Kelly Augspurger is a Certified Long-Term Care Insurance Specialist, CLTC® and Certified Senior Advisor, CSA®. She assists families and companies by developing plans to reduce the financial, physical, mental, and emotional consequences of long-term care situations. She guides people through the decision-making process and presents all viable insurance options and alternatives to protect the family and finances while providing peace of mind.
Below are highlights of the interview:
Describe your background and what did you do before you joined Steadfast Insurance?
My husband, Adam, and I started Steadfast in 2019. Prior to that, in 2007, I co-founded a used car dealership. In the twelve years I spent at the dealership, I learned how to start and manage a business, market, buy and sell cars, and provide top-notch service to clients. In 2010, I cut back my hours when our daughter was born and went part-time. I gained invaluable experience that prepared me to help launch Steadfast with Adam. Being a mom also provides great skills I use daily, e.g., multi-tasking, problem solving, conflict management, communication, organization, etc.
Tell us more about Steadfast Insurance.
We are a family-owned and operated independent insurance agency located in Westerville, OH. We provide home, auto, business, life, disability, and long-term care insurance solutions. I’m a Long-Term Care (LTC) Insurance Specialist, helping clients across the country plan for future care needs and reduce the consequences for their families and finances. Insurance can often seem confusing and costly, but at Steadfast, we solve this problem. We assess our clients’ needs and wants and provide suitable recommendations that have the best combination of coverage and cost. Our goal is to provide meaningful protection for the people and possessions most important to our clients. Our community is very important to us, so you’ll see us serving and giving back in a variety of ways.
Who is your target audience? How do you create services that align with what they’re looking for?
My target audience are people who are serious about planning for future extended care. Typically, these clients have personal experience with a loved one needing care, possibly a parent, sibling, or grandparent, and they know just how difficult these situations can be. These clients could be in their 40s to 70s. Many of my clients are referrals from financial planners who don’t specialize in LTC insurance. My services meet their needs because I provide comprehensive LTC planning, not just insurance solutions. I created a Family Roadmap, a forty-plus page document that gives tips on how to have an LTC convo with your family, space to answer questions relating to care preferences, finances, location of documents, contact info of your professionals, end-of-life planning tips, and what to do after the death of a loved one. I also have a wonderful network of professionals who serve older adults that I can tap into to best serve my clients.
What are the major changes happening in client behavior and market operations since the pandemic?
Most often, clients only want to meet virtually. Before the pandemic, our agency was already “techy” doing virtual meetings and providing quote videos, but this has increased even more since the pandemic. Insurance carriers are trying to limit medical exams as much as possible, and many of them have adapted to using more electronic processes, which I love as an agent!
What gets you up in the morning? What are your responsibilities as co-founder of the company?
I love what I do! My family personally experienced four LTC situations with my grandparents. No one had a plan or insurance, and it caused severe consequences for my family: physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. It’s my goal to reduce these consequences for other families by helping them put a plan in place, so they don’t end up in “crisis mode.” At the end of the day, when my work has truly helped someone, I sleep well at night and wake up eager to start working the next day. My responsibilities include serving clients by providing education and insurance solutions, creating our marketing plan, blogs, videos, and being our community advocate.
Kindly describe how you will specifically know what success looks like for you.
I think “success” looks different for each person, and there are different levels of success. For me, success is not X number of policies sold or X amount in premiums sold. Success is not a number. I’m successful when I’m helping people and making a difference in their lives, spending quality time with my family, learning new and useful things, meeting new people and expanding my network, improving a skill or process, and being able to give, save, and travel.
What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
Find mentors that can support you personally and professionally and help you achieve your goals. It’s OK for others to shine in their area of expertise or talent. Don’t compare yourself to others. It’s a dangerous game that usually doesn’t lead to positive outcomes. Remind yourself how far you’ve come and focus on what you’re doing well and work on areas you can improve. Take measured risks. Have courage and take a leap of faith. You won’t know if you can do it until you try. Be a servant leader: serve others, show integrity, compassion, humility, and generosity. Give thanks. Give credit and praise to those who help you along the way. Be confident and curious. Offer support and encouragement to others. Do you see another woman succeeding or struggling? Offer her help and encouragement. Build a meaningful network of people and resources. When an idea or plan fails, learn from it and be resilient.
What are your future plans to sustain your and the company’s success?
I will continue to help clients plan for LTC, build my network of financial planner partnerships, and create useful content.
Website: www.steadfastagents.com
