Episode 280: Food, Faith and Family Leads to Shawsome with Susan Shaw

Welcome to the Unstoppable Profit Podcast. This podcast will give independent insurance agents all of the tools to grow your business and live life on your terms. Wherever you are today, if you're starting with nothing or well on your way to the success you desire, with the right people, processes and promotions in place, you will be unstoppable. And now I'd like to introduce your host, Mike Stromsol.

Greetings, everybody. Welcome to the next episode of the Unstoppable Profit podcast. We are in our continuing series profiling super achieving agents who have dawned the COVID of Rough Notes magazine and either have been members of UPP or are current members of upp. And we have an agent with us today, not only that is both currently a member and has been on the COVID of Rough Notes, but Susan, Howard and their daughter and their team give the credit to all of them also were awarded the RoughNotes Community Service Award of the Year for 2022. So not only have they accomplished great things, but they have given back not only nationally, but internationally. And I want to dig into what they've done and share it all with you. I'm privileged and honored and proud to have with us the one, the only, Susan Shaw. Susan, how are you doing today?

I'm doing great. Thank you so much, Mike. I really appreciate the opportunity to be here today with you. Thank you.

No, I'm thankful that you're here and thank you for your willingness to give back, which is, I know is at the core of your heart and who you are to others. But let's learn a little bit about your journey in the insurance agency business as well. And the agency was actually started by family way back when by G.E. irby. But he had a different occupation, which I thought was very unique.

Yes, my dad, our, our story is a little bit different. It's kind of fun when I get to tell it. So thank you for that opportunity. My dad was a nuclear physicist at General Dynamics. And so I guess with the wife that stayed home with two daughters and then a brand new daughter barely born, he decided now would be a great time to, to go out and quit a regular paycheck every Friday and start open a real estate company. My dad was an extremely intelligent man and at the time you could go open a real estate company at the time. Now there's a little more hoops to, to jump through and he's actually responsible for many of those hoops as well. Fast forward. He ended up, he authored 13 books in real estate, started all the real estate courses, the local junior college it was Tarrant County Junior College now. So that was interesting and fun fact. He's the only non attorney that ever wrote a real estate law book that was held up as the authority in court. So that was a pretty cool thing. He was very smart man. He had Germania home insurance for their home. And so in 1981, Germania contacted my father and, and said, hey, would you be interested in opening a local chapter there in Hearst? And he said, well, I don't really know a lot about insurance, but I do believe in Germania and it ties in with real estate. So he did. I got to tell you, it wasn't a lot of fun for him. He didn't really enjoy it and. But if someone, you know, like yanked on his coattails and said, I need insurance, he would sell it. Few years down the road, he became ill and his office manager kind of took over the real estate portion and, and then my mother took over the insurance. She had been a stay at home mom all these years, and so she really had to. She really stepped up, you know, and learned Germania home. She didn't do anything else but Germany home, not auto, not even liability because it was separate. And so she would show up at my dad's office every day and in her, her dress and pantyhose and heels and she went out on the inspections and she went out with the adjuster and you know, know, but she stepped up and it was, I'm really proud of her for that. In 2000, Howard and I had the opportunity to purchase the agency. Now, I grew up in a real estate home. Everything that I had done in my professional life really surrounded that whole industry. So I worked in the title business. I sold real estate. For a number of years, Howard owned a journal contracting company and then he sold real estate. So when we had the opportunity to buy the agency.

Neither one of us had ever worked a day in insurance. Which is kind of funny that you don't work, but then you buy an agency. Yeah, but that's what we did. We thought, well, we know all the areas that touch it. We know how to run a business. We know how to market ourselves. All we have to do is learn insurance. And so we jumped in and we decided that our model was going to have a couple of different touch points. Number one, we were going to be the agent that we wanted for ourselves, which meant personal relationship. Number two, we knew from insurance and contracting not all business is good business. And we knew that it's okay to walk away and not ever to be afraid to walk away from a piece of business. So with those three things, we were like, let's hope we pass our test. And we went and took our test and. And the rest we just kind of ran with it after that. So that's how we built our agency over the years.

