Sukay & Associates started in 2003. I had just ended a three year career as the CFO of one of the world’s largest corporate travel firms. It was an exciting time for me after spending 23 years in the banking industry, including helping to form one of the country’s most successful insurance agencies. A friend asked me to help him sell his insurance agency. A favor soon turned into the next phase of my career.
The years 2003 through 2011 were very rewarding as Sukay & Associates became more active and gained more clients. I felt like an agency owner starting my business from scratch. During that time, John Biasiello joined Sukay & Associates and the real partnership began. Our goal was very simple. We wanted to be different and we wanted to be better than anyone else serving the industry. We wanted to be solely focused on achieving our client’s goals. We didn’t care if we did one deal a year or five deals a year. We wanted to do each deal as if we were the agency owner and the transaction was the most important one of our careers.
The Awakening
Going into 2012, I had every reason to be satisfied with our company. Our clients seemed to really appreciate our approach and they always seemed to be extremely satisfied with the results. I felt like an insurance agency owner that had built something that could sustain itself and provide us with a good living. In the spring of 2012, I spent nearly a month evaluating everything we do and started to think about the future. I thought we were doing an excellent job and didn’t want to change our approach. However, I recognized that we had a glaring weakness. What good was it to do a great job if prospects didn’t know who you are? I knew that I had to change from being a deal guy to the guy that spent his day thinking about how to market the company.
First Step
My first step was to realize that I was a finance professional and John Biasiello was an insurance professional. We needed marketing experience. I contacted Patrick Sitkins at SiliconCloud. I had a prior relationship with Patrick and knew that he understood the industry. Patrick and the other professionals at SiliconCloud have revitalized Sukay & Associates. We identified our goals and we work as a team to achieve those goals.
Phase Two
We have now undertaken a period of increasing the exposure of our firm. Our website has been dramatically improved. We post new content on our blogs and issue frequent whitepapers. I have been amazed at how many people read our blogs and download our whitepapers. Our prospect list expands weekly. When we call a prospect, they recognize our firm and gladly agree to meetings.
Start of 2013
On a personal note, I wanted to personally thank all of you for showing so much interest in the blogs and whitepapers we have published. In our wildest dreams, we could not have anticipated that so many of you would have followed our company. I also wanted to thank our clients who made 2012 our best year ever. I also wanted to thank the professionals at SiliconCloud for their guidance and support in 2012. Most of all, I wanted to thank my partner, John Biasiello for working tirelessly on the behalf of our clients and making my job a sincere pleasure.
The lessoned learned is simple and it applies to an advisory firm to the Insurance Brokerage industry or to your insurance agency. Never be satisfied. Never feel like you have the right strategy. Always be willing to assess how you do business and don’t hesitate to change your approach. I have had a very successful career and I’m often asked why I continue to pursue this endeavor. My answer is simple. I want Sukay & Associates to be my legacy. I want to perpetuate the business and know that I’ve laid the best possible foundation. I am sure that many of you feel the same way.
Sukay & Associates are happy to offer you a complimentary consultation to discuss your goals, perpetuation plans and more. Simply click here to find out more.
