Suzilla: Family Business Podcast

Boycotts and Small Business

Tomorrow is one of the big boycott days for the big box stores. As a bonus, a bunch of the organizers are starting to mention using small businesses. I have ran a small insurance business for years.  What would have happened if you were using small businesses before? If businesses that you know and respect thrive then does it improve your community? A diverse market is a thriving market so let’s get there.

The Importance of New

When was the last time that you tried something new. Personally, a couple or a business? Spring is a great time to get out and discover your community. Set up new processes to improve your business and prepare for Summer. We have been trying new things with great success. Let’s get into the importance of new. 

You are voting with your wallet

Every day, every week, every month we vote with our wallets the businesses that we support. At a certain point, those businesses and business owners support politics. Like it or not yes money is attached to politics. One of the top questions that I was asked last week on one of the platforms is there any lists of businesses that don’t support MAGA. Yes, people are waking up that their wallets can make a difference. Let’s talk about the secret life of politics of business. 

What is scary about Diversity, Equity, or Inclusion?

We have been running an inclusive insurance business so long, we just shrug when people say it's bad practice. Say the words Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It’s an action which leads to thought and conversation.  What do you object to it and why is Target shareholders suing the company for dropping their DEI program? What do we look for in business as we hire. Lets fill in the gaps and build a better future.

Handling budget freezes

Who was surprised by the Federal Freeze? It was a quick flash that highlighted more than I expected as a small business owner. Funding is critically important. It’s why our Founding Fathers selected Congress for that power. The Spending Clause is Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1.

We have seen it before, have conversations about it, and inventory our resources. 

Now is the time to prepare.

Uniform, Unique and You

If you ever been to our office, you will see that we don't use the traditional uniform of an Insurance Agency. It can make a lot of people uncomfortable so we put in markers that were friendlier to more people. Uniform is important as it is a visual marker to identify if something is a friend or foe. A green flag or a red flag. You might have to wear something for a job or to fit in. Uniqueness is the personal touch the pledge pin. It is how you hold a conversation and the thoughts behind it. We are talking about the big U’s today on Suzilla.

We need to end set it and forget it as a concept.

We are seeing time and time again people getting burned because they are running an expectation that it is business as usual. It is strange because it is an attempt to defy the one universal constant that is change. We have had to work with it firsthand this year as we had a local Medicare Advantage plan leave our area with thousands of clients. Some quickly found assistance, some did it themselves and some are still finding out months later that their Medicare plan left. We saw it with Covid and the businesses that failed to adapt quick enough. We saw it when the real estate market collapsed. We saw it when the savings and loan's collapsed. Today's Suzilla, we talk about ending the Set it and Forget it lifestyle. 

Consent is important in everything.

Have you ever wondered why you hated the person who talked poorly to the receptionist? Had your car in the repair shop and got a upcharge of a couple of hundred dollars. Watched someone cut in line. Didn't use someone's correct Pronouns,. It is all about consent. Suzie and Matt have been running their business on consent for years and it creates referrals like no other. 

The importance of flow.

There are people that treat insurance and other services as a transactional model. Pull a lever and coverage comes out. Suzie and I have always treated it as a wild river process. Where clients move from pool to pool, lingering where they need more and moving quickly to the next process when needed. Today, we are looking at flow and how quickly things can jam up if we were just focused on a single transaction.

The world is on Fyre with bad events, let's work on creating better ones.

After seeing that Fyre 2 is being worked on, Bridgerton Ball, the Wonka experience. It is time to talk about events. We love events from working on theatre to hosting festivals. We are getting into constructing an event to what to look for to avoid being scammed. Events are not a cash cow banking experience and we need to stop treating them as such.