Suzilla: Family Business Podcast

We have been running a small insurance office for years. We talk about the importance of the customer experience and tearing down 'no soliciting' signs in other podcasts. We have even talked about how to do creative outreach and events. It boils down to the idea around comfort.     How are you projecting comfort to clients, friends, and strangers? 

Around Wenatchee Insurance we are.  Yes, the Lunar New Year occurs on Saturday. We have gone through the fires of 2023 and are looking forward to the New Year and the prosperity that comes with it. We have been laying the groundwork for the last couple of weeks to begin hatching. New Year, New us. It takes time for renewal. What have you set up for prosperity in 2024?

As insurance professionals , we work with trust. Customers have to recognize that you have a product that will work in their darkest hours. We build trust just the same way that we tear it down. Here comes an exercise in trust.

We are going to talk about being a Veteran in America on Veterans Day. There is predatory marketing that takes place, an IG moment or two and then we are used as political talking points to take away helping others. We are getting real with our office Veteran.

After running the enrollment center with the Washington Healthplanfinder for the last six years, we know a little about giving back. In the age of people running to jury duty, maybe we need to make a 180 and run to it. Instead of making a difference one day a year how about making a difference a week or daily? Community engagement goes beyond Instagram moments. It’s why animal clubs are dwindling...

While STEM gets a lot of play, what doesn’t get enough talk is supporting the arts in school. We use a heck of a lot of art and we run an insurance agency . My hands are bricks and it doesn’t stop me from supporting and appreciating art. This is where kids get to explore their creativity which drives genius and empathy. As business owners our next partner, employee, or client will probably come fr...

Fall is an exciting time of the year around here. Kids in school, Football, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Black Friday Specials, Dances, Open Enrollment , Halloween. Setting up for winter We are going to talk about energizing your life, your family, and your business during this episode.

After 12 years of running an insurance business , I can say one thing. There is no perfect customer, employee, or business model. Every year I set a plan and make adjustments. We are going to get into making adjustments so that you can fly.  The first rule that we work with is to get out of your business and do events. 

Scheduling is critical when you do Health Insurance and you are looking at hundreds of appointments in a few weeks. We just dropped a little over $500 for our Calendar program for the year and it is worth every penny.  In the last couple of years, we have heard complaints about supply chain shortages. Some of that comes from scheduling. I went to see three different tattoo artists.  I literally sp...

We have been assisting with health insurance since the beginning of the ACA. The first year I had a ton of people with ITINs and tax returns seeking to purchase health insurance. Because of how the ACA was written they were eventually denied coverage. Later in 2017 during a rules change the Dreamers were also denied using the Healthplanfinder for coverage. It all changes on November 1,2023, when w...

It is an important time to talk about the three big mechanics of delayed gratification. This is how you build teams and experiences. These are powerful building tools when used correctly. When mishandled then it becomes destructive. 

Our insurance business has been experiencing massive growth. It took us five months and seven days to write as many policies as the entire 2022. So when someone told me that the economy was slowing down, I had to take a deeper look. It seems like the media is in cruise control. One group talks about how bad the Democrats do for the economy and then the other side of the news says how bad the incum...

We have been doing insurance for half our married life. It takes a lot of education to move everything forward. How do you become a better you, partner, business etc. Do you schedule time during your day to improve one skill? When was the last time that you read a book or tried something brand new? How about making a new friend? There is a reason that people make a lot of friends in school and it...

Insurance is not an instant business as we have to look at things over long periods of time and then plan. We have folks building dream homes out of concrete and steel to protect from wildfire. We have large portions of Canada on fire. Hawaii’s losses are monstrous. Kids in Montana are upholding their state’s constitution to protect the environment. How do we do better on the bottom line and keep...

By focusing on effect you can affect a response with the people around you. The Bear season 2 is a real good example of the details a restaurant can have to create an experience. Other businesses can work on similar effects to change lives.  Let’s get into it.

It is amazing how much people spend on time and money by avoiding experts. We see it a lot in our independent Insurance Agency . We are going to talk about experts today and the value they add. What happens when you cling to an expert? What does that do to your choices, your business, or even your lifestyle? Qualities that we look for every time. If you want to make big improvements in your life t...

Between last week’s SCOTUS decision and our town’s Prayer meeting masquerading as a 4th of July Celebration, it’s time to sort some things out. Our business has always been inclusive by design. We suggest that people start looking for Friends of Stella lists and GSBA Memberships . It is going to be a tough time for a lot of people. The ability to run secular events/businesses is a key element for...

While we run a lot of mid-century with Suzie Health Solutions . We can not rest on that for Wenatchee Insurance .  My teenager reminded me how bad nostalgia sucks when we walked into a 50s diner and were served substandard food, reduced sizes, between Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. Start looking at what a company is doing and what they are serving up. Did it peak in Highschool? Let’s take a look at nos...

There are lessons everywhere to improve your business and yourself. Two hours after launch to see the Titanic, Titan lost contact with the surface. There are lessons everywhere and especially over the loss of five people that paid a quarter of a million dollars each for the ride to the bottom of the ocean. We are going to take a dive into the lessons. 

Seriously, what signs does a person display when they have their house in order? What does it look like when they are a hot mess? We are no angels however there are habits that effect people display over and over again that promotes success as they define it. Let’s get into adulting.

We are going to get into branding and marketing today thanks to Nikki Darling Productions brochure that I have in my lobby. We keep a rack in our lobby for local businesses brochures which is one of our regular community-building projects. I was asked about branding by a customer this week and since we launched a massive campaign and am talking to a marketer today. Every action that you do impacts...

I learned from my time in the Army. It is a dividing line between management and leadership. A manager will cling  to self-importance that pretty Instagram image of what the top looks like. A leader will eat last, provide their best for the people around them from their own pockets. It is where you find a servant leader. When you select a company or nonprofit look for sacrifice before making a sel...

We run an inclusive insurance office . This includes the LGBTQIA+ members of our community. We have been doing so for over a decade because things like supporting Gay Marriage and Section 1557 of the ACA are platforms of treating people well like people. We are going to talk about what we currently see, book bans, anti-healthcare legislation and what we are doing as a small business.

Since we have an insurance business we ask What If Questions all the time to each other. Your partner gets sick, vendors fail, and equipment breaks down. How many backup plans do you have in place for your business and your family? It hasn’t been too long ago when the country got our backside handed by the lack of plans and safety nets. Let’s get into creating plans that do not infringe on current...

When politicians come to town, they want to take their pictures with us. Charities have their hand out and we sponsor events. We are called the backbone of America. How valuable is the time of a small business owner to lend a hand or volunteer?