u/SnooRecipes9557

Hey all, long-time lurker, first post here.

I’m based in Toronto and currently working through my RIBO Level 1. My goal is to become a commercial insurance producer. I don’t have direct insurance experience, but I’ve got a solid sales background in property management and telecom, mostly relationship-driven, longer-cycle sales rather than transactional stuff. Im 25 years old if it matters.

Couple questions for anyone who’s been through this:

**1.**	With no insurance experience but a decent sales track record, is it realistic to start directly in a junior commercial producer role, or should I expect to have to cut my teeth in personal lines first before anyone lets me touch commercial?  
**2.**	I want to specialize in a niche early rather than go generalist, but I want to avoid anything oversaturated (seems like contracting/trucking are pretty picked over already). The niches I’m personally most drawn to — mostly out of genuine interest/passion — are advertising/marketing agencies, rehab (drug addiction, eating disorders, etc.), and cybersecurity. From what I’ve looked into, each has its own problem: advertising premiums seem too small to build real income on, rehab seems hard to get underwriters to even write, and cyber is oversaturated with specialty MGAs and big brokerages already all over it. Realistically, could any of these get me to $180k+ in commission within 8-10 years, or should I be looking elsewhere entirely?

Appreciate any honest input, especially from people actually working commercial lines day to day. Thanks in advance.