Meet Heidi Rasmussen of freshbenies

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Rasmussen.

Heidi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was blissfully married in 2004. It was always Reid’s dream to own a business together. I don’t really remember that part. After a combined 50+ years in corporate America, could it really happen?

At 15 years old, I started working at JCPenney where I went from a sales floor associate to Divisional Vice President at the corporate office. Reid grew up in Canada, where he received a Health Administration degree. Early in his career, he escaped to America to work in the health insurance industry.

As the Affordable Care Act was ramping up in 2009, Reid was concerned that Americans were dealing with increasing out of pocket costs. Because of his upbringing in Canada, he was reminded of trends that happened there 25 years prior and knew Americans would need tools to help control their healthcare (he was right!).

On Labor Day 2009, he told me about his idea to bundle multiple small non-insurance products into one membership. Reid wanted to build the idea for his employer, but they didn’t see it as a priority.

Frustrated, he turned to me and I asked if he truly believed the numbers he’d compiled and if Americans would need the services. “Yes!” Then, why wouldn’t he quit his job and start his own company? “No!” Yet, by Monday, he had written his resignation letter. As Reid puts it, “In the face of the Affordable Care Act, nobody was quitting their job in the health insurance industry.”

I continued working my job and was the acting “Chief Sugar Mama Officer” for freshbenies. Reid produced $8,000 in sales, NOT $8,000 in profit – $8,000 in sales. He says, “I probably could’ve sold more standing on a corner.” After 18 months, he realized it was time to make a major pivot.

My pink slip came at about the same time – while I was out of the country at my mother-in-law’s memorial service. After 27 years of service, my computer shut down while I was working… on vacation. Dismal sales, no profit, no income. This was the perfect time for me to join Reid in building our business!

There we were with NO income and NO revenue and about to step off a cliff together. Turns out, the partnership was not only a fantastic marriage, our combined strengths created rocket-fuel for our business.

freshbenies has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America for three consecutive years, the Dallas 100 for two consecutive years and Best Places to Work in 2017.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
HMMM… I don’t think entrepreneurship or a job or life, for that matter, is ever a smooth road! Small legal matters, hiring errors, regulatory changes, growing competition – they’re the typical dilemmas that most business owners must handle.

Honestly, as I think about “struggles,” ours pale in comparison to what most people in this world deal with on a daily basis. At church, I learned of an organization that builds wells for tribes in the Congo. The women in this “rape capital of the world” have to walk 5 hours every day to get water for their families – in order to drink, cook and bathe.

In comparison, I don’t really consider what we have as “struggles,” but bumps on the journey that we must overcome – and mistakes we must not make twice.

Smooth vs. struggle is all about perspective – how we look at life.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the freshbenies story. Tell us more about the business.
No American would argue that having to access the healthcare system makes you feel out of control.

The average family of four spends $3,600 per year on healthcare out-of-pocket costs. Medical pricing continues to skyrocket. Doctor networks are narrowing making it harder for Americans to get care, and medical bills continue to be inaccurate and confusing. Add to that, prescriptions are falling off coverage. There’s nothing that says this won’t increase in our future.

freshbenies gives members practical tools to control their healthcare dime, time and peace of mind. For as little as $9 per month for a family, members have access to multiple services at no additional cost: doctor visits by phone or video, specialist visits by email, expert health advisors who provide medical price transparency and negotiate billing issues, savings on prescriptions, and more.

We’re typically sold through health insurance brokers who offer freshbenies as part of a strategic benefits plan to their employer clients. The end customer is the employee or member. While anyone can purchase a membership online, most of our business comes from employers who purchase freshbenies for their employees.

In 2009, we started working with early-adopter services like telehealth, advocacy, Dental/Vision/Rx savings programs. Most people inside and outside of the industry were unaware that these services existed. We had to become – and still are – educators and thought-leaders in the marketplace.

And we had to keep innovating to stay ahead…

In 2011, we pivoted our focus from selling to insurance companies to selling to employers. In 2012, we built a member-focused brand in the healthcare landscape. We knew the end member – the employee – needed to understand, use and love the services. Otherwise, the employer would stop paying and insurance brokers would stop suggesting freshbenies as an idea to their employer clients. I didn’t understand why other healthcare brands were so sterile, technical, complicated and unfriendly.

I thought, “If the world’s largest P&C insurance agencies can market their product using a gecko, cavemen, Flo, the Mayhem Guy and ‘bum ba dum bum bum bum bum,’ then gosh darn it, we can be memorable, too.” In 2013, we started heavily investing in member education and engagement when others in their industry advised against it.

In 2015, as our services were becoming more commonplace, we completely rebuilt our product structure to add more value – while competitors were driving prices down. In 2016, we invested in technology to make freshbenies easier to use and have seen amazing results with our app and member portal.

I’m most proud of our team and culture! Growing up in corporate America gave us some of the expertise we needed to build our organization, but we also wanted to do things differently.

Our team of 13 work 100% remotely and we’ve put systems in place to allow everyone to still feel connected on a daily basis. We are also 99% transparent, sharing financial statements and engaging our team to be part of the planning process.

Each quarter, we decide on 1-2 business books that everyone reads and we discuss learnings as a team.

The entire team comes together three times a year for a Strategy Retreat where we discuss financials, analytics, a SWOT analysis, and spend time brainstorming the future of the company. We also complete a quarterly review with each team member.

We’ve been able to snag top talent because our goal is to lead and train everyone on the team to grow and improve. We want people on the team who have a desire to grow and contribute. We have a culture of respect – we listen to all ideas and move quickly to implement as much as possible. If someone leaves us, our goal is to send them on to their next experience a better employee, worker… person.

As an organization, we believe… “that busy family” should have access to trustworthy, real-life healthcare solutions that give them more control. “In giving back! We donate 20% of our profits to charities that make a positive impact on healthcare in the US and throughout the world (for example, Dallas Hearing Foundation, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Mission Regan, the University of Texas at Dallas, Naomi’s Village, Impact of Hope International, etc.). I’m also on the Advisory Board of 4Word, an organization for Christian, professional women.

“Our members, employers and broker partners who put their trust in us deserve best-in-class service and our entire team is focused on making sure it happens every day. “In having fun! Because, seriously, if you’re going to work this hard, you should have fun while doing it!

Today, members use the freshbenies services 6 times more than the industry average. The next innovations include an interactive dashboard that provides each client their specific utilization results.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I once heard a saying: “Luck is God’s middle name.” I believe this 100%. I try never to say “good luck” to anyone because I just don’t believe in it. What I do believe is that God calls us His children and therefore, He has a plan for every single one of us. When bad things happen, He has a purpose. When good things happen, He has a purpose. Nothing is left to “luck.”

Contact Info:

• Address: 6841 Virginia Pkwy #103-377
  McKinney, TX 75071
• Website: www.freshbenies.com
• Phone: 888.813.5468
• Email: helpme@freshbenies.com

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