Tell us about your career trajectory. How did you end up in the insurance business and managing partner at KASE?
I had my first insurance gig as a teenager working at an insurance call centre. A friend I met in university helped get me an interview for a part-time sales and service role there. Although I had no intentions of staying in insurance, I really enjoyed the advisor aspect of the job. Luckily, I met a great friend (and future business partner) there, Stanislav Kojokin. After about a year of working together he left the company to become a broker. I quickly fell in love with his client stories and hearing about the different business owners he got to interact with on a daily basis. Once I finished school, I went straight into the broker world, eventually ending up at the same brokerage as Stanislav. After spending a few years building a book of business, working on other designations like CAIB, CPIB and CRM, the two of us decided to open a brokerage specializing in commercial insurance. Two years sure does fly!
What is the most fulfilling aspect of your work?
I'm a problem solver by nature and being a commercial insurance broker requires a lot of that. There aren't enough brokers out there that specialize in
commercial insurance so bringing new insurance solutions that clients have never heard of is definitely my favourite part of the job. Having your clients give you some of their company swag like hats and pens is a close second.
When you look back at your career, what would you say are your proudest accomplishments?
There are many great moments I'll always remember like signing up my first client or agreeing on a name for the brokerage. The proudest accomplishment so far has been being nominated for Best Brokerage Under 10 Employees at the Insurance Business Awards last year. This nomination came after only being in business for a year and a half, but reminded us that there is always room for dedicated, enthusiastic and goal driven individuals and brokerages no matter how much of a new kid on the block they may be.
We're from a generation where everyone can Google insurance information on their phones and make informed decisions before buying. We know that specialization trumps generalization when it comes to commercial insurance, which is why we've chosen that as our focus. KASE Insurance is not a one-stop shop for all of your insurance needs, but rather a place a business owner can get the advice he or she needs to make decisions on risk management.
While many brokerages encourage their brokers to further their insurance education, KASE Insurance makes it a requirement. We see it as a duty to our clients to know more than what they can Google on their own. We also see it as a necessity to give our clients access to the latest tools that can help their business like accessing certificates online and having access to free third-party HR resources to help their businesses.
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