After graduating college, Negar Sharifi’s first job was within the audit department at a Big Four accounting firm, where she worked in the timeshare/hotel/property sector. In 2008, she decided to shift gears and leave accounting behind to learn more about the insurance side of real estate. Since then, Sharifi has built a book of business consisting of over 250 clients, primarily in the construction and real estate industries.
“My strategy over the past 10.5 years has simply been to work harder than my competition,” she says. “Even after being in the business for 10.5 years, I still, to this day, cold call accounts. Last year, cold calls alone accounted for over $100,000 in new business revenue.”
In 2018, Sharifi and her partner hired support staff to alleviate responsibilities, thus allowing for Sharifi to grow her business: “Those responsibilities were getting in the way of our ability to sell. It got to the point where administrative tasks became so cumbersome that we were turning away incoming leads. Instead we hired smart teammates and trained them up so that they can run with the assignments we give to them.”
