"I see more people my age coming into the industry, and with new faces comes new ideas," says young agent Ander Urdaneta, "and with new ideas, the industry is just going to keep growing."
Ander Urdaneta
President and Owner
Doral, Florida
Age: 28
Go-to drink order: Espresso
Favorite TV show: “Suits"
No. 1 item on bucket list: Get my skydiving license
Being a multilingual agency?
We offer services in English and Spanish. We have someone who speaks Italian, and I'm trying to find someone who speaks Portuguese. There are a lot of cultures here. I love it. It's cool.
Agency growth?
10 people work at the agency now. We've been growing well. It's a lot of hours but it's worth it. I just want to keep growing the agency the way it has been. I want to expand and target a few new states in the near future.
Biggest industry challenges?
Market access. But it is softening and there have been a few laws passed that are helping. In my eyes, we need a good shake of the tree. There's a lot of third-party players that shouldn't be in the industry that have begun to get cleaned out.
We just need patience from consumers as we try to get their trust back. Time is all we need. Carriers are starting to be open to writing again and several carriers just filed for rate reductions in Florida, which is good. I haven't seen that since I started the agency.
What do you love about insurance?
Helping people make sure their assets are protected. It's neat when you have a client that cares and understands what you're offering. I've noticed lately that a lot of large commercial clients have had claims and a rough experience, so they're more receptive to solutions.
Future of the industry?
There's going to be a lot of new faces coming in. Agencies tend to run on the older side. I see more people my age coming into the industry, and with new faces comes new ideas—and with new ideas, the industry is just going to keep growing.
Work-life balance?
It depends on the week. If you get organized and you set boundaries with your clients, you're able to set an expectation and have decent work-life balance. I know I've heard agents that say they're on the phone with a client at 10 or 11 p.m. I do that if I absolutely have to, but I try to limit that. I set boundaries. If I get a call after hours with something urgent, I'll do it the first time. The second time, I'll tell them they need to give me more of a heads up.
Generation Z stereotypes?
Our generation tends to want things now. We're in the Amazon Prime era. Unfortunately, this industry doesn't work like that. I see it with agents that come through my agency and they want to be making six figures in week one. It's not going to happen. It takes a while to get the snowball effect going.
AnneMarie McPherson Spears is IA news editor.
