Margie Reyes and Matthew Schor both came to Brightway after spending years as captive insurance agents. Reyes opened Brightway, The Reyes Agency in June 2019 in Munster, Indiana, a town located in Northwest Indiana along the Illinois border. Schor opened Brightway, The Schor Family Agency on Long Island in New York in May 2020.
Both shared the top four reasons why they decided to go independent and open Brightway Agencies.
1. More options for their customers
“We can write any business that comes our way because we have so many options, so many different carriers that we can shop with,” said Reyes, who shared that she gets a lot of business from captive agents when they are unable to find coverage for customers due to limited options.
Schor added that because of Brightway’s size, reputation and relationships with its carrier partners, he gets a higher level of support from his carrier partners than he would as an independent insurance agent operating on his own.
“For example, I know with Progressive we’re Platinum agents and with Travelers we’re well-regarded, so you get really good support with them as well,” Schor said.
To see a list of insurance companies Brightway works with, visit here.
2. Customer service and business support
“Support is something that captive agents have to balance along with trying to grow their agency,” said Reyes. “They have to wear all those hats and as a Brightway Agent, you don’t. I’m not being pulled away because somebody wants to change their billing address or needs a mortgagee change. I’m focused on New Business. I’m focused on growing my agency.”
Schor shared Reyes’ sentiment, “Not only do you get the customer support from the people who answer calls for you, but also Brightway provides technology support to Agency Owners. So, you get the back office support and the customer support, which saves me a ton of time.”
Brightway’s team of experts help Agency Owners build their business from day one, providing more than customer service. Brightway’s all-encompassing business support also includes:
- Business plans and sales manuals based best practices from top-performing agencies across the country
- Marketing resources
- Accounting
- Agency development
- Training
- Technology
- Distribution
- Business Analytics
- Carrier Appointments
- Licensing
- Hiring and retaining personnel
“Because you have the back office support, you don’t have the overhead,” said Schor. “And, you have all the carriers, so you focus on growing your business. You focus more on sales than service, and in the long-term future you’re going to grow a much larger book of business because you have so many different companies to sell and bigger opportunities.”
3. Growth
“Brightway gives you the opportunity to open up in more states,” said Schor. “I’m in New York right now, but I’m very interested in other states and Brightway has a very good program where you don’t have to sell in one state. You can open up (additional locations) in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which is the tri-state here.”
Brightway’s franchise agreement gives you the option to open a second location if you wish to, without having to pay an additional franchise fee. Qualified agents may also open additional locations after the second without paying an up-front fee by entering into a multi-unit agreement.
Schor said in the coming years, he sees himself having a very large book of business, opening in more states, hiring more people and growing his business.
Reyes, who is approaching year three of ownership also shared her excitement about the idea of growth with Brightway, “I’ve been reviewing my books and in year three, we will see growth, which can lead to so many different possibilities such as additional states to write business, a bigger team and additional locations; with our continued hard work that’s a win.”
4. Our company culture
Brightway financially aligns itself with its Agency Owners and nothing speaks to this more than its Win, Win, Win operating mandate, on which Reyes elaborated, “The sky is the limit at Brightway. You determine your own success, and Brightway is going to back you up because our motto—Win, Win, Win—means the company makes decisions that are a win for the Agent, a win for the customer and a win for Brightway. We can be as successful as we want to be. It’s kind of a question of, ‘How hungry are you?’”
To learn more about opening your own Brightway Agency, please fill out the form below. We’ll send you a copy of our franchise brochure along with a link to schedule your first call.