It's always interesting to see a family come together around insurance.
Especially when that family was already involved in the industry on different sides.
The amount of courage it takes to create something on your own is enormous.
But sometimes it just takes a small investment in your community to survive circumstances you could have never fathomed.
Gigi Jean, co-founder of One Way Insurance, talks about the journey her family went on to build their own place in the business.
Joey Giangola: Gigi Jean, how you doing today?
Gigi Jean: I am doing well. How are you?
Joey Giangola: Gigi, I'm doing all right. I want to know this before we go anywhere. Is there something that you feel you pay attention to more than you probably should, that other people tend to overlook?
Gigi Jean: I would say when I'm watching movies or TV shows, I always try to see if they have a prop, if that prop is always there in the scene.
Joey Giangola: You almost freak me out because that was kind of where I was going with mine. So, you're looking for continuity, right?
Gigi Jean: Yeah.
Joey Giangola: You want to make sure that they keep the thing. I'm actually very interested in the credits. I like to like read and see who like actually produced the movie and like directed, write the movie and I'm just like into that. And I feel like most people don't care.
Gigi Jean: Yeah.
Joey Giangola: I thought we were going to go on the same plane there for a second — that would be the first time ever that anybody said the exact same thing. We're close, I definitely will take it.
But, on the side of insurance, kind of moving over into that area, I was curious if there was something that you maybe feel that you pay attention to that nobody else ... I don't want to say does. But it's more important to you than maybe it should be.
Gigi Jean: I would say, I always think on the longevity of the policy. Like if I'm writing a policy, I always think like six to 12 months, I'm like, "Okay, we got to make sure that six months from now, or 12 months from now, just in case something happens, we want to make sure that we're prepared." So I'm always thinking ahead.
Joey Giangola: And what does that preparation look like for you guys? What does that conversation ... how do you guys handle it?
Gigi Jean: I think it's just mostly getting to know your client because as you know, insurance is complicated. So wanting to know why do you want this insurance? Not because the state requires it or your lender require it. What exactly do you need protection from? Just getting to know the need from your client and seeing the best policy that's tailored to them.
Joey Giangola: Now, Gigi, this is the first time I think we've ever done this. But little bit of unique circumstance, we just talked to a guest that you were probably very familiar with, and your husband. I'm curious to know, like the inside dealings of deciding ... or being, I guess, in the industry together on not working on the same team and what that experience was like. And how you guys saw it from different angles and ultimately then decided to sort of come together and do your own thing?
Gigi Jean: It's weird that both of us actually were in the insurance industry. I started in insurance industry first. And then I brought him along. And he started off captive and I've always been independent. The agency that he was working in, our clientele were two different clienteles. So we would learn from each other. So when we started our agency, it worked out great because he knew something different than I did, and we brought everything together. I think that's why we work well together, because we're always learning from each other, we have different views because we worked in two different agencies. But it's been good.
Joey Giangola: I can just see a scenario where disputes are settled being, I've been independent longer, I've been in the business longer.
Gigi Jean: I win.
Joey Giangola: Have you ever pulled that one out? Yeah. I feel like that's a good leverage card there to play.
Gigi Jean: What's funny, too, is even though I have been in the insurance industry longer than my husband, a lot of clients, a lot of individuals always go to my husband first. Because a lot of, I guess, in the insurance industry, there's not a lot of women in the insurance industry. And a lot of people think that women just do CSR work and stuff like that. But I'm like, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I got this."
Joey Giangola: I mean, is that something that you feel ... I guess, how do you maybe work around that? Obviously you're working maybe from a disadvantage in some cases, what do you find has been helpful for you to make sure that you're not overlooked in that ... like you said, obviously you have tons of experience. But somebody else in another position who might be dealing with similar things, what have you found to navigate around that?
Gigi Jean: I stand my ground. I think that's what it is. I know there was this one situation when we first opened our agency, I had a client, my husband was dealing with another client and I was open. So he came to me and from his whole persona, you can tell that he did not even want to deal with me. And so I'm giving him the quote and he's not interacting with me. I like to talk with my client, I'm a very personable person. And he's not interacting with me. So I gave him the quote and then when I gave him the quote, he turns around to my husband and he says, "What do you think about this?" I know.
And so my husband was like, "Well, I don't even need to look at it because if she give you a quote, it's probably better than what I was going to give you." And I remember at that time feeling so belittled, because I've been in the insurance industry, I have my licenses, I'm experienced. Who are you to come here and tell me that I don't know what I'm doing or second guessing me? And so I think from that day on, I just stood my ground. It's every single day, it's a battle. But now, like I said, I stand my ground. And so now when somebody comes in, now most of the time they're fighting to come to me instead of Ebens. So it's hard, but I think, as women in the insurance industry, we just need to stand our ground and don't let anybody belittle us.
Joey Giangola: Walk me through your journey in the industry. Like we're up on the independent side, how is that different from, again, like you said, there are a lot of agencies that start out captive, right?
Gigi Jean: Yeah.
