Today we’d like to introduce you to Justine Bell.
Hi Justine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always known that I wanted to do something to help people, and have struggled in the past with jobs where the office/company felt complacent. The phrase “because that’s the way we’ve always done it” is my nemesis, and I’m sure I was really annoying – to the point where one of my former bosses wrote on my going-away card that she wished me the best of luck, and that I should definitely be my own boss. And, more than that, I just always had the feeling that I could do all of this better – that people wanted to work in a place where they felt accepted and motivated, and that good leadership could provide that. I had a lot of different work experiences before I settled on Health Insurance, which ended up being the perfect balance between feeling like I was helping people and getting paid a livable wage. Then, once I locked that in, we started growing as a company and had to add employees. Right now we’re an office of seven, and will likely have to hire again next year. But one of the things that I am most proud of is how we treat each other – we have a flex forty work week so parents can make sure they’re able to balance kids and work. We have an agreed conflict resolution strategy that we use with each other. Honestly, you spend about the same amount of time per week at work as you do with your family, so having a place where you feel liked and respected is so important.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is any road actually smooth? I feel like everything comes with bumps and bruises. I think the more important lesson that I’ve taken away is that the most important thing a leader can do is listen. It is easy to set things up to work the way that you think is best, and much more difficult to hear that people value things other than what you were expecting. But, when your people feel comfortable letting you know their wants and needs, you can adjust to make sure that everyone is getting what they need.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At BeneGuides, we help people find health insurance – Marketplace/family, Medicare and Group coverages. We take an education approach, taking the time to help our clients understand what the possibilities are any why they may want one plan over another. Then we work with out clients yearly during open enrollment to help them find the best policy for the following year based on their criteria, letting them know that they never have to go through an open enrollment by themselves again if they don’t want to! Health Insurance can be really stressful, and helping people feel understood and empowering them helps our clients to feel safe with us. Also, working with BeneGuides is completely free to the client, since we get paid by the insurance companies. And the cost for a policy doesn’t change if you work with an agent or not, so there really is no down side to having an agent on your side!
How do you define success?
For me, success is getting to do something you love with people you care about and making enough money that you can continue doing it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beneguides.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeneGuides
