We were lucky to catch up with Jamie Sterling recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Being a Private Investigator involves many skills; however, here are the five I have found to be the most useful and beneficial to becoming a successful PI.

First, one must have incredible observation and intuition skills. An eye for detail is a must have in this profession. Catching the smallest bits of information is critical and can either break or make a case. It is vital that an investigator is constantly paying attention to their surroundings because every clue is important.

Secondly, having good people skills is needed in order to communicate in an effective manner with all types of different people in order to get the information you are needing. Whether interviewing a witness or talking with law enforcement, a PI needs to be able to interact with people who have different personalities and backgrounds.

Third, good organization skills help a Private Investigator pay attention to details and not get cases mixed up or lose information. If one is not organized, it can be very easy to screw up a case.

Resourcefulness is another important quality in the private investigation business in order to save you money and time. Knowing how to use and search public record databases as well as being able to operate the newest technology devices helps keep you in the front line to others in the same industry.

Lastly, I truly believe that the most important attribute a Private Investigator must possess in order to excel in the field is tenacity. Investigations can be complex and don’t usually lead to immediate results. A dedicated investigator understands that patience is a must because obstacles will present themselves, and a good investigator does not give up when they encounter roadblocks; they figure out how to get through those roadblocks.

Jamie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Since I can remember, I have always had an interest in investigating people and situations. In college, I knew I wanted to go into the legal field in some way. I went to college and got a degree in Criminal Justice and fell into teaching law classes. Later in life, I had friends who would ask me legal questions and would come to me for help as they were going through a divorce, usually dealing with a cheating spouse and/or custody issues. Given I also had some of these issues in my own divorce, I knew how to help them find the answers they needed. Not only have I always had good intuition, but it is easy for me to see red flags in these situations that others don’t always see (or want to see).

Investigating is like solving a mystery to me. To get to the truth, I take all the clues and information I am given and put them all together. Then I use my skills to fill in the missing pieces, much like solving a complicated puzzle. In doing this, I learned to use different tools and methods as well as my instinct to help people I knew get the answers they needed. The feeling of finding out the truth has always brought me a lot of personal satisfaction, not to mention it is extremely exhilarating and a great adrenaline rush to solve a case.

Now that I do Private Investigation work as a career, I find it just as rewarding to help strangers who need my help get the answers they need. My company is a full-service private investigation firm located in Dallas/Fort Worth specializing in a wide variety of services from domestic affairs; infidelity; missing people; criminal investigations; corporate needs; and private security needs. We also run background searches and help with insurance fraud claims in addition to civil process serving.

As someone with personal life experiences such as a high-conflict divorce and child custody issues, I want my clients to know that not only am I a professional with 12 years of experience as a private investigator, but I have also had life experiences that are similar to many clients who are seeking my services. Because of this, I believe it gives me the ability to understand the emotions and stresses that come with stressful situations that many investigators are unable to relate to nor have experienced firsthand.

It is important to me that clients understand that I am dedicated and passionate in getting them the answers they need so they can have peace of mind. Unlike other investigators, I spend extra time developing relationships with all my clients which builds trust and assurance. I want each client to know that I genuinely care about them and their case because I have walked in many of their shoes. Because I love helping others, I do this job because I find it to be extremely rewarding and satisfying.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One very valuable lesson that I learned in the beginning of my career is to never reveal real time information to a client while on the job, no matter how calm of a person they come across to be nor how many times they assure you they will not act on emotions. I remember one case I was working on that backfired on me during an investigation because I shared the details of the case as it was happening with the client. I had met with this client many times. She was an elderly woman who was very quiet and seemed very mature. She asked me if I would please let her know what her husband was doing during the time of my surveillance. She said she would not be able to sleep if she had to wait until the following day.

As with any job, you learn a lot from hands-on-experience and from making mistakes. This was a mistake I will never make again. After telling my client her husband did leave the bar with another woman and where I had followed him to (the other woman’s apartment), my client showed up to confront her husband face-to-face while he was with this other woman in her apartment. Needless to say, it did not end well. I had to call the police to get my client off her husband as she would not stop attacking her husband once she had lured him out of the other woman’s apartment. It was a quick reality check for me, and a lesson learned that I will never forget.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

A few years ago, I had a unique situation that came about where I was offered to buy my former’s boss’ Private Investigation company. My former boss (who hired me and helped me get my foot in the door to the private investigation industry), was shot and killed in a domestic dispute. After his death, his ex-wife took over his company. Soon after doing so, she decided she no longer wanted to continue in the private investigation industry and reached out to me asking if I would like to buy the company. I felt honored that she thought that much of me and my abilities to take over my boss’ company he worked so hard to build and couldn’t let the opportunity pass me up.

Although it was a great tool to help me make my way into operating a private investigation business, I soon decided to start from scratch and build my own company. One thing that I am extremely thankful for that came out of buying his company, is that my former boss’ ex-wife gifted me his company’s desk. This was a very sentimental and valuable possession of his that meant a lot to him and represented his passion and dedication to the job he loved- being a Private Investigator. I know if he saw me now, he would be proud of all that I have accomplished in this industry. When I sit down to do work at his desk in my own office now, I am reminded of how thankful I am to him for taking a chance on me and hiring me many years ago. I will always be grateful for him believing in me and opening the door to a profession that I absolutely enjoy doing!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.insightinvestigationstx.com
• Instagram: @insightinvestigationstx
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insightinvestigationstx/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-sterling-1858061b
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wespyforyou
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/3HOsqxjG2oE
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/insight-investigations-fort-worth

Image Credits
Corey Lee