That's a key point. I got a lot of points that I want to touch on real quick. But your dad, Mr. Irby, I mean, did you plan to be an insurance agent when you were in high school or college?

No.

No, Neither did I. I was in the restaurant business and because of circumstance, I ended up in the insurance business. But a physicist.

Yeah, yeah.

Becomes an insurance agent. I mean, it's just really, really interesting. We'll say, you know, how people get into the industry. But, you know, just to make sure I have this straight, the only book published by a non attorney on what?

Real estate law.

On real estate law. I think that's fantastic. So definitely set the precedent, right?

Yes, exactly, exactly. He actually wrote all the promulgated real estate forms before that you. For the state of Texas, so For Trek Texas real estate. So that's awesome what he accomplished.

But you know, I. I believe in my heart of hearts and for any other agents out there who are watching or listening, I. I think this is such a valid point. I want to make sure that we drive this home. Because what Susan just said about not doing business with everybody, I think it's absolutely key. And I think that's been. Would you agree, Susan? It's been a big part of your success as an agency?

Oh, yeah.

Knowing who your ideal client is or your ideal client avatar and passing on the ones who may not fit it. Right?

Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, we don't do any cold calling or the mass mailing, so the people that call us, they're calling us. So if they're calling us and they have an attitude or they. There's some red flags. We pass, we just. And so one thing is just trusting your gut and trusting your staff's gut that they know I have their back on that.

Truly being upfront underwriters.

Right.

Frontline underwriting, as we say. Yeah, for sure. And one of the thing that I picked up off a podcast where I was getting interviewed recently for everybody out there, and I'm not sure if I've shared this with you, Susan. There's red flags and red flags. Right. That person that interviewed me said, and don't ever try to color a red flag pink.

That's. That's a good way to put it.

Right. Obviously, I'M still telling the story. This is a few months ago, but it's so true. I mean, we servants, us independent insurance agents who have a servant's heart, we want to serve people. We can help them. Right?

I have to tell you real quick, one of my newest agents came in and. And she came in, she said, ooh, I hope you're not mad at me. And she told me the story, and all I could do was high five her. I said, you did awesome. I'm proud of you for that. And so, you know, that showed me that she is buying into the Shaw some way and knows what I will. What we want, what we want from our agents and what we want from our team.

I'm so glad you said that, because I agree the Shaw some way and that's just an inner language that circles the Shaw Insurance agency. Again, our rough notes agency cover of the month. And there's the COVID of the COVID with Susan and Howard on rough notes. Super, super proud of you guys. Great job. Because you are shawsome. So a little bit about the history you operated in the golden rule. You know who you want to do business with, and that's how you've learned to grow. And you continue to shift, you continue to change. And really what it's enabled you to do over time is to be able to give back. And I want to dive in. And I want you to elaborate because I know you've got your efforts and energy into a lot of community things, but let's start with the one that's international and close to your heart. And I think that as a whole, Rough notes, who's the oldest independent insurance industry magazine in America? 146 years old, picked up on the Shaw some way and what Shaw some was really doing for their communities and now expanding globally. So why did you start goals for bowls and what was behind that? And who does it serve?

That's my heart. Goals for Bulls. First of all, our daughter Sarah played soccer all of her life. Grew up playing soccer. And we as a family always served our community. We always served food pantries. We' growing up, we served. So that was how I was raised. And you give back to your community. But.

Every summer, Sarah would end up going to. To this elite soccer camp in Montecito, California. And there was about a dozen Ghanaian boys that she played soccer with. And soccer truly gave them and their families a new start in life because they were. They were sponsored by, you know, pretty wealthy American families. They were put up at Dunn boarding school. All of these boys, Sarah played Soccer with every summer for years. And all of them went on to get college educations. All of them were able to send money back to their family. Many of them went on to play professional or coaches. And, you know, we always say that it's more than about a ball. And soccer truly changed the trajectory of their life. So fast forward. Sarah's in college, and she went to. She played soccer at Texas A and M on the women's team, and played at a very high level. They went to the Final Four. So it was NCAA Final Four. So she's played all sorts of levels. And. And that was incredible. But she read a book by Blake Makowski called Start Something that Matters. Blake Makowski is the founder of Tom's Shoes. And of course, the model is buy a pair and we give a pair. She called me her senior year and said, mom, I know what we're going to do now. And I said, okay, what's that? And she said, we're going to start a nonprofit and we're going to have soccer balls, and we're going to. We're going to buy one, and then we're going to give one away. So we have a manufacturer in Pakistan that makes our soccer balls. They're very good quality balls because our kids get to play on this beautiful green pitch. They don't. And other countries are playing on. On concrete, on rocky soil, on a dirt road, in a field full of goat poop. I mean, there's just. They're not playing on the same fields that our kids play. And so when we did that.

