The Franchise Advantage: A Conversation with Agency Owner Mohamed Kandil
Hi Mohamed. Tell us a bit more about your career before joining Goosehead.
I am a business major who always knew I wanted to become a business owner, but I wasn’t sure which industry I wanted to pursue. I started my career after college with State Farm, hoping to gather some professional experience. I saw a promising career in the insurance space, as I was intrigued by the concept of residual income. I am highly motivated and never want to get comfortable in a low-level position, so I expressed interest in the agency opportunity and was put into the Agency Aspirant program on the path to opening a State Farm Agency.
It sounds like you had a lucrative career at State Farm. Why did you decide to make the switch to Goosehead?
Initially, I had no intentions of swaying from the State Farm Agency opportunity, but another State Farm agent (who was like family to me) set up a meeting for me with Goosehead, as he was the one being prospected but was going to retire soon. When I heard more about the opportunity, it seemed as if the company was built on really good bones. I found it incredible that this opportunity would bring great success just by simply making friends and not having to spend most of my days doing service work. So, my partner (Summer) and I took them up on the opportunity to go to Discovery Day. My questions were answered before I could even ask them. We then felt confident that it was not too good to be true, and everything checked out, we signed the contract when we got back.
What’s your favorite thing about owning a Goosehead franchise?
My favorite part is the model that came with it. It was a genius model that was the culmination of successful agents’ best practices put together. It provides a fail-proof road map on how to generate a regular, quality lead flow. With most of our clients being first-time home buyers, the model opens the door to better cross-sale opportunities and a more responsible client who will have a better chance of staying in our book of business for the long run.
What does your team look like, and are you planning to continue growing your business?
Right now, we are two agency owners and two producers. However, we do want to be one of the biggest agencies in the Northeast, so we plan to rapidly grow over the next couple of years. We have three more offers already accepted!
What excites you about the future of your business?
I am excited to build a mega-agency that can create successful career opportunities for producers who come through our door. It is amazing to create financial stability for myself, but nothing would be more gratifying than being able to do that for others from something I created!
What is the biggest trend you’re seeing in the industry right now that is affecting your business?
We are seeing that many carriers are changing their rates and their guidelines to figure out ways to regain profitability in this terrible insurance market. But we must remember that it is happening to everyone, so we simply need to pivot, set proper expectations, and relish in the fact that, as brokers, we will always have something to sell!
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love that my job has just become making friends and protecting people’s assets. Goosehead helped me find a greater sense of purpose because, at State Farm, it was just a sales job with no focus on understanding coverage. But at Goosehead, we take pride in doing what is best for the client and understanding how coverage works. I learned the art of becoming a professional and advising people, allowing them to understand and customize their own coverage. We are not selling anything; we are just educating people on how they should be protected and letting them take the driver’s seat from there.
What do you enjoy most about being part of Goosehead?
I love the sense of community. I was able to gain success so quickly by calling other top agents and learning from them, and they were always so happy to share whatever they could to help us succeed and learn from their mistakes and successes. Everyone here wants to see their peers win, and that is hard to find in other franchise environments!
What resources do you use to learn more about insurance and owning a business (e.g., blogs, podcasts, books, websites, etc.)?
Honestly, I do not have to go far from the resources within Goosehead. From all of the materials built into Salesforce to all of the additional training available, they set us up for success, and you can get as much as you are willing to take out of it. I do enjoy a good motivational read, but even the best practices I come across in books seem to fall in line with all of the best practices that Goosehead and its resources provide to its agents.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the Goosehead franchisee and do not necessarily reflect the views of Goosehead Insurance. Mohamed Kandil is speaking on his own behalf and not on behalf of Goosehead Insurance or its affiliates.
The testimonial(s) presented on www.goosehead.com are personal to each individual and may not be indicative of future performance or success of any other individuals. Goosehead cannot and does not guarantee results.
Connect with a Franchise Expert