After losing his job in the financial sector during the 2008 financial crisis, Ramiro Martinez-Anillo knew he had to do something to get ahead. He decided his future lay in setting up an independent insurance agency.
Ramiro Martinez-Anillo
Owner
Union City, New Jersey
After losing his job in the financial sector during the 2008 financial crisis, Martinez-Anillo knew he had to do something to get ahead. After getting his insurance license and gaining some experience, by 2011, he decided his future lay in setting up an independent insurance agency.
“The past 10 years have been very rewarding,” he says. “I started the agency with zero clients and by our third year, we had grown to more than 700. The agency became profitable that year—a goal we had set for ourselves in the initial planning stages.”
Born in Colombia and raised in Spain, Martinez-Anillo has been working on developing as a professional in the U.S. He has been focused on better serving the people in his community while maintaining a connection to his Spanish heritage.
How Did You Gain Your Expertise?
As a team, we attended several insurance courses, seminars and webinars to improve our skills. We made the commitment to work toward achieving the Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation.
Why Choose an Independent Agency?
The opportunity to help my community by finding the best insurance protection to meet their needs and creating a special bond between our agency and our clients. These connections create a deep, strong and meaningful business relationship that can last forever.
Being an independent insurance agency owner is a great opportunity to grow as a respectable professional in the community. You just need to be focused, self-disciplined and prepared for the unexpected.
Working with the Latino Community?
We found that the main concern within our predominantly Latino community is the misconception about why insurance is needed. At our agency, we explain and inform clients about the importance of being insured and advise them on how to take advantage of the opportunities to be insured.
Biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge we faced was being appointed by insurance carriers. We were a very small business with few clients, but that has all changed now. From the very beginning we became members of Big I New Jersey and this helped us grow. Little by little, we became more stable and received more carrier appointments.
Value of association membership?
The Big “I" and the Trusted Choice® are excellent vehicles to help grow your business, new or old. They offer great support to members including educational courses to improve insurance skills and offer tremendous partnerships with several tech companies that facilitate agency work.
Attending association conferences and getting involved in the Big “I" and Trusted Choice activities are fundamental to growing your business.
