Her Story
About Sasha
I started in insurance 8 years ago when a recruiter reached out to me while I was working in sales in New York City. I joined a startup general agency that was local to where I was working at the time, focusing on small commercial insurance like BOPs, workers' comp, and general liability for small commercial retail agents. After that, I moved to Verus, where I've been for 5 years now. I'm a product manager and subject matter expert on our small commercial products and commercial auto. I work from home and stay close to my small team, but I also make it a point to reach out to others in the organization to learn from their expertise. I'm always asking who can help me with something or who was in my role before, because I'm often speaking to individuals who've been in this industry for 20-plus years. Even though 8 years sounds like a long time, I have to make sure I keep myself knowledgeable. I stay on top of what's happening in the industry by keeping up with our emerging risks team, whether it's AI or new companies or whatever it may be. On the sales side, I really have to listen to what my customers' needs are, and if I miss the mark, I go back and evaluate whether I asked the right questions and really heard their pain points. My expertise is really in the small commercial section of the insurance space.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sasha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'd say staying curious. Whether it's keeping up with what's happening in the industry, or putting time on other people's calendars, I'm always asking who could help me with this, or who was in my role before, or is there someone I can reach out to. I think staying curious has just kept me successful this far. I think if you act like you know everything and you're not open to listening, then that's not really going to benefit me. I have a small team, so there are folks that I talk to pretty frequently, but I'm always staying open-minded and curious. I don't think acting like you know everything is going to help you succeed.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice would be to try to get hands-on experience where you can, whether it's sitting in at an insurance agent, or sitting in with an underwriter, or an adjuster. Really take the time to learn different aspects of the insurance field. I've always been on the underwriting side, but I can't really understand how important underwriting is without understanding the claims end. Like, what happens when underwriting is done poorly, and what does that lead to, and why is this step so important to the process? You need to understand every step of the process and the expertise, because there's many forms of insurance, so kind of get your feel and find your niche.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Something that I always try to live by is staying resilient, really bouncing back from any hardships, whether it's career-wise, or in my running journey, or anything personal. I think resiliency is key. And then also just treating others the way you would like to be treated, I think is very important. That golden rule of treating others the way you would like to be treated and never giving up, being resilient and adaptable, is what I try to live by.
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