Member Spotlight: Thad Camp State Farm Insurance

At Stage2, we are so proud to highlight the awesome things our members are accomplishing. Recently, we had a chance to take a peak behind the scenes with Thad Camp, the owner of Thad Camp State Farm, and discover some of the key points that have lead to his success.

Tell us a little about who are you and what business you own?
My name is Thad Camp and I own Thad Camp State Farm. To me, yes, I am an insurance agent, but it's more than that for me. My purpose is to build a relationship with my client. I want them to feel like I am a friend, because there is going to be a day they will need to call me when something bad has happened to their home or auto. They are going to want to have a friend on the other end of that phone, and that's exactly what I am. 

What has been the best part of owning your own business?
For me there are two things:

First, the fact that I am my own boss. There is no one else to blame if something does not get done. It is on me to make sure how successful I am going to be.

Second, flexibility. Not only am I able to focus on my insurance business, but I am also able to work on my passion project, 4 Paws for Ability. ​

Thad, his wife Ashely, and their dog Stanley.

What are some of the mistakes you made along your journey as an entrepreneur?
I would say the biggest mistakes for me came from not understanding the backroom operations of running a business. I knew how to sell and build relationships with people, but I had no clue how to do my accounting, what a profit and loss sheet was, or what cash flow meant. Thanks to my work with Stage2, I now understand all of those and can tell you exactly where all my money is going. 

At Stage2, Your Personal Vision is the cornerstone of everything we do. Would you care to share a part of your 5-year personal vision?
In the next five years I would like to move to Bellbrook and become a bigger part of the community. I want to travel to all the bucket list places that my wife and I have come up with. 

If Personal Vision is the most important thing we talk about at Stage2, the second most important thing is Business Vision. You need to build a business that supports your personal vision. What are some of your upcoming business goals for this year?
I have the normal business goals that every insurance agent has; hire more people, make more revenue, and grow my book of business. But, those are not the goals I want to talk about.

My main focus and goal is my passion project, 4 Paws for Ability. I have teamed up with another member of Stage2 to start the groundwork for fundraising for 4 Paws. Hopefully when this corona virus ends, we can start scheduling events in order to start raising money. I want to make sure that every special needs child in Dayton get a dog to help them with their daily activities. 

Thad is active in the community and supports Bellbrook Schools with the Athlete of the Week program.

What about 5 years from now?
In five years, I would like to have two offices; the one here in Bellbrook and add a second one in Waynesville. I would like to have my current office with 7 team members and the new office to have at least 4. I will have a team that is licensed in the surrounding states, so that we can be selling in more than just Ohio. I will have office managers in both offices to run the day to day operations. This will give me the ability to devote most of my time to fundraising for 4 Paws for Ability. 

If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what advice would you give yourself?
The first would be...do not get married the month after you open your business. My wife is still mad about not having a honeymoon.

Second, track your money, make sure you know where every dime is going and what it is being used for.

Third, do not stress over the things you can't control, as long as you are doing what is right for your client you will be successful. 

You are a member of Stage2. What has that meant to you?
Being a member of Stage2 has meant a lot to me. I would not have a handle on my business financials without them. I would not have a detailed mission and vision of my business. I have a clear direction of the path I want to take with my business. Stage2 has helped me to find my passion and my passion project with 4 Paws for Ability. 

We saved the best for last. The most important thing; your personal life. Tell us a little about yourself outside of work?
I am married to my wife, Ashley. We have been married 5 and a half years. We don't have any kids, unless you count our soon to be 5 year old Chocolate Lab named Stanley. We enjoy taking Stanley to the dog park and going to Dayton Dragon baseball games in the summer. We also enjoy going on all-inclusive vacations to the Caribbean and Mexico.  ​

If someone wants to get in touch with you, what is the best way?
It's pretty easy: They can call me at 937-848-2260, send me an email at Thad@ThadismyAgent.com, and hopefully soon they can stop by my office at 22 S. Main St in downtown Bellbrook. 

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Thank you Thad for being a part of the Stage2 group and everything you do for all your customers and the community!