St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN)

April 6, 2008 OPEN FOR BUSINESS

TitleSmart is a full-service title insurance agency dedicated to providing our clients with exceptional title, escrow and real estate closing solutions. Why are you launching it now? After more than 21 years of working in this industry as employees of other title companies, we decided it was time to start our own company. We had the knowledge, experience and a loyal client base. It is the best decision we've ever made.

Tell us how you developed your business plan.

In addition to years in the title industry, over the past five years we started up and ran the title company for a local well-known real estate firm in the Twin Cities metro area, Brainerd and Rochester. Over the years, we have worked hard to service our customers and establish a reputation of outstanding service and knowledge in this profession. We used this reputation to start our own company.

How are you financing your business?

The capital to open the company came from the personal savings of the owners. How do you see current economic conditions affecting your business? The current market conditions have given us a "refreshed" perception. We are able to give "one on one" personalized service to every customer.

What makes your business unique?

The title business is a mystery to the average consumer. Most people don't have any idea what it is that their title closer/company provides to them. We work to bring buyers, sellers and real estate agents through the process so that it is easy to und! erstand and fun. Customers sense we enjoy what we do, which ma! kes the overall experience for them more personalized.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you do it?

Once we made the decision to move forward, everything really just came together. The momentum definitely was there each step of the way. The biggest obstacle was leaving our old company. They were not supportive. However, we all stayed positive and didn't look back or allow ourselves to dwell on negative situations or gossip.

What will tell you the business is successful?

That part is easy. The company opened on April 1, 2007, and we got off to a smooth start. Systems are in place and operations are already successful. Now we are working towards our goal of growing the company around the Twin Cities.