyle and glamorized it. There is a better way.
Making the leap from Sales Producer to Agency Owner hinges on your ability to discipline yourself around the negative effects of dabbling. Are you staying focused? Are you obtaining new clients or are you simply selling policies? There's a difference, and the future service load on your book of business depends on your approach in the first few years.
Dabbling happens when you let your guard down. "I'm doing my existing client a favor" or "If I don't do this, I might lose this client to another agency down the street". Okay, so what. Were they really your "full-time" client in the first place? That is a Producer mindset, not an Agency Owner mindset. Make the ownership leap and be wary of dabbling!
