In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck interview Mariah Davis, President and Owner of Oakview Insurance Services, Inc. Mariah talks about her journey from being a captive agent to an independent insurance agency owner and how she built her agency. She also shares the struggles she faced that made her stronger and better.
Episode Highlights:
David introduces Mariah Davis. (1:31)
How did Mariah get into the insurance business? (2:54)
Mariah shares her background. (3:10)
Mariah mentions that when they joined the PIIB and IAOA, their agency sored, and changed everything about how they handle their business. (6:39)
How long has Mariah been an independent insurance agent? (9:19)
What led Mariah to be an independent insurance agency owner? (9:24)
Mariah thinks that it’s essential to have district managers in the insurance industry. (10:04)
What was Mariah’s biggest challenge during her transition? (13:39)
Mariah shares that some groups like the Mastermind and IAOA, are vital to getting the independent channel to talk to each other. (20:17)
David thinks that there's a tipping point where people finally, were raised in a way where collaboration made more sense than it did a long time ago. (20:49)
Mariah mentions that the world’s current situation is a great time for them to start going in and tweak on different ideas to smooth it out and help them grow faster. (27:06)
Mariah mentions the Shiny Object Syndrome. (29:15)
Mariah mentions that it’s vital to change your workflow. (30:39)
David shares that there are a lot of good tools out there. But if you buy them and you don't know how to use them, you might as well take your money and throw it out the window. (31:41)
Mariah shares that in December of 2019 she was diagnosed breast cancer. (35:52)
David shares one of the most horrific situations he has had to deal with. (40:27)
Mariah mentions that she has her struggles, but the nation is also struggling with the pandemic and the ramifications of it. (42:23)
Kyle shares a story about his newborn baby. (43:41)
How many treatments does Mariah still have to undergo, before she can ring the bell? (47:16)
What makes Mariah’s agency unique? (48:20)
Mariah mentions that they have ingrained themselves in the community, as much as possible. (51:10)
What does Mariah’s strategy look like? (51:54)
Mariah mentions the Susan G. Komen Foundation. (57:23)
Tweetable Quotes:
“I decided to go independent and had my eyes open to the whole other side of the world here, and found out how little I knew about both insurance and being a business owner.” - Mariah Davis
“District managers have to put up with so many new agents a year. And, you know, sometimes I think they're just trying to hit numbers. And if you fog the mirror, great, you know, we'll put you up. We'll see if it works.” - Mariah Davis
“I was spread too thin. I quickly realized that I couldn't be everything to everyone, and they were requiring me to be and it just wasn't gonna fly. So yeah, I kind of decided to make that hop over, and I have had this independent agency for 10 years now.” - Mariah Davis
Resources Mentioned:
David Carothers LinkedIn
Kyle Houck LinkedIn
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
Mariah Davis LinkedIn
Oakview Insurance Services, Inc.
Susan G. Komen Foundation