Ghana had to be the first. It had to be the first trip. And so that's really how.

How we started with goals for bowls was with. We had our soccer balls, we designed the logo, and we started selling them. So it's a one for one model. We sell a soccer ball, we put one aside for our next upcoming trip. And then because of all the time that we had spent feeding kids, we. We knew from her, from the Ghanaian boys, that that was a big. We needed to do that. We needed to incorporate that. And then because of our faith, then we would open the door to be able to share the gospel. So now kind of, I kind of put it as hashtag, food, faith and football. But that's really the essence of what we do is we get to go to orphanages or outer rural community rooms and serve these children. That may be true orphans. They may be what. What a lot of people don't like to think of. They're not necessarily all orphans, but they may be there even though they might have a parent, because the alternative was to let them die and starve or to sell them, because a lot of the families have more children than they can afford. And so we wanted to have the option or the opportunity rather to go in to serve these kids. And we do a lot here in the United States, but there are so many other.

There's so many other organizations to help the kids here at. At every level. And we just had a heart for. For serving kids in other countries. And so that's what we've done since 2017 was our first trip. So.

So let's talk about that. 2017 was your first trip. Tell us a little bit more about these trips. How many have you made and what kind of impact has it had on the people that you're serving? And you and Sarah.

Okay, so so far we have been on 12 mission trips.

Wow.

11 different countries. So we started in. In Ghana and then it was Pueblo, Mexico. Philippines. Juarez, Mexico. We were in Peru, Botswana, Cape Town, South Africa. People say, oh, that's beautiful. We weren't in the same part of South Africa that Cape Town that you were in.

Yeah. Not that you would envision, right?

No, we're Guatemala, Bolivia, Uganda, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Wow.

So the impact that we've made has been quite interesting because we don't count the numbers. We have them calculate so that we don't ever want to be.

We don't want to overinflate anything. But so far, we've provided close to 113,000 meals for kids. And we've. We've taken about 300 soccer balls. We share the gospel wherever we go. But physically handed about 925 Bibles, you know, physically taken those. We've done, I think, 200 clean water filter systems in Guatemala. And so we just kind of continue to find ways to give back. And so it's been. It's been pretty incredible not only to experience this, but then to experience it with my daughter. That's just a really special bond. And, you know, I. I can't really say much more than that except to. Just to watch your child. You know, she's an adult. She'll be upset if I called it, but she is my child. So to see your. To see the way they're interacting with these children and.

And how she uses a soccer ball to share the gospel, people will be, how do you share the gospel through a soccer ball? And Sarah's found a number of different ways. And so we'll be walking down a little shanty town, and she's got soccer balls, and she'll just start juggling, and kids just come out, you know, and so all of a sudden, there's a pickup game going on. And so during that, some of them may speak English, some may not. It doesn't matter because the smile says all of it. And so. And then at some point, she's able to give them the soccer ball, and she tells them about Jesus and the. The free gift of salvation. It doesn't cost them anything and doesn't exp. And so she's giving them this. Something very interesting in Botswana that happened was we were at a secular school, and it was all high school students, and. And they were asking us a bunch of questions. And Sarah actually had some soccer balls to give out with, like, the athletic director or something. And so she had a white ball and a black ball. They were both size 5, so they were the same size. And then one of the boys said, why do y' all hate black people? And she. You know, we kind of looked around and we said, but we don't. I mean, we're here. What. You know, you. And Sarah's like, you can't take your. You can't form all of your opinions based on what you find on social media. Right, right. And she took both balls and started bouncing them. And she said, you know, these bounce the same. They weigh the same. I can play with either one on the pitch. I can score the winning goal with either one. The only difference is the color of the skin. I love the game of soccer, and I don't care if the ball is black or white. And she said, it's just like Jesus, you know, he loves all of us the same. It doesn't matter if our skin is black and white, black or white. And so just creative ways like that to share the gospel and to see your. To be able to share that is pretty special.

