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Meet Matthew Gehrman of CityScape Insurance in Mesa

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Gehrman.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Long before I entered the Insurance industry I was a construction equipment mechanic and had never worked behind a desk, let alone a phone before in my life. In 2008 when the bottom fell out of the economy I was laid off along with 11 of my colleagues. As everyone knows the job market was volatile and not many positions were available. My father raised me to do what you have to survive even if it means taking two steps back. That being said I took the first job I found which landed me at a Little Caesars pizza working 14 hours a week at minimum wage. While I began working this job I lost everything including my house, car, and any credit I had which led me to my only bankruptcy at the age of 22. Two months of working at the LC I climbed up to Associate Manager and then a month later became the General Manager of my own store. I was making decent money but this was far from a long-term career. I had a roommate at the time that was working at a small insurance agency in Scottsdale and they were looking for an admin/personal lines account manager position so I had her set up an interview. Within a month I put my two weeks in with the LC and took the leap of faith into a new industry which included a good sized pay cut when you’ve already lost everything why not.

The first 3 months of working in the insurance industry was a complete culture shock, I was used to working with my hands, sweating my ass off, and getting messy. Going from a grease monkey to a pizza guru and then to a desk jockey was quite a change of pace and it was very difficult to get used to being chained to a desk. Quite frankly I hated it, picking up phones, beating a keyboard, and most of all having to get dressed up every day. When sitting down for my 90 evaluation with my boss he asked how I was liking my position, now I’m not shy or beat around the bush so I told him how it was, “I hate this!” He then asked why and what would I like to be doing instead. After an hour meeting, we came up with a plan which got your license and starts selling, if I still didn’t like it he would help me find a different company to work for that better suits my skill set. I stuck with it and started studying for my P&C license. After 3 weeks of studying, we scheduled my test and I went for it. Test day came and I passed first try when I went back to the office my boss & I discussed the next steps. He carved out the entire personal lines book of business and said this is your baby, manage it, retains it, and grow it. Let’s just say I still had very little idea of how to do that but challenge accepted. He also started pumping leads my way which was very intimidating as I’d never made a cold call or warm lead call in my life.

After being shot down a good 20+ times I got my first bite. I still remember my first client’s name how the call went, and how nervous we both were as it was her first time getting insurance on her own. We talked for about an hour, went over several options, and then came the time I asked: “how would you like to proceed with coverage today?” This moment was scary and exciting at the same time, a rush! We finalized everything and BAM!!!! I had my first client of my own, I was instantly hooked! Over the course of two years at this point, I built a lot of experience and quite a large book of business within the agency. It came to a point where I wanted to start trying new things to grow the book and try new ideas, however, when talking to my boss he had no intention of changing course. A few months went by where we then sat down and further discussed how I wanted to do things and ultimately he said you’re at a point where you’d be better off on your own. He supported me and gave me plenty of time to put together a business plan, obtain funding for start-up capital, and get all my ducks in a row. When the time came I made the leap which was September 2013, CityScape Insurance was founded.

Now that you have the backstory it’s time to get to the fun stuff. When I jumped on my own and started CityScape Insurance I really underestimated the amount of work there was when running a business let alone growing one. The first 6 months in business were very hard, I worked 14-16 hours a day 7 days a week, building a website, lead funnels, obtaining carrier appointments, and firing on all cylinders to start writing some business. By the end of the 1st year it was a relief I made it that far and that was just the beginning. Year two was a big year filled with some very hard hurdles. Expenses were piling up, utilities were turned off a few times at home, a credit card was maxed out regularly, and just about every bill I had was past due. This went on until about July of 2015 where I caught my first real break. Leads were coming in, business was being written, and some good-sized commission checks were clearing.

In addition, I was finally able to land some actual business funding by placing a lien on my truck with Accion Small Business Funding. The $6k the loaned me in addition to my commission checks was enough to dig me out completely. With the pressure off for a bit, I pushed really hard on marketing, cold calling, networking, and handing my info to just about every Tom, Dick, and Joe I ran into outside the house. This all paid off in 2016 where I had my biggest year in the 6 years I’d been in the industry. With nearly $300,000 in new business sales, I crushed my prior year by nearly double. At the start of 2017, I finally had the ammunition, capital, and game plan to really get the agency moving in the desired direction. This year has been filled with excitement, ample growth, and destroying goals. In fact, in September I made the biggest single account sale of my career at $35,000/yr and several larger leads in the pipeline.

Next year is looking up and I shooting to clear my 5 year agency goal of having $1,000,000 in active written premium on the books before the end of year 5. I’m also looking to hire my first full time producer, and account manager by the end of 2018 so we can begin growing even faster.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Lack of working capital
Cost of marketing against the large insurance companies and seasoned local retail agencies
Constant rate changes in the personal lines markets.

CityScape Insurance – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
CityScape Insurance offers a wide array of Personal & Commercial insurance programs that can protect your home, auto, business, and more. We stop at nothing to provide comprehensive coverage options at a favorable price. Though we’re price conscious we’re more coverage driven on our products.

Our specialties include: new ventures, contractor insurance, trucking, cyber risks, specialty products, and unique hard to place risks. Where other agents say “No” or “We Can’t Help You” we say “Yes, Yes, and Let’s Get Started!”

What Sets Us Apart From The Rest?
Coverage Options Tailored Specifically To Your Needs
No 800 Number or Automated Phone System
We Represent You, Not The Carriers
Same Day Issuance & Endorsement Processing
100% Transparency
And Much More…

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Finally, having the freedom to work with clients I want to work with, where I want to work, wearing what I want to, and being in complete control my my future, success, and size of my pocketbook.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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