Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Powell.
Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started in the insurance business in 2010. At that time, I had just graduated from high school and a family member was running an insurance agency and hired me to make telephone calls. I worked there for a few months before the company was abruptly shut down. A few months later, I applied for a job that I found on Craigslist as a receptionist at a small insurance brokerage in Downtown Fort Worth. After my first year at this agency, I became licensed as an insurance agent in the state of Texas and began selling insurance products for senior citizens. During my four years of employment at this agency, I learned so many valuable skills and important lessons about self-worth, integrity, and how toxic work culture can affect people.
I was 22 years old when I was fired from this agency. For a moment, I was devastated, I was making $20 an hour, I didn’t have a college education and for four years I was told that this was the best it would get for me, and I believed it. After I finished having a mental breakdown about being fired from the job that I was convinced that I would be at forever, I realized that I was beyond happy about being fired. I was so happy to be out of the toxic work culture I was in, and I was happy knowing that I didn’t have to cry in my car in the parking lot at 8 am before going into work anymore.
The day after I got fired, I reached out to a colleague and I did freelance marketing for them for about four months. I barely made enough money to get by, but I was so happy with the people I was working with. Then randomly, I received a message on LinkedIn from a lady vaguely telling me about an insurance position as an administrator for a boutique insurance firm specializing in life insurance for Ultra-High Net Worth individuals and families. I was very insecure about this position because I was 22 years old, extremely underqualified, and I knew nothing about wealth. I went to the interview anyway, and I was offered the position.
At first, there was quite a learning curve for me. I had to relearn everything I’d been taught about insurance, talking to clients, professionalism, etc. I had to change my way of thinking and speaking while also learning an entirely new market of insurance products. It was very difficult for me in the beginning, I made so many mistakes, and I always felt like I was doing a bad job. As I got to know my new boss, and learn who he actually is in this industry, I realized I was working for one of the most elite advisors in the insurance industry and that it would be in my best interest to soak up as much information as I possibly could from this man. While he is still my boss because I am currently employed by him, he is also a mentor to me. He has allowed me to work on building my own agency and book of business while simultaneously working for him, that is nearly unheard of in the insurance business. He has provided me with education, support, and has taught me what a healthy work environment is supposed to look like. He’s also taught me what a successful business in this industry is supposed to look like and how it is supposed to operate.
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?
This has not been a smooth road what so ever. I have overcome so many obstacles, challenges, learning curves, hiccups, and rejections. Earlier in my career, I struggled a lot because all I saw in myself as a young woman without a college degree in a career field that is dominated by middle-aged men. I felt like clients wouldn’t give me the time of day because I was younger than their children and sometimes their grandchildren and I didn’t look experienced enough. However, my biggest obstacle was myself. I sold myself very shortly, I was insecure, and I was timid even though I knew my products backward and forwards. Now, I can walk into a room full of strangers and introduce myself to everyone. I have confidence when I speak. I allow myself to show that I have a personality, and I’m proud that I am a young successful female insurance advisor. P.S. I have a college degree now.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I specialize in life insurance products and strategies, Medicare products for seniors, individual health insurance, and employee benefits for small businesses. I am most proud that I am nearly 100% referral based. I do very little marketing, and I get most of my clients through word of mouth. What sets me apart from others is that I have a very old school method of doing business, I provide information, education, and solutions to problems. In my experience, people like that approach.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 817-637-6910
- Email: JPowell@pwsillc.com
Image Credit:
Jr’s Photography
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