It all began one afternoon as Jimmy was leaving a meeting feeling frustrated. Driving across the James River Bridge, blasting Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” he screamed along with lead singer Robert Plant.
“AAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAH – AHHHHHHHH!”
What made Jimmy scream? Frustration with the way some traditional insurance companies treat their clients. In particular, he was frustrated with how nonprofit organizations weren’t receiving the coverage they needed.
Nonprofits are not traditionally attractive clients to insurance agencies. To be blunt, they are not usually sources of lots of profit for these agencies. Nonprofits by their nature are, well, not making profits! With their mission to bring funds to groups who need their assistance, nonprofits don’t generate a large margin for the insurance companies.
If you know Jimmy, you know he is incredibly passionate about nonprofit organizations. He’s an active chairman and board member of a number of nonprofits. He’s also a frequent “hub hopper” and a hub leader for Synapse, a Richmond-based networking group that meets with and supports nonprofit organizations. He had seen an organization about which he deeply cares paying for insurance for a building they no longer owned. Another organization thought they had crucial coverage for their nonprofit when he discovered they were not actually covered at all.
While angrily belting out Led Zep, Jimmy had a thought. What if I branched out on my own? His blood pressure dropped. And what if I collaborated with a couple of trusted friends and fellow professionals to bring the best coverage to these organizations? The vein throbbing on his temple slowed and a smile came across his face.
Jimmy turned an unpleasant experience into a fork in the road towards his destiny. Later you could hear him screaming a different song – “WOO HOO!”