3 Ways We Can Help Protect Your Business in Sticky Situations

By: Valerie Hawkins

When you think about beekeepers and protection, you probably envision a full beekeeper suit with a veil. And maybe one of those bee smoker things.

But when COUNTRY Agency Manager and bee farm owner, Kim McGregor, thinks about protection – it’s the insurance kind.

I chatted with Kim about the top three ways she uses her insurance knowledge and beekeeper experience to help other business owners protect what they work so hard for. Here’s what she had to say:

1.  Beekeepers (and reps) are business owners, too

Like her COUNTRY Financial agency, Kim’s bee farm has grown. What started as a small, one-hive hobby, is now a 300-colony operation.

She’s also moved to a larger location, dreamt up and produced new honey-related products, and is constantly taking on new business ventures (like the local kombucha manufacturer who uses Kim’s bees’ honey in their beverages!)

Her experience of owning her own bee farm and agency has given Kim the ability to relate to her business owner customers. She understands the hard work and long hours it takes to run a business – making her, and all our reps, reliable and relatable partners. 

2.  You’ll get unique protection for your unique business

If there’s one thing Kim knows best, it’s no two bees, or businesses, are alike.

That’s why our reps take time to fully understand business owners’ unique needs and help create one, comprehensive insurance and financial services plan tailored to fit those needs. With the understanding those needs may change.

“My ultimate goal is to help design a policy that fits what business owners need now, with the ability to grow as their business does,” says Kim.

And Kim gets it. Because every time her business grows, her protection grows with her. “When we moved our bee farm, we gained additional land, obtained larger buildings, and bought larger equipment,” Kim said. “It was important to me to have enough coverage, and I was confident if we had a claim, we’d be covered.  And that’s always top of mind for me when working with my business-owner customers.”

3.  We support the communities we live and work in

Our local reps care about your community, because it’s their community, too!

You can find Kim every Saturday and Sunday supporting her local farmers market. Sure, she’s selling her locally-sourced bee products like lavender-infused honey and lip balm, but she’s also providing educational seminars about healthy habitats for honey bees and the importance of protecting pollinators.

While Kim spends her time combatting bee extinction, other reps have their own passions and interests. You can find them either volunteering at a local food pantry, teaching financial education in a grade school classroom, or coaching a local sports team. 

And although not all our financial reps are beekeepers like Kim, they all understand the importance of protecting your business in the stickiest of situations.