Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jim Rollo, Owner of Jim Rollo Ins and Fin Svcs, Inc., located in Endwell, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We provide insurance and financial services for private individuals and businesses. Our customers are home buyers and homeowners, landlords, business owners, commercial vehicle fleet owners, and commercial property owners. We provide individual and business insurance and retirement savings plans for businesses and individuals.
Tell us about yourself
We started our business in 2007 after a 20+ year career in international business development. We created a set of criteria for what our business should look like and decided that the ideal fit was to start an insurance and financial business. My personal motto has always been “Contribute more than I consume,” so establishing a business in our local community was a way to pursue my personal mission. In our business, we refer to “Coverage. Community. Connection.” We are always looking for ways to make an impact by contributing to important work happening in our community.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Our biggest accomplishment has been helping our team members maximize their full potential. When they achieve their full potential, everyone wins, including our customers. Two of our team members have graduated from our management development program and have acquired their own agencies. We are committed to the growth and development of people on our team. Our team members stay with us because we are dedicated to helping them be the best versions of themselves.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the most challenging things about being a business owner is mastering your emotions. The ebb and flow of a business can be an emotional roller coaster. The constant cycle of victories and disappointments can create highs and lows in our moods. Mastering our emotions enables us to develop a leadership style that creates a positive environment and mindset regardless of the momentary circumstance we are facing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find great people and help them develop. Great people have integrity, work ethic, customer focus, and emotional stability.
- It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Make decisions with a long-term view of your business. A get-rich-quick mindset can sabotage your business in the longer term.
- Sacrifice. Position yourself financially to make the sacrifices necessary to build your business and strengthen it. Your business is the baby. Feed the baby.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://jimrollo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SFAgentJimRollo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SFAgentJimRollo
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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