by Heather Turner
Recently named an
Insurance Business Canada 2016 Young Gun, Ryan Bennett was first attracted to the industry for its wealth of opportunities and now he has a hand in creating those opportunities for other Young Guns at St. Clair Insurance Brokers, a southwestern Ontario-based brokerage.
Bennett, a 10-year industry professional, created St. Clair’s Elite Producer Academy, which trains and educates individuals to be a producer in the insurance industry.
“Being a mentor to younger producers comes with a lot of responsibility,” he said. “You end up shaping that individual’s style and are a key component of their success. It’s a great feeling knowing you are teaching the new generation the tools they’ll need to succeed and helping them launch their career.”
Looking back on his decade’s worth of skills and experience earned, Bennett mentions how important attitude is in this business for young professionals when aspiring to be successful.
“You need to understand there will be failure, but there is no excuse for laziness,” he remarked. “If you truly want to succeed in this business, you are the only one holding you back.”
On that same note, Bennett’s attitude has directly helped him through challenges and opportunities. “The key thing that has helped me is remembering no matter how tough things get, it just takes stepping away for a bit and a simple mental shift to get things back on track,” he said.
Being a commercial sales and operations manager within a growing and developing brokerage allows Bennett to wear multiple hats as he helps manage a team of 13 across three offices while serving as a senior producer and helping train the next generation.
“Sales training and production are such a big part of my career and I’m fortunate enough to still do both roles,” he said. “I’d like to continue and develop with St. Clair and grow our brand into an organization that I can look back on and know I had a big part in that success.”
“My message to young brokers would be to shoot for the stars and gather as much knowledge as you can. This industry has positions for all personality types and it just takes the right determination and focus to get to where you want to go.”
Related links:
Are you among the best in Canadian insurance?
How insurance poached this young gun from a career in law
