Her Story
About Jaimie
I've been in insurance for 19 years, with 10 years at the Hartford and 9 years before that at ADP. I specialize in small commercial insurance in the Midwest and currently manage a territory within the Chicago, Illinois Territory, a role I've held for the last 5 years. Before becoming a territory manager, I was in a specialized new business development role within the Hartford, providing elevated service to top agents and working with specific agencies throughout the Midwest and California to drive new business in small commercial. I've been in telephonic sales for 25 years, starting back in 2007 when nobody wanted to talk over the phone. I was part of a pilot role at ADP that started the ADP Allentown Telesales Office. I didn't fall into insurance - I specifically went after it because I've always wanted to work in insurance. I love helping small business owners because I believe small business fuels the economy, and without them we wouldn't have anything. As a small business owner myself, I know I need that help too, so it's kind of nice to be able to pay it forward. I partner in an automotive repair shop for high-end vehicles and also manage and own a small business that specializes in automotive electrical harnesses and internal engine components. I manage agency relationships within my territory now rather than selling directly to consumers, and I always tell my agents that they don't need to remember everybody at the company or how to get to everything - they just need to remember me. If I don't have an answer, I'll get them to where they need to go, and at the end of the day, I know they will contact me first because they're going to get an answer from me.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jaimie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I was built with a drive unlike anybody else. I started out very young in my sales career, losing all of my family when I was in my teens, so I had to decide where I wanted to go in life, and I kind of put my foot on the gas and I never let go. I believe that when you go through something hard, and I've gone through something hard my entire life, you get to a Y in the road. You can either go one way where you kind of sulk in it and you let it consume you, and you're gonna use it as an excuse for the rest of your life. Or you can take that opportunity and use it to better yourself every step of the way. So every time you go to a Y, you have to decide how am I going to take this, and where am I going to grow from it. That's what pushed me through, and that's what I do. I've done that since I was a kid.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Every day will be a brand new day. You'll never know everything. No day is ever going to be the same. You will learn something new every single day, no matter how long you've been in the industry.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I believe that you do everything with your heart. As long as you have boundaries and you know what your priorities are, you'll be able to balance it. I believe that small business fuels the economy, and without them we wouldn't have anything, so any way to support them is important. People ask me why my heart is so big and they don't understand how somebody can just give so purely. I know what it's like not to have. I never wanted to change who I am. Sometimes people just want to hear you talk, or they just want to tell their story. I don't think of it as some negative way, I think of it as a positive way.
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