Joey Giangola: And they sort of learn from that experience. And then there are others that grow up in a family agency. And then you guys were able to leverage it from two different perspectives.
Gigi Jean: Yeah.
Joey Giangola: What have you sort of attributed to get to where you are, to being in your own agency, following that independent path? Like what has really led you to say, "This is our thing, like we need to do this. It's that important."
Gigi Jean: I've always loved the independent side. I never knew there was independent or captive until I got into the independent agency. I love the fact that you're not in a box. And so being in the independent agency, that's always been my niche. I love it. I love interacting with others.
And then I had the opportunity to work at another independent agency where their clientele was completely different from the one that I started with. The premiums were higher, it was a high end, I guess, agency. So that opened my eyes to different opportunities than just writing auto and home. And I learned there's so much more to insurance than just auto, a home.
And so with that knowledge, I knew once we started our agency, I wanted to kind of be like that middle ground, where we can serve the underserved community. And we can also serve, I guess, the higher class community, I'm not sure if that's the word or not. But we wanted to serve as much people as we can. And the fact that we are the only Haitian owned agency for the whole state of Delaware, we're able to reach the Haitian speaking community, the Spanish speaking community and the English speaking community. And that's a huge thing because as you know, insurance is complicated as it is in English. Imagine another language and trying to understand it. And so with that, we were able to just help those communities.
Joey Giangola: I mean, what kind of relief are you able to provide them? Because like you said, insurance on its own is challenging. Is there sort of this like deep exhale within that community, to where, oh, finally we have somebody that can help make this even easier than before?
Gigi Jean: Yes. Yes, it is. On a daily basis, we get like emails and texts and everybody saying, "Thank you. I finally understand my policy." Even with homeowner's policy, people didn't know what was being covered in their homeowner's policy. And I think when individuals see people that speak their language, that look like them, it makes them more comfortable and that trust is there. And in the beginning it was hard because if you're starting a business, if somebody doesn't trust you, they're not going to do business with you. But that's a barrier that we were able to break because of that trust.
Joey Giangola: What's your secret? What's the thing that you feel is most important to building that trust? Is there something that you sort of go to when you're looking to sort of give somebody that best first impression to sort of gain that trust?
Gigi Jean: I think a smile. Even on the phone, sometimes, when I'm talking to my clients, they're like, "I can hear your smile." And I think when you are your true self, your authentic self, that person lower their guard and that trust starts to build. And I think just smiling is a great way. Another thing too, I think that has brought trust to our agency is we do a lot of social media. So we're always doing TikToks and we're always doing Facebook and Instagram Reels. And we make insurance fun. So we're always making it funny where you can learn. But in the same time, you're like, "Wow, this is actual funny."
Joey Giangola: I'm kind of curious, I don't think I've gotten the specific answer yet. But between the two of you, who came home first from a day at the separate agencies and said, "We need to do this together. We need to do this on our own." Do you remember that day? Like, is it something that's like vivid? Like it was that stuck in your mind?
Gigi Jean: It was Ebens. It was hands down, Ebens. We've always talked about it. With me, I was a little scared in the beginning because at the time, I had a one year old. And my daughter was four months and I'm thinking, "Okay, like where are we going to get the money? How we're going to do this?" But he was like, "It's time. Let's do it, let's take the risk." And I'm glad we did. That's one of the best decisions we ever did. So hands down, Ebens was like, "We're doing this." I'm like, "Okay, let's do it."
Joey Giangola: Now that you're on the other side of it, like you said, it's the best decision. Where are you looking to go next? What's the next goal after stepping out on your own? Like where do you hope to take the agency?
Gigi Jean: We are hoping to expand to different states. We're looking at Maryland and opening about maybe two more locations. In this upcoming year, I can't say it yet, but we are working on a project where we're going to be the first in the state to do, that involves insurance. I'll keep you updated, but that's going to be a huge for our agency.
Joey Giangola: And I might have asked Eben's this question, but if there's somebody in a similar position and I'm curious to get your perspective on it, that's in a spot in insurance where they feel like they want to do it on their own, or they're looking for a way to get to sort of their own space in the industry. What stands out to you as being maybe, some of the most important things or the most important thing that can help them get there? There that you sort of learn from along the way.
Gigi Jean: I would say experience. Get the experience. It's okay to start your agency depending on what product you want to sell, whether it be life, health. But you always want to get the experience because it's like, you're learning hands on. I'm glad that before we opened our agency, I spent like seven, eight years working in an agency. At that time, I never had the idea of opening my own agency. I just thought, "This is what I like to do and I'm going to do it." But I learned so much that when we transitioned to our own agency, we had so much knowledge, we had a pillar to stand on already. And I think that's what's making our agency successful is because we've been an insurance agency, everybody knows that as an insurance agents. So when we did open our agency, it wasn't as hard to get leads. A second thing I would say is it's going to be scary. I'm one of those people who were scared to start my agency. It's not easy, but if you feel like you're ready, go ahead and do it.
