Insure Your Success

How does a single mother of six become a funeral home owner? In this episode of *Insure Your Success*, Ortez Wells talks with Zakiyah A. Lewis - Muhammad, co-owner of Eppinger and Lewis Funeral Home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, about the years of persistence behind her business.Zakiyah shares why an 18-month funeral service program took her nearly 10 years to complete, how she found a mentor in the funeral profession, and what it took to open a funeral home with business partner Reggie Eppinger. They also discuss faith, motherhood, the responsibilities of ownership, and serving families and the Stone Mountain community.If you are building a business while facing setbacks, this conversation is a reminder to keep moving.What part of Zakiyah's journey stayed with you? Share it in the comments. Subscribe to Insure Your Success for honest conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, and building a lasting business.

Is your business struggling to grow because too few people know who you are, what you do, or how you can help them?

In this episode of Insure Your Success, Ortez Wells explains how fear of rejection, an unclear niche, weak personal branding, and inconsistent marketing can keep talented entrepreneurs invisible.

Ortez also shares lessons from his entrepreneurial journey—from selling his grandmother’s pecan candy and sweet potato pies at age 10 to building a successful insurance agency.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to identify and clearly communicate your niche
• Why every entrepreneur needs a strong personal brand
• How to promote your business without constantly selling
• How social media can increase your business visibility
• Why networking and relationships remain essential
• How to create multiple streams of income strategically
• Why entrepreneurs must transition from a doer’s mindset to an owner’s mindset
• How openly communicating your vision can create new opportunities

You cannot grow a business that nobody knows exists. It is time to stop hiding, share your expertise, build meaningful relationships, and confidently communicate how your business helps people.

Follow Insure Your Success for honest conversations about entrepreneurship, personal branding, business growth, leadership, building systems, and turning your hustle into a sustainable business.

New solo episodes are released every Wednesday, with entrepreneur interviews on select Saturdays.

What business do you own, and where can people find you online? Connect with Ortez Wells and join the conversation.

What separates successful entrepreneurs from everyone else?

In this episode of the Insure Your Success Podcast, entrepreneur and agency owner Ortez Wells shares the 9 success principles that have guided his entrepreneurial journey over the last decade.

These principles were learned through personal experience, mentorship, and timeless success books such as Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice by Dr. Dennis Kimbro.

Whether you're starting a business, building an agency, growing a side hustle, or pursuing financial independence, these principles can help you develop the mindset, discipline, and focus required for long-term success.

In this episode you'll learn:

✔ How to develop a definite purpose
✔ Why purpose must be bigger than money
✔ The importance of prayer and applied faith
✔ How taking initiative accelerates success
✔ Why successful entrepreneurs go the extra mile
✔ The power of mastermind groups and mentorship
✔ How cooperation creates business growth
✔ The importance of discipline with time, money, and thoughts
✔ Why a positive mental attitude is critical for leadership
✔ How focus helps you achieve your goals

If you're an entrepreneur, business owner, insurance agent, salesperson, leader, or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is packed with practical wisdom you can apply immediately.

Subscribe for more conversations on entrepreneurship, leadership, business growth, mindset, sales, personal development, wealth building, and success.

#Entrepreneurship #SuccessMindset #BusinessOwner #EntrepreneurLife #Leadership #PersonalDevelopment #ThinkAndGrowRich #SuccessPrinciples #Discipline #Mindset #SmallBusiness #AgencyOwner #Motivation #BusinessGrowth #InsureYourSuccess

What if the smallest coin in your pocket carried one of the biggest lessons in entrepreneurship?

In this episode of the Insure Your Success Podcast, I share my personal “penny story” — a journey through difficult seasons where saving pennies helped me buy gas, eat, and survive while building toward something bigger.

Many successful entrepreneurs have a season nobody sees. A season of sacrifice, struggle, discipline, and belief. This episode is about learning to value every dollar, respecting the process, and understanding that financial discipline often starts long before success arrives.

Every time I see a penny on the ground, I pick it up — because it reminds me where I started and how far I’ve come.

If you’re building a business, chasing a dream, or going through a difficult season financially, this conversation is for you.

This episode will help aspiring entrepreneurs understand:

• The mindset required to survive difficult seasons
• Why financial discipline matters in business
• How small habits build long-term success
• The hidden struggles behind entrepreneurship
• Why humility and gratitude are critical for growth

Subscribe to the Insure Your Success Podcast for more conversations on entrepreneurship, leadership, business growth, mindset, insurance sales, and building long-term success.

What does it REALLY take to succeed as an entrepreneur?