Amazing. Congratulations. And. And I'm so happy that not only that you got to do that and experience it, but you got to experience it with Sarah. That is not only a lifelong memory, but I will suggest that will be kind of legacy stuff.

Yeah.

That will be talked about maybe generationally, because of what you've done. So how fantastic is that? And I've had the privilege of meeting Sarah personally. What a grounded, wonderful young woman she is. So congratulations on that.

But.

So let's talk about the impact that it's made for. Susan. And I know that we've had conversations about this. You lead an independent insurance agency who does great things, who has Also experienced market difficulty, shall we say. The markets in the last two or three years have been just incredibly difficult for a lot of reasons. But you've done what needed to be done. You continue to forge forward in the right mindset. Congratulations for that. But you've also continued to serve your communities, your local communities. So how is the impact of 12 trips, 11 countries, 113,000 meals served, over 300 soccer balls given, and ministering to people all over the world, how has that helped you better serve your local communities? Because how many different local nonprofits, as an example or organizations do you currently serve? I sit in your local communities.

In my local community, I sit on seven different boards.

That's a lot.

It is a lot.

So how has it helped you with that?

Passionate about.

I get it.

They're all things I'm passionate about. One is feeding children. And so I gotta do that one. And then through the Chamber of Commerce, our local Chamber of Commerce, that's been very important to me as a. As a business owner. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. You give back to your community, and it looks different in different areas. I went to HEB ISD my whole life. So therefore, I serve on the HBISD Education foundation because I give back to the community that really, quite honestly gave me my business and has supported me. And so. And I get to be the liaison for the elementary school that I was. That I went to school at. And so that's a fun thing. Same thing with my Rotary Club. And so there's a lot of different activities, but I really feel like that. That it's important to give back. I have had people say, well, I give back. I support my, you know, locally and whenever they hear about goals for bowls. And so.

You know, that's. That can be a little, you know, actually, what I want to say is different than what I actually say, but what I tell them is that I do. I. I support our local very, very much. And I always have and always will. I will continue to. I've never done those for business.

But business has come from it, right? And so. And then it's just the relationships. And I'm very much a relationship person, not a transactional person. I know the transactions have to happen, but the relationships are important.

So thank you. Thank you for continuing to give back to so many. In so many different ways, continuing to lead your independent insurance agency and serving your customers and your communities in a big, big way continuously. And congratulations. Congratulations for recognition not only by Rough Notes as the agency cover of the month, but the 2022 rough notes community Service Award, which is an annual award given to one agency, and it was the Shaw, some agency out of Hearst, Texas.

So I was blown away by both, actually. I truly was just, just incredibly honored, just incredibly honored by it. And so I'm just so grateful. I'm very grateful.

Well, you've got a lot, you've got a lot that you have earned. And I believe that the law, reciprocity is always in effect. In other words, you've given so much to so many. There are people watching sometimes that we may not think they're watching, but they are. So your, your efforts do not go unnoticed. And obviously it was not unnoticed by the Rough Notes team. So thank you for that and for the communities around you. That's why we are also privileged to be able to serve others in everything that we do. So now you've got a greater mission in the world to serve. And.

We'Re kind of up against the end of our time today. But I definitely want to give you a couple of minutes to talk about somebody that is big, big, big on your heart and serving. You have a new grandson.

I do.

His name is Wyatt.

Wyatt. He will be 5 months old tomorrow and wow. Is just a delight. And Sarah is already talking about when Wyatt's going to get to go on, on trips, mission trips with us. And so he'll have to be a little bit older than that. But he is just precious. And I, I, I can't really say enough. I'm just incredibly blessed, incredibly blessed for him.

