Today we’d like to introduce you to Maegan Lunte.
Maegan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2005, I graduated with my degree in Risk Management of Insurance from the Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State University. My degree is unique in the fact that in the US, a college degree in Risk Management has only been available for the last 30-some years, making graduating students desirable to the industry. Upon graduation, the opportunities presented allowed me to choose where to start my career. My dreams at the time were to climb the corporate ladder and make my mark on a large Fortune 500 company. For over 12 years, that dream kept on delivering steady growth in skills, knowledge, job titles, and a healthy salary. There was never a lack of challenges and problems to solve, and I thrived in the environment.
However, in June 2017, an unexpected shift in my career happened, and for the first time since age 16, I was unemployed and no longer chasing or fulfilling a dream. Sabbaticals, I soon discovered, are amazing opportunities to ground yourself and reset. So, that is what I did for several months. During that time, I realized those 12 years in corporate America were helping me build my foundation to something bigger and more purposeful for my life. After a night of no sleep due to my youngest child, an intense workout and a powerful dose of caffeine, the vision was clear – bring your knowledge and skills to your community and invest in yourself with your own business.
Talk about a trip. Entrepreneurship was never on the vision board, not in my vocabulary, and nothing I had ever thought about. I was set up to break ceilings on the corporate side of my industry and be super content with that path. But days and weeks went by and I couldn’t break the thought of starting my own office. In November 2017, I created my LLC and got back to work as a small business owner in the insurance industry.
Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth road… is that a thing? This road is more like the New Texas Giant roller-coaster at Six Flags Over Texas. Just when you think it’s over, there is another turn, drop, or hill to climb. It’s exhilarating most of the time.
The biggest struggle for the first year was building brand recognition. I was so amped and excited to open my doors that in pure naivety I figured my phone would be ringing off the hook from day one. Spoiler alert – didn’t happen.
It took months of heels-on-the-ground marketing efforts to get people to know me and my brand. Some weeks, all I did was to network at events, volunteer, and schedule one-on-one meetups. It was fun and exciting, but grueling at the same time. Being on point five to six days a week for eight to 12 hours a day is hard and mentally exhausting.
Through the power of persistence and repetition, the efforts started to make the telephone ring. The sound of that phone ringing motivates me to continue the hustle every day. My business is about relationships and availability, so “out of sight, out of mind” will not be a true statement of my office.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Brightway, The Lunte Family Agency – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Brightway, The Lunte Family Agency is an independent insurance agency, meaning we are able to shop the marketplace for the right coverages and premium for our clients. We offer customized Home, Condo, Renters, Auto, Flood, RV, Motorcycle, Boat, Business and Umbrella insurance policies along with more choice in insurance brands than other agencies through our partnerships with companies such as Appalachian Underwriters, Bankers, Burns and Wilcox, Cypress, Hagerty, Mercury, Nationwide, Progressive, and Safeco.
Insurance is all I have ever known in my professional career. I am a true student of the industry; therefore, I specialize in evaluating risk and making sure my clients are well protected. I coach my team to ensure they’re of the same mindset. Selling insurance isn’t overly complicated, but it takes a whole lot of book and street smarts to evaluate and advise on risk. And, because I’m a Brightway Agent, our operation model allows my team to focus on customers’ needs and growing relationships.
We are known for actually reading policies. If we do not know an answer outright, we read the policy. Most policies are 100-120 pages of the driest material ever written and full of loaded definitions and conditions. However, we understand them and how to interpret them, which sets us apart from our competitors.
We educate others on insurance all day long. We love when our clients feel empowered and in control of their insurance placements because they learned something new or now understand the concepts. I love it when I hear a client say, “I did not know that!” Those five words validate we are doing something right.
I am most proud of our connection to the community and how active we are supporting local. It gives our office and team a bigger purpose.
We are out and about all the time. Not because we do not have work to do, but because serving our community is important. I did not realize how much small businesses shape a town until I became part of the group.
The Fortune 500s get all the buzz, but small businesses keep communities alive. I strive to spend 10% of my week giving back in some way – celebrating a new business in town, leading a group within the Chamber of Commerce, supporting our schools and teachers and connecting with our neighborhoods.
Secondly, I’m proud of taking that personal leap and risk in my career. The idea of starting a business with three small children, ages 6, 3 and 7 months, was crazy. Yet, crazy is my life. It is always moving and always changing and being able to invest in my path is empowering.
The days are long and the juggling of it all is real, but I am doing it. I am able to be a mother, a wife, a friend, a family member, and a business owner. The schedule at times is hectic – out the door at 7:30 a.m., office obligations until at least 4 p.m., kiddo activities until 6 p.m., dinner, workout and family time until 8 p.m., and then back working until 11 p.m. Thanks to an amazing support network, I am able to accomplish it all. Might not be pretty in the moment, but it works. I’m the proudest when my little ones acknowledge that their momma can really do anything without missing a beat in their life. I hope I am instilling in them to dream big, work hard and know they can do whatever makes them happy.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
In 2009, I was living and working in the suburbs of Chicago, but traveling to Dallas often for client meetings. Each visit, I didn’t want to leave. Something about the area felt like “home.” My husband started traveling to Dallas when he could and we both loved it. Took five years to finally make the move down here and we never looked back.
Over the years, I realized what made us fall in love with the city are the people and communities. There is no other major city I have lived or been to that has the welcoming feel like Dallas.
Coming from Chicago traffic, taxes, cost of living, difficult climates there is very little for me to complain about here. Every city has its struggles, but there is so much good here.
Pricing:
- Many people ask if we charge a brokerage fee or additional fee for our services. The answer is no. All of our services are complimentary, and there are no obligations or fees on quotes or reviews of coverages.
- What’s more, whenever you request a quote, we’ll donate $2 to Friends of Wylie Fire-Rescue, our 2019 Brightway Gives Back Recipients.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2901 W FM 544, Suite 160
Wylie, TX 75098 - Website: www.brightwayluntefamily.com
- Phone: 214-453-1262
- Email: maegan.lunte@brightway.com
- Instagram: @brightwayluntefamily
- Facebook: @brightwayluntefamily
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
