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Ursula Merten is the Director of Insurance Strategy & Information at omni:us, a company that utilizes AI for cognitive claims management. As Director, she helps property and casualty insurance companies better understand the data they receive from clients and find ways to automate workflows in their organization. Ursula is also a self-described insurance nerd that’s interested in how technology is continuously disrupting the industry while empowering women in business.
Ursula joins us today to discuss how AI can revolutionize the average insurance and claims process and why data is at the center of this disruption. She shares why she chose to pursue a career in insurance, the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, and how she found success. She describes the best way to get data from consumers and how the pandemic made data collection more accessible. Ursula also shares what she believes are the downsides of AI and what she wants newcomers to know before venturing into insurance.
"AI can only learn from what the human tells it." - Ursula Merten
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Ursula Merten ’s Best Babyback Ribs Recipe:
1 Slab of babyback ribs (make sure they are babyback ribs)
Peel the membrain off the bone side of the rack
Dry off the slab with a papertowel on both sides
Coat the slab with olive oil both sides
Put garlic powder on the bone side
Flip over the slab and apply pork rub seasoning on meat side
Heat the oven to 350 degrees
Place the ribs on a metal flat pan and cook for 1.5 hours in the oven
Pull the slab out of the oven and coat the top meat side of the slab with your favorite BBQ sauce
Lay the slab on the grill (no pan) and smoke on a charcoal grill for ½ hour
Pull off the grill and place back on the pan and let sit for 10 minutes
Another weird thing: we’re part Chinese (my mom-Chinese/German) so we eat our ribs with rice and we actually put extra sauce in a metal pan in the oven with the ribs and mix some hot sauce in the BBQ sauce and let it caramelize in the oven because we take the extra sauce and put it on the rice. So yummy!!!!
Enjoy
Connect with Ursula:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
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Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
Lindsay Corran is the Creative Director at GeoVera, an insurance company that markets to catastrophe-exposed properties and areas focusing on earthquakes. As Creative Director, Lindsay is tasked to align creative vision with their company’s business strategies, especially for property and casualty insurance brands. Lindsay’s been with GeoVera for almost 22 years (since 1999), but her first job was for a company that made her their go-to operator for all concerns related to the infamous Y2K Bug.
Lindsay joins us to discuss how she bridges the gap between the regular consumer and the complexities of getting earthquake insurance. She shares her previous work with managing a “Y2K Data Desk” in 1999 and why she didn’t like working in insurance at the time. She describes how living in California made her curious about earthquake insurance and explains how agents are in danger of being eliminated as more companies are leaning towards direct-to-consumer programs. Lindsay also discusses how her social media skills have generated GeoVera a considerable following.
"In social media, people don't want to follow companies, they want to follow people. And they want to engage with people." - Lindsay Corran
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Resources:
Connect with Lindsay Corran:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
Dustyne Bryant is an independent insurance agent advocate and licensed insurance agent. She is the Personal Lines Academic Director for The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, one of the country’s best sources of continuing education credits for insurance and risk management professionals. Dustyne is also the host of the Awkward Insurance podcast, a show that talks about the everyday struggles of those in the field.
Dustyne joins us to discuss the benefits of pursuing continuing education and how to separate yourself from those who take the same CE courses that everyone else takes. She shares how her passion for personal conversations led her to find success in the insurance industry and the benefits of obtaining multiple designations. She explains how their company markets to high school students to generate interest in working in the insurance industry. Dustyne also shares her experience as a podcast host and what inspired the name of her show.
"The best situation for our industry is growth and being able to look ahead." - Dustyne Bryant
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Dustyne Bryant:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
Erik Mitisek is the CEO of Highwing, the first open data platform for commercial insurance. They provide brokers new and innovative tools that can improve the process while enhancing the customer experience. Erik is also the host of the Zoom Into Insurance podcast, a show that brings insurance professionals together to discuss the many innovations in the industry and the future of insurance.
Erik joins us to discuss how Highwing’s open data platform puts them ahead of the competition. He describes what it was like growing up in Colorado and why he focused on establishing a company in the insurance industry. He explains how open data architecture works, the benefits of having an open data platform in your company, and shares his thoughts on how the industry will function after the pandemic. Erik also describes what it’s like to host his own podcast about insurance and how a company’s leadership impacts its ability to thrive.
"If we all collectively build towards a common set of standards and outputs, the ability for systems, people, and markets to connect not only becomes scalable - it becomes exponential." - Eric Mitisek
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Eric Mitisek:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
Kenny Urbania is the CEO of The Agency Collective, a company that helps various insurance agents become new independent agencies. Their services include access to educational tools, lead conversion training, and customer retention strategies. Kenny has over 25 years of experience as an agent, starting his career as a scratch agent. He also established the LifeGOAT platform, where agents can answer questions that automatically generate quotes sent to various carriers.
Kenny joins us to describe how The Agency Collective supports individual agents in their goal of becoming independent agencies and discusses the perks of being a member, especially with regards to commissions. He explains how their onboarding process works and how the pandemic boosted their membership program. Kenny also discusses how the LifeGOAT platform works and why it’s a game-changer for agents in the industry.
