Page 24 - The UnCaptive Agent

agency. While we and our colleagues at SIAA, do this
routinely through our Agency Foundation™ program,
not everyone can participate in those resources. And I
believe, as Roosevelt articulates in the epigraph of this
chapter, that we all stand on someone else’s shoulders in
our lives and careers. I have learned a great deal from my
agency business partner Ken Anderson over the years,
not to mention the genius of Jim Masiello, founder
of SIAA, and many other teachers, mentors, friends
and colleagues in the business. My efforts in writing
this book are a way of saying “thank you” to them and
honoring the philosophy Roosevelt expressed. It is my
hope that this book will be helpful to many—to you,
specifically—in the startup and/or successful operation
of your agency.
No book can be completely exhaustive on any subject.
If it were, it would be so long that it would challenge
the optimism of even the most dedicated reader. So, I
have tried to be brief and cover what I believe to be the
most important topics in a straightforward fashion. I
have referred throughout the book to tools we use at
One Agents Alliance with our members. Some of those
tools have been included in the appendix and others are
available online. Friends have told me that it is foolish
to give away valuable things that could be sold instead.
I disagree. I think about the man who holds his money
tightly in his fist. You cannot pry from his grasp what he
holds most dear. But neither is he able to receive what
others may give. I believe an open hand is the best way
to build a successful business and life.
I hope you find value in the book.
Tony Caldwell
Santa Cruz, California
January 2020