We all are. But I'm, I'm so happy for you and the blessings that have been bestowed upon your family. Congratulations. But like I said, the law of reciprocity is always in effect and it happened for a reason, and it is happening. So. And the fact that, you know, you have that potential legacy situation in front of you where you're going to take Wyatt when he's ready and maybe it's a good idea when he's younger so he can, you know, meet the kids where they are, age wise. Right?

Well, he'll have to be older than five months. But we are looking, we are looking at Brazil for next year.

But you know, on those 12 trips, on those 12 trips where you were out serving in all those countries, what's the rough average age of the kids, whether you're giving soccer balls to?

Oh, it can be anywhere from, you know, like a two or three year old loves them, but it's also teenagers. Seven, you know, 15, 16. It doesn't matter. The Age, they don't. It doesn't matter.

Right.

But we. One thing on the food, I do want to say, when we are getting the food, we buy it there in country so that we're supporting the local economy. We're supporting that relationship between that, you know, missionary or that orphanage and the. And the community. And also Sarah and I fund all of our own expenses. So every dollar goes to food. Every dollar we. That. That we raise goes directly to food. I did have one person one time who kind of pushed, put some money in my hand and said, I want you to buy Bibles with this. So an event like that, then of course we did. But we do pay all of our own expenses. And so the. We can honestly say 100% of it goes to food, which is, you know, again, I think, pretty cool.

That's awesome. Goalsforbowls.com Correct.

Yes.

Goals for Bowls. That's F O R goals. G O A L S F o R B O-W-L S.com check it out, Check it out. And you can learn more about what's going on with Goals for Bowls. And I know Sarah just gave birth to Wyatt and she's in that phase of her life, so I know you're looking to update that as well, but you can check out a little bit about what they've done with and keep it, you know, in connection with what they're going to be doing in the future. Thank you for giving back to your communities and for all that you're doing and can't wait to watch the legacy of everything you're doing in the industry and beyond continue to unfold. So thank you, Susan.

Thank you so much. Thank you for allowing me to come on here and talk about things that I love. Thank you.

Well, thank you for being shawsome. It's the only way to be right?

I think so.

From the great state of Texas, the one, the only Susan Shaw. Thank you and congratulations.

Thank you.

You're welcome. All right, everybody, thank you for joining us today. And my great encouragement is we do this simply to impact people's lives personally and professionally. And if you got some kind of impact from this podcast, will you please forward this episode to somebody else that, you know, somebody that you care about so that they can learn, you know, not only the story of the Shaw some way, but maybe how to impact their communities. Let me give you a big takeaway that I just wrote down. And, Susan, help me out if I'm wrong in any way. Sarah, read the book. Start Something that Matters. Was it Blake Makowski?

Correct.

Okay, if you're looking for a way to maybe start thinking creatively about how you can impact communities around you, pick up the book Start Something that Matters by Blake Makowski from Tom Shoes. A great story in itself, but if you got great impact out of this podcast, please share this episode with somebody that you care about. Might be another agent or just anybody. Or you can just have them go to unstoppable profitpodcast.com but most importantly, make sure they go up to the top. Click subscribe so they don't miss one valuable episode that we put out just to help people grow their agency business, create wealth so they can have more freedom to do great things globally like Susan and Sarah and their family do. So again, thank you for joining us. And our podcast is available on all the podcast channels out there from Apple Podcasts to Spotify to Stitcher, our YouTube channel, Amazon and beyond. So you can find us out there anywhere. Unstoppable Profit podcast again. Wherever you're at, make sure you subscribe soon or miss one valuable episode. And thank you. Thank you for investing time to learn more on how to make an impact for other people out there. That's our goal. Susan, thank you. Have a good day.

Thank you so much. You as well.

Yeah, fantastic. Thank you. Hey everybody. Until the next episode, get out there and do something else. Do something good for somebody today. Whether it be a smile, whether it be a thank you, whether it be a thank you to a veteran, whatever it takes, just do something good. Because the law of reciprocity is always in effect. And remember, you got this. We believe in you. I'll see you in the next episode. Until then, take care.

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