Today we’d like to introduce you to Al Mauceri.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started in the insurance industry way back in 1994 as a claim rep for Nationwide Insurance. I spent the next decade or so climbing the corporate ladder. I moved every 17 months for ten years. Eventually I wound up in Texas as the Director of claims for Nationwide.
I quickly grew frustrated with the corporate environment. The degree of “Dilbert” leadership was draining my soul. In a Jerry Maguire moment I decided to give my two weeks and start my own business.
I opened my first captive insurance agency in 2006. Although I had plenty of experience in insurance. I was a rookie at running a business. Once the economy hit In 2009 I wound up having to lay every one off and close that agency. Having only one company to sell insurance through wound up being the downfall.
After closing the office (and against rational judgement) I started my second agency three days after closing my first. This time I changed the business model to an independent broker. This allowed me to shop clients insurance through a dozen companies to find the best rates for them. Like the ORBITZ of insurance. We specialized in Home and Auto insurance.
Now eight years later we are McKinney’s largest and voted best agency for four years in a row.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We have not had a smooth road at all. In the first five years of business we:
-Started from scratch
– Went out of business
– Started from scratch again
– Bought another agency
– Moved our entire operation.
We did a fairly large acquisition in 2011 of another agency. I had hocked everything that I had to put the down payment down… and borrowed the rest from the SBA. We were able to eventually close the deal but the process just about put me in the hospital. One of my staff likes to joke that process aged me like a US president. A knock on some recently developed grey hair.
Please tell us about Mauceri Bynum Insurance.
We are a full service insurance agency. We provide Home, Auto, Commercial, Health and Life insurance. Most of our customers are Home and Auto. Unlike the competition (State Farm, Allstate, Farmers etc) we have the ability to use our buying power to find the most competitive rates out there. We are like the ORBITZ of insurance.
What I am most proud of is our staff and culture. We have grown for eight consecutive years. Most of my employees have been with me every year. Our staff is a tight knit group… we know each other’s families… we do social events together. I like to call it a performance family culture.
One of the things I believe in is we do not use voice mail. If you call our office during business hours we pick up the phone. A live voice. It’s the simple things.
I am also personally proud to tell everyone that we have won BEST INSURANCE AGENCY 4 years running. There are over 70 agencies in McKinney. So I feel that is quite an accomplishment.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
To be honest… I don’t think I would do anything different. We made more mistakes then most people. A lot of mistakes. Correction… I made a lot of mistakes.
If I were to offer anyone any business advice it would be do not hire friends by any means. The qualities that make someone a good friend has no correlation to their work ethic.
Contact Info:
- Address: 400 North Central Expressway
Suit 109
Mckinney, Texas
75070 - Website: www.minsuranceagent.com
- Phone: 2147338400
- Email: al@minsuranceagent.com
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