Barbara Caudana
The spark was ignited 40 years ago in Vancouver, Canada when I began my lifelong career in the insurance industry.
From file clerk to producer with an emphasis on product knowledge I worked my way up the ranks and received the best sales experience imaginable. The Government sets the price for auto insurance which presented me with quite a challenge: How do I convince clients to choose me as their agent if they weren’t saving money or getting a better policy? I relied on my in-depth knowledge of insurance and my ability to build lasting relationships and I flourished!
In 1986 while vacationing in Hawaii I met a wonderful guy from California and before I knew it, I moved to Los Angeles to start a new life. Within weeks of arriving in the United States I began working for a small agency as a producer. Because of my comprehensive understanding of insurance and I had never relied on price to sell a policy, it was easy for me to hit the ground running.
I moved into management and this is where my coaching experience really began. I continued to grow and maintain my own book of business which allowed me to be in the trenches and I could help the staff with every situation they faced.
My responsibility was to aggressively grow the personal lines department with a very limited budget. I recruited people with no insurance experience and put them through “Barbara’s Boot Camp”. I grew my own service assistants, account managers and producers and the agency thrived.
After working with that agency for 30 years, it was time for a change. Instead of riding off into the sunset, I decided to venture out on my own. I sought out advice from several experts to confirm what was lacking in our industry. I came to the conclusion that there is a huge disconnect in how our industry trains and what is being taught. I knew there was a better way which is what motivated me to start Lionsgate Insurance Coaching.
The most influential person I met with was Mr. George Joseph. He reassured me that my training programs were exactly what our industry needed. With that encouragement I took the plunge and here we are today.
I have combined my 40 years of hands on knowledge, my nerdy-love of insurance and my passion for watching people succeed I came up with a solution - bringing the real world to the classroom.
By the way, I married the guy I met in Hawaii, we have 3 amazing daughters and we recently celebrated our 31th wedding anniversary. I love spending time with my family and friends, baking and camping in our vintage Shasta trailer.
From file clerk to producer with an emphasis on product knowledge I worked my way up the ranks and received the best sales experience imaginable. The Government sets the price for auto insurance which presented me with quite a challenge: How do I convince clients to choose me as their agent if they weren’t saving money or getting a better policy? I relied on my in-depth knowledge of insurance and my ability to build lasting relationships and I flourished!
In 1986 while vacationing in Hawaii I met a wonderful guy from California and before I knew it, I moved to Los Angeles to start a new life. Within weeks of arriving in the United States I began working for a small agency as a producer. Because of my comprehensive understanding of insurance and I had never relied on price to sell a policy, it was easy for me to hit the ground running.
I moved into management and this is where my coaching experience really began. I continued to grow and maintain my own book of business which allowed me to be in the trenches and I could help the staff with every situation they faced.
My responsibility was to aggressively grow the personal lines department with a very limited budget. I recruited people with no insurance experience and put them through “Barbara’s Boot Camp”. I grew my own service assistants, account managers and producers and the agency thrived.
After working with that agency for 30 years, it was time for a change. Instead of riding off into the sunset, I decided to venture out on my own. I sought out advice from several experts to confirm what was lacking in our industry. I came to the conclusion that there is a huge disconnect in how our industry trains and what is being taught. I knew there was a better way which is what motivated me to start Lionsgate Insurance Coaching.
The most influential person I met with was Mr. George Joseph. He reassured me that my training programs were exactly what our industry needed. With that encouragement I took the plunge and here we are today.
I have combined my 40 years of hands on knowledge, my nerdy-love of insurance and my passion for watching people succeed I came up with a solution - bringing the real world to the classroom.
By the way, I married the guy I met in Hawaii, we have 3 amazing daughters and we recently celebrated our 31th wedding anniversary. I love spending time with my family and friends, baking and camping in our vintage Shasta trailer.
Laura Matsuno
Like many, I fell into the insurance industry by happenstance. I had recently graduated from UC Riverside where I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. I was approached by a friend looking to hire for a producer role so I left my current position and took a leap of faith to pursue something completely foreign to me. I remember making the comment that “I would never go into insurance” and twelve years later, here I am and very grateful that I took that chance and fell in love with insurance.
My career began at a large agency where I worked as a producer and was quickly promoted to a manager. Under my management, the book of business grew exponentially, earning Top Producer of the month for 13 consecutive months as well as the much coveted “Top Producer of the Year” award from The Hartford.
Throughout my career, I have taken on every task under the sun. I have been responsible for sales, service, accounting and my most prized position - mentor. I see people yearning for knowledge with the drive to succeed and to make a difference and I knew I chose the right career!
On a more personal note, I love spending time with my family and playing soccer 3 times a week. I have an amazing 5-year old son who is the light of my life and we enjoy swimming, dirt bike riding and I coach his soccer team. I am very excited to start this new chapter of my career where I can share my knowledge and passion for an industry that I love.
My career began at a large agency where I worked as a producer and was quickly promoted to a manager. Under my management, the book of business grew exponentially, earning Top Producer of the month for 13 consecutive months as well as the much coveted “Top Producer of the Year” award from The Hartford.
Throughout my career, I have taken on every task under the sun. I have been responsible for sales, service, accounting and my most prized position - mentor. I see people yearning for knowledge with the drive to succeed and to make a difference and I knew I chose the right career!
On a more personal note, I love spending time with my family and playing soccer 3 times a week. I have an amazing 5-year old son who is the light of my life and we enjoy swimming, dirt bike riding and I coach his soccer team. I am very excited to start this new chapter of my career where I can share my knowledge and passion for an industry that I love.