Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Reeve.
Hi Brian, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A little over 13 years ago, I departed from teaching high school social studies to become an insurance agent for individual employees. Shortly after starting with a small insurance firm in Raleigh, NC, I realized this job change was going to be way more challenging than I thought. To make a long story short, I was an introvert now working in a non-introverted sales role. I needed to get past my hesitation to talk to people and build relationships one at a time. Leaving my comfort zone was only half of the beginning of this story. I was also starting an insurance career at the same time the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. With God’s help, I was able to push past my fears and begin finding a love and passion for helping people enroll in insurance that gave them the ability to take control of their health. At some point in my career, I shifted my focus to helping small businesses start and manage employee benefits, because I began receiving phone calls from individuals who had started small businesses that wanted help. I was a trusted resource, and they not only needed insurance for themselves, but also for their employees. Fast forward to 2015, and we focus solely on small business advising, not only for insurance but also with learning and development. We are currently helping over 150 small businesses in NC with all aspects of employee benefits.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have certainly been many challenges along the way. One of the biggest challenges I faced was myself. I needed to get out of my own way. I was afraid of failing, but the ironic part is that I was already failing because I was too scared to truly start something new. I had to stop blaming everyone else for what was my own fault. I needed to tighten my boot laces, build relationships, and stop expecting new business to fall in my lap because I was awesome. Another challenge, and one that remains today, is a lack of trust. We are a skeptical people, rightfully so in some areas, but not every business is out to bamboozle you. It’s probably been a while since you read that word! I am a small business owner, and I work with other small businesses. Most of them are hardworking and looking to do good work. The insurance industry is a challenging one to be in because of the pervasive negativity and distrust. This brings me to my last challenge: the issue of lack of education. There are more challenges to discuss, but I know you don’t have all day to read this article. Before starting my career in insurance, I tended to ignore the topic, labeling it as complicated and expensive, and deciding that it was something to avoid. This mindset is precisely why we should not shy away from it. Yes, insurance can be complex and costly, but the only way to change that perception is for us to take more ownership of our health and stop burying our heads in the sand.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What sets me and my company, UPstream Benefits, apart from others in our industry is that we exclusively work with small businesses. I have never met another insurance agent who works exclusively with small companies. There is less money to be made working with a small five-person company compared to a five-hundred-person company. Many insurance agents also appreciate the prestige associated with larger companies. Working with small businesses can be challenging because there is no dedicated HR person or dedicated benefits admin role, as the small business owner typically wears many hats. Small businesses have less experience managing a company and need more education and hand-holding. Helping a small business can be quite demanding, often yielding minimal profits in return. When I inquire how a new client discovered us, the usual response is, “No one else answered my phone call.” We set ourselves apart from the competition because we are small, agile, and love a good challenge. Wait, don’t tell my staff about the “good challenge” part.
How do you think about happiness?
What truly brings me joy is leading my small team at UPstream. I know you’ve probably heard this before, but my team is exceptional. I work with some of the hardest-working and most caring individuals in the industry. Like me, none of my staff had any prior knowledge about insurance. However, this also means they didn’t bring any “business as usual” baggage to the team. We spend a lot of time growing and shaping each other, and they make me a better person. Thank you, UPstream family!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://UPstreambenefits.com