In this powerful episode of the Insure Your Success Podcast, Ortez Wells sits down with longtime friend, business partner, entrepreneur, and insurance professional Coach Bruce Rouse to discuss the REAL journey behind entrepreneurship, leadership, insurance sales, and building generational wealth.

From growing up in North Philadelphia… to losing his father at a young age… to struggling financially while chasing entrepreneurship… Coach Bruce shares the emotional

“Pennies Story” that almost broke him — and how persistence ultimately changed his life.

f you are an entrepreneur, insurance agent, aspiring business owner, or someone chasing success through difficult seasons… this conversation is for you.Follow Coach Bruce on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coach-bruce-778b15127/Go, purchase Coach Bruce book Momma said...: #100 Life Guiding Quotes From A Wise Mother on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0admvhme

Are you stuck in "hustle mode"? In this episode of the Insure Your Success Podcast, Artez sits down with his mentor, author, and industry titan Brandon Clay, to discuss the exact systems that helped Artez’s agency clear $916,000 in gross revenue.

Brandon shares his 32-year journey—from processing 2 million claims to becoming the Chief Brand and Industry Officer for EnrollHere. We dive deep into the "Brandon Clay System," the importance of product diversity (Medicare, Final Expense, and Ancillary products), and why the "democratization of technology" means you can no longer afford to ignore AI and digital tools.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

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  The Origin Story: How Brandon turned "mud between toes" into a 30+ year career.

  
  

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  The Struggle to Success: Why most agents fail to transition from "Order Taker" to "Cultivator".

  
  

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  Sales Crimes & Six Figures: Insights from Brandon’s books on building a recurring income stream.

  
  

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  The Future of Medicare: How to survive the "Medicare Shake-up" through cross-selling and hybrid digital models.

  
  

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  Mentorship: The real reason Artez considers Brandon a "God-sent" pivot point for his business.

  
  

Find Brandon Clay’s books on Amazon: Six Hours to Six Figures and Sales Crumbs

This episode is the follow-up to How It All Started.

In this episode, I share my current journey as an entrepreneur — what this phase of business looks like, the lessons I’m learning now, and how entrepreneurship continues to evolve over time.

From humble beginnings to building a business, every season requires a new mindset, new growth, and new leadership.

If you are building something meaningful, this episode is for you.

🎙️ The Next Phase of My Entrepreneur Journey

Comment below:
What phase of your journey are you in right now?

Every entrepreneur has a beginning.
This is mine.

Long before I owned an insurance agency… before the business, the leadership, the success, and the lessons that came with it… I was just a young boy trying to make a little money after church.

At 10 years old, I started selling my grandmother’s pies and pralines. For every one I sold, she gave me a quarter. Back then, I had no idea what she was really teaching me. I didn’t know I was being introduced to sales, value, work ethic, and commission. I just knew I liked the feeling of earning something for myself.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that those small moments were planting the seed for the entrepreneur I would later become.

That early spark led me into a journey filled with side hustles, opportunities, risks, wins, losses, and a lot of lessons learned the hard way. I’ve tried different things, made mistakes, experienced failure, and had moments where I could have easily given up.

But looking back now, I can honestly say this:

Many of the greatest lessons I learned came through failure.

The setbacks didn’t stop me.
They shaped me.
They taught me.
And in many ways, they prepared me for the success I would later build.

Today, I’m blessed to own a successful insurance agency, help families protect what matters most, and train others to build businesses of their own. But none of this started where most people see it now.

It started with a pie, a praline, a quarter… and a spark.

This episode is a personal look into how it all started—the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, the mindset that was formed along the way, and the foundation that helped shape who I am today.

And the truth is…
I believe I’m still in a new phase of that journey.

One that I hope to continue sharing with you in future episodes.

If you’ve ever had to start small, fail forward, rebuild, or trust the process—this episode is for you.

In this episode of Insure Your Success, I share my experience attending MedicareCon—a powerful event designed for insurance agents looking to grow and scale their Medicare businesses. For years, I avoided conferences like this due to watered-down content and sales-driven agendas. But this event changed my perspective.You'll learn: ✅ Why being in the right room matters more than just attending events✅ The importance of researching speakers and mentors before investing✅ How free value builds trust—and why it should come before a sales pitch✅ My top 3 takeaways that can help you elevate your businessWhether you're an agent, agency owner, or entrepreneur—this episode will challenge you to think bigger, step outside of your comfort zone, and surround yourself with winners.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on entrepreneurship and the insurance industry.📩 Let’s connect: LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ortezwells

As an entrepreneur, growth isn’t just about working harder but working smarter.

One of the most effective ways to level up your business and income is by attending industry events, conferences, and networking meetups.

Yet, many professionals overlook the power of stepping away from daily operations to focus on personal and professional development.

www.ortezwells.com