Meet Karen Ray | Insurance Agency Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Ray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I opened my business, I was retiring from a career I had held for 25 years, public education. Throughout that time, I always answered to someone above me and followed the plans and dreams they or the state had. I had been in a leadership position most of the time in that career; however, I was still not the ultimate decision maker. I had to do things I didn’t agree with sometimes, had to get approval for a day off, and then felt guilty when I took that time away. As I neared retirement, I knew I needed to find something else to keep me busy, I was too young to fully retire!

About that time, I was looking at my home insurance and realized that I didn’t know much about what I was paying for and what was covered should I have to make a claim. I knew others felt the same way I did. I thought I could use my skills as a teacher, instructional coach, and school administrator to help my friends understand their insurance -were they getting what they really needed? were they fully covered? were they getting what they paid for? Provide a service that I felt I had been lacking.

Additionally, I wanted to run a business where I could make the decisions while at the same time allowing my team mates to have freedom and control of their own success. I had watched my husband, who had owned his own very successful business for 35 years, and the freedom that came with that. He had high standards and lofty goals, and he was fully in control of how the attainment of those goals came about. He was and is a huge support for me.

What should our readers know about your business?
I own an insurance agency in DFW. What sets us apart from others is our level of customer service. We go through all the pieces of each type of insurance and make sure the customer knows the options for each item. We often times find coverages at a lower price for our customers even though that means that we make less on the commission side. The money isn’t as important as my integrity and knowing that I helped someone, especially during these difficult times when everyone is struggling financially. We also ALWAYS answer the phone or call right back if someone has to leave a message. I didn’t know that was uncommon, but have found that it really is in this industry, especially if someone bought their insurance from the internet.

I’m not going to lie, the beginning of opening a business is very hard. There are expenses that you don’t think about prior to opening. If, like me, you worked for a big organization that gave you the budget already put together, then creating a real operational budget can be difficult. I spent too much money in the beginning and had to determine what was bringing me a return on investment and what wasn’t.

I had a great support team who helped me along the way. My husband, Cary Ray, has taught me much about the financial side of the business. My mentor, Bobby Loggains, has been a tremendous help. As an educator, I was not a sales person. Bobby has helped me to hone my skills in this area, and I attribute much of my success to him.

My business is based on relationships. I cultivate relationships and treat my clients like family. They will always be given the best possible treatment from the folks who work here and given the best value possible.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Cary Wayne Ray

Website: https://agents.farmers.com/tx/mansfield/karen-ray

Instagram: karenrayagency

Facebook: Karen Ray Agency