Why hiring a ‘Business Nanny’ will save your business … and your sanity

If you haven’t been on the phone with a customer at 7 p.m. trying to collect information to quote a new auto insurance policy, all while trying to remove your 2-year-old from the pantry for the 57^th time … you might have a hard time relating to this article.

That was my life.

When I opened my insurance agency in 2014 I was nine months pregnant. At that time, I wanted to be everything to everyone. I wanted to write all the policies, service all the people, and pretend like I didn’t need to sleep (because I was incredibly realistic).

I’m not sure the exact moment when that way of thinking took an incredibly abrupt turn downhill but having my daughter and spending the first days of her life in the hospital trying to #BeAllTheThings (I’m a Millennial and I love hashtags) was a pretty good indicator that it was early on in my agency owner career.

Writing business was what came easy to me. The thrill of the hunt, the confirmed kills, if you will. There was something about the adrenaline that I couldn’t get enough of. I had been a mom, a wife, a business owner, a producer for so long that the close of the sale was what gave me the instant gratification to keep on going. The sale was the easy part.

Fast forward to two years into the business. I had mastered the art of not believing in balance. In fact, not only had I mastered it, I was the president of the #BalanceisaMyth land. I was selling new business policies, writing blogs, throwing fruit snacks at my children to keep them at bay while mama is making them dollar bills! Then something happened.

I was losing business. And I was losing my mind.

How had I not noticed? How had this slipped my grasp? How could an agency that was so successful with referrals and in writing new business been struggling?

Then the spiral started.

I was and am currently a 100% digital-based agency. Meaning I don’t give out an office location, I don’t have walk-in business, and my ability to stay on the phone more than 20 minutes leaves lots to be desired. Before I say what I am about to, I want to preface it with the fact that this model of an agency is not for everyone. I get that, and it is still without a question the route I would and will continue to take. I was not afraid of the digital age or technology. But …

I denied the fact that I was turning into a machine.

Not only a machine, but a broken down, burnt out old Nokia edition circa 2003 model. I was on my way out before I even got started.

After rummaging through my life (picture this like you fellow mom’s would be rummaging through the bottom of the diaper bag looking for your lip gloss because that is the only piece of you actually in that enormous bag), I found that I genuinely was not happy. Not only was I not happy, but I had basically been lying to myself for a solid two years about being able to be #AllTheThings.

My agency, business and family were failing. All because I was unable to admit that it is irresponsible to try to be everything to everyone.

So, I dove in. I learned about automation in my business (think about this being a nanny for your business, if you will) and I learned that it was absolutely imperative in not only any business model but crucial in a one-man shop. If I ever wanted to grow to have a team, I needed to keep customers and clients happy so they keep renewing their policies with me. Thus, bringing in more dollar bills … followed by residual income … and then eternal happiness. (Yes, I know money doesn’t solve everything, but have you ever seen someone unhappy on a yacht? Didn’t think so.)

My digital agency that I thought I was running for two years was actually running me. Not only just running me, but outpacing my 7-minute mile without hesitation.

As I sit here today, I am currently using several pieces of automated software to work for me while I am still sleeping; a “business nanny” who doesn’t sleep, if you will. Software like Active Campaign, a website that speaks to my customers just simply by them visiting my site, and so many other things that allow me to have “touch points” on my customers while freeing up more time for me to collect my children out of the pantry.

If you are in a place in your business or life where it is outpacing you, it is time to grab a Venti Cold Brew (this is the first step) and use technology to save you from the burnout. Even if your agency is not a #DigitalAgency like mine, using technology to save you from yourself is something that changed my life.

Now at four years in, I am still learning to grow my agency through automation. I am a pup in the world of technology. My agency retention has jumped since my “I cannot suck” revelation. My new business growth didn’t decline, and I started learning that not all business is worth it.

I am learning that it is OK to not be everything to everyone and that every once in a while, it is completely acceptable to sit on the floor in front of the pantry with my now almost 4-year-old and share some fruit snacks.

• SEE ALSO: Erin Nutting: “Owning her crazy” and flourishing

Erin Nutting is the owner of Integrity Insurance Services and Arizona Wedding Insurance in Tucson, Ariz.