Although Doranita Tyler currently owns American Family Insurance in the south suburbs, she volunteered for several years on the Crisis Center of South Suburbia annual gala committee, worked on the development committee, and was instrumental in securing numerous grants for the programs of the Crisis Center.

After earning a degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago in 1989, Doranita’s first job out of school was an entry-level position at the Chicago radio station The Mix 101.9. She had her heart set on joining the newsroom, but Chet Redpath, the company’s president at the time, persuaded her to work in the sales division. As a result of that sales exposure, it equipped Doranita with experience needed when she entered the insurance business at a crucial juncture in her life. She had recently gone through a divorce and was now a single mother of two young children under three. The family’s dreams were restored by her opportunity with AmFam.

“From early beginnings, a seed was planted on the importance of insurance, especially life insurance,” says Doranita. She has personal experience demonstrating the value of insurance reviews. She thinks that as your needs change, so do your insurance requirements. The ability to rely on your agent to offer advice throughout the stages of life is also crucial. She had a lot to learn about the insurance business when her agency first opened its doors on April 2, 1996, but she was gifted with a natural ability to forge dependable connections.

Doranita began her career in a bustling co-op office in the heart of Chicago. Although it was difficult, she did not let the fact that American Family Insurance was unfamiliar with the Chicago Metro market or with her personally, stop her from succeeding. She had a plan for how she wanted to develop her agency when she arrived. She enjoyed spending time with her great-aunt Francis, who ran a record shop on the south side of Chicago, when she was a child. As Doranita recalls, “Although she was in the business of selling records, she did so much more. She has an innate ability to connect with people. She spent her life making a difference in the lives of her customers and her community.  “Fast-forward 26 years.” 

Doranita been blessed to live her dream, inspiring, protecting, and restoring the dreams of her customers. In 2007, she purchased a 1200 sq ft, 1 ½ story house that is near her home in Lynwood, a suburb of Chicago that borders Indiana. She shares, “My husband and his uncle were the general contractors.” They recruited other friends and family members to help transform the house bringing my dream to life. The main floor has two sales offices, customer service, and a waiting area. Two more offices are on the second floor, and the basement is equipped with a community conference room, a small kitchen, and storage area.  Prior to COVID, we utilized the entire space—inside and out—to host educational seminars, business networking and community events.  We are looking forward to hosting our first event in the fall.“

In 2014, Doranita’s dream of touching lives was catapulted after being featured on the cover of American Family’s Agency Magazine. She has used her personal story, her transformation from victim to victor, to transform herself personally and professionally.  She is actively involved in having an impact on the families of her Team, clients, and community As a result, she was able to connect with support groups like Aglow International Single Moms Matteson and the Crisis Center of South Suburbia, a domestic violence shelter, by sharing her story outside the boundaries of her organization. Her dream changed once more during the pandemic, giving life to her personal brand and giving birth to her mission statement. ”

The mission of #DoranitaInspires is to encourage women to move beyond the baggage of their past and support them to pursue their dreams within their families, careers, and beyond.”

Insights of American Family Insurance

American Family Insurance has been assisting clients since 1927 and is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. Through its insurance offerings, exceptional service from its agency owners and staff, community investment, and innovative partnerships to address societal challenges, it inspires, protects, and restores dreams. Doranita states, “We act on our belief in diversity and inclusion by constantly evolving to meet customer needs and preferences.” The American Family Insurance Group, which is ranked No. 251 on the Fortune 500 list, is the 13th-largest property and casualty insurance group in the country. Through exclusive agency owners in 19 states, the group primarily sells products under the American Family brand. The General, Homesite, Main Street America Insurance, and CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance, are also members of the American Family Insurance group. The group employs more than 13,500 people nationwide between these businesses.

Empowering Educating Women in Business

The pandemic gave Team Tyler the chance to reconsider their focus on two distinct target markets. The pandemic created a lot of uncertainty in the community regarding insurance. Its primary area of focus is women in business because it is passionate about providing insurance to women. Doranita says, “Being a woman-owned business, we can bring that knowledge and experience into customer conversations and help empower women.”

By responding to inquiries and educating clients about the best products to suit their needs, the team promises to make clients feel at ease throughout the insurance process. In most households, 85% of the financial products are purchased by women. The objective is to fulfill both personal and business insurance requirements. The company is also focusing on diverse markets in the age range of 25 to 34 with the goal of educating and empowering this demographic about the components of family-generated wealth to promote economic stability, aid families in achieving prosperity, or obstruct progress—closing the wealth gap.

Pandemic Development

According to Doranita, within the agency, the team is being careful not to just sell according to price.  Its goal is not to be the cheapest but to provide the best value—without compromise. She says, “We are working to establish stronger relationships in the beginning to better understand what truly matters.”  She further adds, “We are being more assertive as being risk managers and not just order takers.” Again, most know they need insurance, but so many do not understand it.”

Empowering More Women in the Future

Doranita’s dream continues to evolve, even after 26 years in business. The long-term goal of the agency is to be an incubator for future female business owners. Prior to COVID, she partnered with the Prairie State College Opportunity Works mentoring program. It provided an opportunity to expose young adults, with no career path, to a variety of industries.  It was a very rewarding experience.

Through partnering with Professional Women’s Network, Doranita’s goal is to mirror this mentoring program, offering this opportunity to the women who are a part of Aglow International and the Crisis Center.  She states, “Inspiring them to move “beyond the baggage!”  If I can do it, they can do it too!!”

Advice for Young Women Entrepreneurs

Doranita’s advice for emerging female leaders is, “You must have a firm foundation—mine is my faith.” She believes that having a firm foundation helps you to stay true to who you are, to never compromise your dreams, and to never underestimate your ability. It gives you something solid to land on when you fail, because you will fail, but it provides the stability needed to launch out again.

Opinion

What is the best way to build a great team?

My team are the backbone of my agency. One tool I use to build my team is CliftonStrengths.  It helps to identify the top 5 strengths of each team member, helping to empower them to reach their full potential – professionally as well as personally – I genuinely care about their growth.  We have a healthy company culture that encourages members to show up and do their best.  Hiring for personality has proven to be quite beneficial.  Having a positive attitude is critical.  We can train for everything else.

Kindly describe how you will specifically know what success looks like for you.

Success for me is here and now – I’m living my dream. By God’s grace, I have overcome some incredible odds and there is still so much more I’m looking forward to accomplishing through the mentoring program, providing a second chance to some and helping to provide directions to others.

Website: www.amfam.com