Tim Connon, Founder & CEO, ParamountQuote
Tim Connon, Founder & CEO of ParamountQuote
For those who don't know anything about you or your work, can you provide a bit of background?
I grew up in Florida and from an early age my father would bring me door knocking with him to sell security systems. I quickly learned his door pitch and when I showed him he decided to let me door knock and for every house he went in and sold because of me he would pay me a commission. This allowed me to purchase my first XBOX in one summer of working. This show me the value in sales and commission so I then grew up to obtain my insurance license and founded my own company.
What does an average day look like for you?
My day begins with answering emails from existing clients. After this around 11:00 AM I will dial the new leads in our system until 3:00 PM after this the rest of my day consists of ongoing training and working on our company website.
How do you balance the needs of your business with the needs of your personal life?
I have everything on a strict schedule that I follow religiously. My family time is scheduled for the weekends. This allows me to focus on work all week and make sure everything is done so the weekend is free for family time.
What's the best advice anyone ever gave you on your journey in business?
The best advice I ever heard was "just work the numbers". This is completely true for sales because it requires consistency and hitting a high amount of contacts in order to sell at a high level. It proves that sales are based on statistics not luck. If I ever have a bad sales day I remember this piece of advice and get myself out of the slump.
What's been the hardest part about the path you've taken and how would you advise someone facing a similar situation to overcome it?
The hardest part about this path is having the money to purchase leads to work. I at one point ran out of money to buy leads and as a result I could not work anymore. I overcame this by having a backup business credit card handy. So I said a prayer and purchased leads on it in faith and quickly fixed my cash flow. Within 6 months I was back on my feet with buying leads.
Are there any well-known Books, Podcasts, or Courses that you credit your current success to?
"Way of the Wolf" by Jordan Belfort
What do you think are the most important qualities for a successful business owner or executive to have?
Persistence, patience, and the ability to plan ahead. You need to persist in the face of adversity no matter how hard things look. You need to have the patience with yourself and processes to maintain a level head in stressful situations for example when I ran out of money to buy leads. I could have easily got frustrated and quit but instead I thought about where I could get instant cash flow to keep going. That is when I remembered I had a business card to use. Planning ahead is crucial because you need to see your company and goals for the future. In addition to this you need to see the possible outcomes and plan ahead. This is why I originally got my business credit card incase I did run out of money for marketing.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as a business owner?
Hire a mentor to give you their working business model that you can duplicate. This will save you a lot of time and give you a head start.
What are the top three things you think are essential for business success?
Referrals
Brand Awareness
Streamlined processes
Do you think someone can be a great business owner without having many years of experience first?
Yes absolutely they just have to be willing to hire a mentor in their industry to advice them.
In general, do you think the world is producing better business owners in 2023 than it was fifty years ago?
Yes because of the abundance of information from the internet. Now you can find courses and master classes from leaders in industries showing you how to be a business owner.
