Suzilla: Family Business Podcast

Civic duty is important

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 or don’t maintain beyond social commitments. Let’s add community meaning.

Supporting the arts is important for business

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 from the arts.

Energize your fall

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.

If you want to last then you need to adapt and evolve.

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 to growth.

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 spent four days tracking down artists and attempting to schedule a new piece with cash in hand. 

How many hours have you spent waiting on your doctor for an appointment? 

All businesses rely on scheduling. Some are for clients and some are for resources for your business. 

If you rely on booking appointments, then you want to dial in.

Health Insurance regardless of Immigration status in Washington State.

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 we began enrolling immigrants regardless of status on the Healthplanfinder. They may be eligible for state credits and not federal however it is a start. The plans will start on January 1, 2024.

The information stays in the state system, so in-person assistors will be working hard to verify applications. This will keep the information private however it does mean that enrollments will take longer. 

July 1, 2024, those making less than 138% of poverty will be eligible for Apple Health on a first come first serve basis. We are recommending that everyone interested in selecting appointments early as the enrollment period ends January 15, 2024. 

Goals, Bonuses,& Prizes the most used and abused tools of businesses.

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. 

The Economy has shifted even if you have not seen it.

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 incumbent party is doing for the economy. They are not talking about policy shifts like the 32,000 job sites. They are not talking about the small business growth with the Economic Development Districts. The Biden Economy is hot and we can see small businesses continue growing in the next couple of years with this plan. 

The economy has shifted whether the media is talking about it or not. 

Education is important.

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 becomes harder as they age. If you want to reverse that trend then let's start working on something new. 

 

Honest change comes from awkward moments.

Environmentally friendly is business friendly.

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 it sustainable?