Suzilla: Family Business Podcast

We are big-time nerds around Wenatchee Insurance . We met at a convention. Have Star Wars tattoos. We also nerd out when it comes to insurance. Being a Nerd business owner is incredibly useful and I often seek them out for a single trait. I will give you a hint, it is the opposite of IG famous….

We built an independent insurance agency that is definitely different. We have put ourselves into our business for over a decade.  What if all the stereotypes surrounding business are true? Everyone is out for themselves. The boss is exploiting the workers who are all quiet quitting. The customers are going over to the next company because they are cheaper and go to the same church. It’s your busi...

Supernova had a big week were we talked about Marketing archetypes. If you followed Suzie Health Solutions through the years then you would have seen a variety of archetypes used. How do they work in business? How do they work in the real world? Would politics be better if one or both of the parties played from a different archetype? What were the colors on the brand wheel? We have had the fortune...

The minute that someone steps into our insurance office a person knows that they are in for a different experience. We set out over a decade ago to not make something that sucked. As our kid puts it has no soul. When we look for partners, we look for a different mindset. We want people that care about people, our community and profits. In that order. When presented this year in a Business Contest...

I am not talking the poker chips and scratchers. We are getting into risks and rewards today. Comfort & safety versus growth & discovery. How if we remove all of the risk then we never win. If we never reward others, then we never win. Who could use some more wins in their life? How about your kids’  life? If you are being honest then there are accurate rewards and responsibilities. If a bank exec...

We operate a little different. In an industry where women make about half as much as men we focus on inclusive capitalism. If you want an to work with a different kind of insurance agency in Washington State then let us know.  There reaches a point when you take complexity and distill it to the point of destruction. It no longer functions as originally intended. It’s like boiling coke to a syrup a...

Suzie Health Solutions has been around for over 10 years working with Health insurance. Recently we decided to start improving Property Insurance in our area and Launched Wenatchee Insurance Agency . We are in a small business renaissance in the United States thanks to some Legislation like the American Rescue Act and Inflation Reduction Act more people than ever before are leaving corporate life....

Supernova is putting Wenatchee Insurance   in a competition with 24 different businesses and it looks like there are some assumptions about what goes into a business. We have been in a few clashes with old timers because the industry is changing. We have seen some great examples on what is possible from Insurance Soup. It isn’t that old musty place that everyone hates to go. Let’s talk about where...

When you have a small business. We run an insurance office which means long hours and when you have a family what do you do? Well we built a space in our office. It was critical in our success for child care expenses and covid lock down. For us it never became a battle of office verses family.  Last weekend we gathered the families of the office together and started designing the third space. We s...

The Last Big Job, the winning lottery ticket, the future self-coming back in time to save us. Bonus desperation is thick in sales and it can effect outcomes. There is a ton of fantasy plots that are developed on assembly line jobs. Your body paying the price while your mind wanders. But what is the alternative? What happens if you make tiny steps every day to a new future?

We have been working a small business for over a decade. This one hits home.  There is an awesome video out there of a lady describing her experience with buying a Porsche in 2020. She called up the first dealership and requested to have more information on three of their cars. They refused and so she moved onto the next and had a great experience as not only did they send her the information, the...

What is occurring right now and what you can do to make this year the best for yourself, your family and your career. I take time between the Calendar New Year and the Lunar New Year to observe and reflect.  Since we work with Insurance , we see a lot of activity around the new year and there are things that can be down through the year to improve. This is the moment of time that we see who prepar...

Yes, we are back from Olympia. Insurance is run by laws since we run an insurance agency , we sometimes have to recommend corrections.  We were able to meet with some peers and talk to 2 out of 3 legislatures about insurance to get some improvements. We were given homework so that both groups can improve some situations. We even found out about the Washington Long Term Cares project so if you are...

Why would we take a thriving Health Insurance Agency and add property insurance ? We are looking at expectations, benefits, and disappointments. If you haven’t read Who moved my cheese, by Spenser Johnson then this is a great time. With change your benefits/cheese become a bit of Three Card Monty game so keep your eyes on your business and marketplace. We are going to see some serious play in the...

We are going back two years to revisit being fierce. It is a focus that has served us well and I kind of see it waning. We talked about how we just went through what we thought was impressive growth. The focus was on being fierce not aggressive. It’s important to have that conversation again.   Being fierce will punch a new business through the confusion and there is a lot of confusion in the worl...

Aha moments! Eureka! Your Badass moment. They are a realization that you have grown. It can come from with in and it can come from the outside. They only come through action sometimes in the middle and sometimes after during review. If you are coaching people, then your goal should be to create that moment. If you are coachable then you want to experience it at least once in the coming year. Be op...

As a small business owner and a user of our state's exchange , it is critical that we forecast 2023 income. When you purchase healthcare on an exchange then it isn't past income that they are working with it is current and future income. Even with Medicare,

We are going to talk about observation. It is the top skill to refresh your business and relationships. This is the skill that allows a person to move beyond the set it and forget it mentality. It is also the first skill to go when you are in a rut. We are going to talk about turning on your senses so that you can begin to move and improve.

I listen to morning DJs and watch advertising closely to help craft our advertising. Sometimes I am seeing something that is lacking and that is sincerity. Does it have the right tone? Are you doing the follow up actions? Who are you surrounding yourself with? Sincerity matters in every relationship.

Life is not perfect. Build your business to take care of the left behinds. There is so much abundance in the world that folks focus on satisfying only a portion, a niche. However, if you build acknowledging that  not everyone fits into a single mold. That you can customize to a clients’ needs then you are looking at something special. You are providing a solution that no one else can accomplish. W...

It’s Open Enrollment and workers that are handling the call centers for Healthcare.gov are asking for better pay and less stressful workload. We are on the ground with an office for Washington state . How much do we get paid? What do the bills look like? Why have I advocated for a decade for in person assistance. Let’s talk about the strike and Open Enrollment.

It’s an American Tradition that we get into it. I mean come on if you are working in Insurance and don’t have a spooky story then what are you doing? Let’s get into Halloween, the fun and keeping your business moving forward.

One of the biggest things that is forgotten about insurance is equity. Seriously, it is about being fair and impartial. Most people have struggles and sometimes customer service takes the brunt of it. Have you ever set up a business by yourself? So how are you keep moving forward when you need to be made whole?

This year we will be looking at a bunch of health plans in Washington State. that will have a zero-dollar price tag. We are also looking at bringing more people into the agency so wages will be a hot topic. We are not going to forget about inflation. So what does perception have to do with these, a whole lot. Let’s get into it on Suzilla.

Everyone has expectations. There are certain levels of trust and distrust with every business and every relationship. How you design your environment and the words that you use can establish expectations. We have some great examples of doing it right and doing it wrong.  This episode was full of surprises with a first appearance of Shayla a new partner with Wenatchee Insurance Agency , We also had...