Her Story
About Ethel
Ethel serves as CEO of insurance.com, an insurance shopping platform that protects consumer information and connects shoppers with brokers offering multiple quote options. She began her career in finance after studying the subject in school, advancing quickly into management and serving as an executive assistant to a CEO at age 21 before moving into sales. After the 2009 market crash, she entered marketing as director of client services at an email and social media marketing firm, where she taught herself the field and became a pioneer during its early days. She later joined her late husband's insurance agency, handling marketing and accounting, which gave her insight into both consumer and agency challenges, leading her to rebuild the company he founded in 1998 into its current form after she sold the agency following his passing. Ethel is also authoring her first book, The Room I Built, which explores her origin story as a founder and the importance of trust and authenticity.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ethel
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to three main things. First, God, as I see His fingerprints all over my life. Second, the values my family instilled in me, especially my mom who was a single mom working hard, and all my aunts and uncles who share those strong work values. Third, certain innate qualities that God has given me that keep me going differently than others, like perseverance and capability.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice is to follow through and not give up so easily. There's something to be said about finishing something. Don't stop when it gets hard. There's a book called 3 Feet From Gold, and a lot of people stop right when they're about to hit gold. Work fatigue is real, so take care of yourself too.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is getting people to undo certain expectations and restore the broken trust between shoppers and agencies. When you put your information in a website, you don't know who's going to contact you or if you'll be spammed, so people are leery. But that's also the biggest opportunity, to restore that trust and show people something new.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Freedom is most important to me, the freedom to choose and be who you want to be. Freedom to show up in a room authentically and freedom to build what you want to build. It's about being your true, authentic self without fear of judgment.
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