032:The Start Up Journey - with Alastair Roberts

On today's episode, we’re speaking to Alastair Roberts. Alastair is the Director of Alastair James Insurance Brokers and is talking with us today about those brave enough to be thinking about ‘going it alone’. Alastair has his own story to tell and will be sharing with us his great advice and tips which he was able to take from his own journey when he set up his business a few years ago.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: A piece of advice Alastair wishes he could give himself if he knew then what he knew now would be to understand that you’ve got to work hard for it – no-one is going to hand you anything on a plate. Marketing is a massive area to explore in business so it’s important to have a plan whilst continuously learning especially when it comes to attracting new clients. Every year, Alastair focuses on his figures so he can ascertain where business has come from and where he should focus his efforts to either continue or improve. He also sets himself monthly targets and objectives. Reviewing your business plan frequently is important because the markets are forever changing and with unpredicted happenings such as COVID, it’s good to be aware and adaptable. Alastair’s top three tips are: stay positive, have faith in yourself and don’t be afraid of trying something different.   BEST MOMENTS: ‘’I think that it's a real motivation for you, because it's quite scary, really. So that's a real big motivation to know that you've got no leads and you know, it's down to you to bring the business in.’’ ‘’I was always confident that we were speaking to clients and that I was giving them good information and I was giving a good service, but when you set up as your own and you set up your own business, you're not just an account executive, you have to do your marketing, you have to do accounts, chasing premiums, admin and everything else. I think that's probably the thing that's been the biggest eye opener I would say in terms of doing what I'm doing.’’ ‘’I'd say especially in our industry, at the end of the day, people are always going to need insurance. It's not like an industry where perhaps like retail for example, where the high street shops are seem to be closing all the time…’’ ‘’…sometimes you can get so bogged down and focus on your work that it does help to chat to somebody, whether it’s a partner, or somebody might know in business and just bounce a few ideas of each other.’’   RESOURCES: Alastair James’ website: https://www.ajamesinsurance.co.uk/ Alastair’s Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastairjamesroberts/   ABOUT THE GUEST Alastair established his business after nearly 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry, in both the Commercial and Private Clients sector. Alastair’s experience has seen him underwrite and place insurance for risks ranging from unique Grade I listed properties to high value property and motor vehicle collections, including for a number of high profile sports and entertainment individuals which many companies are unable to accommodate. Alastair is equally experienced in placing and underwriting complex commercial risks ranging from professional liability insurance for one of the UK’s biggest urban redevelopment real estate developers to property insurance for individuals with large property portfolios.   ABOUT THE HOST Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of marketing experience and a fresh perspective on marketing in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance brokers to offer solutions to business development ceilings, particularly in the rapidly developing fields of video marketing and thought leadership. If you would like Sarah to help you develop an integrated marketing strategy, using state of the art concepts, then please book a free 20 min call via Calendly    Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/ Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/