Here at TitleCapture, we work with a huge number of title agencies across the nation. We see many successful entrepreneurs daily, who started out as title agents or closers.
The journeys, the transformations, they had to go through, are truly inspiring. But they’re also an indication that failure is staring you in the face constantly. And it’s up to you to avoid it.
Audit yourself. Take your time. See what stage in your career you’re at and what it takes to make the next move. There are only 3 stages or roles you can play throughout your career, so let’s take a look at them.
The DOER. The Title Agent / Closer Role.
Let me clarify something from the get-go. Just because we are placing this role at the bottom of the pyramid, it doesn’t mean it’s the worst. This pyramid is not a good vs. bad, strong vs. weak classification. This is simply showing the roles you may play as you move forward.
So this is the role you will play in the beginning. The DOERS are the professionals who know how to do a specific thing. Whether you’re a title agent, escrow officer, title examiner, you execute and you are good at what you do. The game here is to be the best at what you do, to direct your attention towards the closing, the documents needed, specific scenarios, etc.
The DOERS always have work. Just like a designer or a programmer, when you’re good at what you do, you will always find an employer that will hire you so this role is actually the safest role of all three.
Most people are totally content with playing this role all their life and it’s very easy to understand why. You have peace of mind. Everything you do is in YOUR control and all you have to focus on is what you actually have to execute or create.
The MANAGER. The leap from execution to managing people.
So you’ve been a DOER for a long time. Many employers choose to pick their best officer and make that person a branch manager. What these employers fail to see most of the time is that being a manager requires a totally different skill set than being a title agent, closer, escrow officer, etc.
So if you want to play this role you need to have people skills first and foremost. Because now it’s not you who executes, it’s the people you lead that execute.
And you have to make sure they execute. And for an effective leadership role, you have to have huge emotional intelligence. You need to know each person you’re managing, be aware of their emotions and adjust your approach based on that. You also need to be aware of your emotions and control yourself. You need to teach and lead by example.
There is a huge challenge because the DOER is usually a perfectionist that wants nothing short of perfect and may end up having a tendency to do things himself because the people that he/she manages are not up to his outrageous expectations. So be aware.
Also, time management, communication skills, these among others are other skills a manager has to either have innate (ideal) or learn.
Last but not least, being good with technology and employing that to make your title agents’ lives easier is paramount. That’s why many title agencies choose TitleCapture when it comes to estimates, whether it’s the Title Agency App or the website Title Quote Calculator.
Enter the ENTREPRENEUR. The worst role of the three.
The Entrepreneur is the rebel. Out of the three roles, this person pays himself or herself. They eat what they kill and the risk of the business failing is high. It takes a toll on family life, there is no work/life balance (at least in the beginning) and the percentage of entrepreneurs that are successful is very low.
So then, what is the big get with entrepreneurship? The promise of freedom (later on) and high potential earnings (for the successful ones). On top of that, the ability to actually change the industry and inspire others.
When you decide you want to start your own title agency, or create a service or product for this industry, please realize that you will have to be able to both execute and manage. Now on top of that, you will also need to have a keen vision and a disproportionate amount of people skills, marketing and branding experience (in doing, not just reading books), compliance and legal knowledge, accounting, and the list can go on.
Being able to craft and coherent and addictive client experience is the trait of top entrepreneurs. Large agencies across the nation are turning to our Title Agency App, Title Quote Calculator or Website Builder to make sure their customer experience is top notch.
Let’s be objective about it. The odds are STACKED against you. That doesn’t mean you can’t take a stab at being an entrepreneur, but try to go through each role, one at a time, because learning is actually DOING. It’s practical.
Waking up one day thinking you’re going to be an entrepreneur (because society says that’s the thing to do) without being prepared for it, is a recipe for disaster for you and your loved ones.
However, if you decide to take it slow, stick around. We have a few good, down-to-earth ideas and suggestions.