"Family presence over financial abundance."
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Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Ron Wadley, the visionary behind Insurance For Texans, an independent insurance agency headquartered in the vibrant city of Dallas-Ft Worth.
Ron’s journey is a testament to the power of determination, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to providing exceptional value in an ever-evolving landscape. With humble beginnings in 2017, Ron embarked on a mission to disrupt the insurance industry, armed with the belief that being different could yield remarkable results.
In this exclusive interview, Ron shares the remarkable story of how he and his team transformed Insurance For Texans from a mere idea into a thriving business that not only weathered the storms of the past four years but also experienced exponential growth. He sheds light on the agency’s unconventional approach to fostering client relationships in the digital age and how their commitment to honesty and value creation set them apart.
Join us as we delve into Ron Wadley’s unique perspective on leadership, employee engagement, and staying ahead in a world of constant change. His insights are not only valuable for fellow entrepreneurs but also offer a fresh perspective on navigating the challenges of today’s business landscape.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Ron Wadley: Thanks Jeff. I own Insurance For Texans, which is an independent insurance agency located in Dallas-Ft Worth. We started from scratch in 2017 with little more than an idea to be different and a dream to build something that we could be proud of.
With a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work, we have been able to weather all of the storms that have come from the last four years with continued growth and expansion. The insurance industry is currently in turmoil, but our approach to being honest and providing value to our clients has resonated and helped propel us to the success that we have been able to experience.
We are a bit non-traditional for an agency since we rely on fostering relationships in more modern means, but it has worked for us in an ever changing environment.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Ron Wadley: We began a journey many years ago to own the local SEO space for people shopping for insurance in the middle of DFW.
Over the last year, the work we’ve done on content creation and helping the people around us understand the value of that piece of paper that they are purchasing has helped us to do just that.
We have grown our web presence to rank at the top for homeowners and business owners looking to properly protect their most valuable assets through True Texas protection. That has led to our explosive growth without ad spend on our part. My team has contributed in all phases of this process and it has been rewarding to see them succeed.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Ron Wadley: We have some unique insight into The Great Resignation because we are having conversations with many of the people resigning as we help them secure health insurance through our agency. Two overwhelming comments keep cropping up in those conversations.
The first is that they are tired of being simply a cog and feeling like there is little value to their work in a bigger picture. They feel the push from the top and do not feel as if what they are doing is truly meaningful and that they have no say in improving inefficiencies. That’s a dangerous place to be.
The second comment is centered around a lack of ownership. They see those people pushing down from above as not considering what is best for others, but only for the shareholders. The tangible benefit of a salary begins to lose its allure when you realize that you have actually stockpiled enough savings to not have to be there. As a result, many of the people we are talking to are simply volunteering in various places trying to make their communities better.
Given what we are seeing, we are trying to make sure that we have the buy in of our people. We value their input and incorporate it where we can. We have also incorporated a path to allow the people who work for us to have means to share in the success of the business. We are giving them the ability to truly see the fruits of the labor.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Ron Wadley: Insurance For Texans was born out of the idea that this tidal wave was coming. We couldn’t have predicted what happened from 2020 to now, but we were positioned well for it and are continuing our digital marketing efforts.
We have expanded not only being focused on our digital marketing, but we have embraced video proposals and other non-traditional means of client communications beyond just Zoom meetings. This has allowed us to speak to more people, faster.
I expect the pace to pick up. We are currently using AI to increase our volume in various ways. We have internal mechanisms that allow us to check business appetites from our carrier partners. We also have AI tools that help us communicate with customers better. These things are not going away no matter how much they may scare people.
The story that has resonated with me during the proliferation of AI tools over the last year is that 30 years ago people thought the internet was cute, but that people would never buy goods sight unseen. And they certainly wouldn’t put their credit card or bank info into a website. We all know how that has played out. So our focus is on how we can better leverage the tools to make sure that we can ride the wave rather than get sucked into the undertow of negativity.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Ron Wadley: The biggest challenge right now is gaining the attention of the customer. Whether it is B2B or B2C, there is an overstimulation of our brains. Our attention spans are incredibly short.
We are inundated with messaging. How do you penetrate that and gain the trust of the person that you truly want to do business with? That is why we have spent more time focusing on who is our perfect client and what makes them tick.
What we have found is that understanding that perfect client’s needs, wants, and words allow us to attract them consistently with our messaging. That gives us efficiency in processes, but also helps us steer clear of people who don’t fit our target. We serve where we are built to do it and then execute that repeatedly rather than trying to serve everyone.
2020, 2021, and 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Ron Wadley: To say that the last three years have had curve balls is an understatement! But we have actually grown every single year. We have learned that while being adaptable to the current circumstances is important, there are some “old school” habits that will never go away.
We focus on consistent, honest, and thoughtful communication with our prospects and clients. Yes, we use email, phone, text messages, video messages, and even social media direct messages to do it. But the most important thing is that we do it.
I’m still stunned how many people I speak to in my industry that simply won’t communicate the hard news. Not everything is saving a unicorn, but simply being honest and straightforward with people will take you a long way. The sales are in the follow-up. Never forget that.
What does “success” in 2023 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Ron Wadley: My wife, who is also an entrepreneur, and I sit and discuss what success looks like for our family frequently. It can be easy to be caught up in how much money are we making at any given moment.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean success. We have had to make some adjustments in the last 18 months due to health issues, and success is having freedom.
We have the freedom to go on our daughter’s school field trip. We have the freedom to pivot our business towards a new trend. We have the freedom to spend a couple of days off-grid in the mountains away from all of the technology. Growing our two businesses has been hard.
And yes, money has to be made. But more importantly than having more money than we could ever spend is our family knowing that we are present in each other’s lives. That kind of freedom helps us keep going when it isn’t easy.
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Ron Wadley for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Ron Wadley or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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