There will always be someone in insurance with a ‘falling into the industry’ story. In the case of Vahry Insurance founder and managing director Julia Vahry (pictured), she nearly dismissed the idea of joining the sector, let alone run her own health and life brokerage.
The former cop told Insurance Business: “I was looking for options when I was coming out of the police. When somebody suggested going into life insurance as an adviser, I said, ‘Forget about it’.”
Vahry admitted having had somewhat of a negative view of the insurance industry at the time.
Back when she was still an outsider, Vahry had trust issues with insurance.
“I perceived it as maybe a bit untrustworthy,” she said. “That’s kind of the vibe that I had originally where I was like, ‘Ugh, insurance people’… I might have been 29 or 30-ish. [Because of] the appeal for me as a young woman and my bias with the industry at the time, I just thought, ‘Oh, forget it’.
“But once you actually fall into it, you realise that the majority of people that are in the industry are absolutely wonderful people, and they are really and truly there to provide an excellent service and great outcomes for people that entrust them with their financial situations.”
According to Vahry, it was her own bias that turned into curiosity to find out more.
“I thought it was an industry in which people hadn’t really changed yet,” she told Insurance Business. “It didn’t have, from my own opinion, a lot of young people in it and [there was] not a huge amount of women, and I was quite excited about the prospect of me being creative within it and making it trendy – exactly to highlight why people should come into the industry or the importance of insurance.
“That did excite me, going, ‘Hey, I wonder if I can make this fun and change the perception of what the life insurance industry is like, or what it means to have health insurance’ – that it is a wonderful thing to have and it does create incredible opportunities for people long term. It’s the same thing that I always say: it creates prosperity during adversity, and that is such a wonderful thing to provide for people.”
Vahry’s change of heart was a swing from not being interested to being fully committed, entering the industry not as an insurance worker for someone else’s company but as a broker at her own firm.
Explaining the shift, she said: “I took a massive risk on myself. And I was very, very privileged that I got introduced to Kevin Smee who runs nationwide aggregator mySolutions and who is amazing at what he does. He had a great team around him who introduced me to the industry. I did my training under Kevin and his business partner, Glen Hatcher. They were absolutely amazing.
“Those guys – they really have huge hearts and they’re there for the community and really wanted to change the industry and better it. I was just so taken aback about how they just opened their doors for me. [There have been] many calls with me going, ‘Hey, I’ve got this complex client’, and people are always willing to help one another, which I really like.”
Among the other things that Vahry has come to love in the industry are the flexibility and the impact her work has on others.
Recalling her beginnings, Vahry told Insurance Business: “It wasn’t for six months or so before I committed and went to an open day and said, ‘Hey, actually, this is a really good place’ in terms of opportunity and improving things for people and generational cycles. And the industry provides flexibility for me as a young mum to work the hours that I like and work around kids. The flexibility is wonderful.
“And then also the positive impact that you have on people’s lives – it’s a real buzz. I guess we just don’t have the diversity that we should have because it’s not really something that people think of. We don’t really go out and market and say, ‘Hey, have you considered being a life insurance adviser?’ It doesn’t really sound trendy.”
Vahry has not looked back since, working hard to constantly improve herself as an insurance broker.
“I’m not saying it’s easy; it’s hard yakka,” she said. “As all small business owners can understand, you have quieter months and busier months, and it’s just enjoying and embracing the roller coaster ride of the ups and the downs and being creative and making those calls, especially in the early days; getting in front of people and improving your craft; and seeing it as a place of opportunity and improving your general knowledge. I’ve upskilled so much as a person being in this industry.”
Vahry, an Insurance Business New Zealand Elite Woman, has changed so much that she now defends the very same people she used to doubt prior to becoming part of the insurance world.
“Really, the insurers are doing their best to work in the best interests of New Zealanders,” she said. “That’s what I have learned. A lot of people go, ‘Oh, they’re just out to catch you out’, but really they’re not. They really aren’t. And you can see that when big claims or death claims have occurred…
“They really, really do their best to create positive outcomes for people and make the process as streamlined as possible. So, yes, I’m surprised. You don’t hear the good stories as much as you hear the bad stories, but really those good stories of great outcomes should be shared more.”
How did you get into insurance? Share your origin story in the comments below.
