Kelly Langer Wise tapped into a family tradition to live life on her terms while helping others along the way. As the owner-agent of Langer Insurance Agency, a full-service independent agency located in Nashville, she writes Home, Auto and Life Insurance, as well as Business/Commercial Insurance for people looking for great products, competitive pricing, and exceptional service.
Langer Insurance Agency represents Erie Insurance, an award-winning insurance company based in Erie, PA, where Kelly is from. “My entire family lives in Erie and just about everyone in my family works for Erie Insurance, the# 1 employer in the area.” So, when Kelly decided to pursue a new career path, Erie Insurance was top of mind.
But she had a little nudge. For ten years, her brother-in-law encouraged her to start an insurance practice. “And it just kept gnawing at me.” Kelly, a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, was working as a Sales Director for Levy Restaurants at the time. Between planning events for Bridgestone and the PGA Golf Majors, long hours and extensive travel defined her career. “I was ready to put that energy into something that I had a lot more say over, from a business perspective and from that of family time,” says Kelly. For Kelly, married with a daughter, a lot of life was happening, and she was missing it.
“Being present for my family is my top priority.”
Running her agency offers the best of both worlds, an office environment to earn income and the flexibility to spend more time with her family.
It took Kelly about a year to figure out her next move. But when she looked at all the boxes she needed to check, starting an insurance agency just made sense and Erie Insurance was a natural fit. “They just do all the right things. They’ve been around since 1925. They don’t do big marketing campaigns. They’d rather save that money and put it into ensuring they have the most competitive rates with the best insurance products.”
And this first year for Kelly has been amazing. Langer Insurance Agency received the New Agent Award for the state of Tennessee presented by Erie Insurance. She and her husband were treated to a celebratory trip to Aruba for earning the highest premium sales for new agents in the state over the last two years.
But leaving the certainty of a corporate career was a big step. “I was terrified for the first six months. Not because I was unsure of my decision to start the agency. I was unsure on how to sustain it,” says Kelly. As a business owner, Kelly notes the many hats she didn’t know she had to wear and the ability to juggle them as key drivers of her initial fear.
“I wish I would have found NAWBO a little bit sooner,” says Kelly. “When you jump off that cliff and you’re in the water all by yourself for the first time, you are terrified. I want to contribute to other women business owners growth, so they don’t’ feel as lost as I did. Being a part of the mentoring path that I later found with the Embark program at Pathway Women’s Center, and now with NAWBO was just what I needed.”
Langer Insurance Agency is a Bronze level Corporate Partner. To learn more at Langer Insurance Agency, visit: www.langerinsurance.com.
By: Jacqueline Hayes, Owner of Crayons & Marketers, LLC