"The bottomline is: we're all partners in this together. Whatever helps the agents grow their revenue is our goal." - Kenny Urbania
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Kenny Urbania:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
John Wales is the General Manager of CoverWallet for Agents, a product offered by CoverWallet. CoverWallet is the easiest way for a business to manage, buy, and understand commercial insurance. John has over 20 years of experience in the financial and insurance industry, with milestones including starting and growing companies to multi-million dollar valuations. John is also a music enthusiast, having voluntary experience as a music arranger for the Los Angeles Youth Arts.
John joins us to discuss what CoverWallet offers small and medium-sized businesses and how agents can benefit from CoverWallet for Agents. He discusses his passion for music, his DMA in Composition, and his experience in the music industry. He explains the potential losses a company can incur if a cybersecurity breach compromises its data. He discusses how commercial insurance writing is complex and how CoverWallet can make the process easier. John also shares his thoughts on the pandemic and what he believes we need to do as a country to get back on our feet as soon as possible.
"Writing commercial insurance and tailoring it to that specific small business is an intense process." - John Wales
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Connect with John Wales:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
Nestor Solari is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sigo Seguros, an inclusive car insurance provider that primarily serves immigrants and other working-class populations who can’t purchase traditional auto insurance. The company seeks to extend a helping hand to those whose financial metrics aren’t seen as ideal by most insurance industries. Nestor believes the market for immigrants and other minorities locked out of traditional insurance will one day be the dominant market, and Sigo Seguros is simply leading the way. Nestor earned a degree in Finance from Penn State University, an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, and obtained his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nestor joins us to describe Sigo Seguros's vision to serve the underserved in the insurance industry. He shares the ideas that led to where Sigo Seguros is today and explains how his career in finance allowed him to have a better perspective when he started an insurance company. He discusses the challenges of being a company that serves a relatively small market. Nestor also shares what we can look forward to from Sigo Seguros in the near future.
"There's a lot of opportunity to be unlocked in building a community around insurance." - Nestor Solari
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Nestor Solari:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
SOI231 - Patents: Lessons in Strategies & Financing
Russ Krajec is the CEO of BlueIron, a company that gives startups and small businesses the financing they need for anything patent-related. The goal is to help their clients enforce their intellectual property and build a strong portfolio. Russ is considered one of the best when it comes to patents. He has personally authored over 800 patent applications with experience in various types of intellectual property transactions, patent valuation, and portfolio curation. He is also an inventor with over 30 US patents to his name.
Russ joins us to describe the type of industry he works in and why the market has a severely underrated growth potential. He shares how he familiarized himself with the patent system and what made him pivot his career from engineering to becoming a patent agent. He explains the common misconceptions entrepreneurs have with patent filing, especially regarding the protection it gives. He discusses the common mistakes people make when getting patents and examples of ideas and inventions that should not be patented. Russ also explains how having intellectual property insurance can prevent bankruptcy.
"A patent has no value until somebody is using it." - Russ Krajec
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Russ Krajec:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
Daven Michaels is the CEO of 123Employee, a world leader in business outsourcing that provides small and large companies with virtual assistants from the Philippines. Their virtual assistants are trained to be the best in social media, internet marketing, telemarketing, and customer service. Daven specializes in business strategy consulting, marketing solutions, and social media marketing and sales. Before founding 123Employee, Daven worked in the music industry as an event producer, chief financial officer, and writer.
Daven joins us to describe how 123Employee enables business leaders to get more done with less time and money. He shares his career in music, what 80’s fashion was like, and his success story that involved a cricket and Jack Nicholson. He explains where the name 123Employee came from and the services his virtual assistants offer. He discusses why he chose the Philippines for business outsourcing and why he initially hesitated opening an office in Manila, its capital. Daven also shares how the pandemic negatively affected his business initially and how, in hindsight, it made his business grow.
"If you're looking to outsource, what you want to start with is identifying the income generating activities in your business." - Daven Michaels
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Daven Michaels:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
Apple Podcasts Rate and Review for SpotOn
Dennis Logan Jr. is Cyber Safety Architects’ Chief Architect. Cyber Safety Architects (CSA) is an independent cyber insurance agency. Just as their name implies, Dennis and his team specialize in cybersecurity and cyber coverage. They don’t just offer cyber insurance, but also analyze business exposures and educate organizations on how to prevent an attack and what they should do if they fall victim to one. Before starting CSA, Dennis worked as an underwriter and broker at various insurance companies.
Dennis joins us to discuss what business owners should know regarding their cyber policies' fine print. He describes what made him decide to work in insurance and why he decided to start CSA. He discusses some of the common ways hackers get inside business systems and why your team members will always be the most vulnerable entry points. He explains the difference between getting private data before smartphones and how it is easier today. Dennis also shares tips and tools he recommends to vastly improve private or professional cyber security.
"Once something becomes a mainstream way of security, that's when things start to get hacked." - Dennis Logan Jr.
Today on Spot On Insurance:
Key Takeaways:
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Dennis Logan Jr.:
This episode was brought to you by…..
Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.
Connect, Learn, Share
Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on Apple Podcasts Rate and Review For SpotOn and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
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