Joey Giangola: Is there a secret that you guys have in terms of, like you said, getting the leads, I guess, that's like the biggest thing. Like, how am I going to go about getting the business? And then bringing them in and what you do. Like, walk me through a little bit of that process of, like you said, reaching out, being in front of the community and then how you handle them once they are through the door and how that makes them feel comfortable.
Gigi Jean: Okay, let me tell you how we got our leads. Our agency is going on four years now and we have never once purchased any leads. When we opened our agency, what Ebens did is that he went to every single store, laundromat, and car dealership, anywhere there was a door, Ebens was there and he had a flyer or his business card. Every Sunday, we were at different churches, just promoting our business. That's what we did. And then in 2019 is when we opened, 2020, COVID started. And so we couldn't go out, we couldn't do anything like nothing, everything shut down.
But because of all the hard work that we did in the beginning, a lot of individuals they're like, "Oh, I saw your husband business card. I saw the flyer." And during COVID, one of our ... because with insurance agent, our source of revenue is commission. So during COVID, one of our top carriers that we were like, at least we can pay the bills with this. We got our commission with them was $150. And we're like, "How are we going to pay the bills?" And so what we started doing at that time, everybody was in the same boat and we connected with another organization where we took that commission money and we bought masks, we bought gloves, we bought hand sanitizers. We stood on different street corners, if anybody needed mask, gloves, hand sanitizers, you just come and get it. And that's what we started doing.
We did that for like about four months. And then from there, Ebens was like, "We want to do something for the kids. Let's do a back to school community events." From there, we pulled in our money, we bought book bags, we bought school supplies. And we started doing these community events and you didn't have to be a client, you didn't have to live in a neighborhood. We had people coming from different states. And from there, the community came together and a lot of people start hearing about One Way Insurance and because everybody was serving each other. And honestly, through our community events, and from that $150 commission that we got, that we serve our community. I think that has helped us out a lot. Now we're going to our third year, we're still doing these community events, everybody's coming in. It's amazing.
Joey Giangola: Yeah. I guess, that's pretty amazing. Starting an agency pretty much ... I don't want to say from scratch. But pretty much from scratch. Right?
Gigi Jean: Yeah, yeah. Yep.
Joey Giangola: And do it when you can't knock on doors anymore, that's pretty wild.
Gigi Jean: Yeah.
Joey Giangola: And it seems like you found a pretty successful formula to, again, like you said, just invest in the community.
Gigi Jean: Yeah.
Joey Giangola: Is there a bigger, better version? I'm assuming it's just that you say continuing to reinvest in the community and do whatever you can.
Gigi Jean: Yes. I think that's about it. Because with our communities, because everybody businesses were shutting down. And then, us, we're starting like in the midst of a pandemic and we're still here and we're blessed to say that. And we would not be here without our community. We wouldn't be here without them. People always supporting us, even when individuals lost their jobs and I'm like, "It's okay." And they're like, "No, we're not leaving you guys. We're going to find a way to pay our insurance." So it's amazing. It's pretty amazing.
Joey Giangola: Gigi, I got three more questions for you.
Gigi Jean: Okay.
Joey Giangola: And the first one is, what's one thing that you hope you never forget?
Gigi Jean: I hope I never forget where I come from. I was born in The Bahamas to Haitian parents who struggled, so that their kids can be better than them. My mom and my dad, they never went to school, they don't write and they don't read. But they found a way for their kids to go to school, educate themselves. And now all of my brothers and my sister were all successful because of what my parents did. So I hope I never forget where I come from.
Joey Giangola: Now on the other side of that, what is one thing you still have yet to learn?
Gigi Jean: I have yet to learn to be more extroverted. I'm an introvert and it's so weird that most business owners are introverts. So going out there and putting myself out there, every day it's a struggle. But I'm still learning.
Joey Giangola: Gigi, I'm going to say this real quick, I find that very hard to believe based on the-
Gigi Jean: I know.
Joey Giangola: Very short time that we've spent together.
Gigi Jean: I know.
Joey Giangola: But I will take you at your word.
Gigi Jean: Oh, no, I'm an introvert. My personality is big, but I rather just be home.
Joey Giangola: Fair enough. I can definitely relate to that, for sure. People are challenging sometimes. All right, Gigi, last question to you. If I were to hand you a magic wand of sorts to reshape change, alter, speed up, really any part of insurance, what's that thing? Where is it going? And what's it doing?
Gigi Jean: If you were to give me a magic wand to speed up insurance, can I say two answers? Is that possible?
Joey Giangola: You can do whatever you want.
Gigi Jean: Okay. The first thing I would say is, I would speed up some underwriting processes because some underwriting takes forever. And the second thing that I would change is, a better perspective of women in insurance. Instead of thinking that men are up here and women are down here, it's level. It doesn't matter what your gender is, you're an insurance agent and I'm going to treat you the same.
Joey Giangola: Gigi, this has been fantastic. I'm going to leave it right there.
Gigi Jean: Thank you. And today's my birthday, by the way.
Joey Giangola: Well, happy birthday.
Gigi Jean: Thank you.