Allstate Insurance agency grows in Elgin
An interview with Chris Younglove, owner of Younglove Insurance Inc.in Elgin.
Q: Describe your business. What do you do?
A: Here at Allstate we service our current and future customers with any insurance need they may have, including property, casualty, life, and business.
Q: What made you start your business?
A: While I was in college and in the mortgage business for the last five years I always enjoyed working with people and giving back to the community. With that in mind I figured there was no better way to do so than properly insuring what matters most to everyone, themselves and their valuables.
Q: What has been the most difficult obstacle in running or starting a small business?
A: The most difficult obstacle that I have come across thus far has been trying to juggle my work-life balance. But I know at the end of the day, with all great success comes with great sacrifices.
Q: What do you enjoy most about operating your business?
A: What I enjoy most about operating my own business is the freedom Allstate gives me to operate the way I feel best fits my community. For instance, we have a lot of great events coming in 2014, one being our grand opening event that will be happening in late April. At this event we would like to invite the community out, hopefully enjoy the sun, food, drinks, and a most importantly a great way to meet your new local insurance agency.
Q: Is this what you pictured yourself doing when you were young?
A: I think for the most part there isn’t a ton of people who grow up picturing themselves being an insurance agent, at least I know I didn’t. For a brief time, just like every other kid in America, wanted to be the next Michael Jordan. Unfortunately, I found out that wasn’t going to come true after I got cut from my 4th grade basketball team, where almost everyone makes the team. After that I became your typical kid who wanted to be a policeman or firefighter, someone who could make a difference in the world by protecting people but never had the courage to follow through with it. What I didn’t realize till later in life was that being an insurance agent would actually allow me to do just that by protecting people from a completely different disaster. Not having the right insurance when you need it most.
Q: What keeps you up at night?
A: What keeps me up at night in my time of being an Allstate agent is how important it is to be properly insured and that when the unfortunate happens, how important it is to have the right people there helping you when you need it most.
Q: If you could give one tip to a rookie business owner, what would it be?
A: I think I would have to give two tips, first being to make sure they find someone in the industry that could be a mentor to them. One thing I have been very fortunate with is that Allstate and other Allstate agents have been there for me at any moment that I needed them. With that being said, my second tip would be, even though I have only been in business for a short time, I can tell you first hand that time flies by as I already feel like I have been in the business for years. You cannot stress about the little things. If you do things the right way, it will all fall into place.
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Younglove Insurance Inc.
Address: 1283 W Spring St., South Elgin, IL 60177
Owners: Chris Younglove
Year business started: November 1st, 2013
Web address: http://agents.allstate.com/christopher-younglove-south-elgin-il.html