#19: Let's Get Networking with Guest Samantha Guajardo of Foxxy Insurance

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We're Erika Radis and Marie Lifschultz, a San Antonio area realtor and lender, but most importantly, we're working moms.

The goal of this podcast is to provide support and a sense of community to San Antonio area working moms like us. So join us in trying to find a balance between career, family, and everything in between.

Welcome to this episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. We're here with Samantha from Foxy Insurance, um, and I'm gonna just kind of hand it over to her and let her introduce herself.

So much for having me. Of course, first of all, I just have to say that I'm super excited to be here. Um, I know y'all just recently interviewed Claudia with Vanidosa, so, you know, I got to hear that. So that's exciting seeing, you know, your friends be on on a show that you're going to be on. So I'm super excited about that. Um, again, my name is Samantha. I'm with Foxy Insurance, and I typically do this thing when I go to events, you know, um, when I talk about my business, just because it's something that catches, catches the eye.

It kind of does stand out.

Um, but, uh, what I do is I help small businesses and self-employed individuals, um, find what the best health insurance options are available for them. Um, and so that's honestly pretty much what I do.

Yeah, yeah, that's great.

How long, Samantha, have you been doing the insurance part?

So I've been with, uh, with US Health Advisors for 7 months now, so fairly new to the industry, um, but it is something that I enjoy doing.

Awesome. Well, we got to meet you at one of our networking events, and I was telling Erika how, um, I just enjoyed your energy. Like, I love the marketing, the fox stuff, it made me remember you. And I was like, I love them. They're so much fun. And we have to have her on. So, and I was telling her about all the stuff that you did. So tell us a little bit about your insurance and how, like, if someone was looking for insurance, what is kind of the first thing that they would, I guess, look for? Or, you know, how do they go about knowing what their needs are? Right.

So everybody's needs is, is different, right? And so you have to find what the best policy is for you. The best thing about our insurance is that it is customizable. Customizable to each individual, whereas most insurance options that you find on the marketplace are going to be cookie cutter, right? Everything's going to be the same. With my insurance, I'm able to provide customizable, so you can change your deductibles, you can change your— if you want doctor's office visits or don't want doctor's office visits, you can pick and choose what fits best for your situation. The easiest way to see what's available is they can just reach out to me either directly through social media, they can call me, they can email me, whatever works best for them. Um, and because I do deal with a lot of small business owners and entrepreneurs, I do typically work late evenings and weekends, so it makes it convenient for them. Got it, that's great.

Um, how did you get into the insurance industry?

It's a great question. So So I used to work for Bank of America. I worked for corporate America for a long time, uh, years of banking industry, um, and COVID hit, right? Um, so I was working from home and it was okay. Uh, as y'all said, I'm a social butterfly, you know, out there. I enjoy meeting and greeting people. Um, and so we ended up having to transition to permanent work from home. Um, and so when I thought it was going to be something temporary, it turned into long-term. Um, at the time I was kind of going through health conditions with severe migraines. It was pretty crazy. Um, I lost my vision for almost a couple weeks because of medication I was taking. So, oh my gosh, it's so crazy what I went through. Um, but ultimately permanent work from home just kind of killed me, right? Yeah, I lost, I lost who I was. I lost my, my drive. I lost my, my happiness just because when you're home 24/7, you know, and then I, I have 3 kids, it's just a lot in one house. So, um, I was like, you know what, I needed to take some time to kind of get back on the right track, to get my health back together. Now thankfully I hardly get any migraines, um, but you know, I just, I was like, took time off and I decided I'm gonna go ahead and look for something, um, and I really didn't care what it was. I was just out there looking to see what was available because I've always been in, uh, in the banking industry for so long. Um, and so I ended up looking for just any type of job. Um, and I was invited to recruiting. Um, and I went and they pretty much sold me the dream, you know, it was an amazing recruiting. Um, and the, the personality and the vibes that I received when I went, um, it just kind of felt like I was in the right place at the right time.

Oh, wow. That's a, that's a cool story. I, it's kind of the opposite of what we've heard recently. Like a lot of people, during COVID obviously worked in maybe an office, went home and then did not want to go back to the office.

Right.

Want to get back out and see people. And you were the opposite. You're like, no, no, no, no, I got to be around people. And I definitely see that in your personality. Like, like listening to you and hearing you at the networking events we had, I was like, oh, she's great. Like, she's the best person to get you out there.

Yeah, yeah. Some people thrive in it, you know, some people thrive from home. My mom works from home. She loves it. And I'm just total opposite. I'm like, I need to be out. Like, I'm free.

What's up? It's refreshing to hear. Definitely refreshing to hear that you wanted to get out and be around people because so many people didn't and they got really comfortable being at home. And for example, I think I got into that mix. I love being in the office, but I miss that camaraderie with people, the brainstorming with people and being in the same place and actually sharing ideas. But now I'm like, it's hard to get out there. It's harder for me to do what I used to do just because I've gotten so used to working at home. Yeah.

So I think the dynamic, like, after COVID has totally changed for a lot of people. Like, well, I agree. Marie will tell you, I'm like, I like to be at home.

I—

if I would never go out, I would never— I would never go out. But part of my job is going out, so that's the deal, you know. In real estate, you got to get out there and talk to people and stuff. Um, but it's just like Marie mentioned, it's just Things are a little bit different now. And so it's even hard to get our clients to get out. And like, people used to meet Marie, you know, as a lender, you'd come into the office, right? And you'd talk about your loan and you do this and you do that. She can't get anybody to come into the office now.

Not really. It's hard. They all want to be virtual. And I think for building businesses for people, for me especially, if I can get you in person, I can definitely sell myself a lot better than versus on the phone or via email. Or people realize that, hey, I'm a real person. I'm not just a text message. I'm not just an email. So I think I— but it's been a struggle to get out there. And then obviously meeting referral partners or people out there in the community has been difficult. And I just think you are a star at that. I've kind of seen some stuff and I was telling— I think I told you earlier, I was kind of stalking online a little bit. She has some great questions, things I didn't even think about doing, and especially with you. Having to get out there and get your own business. I work in the corporate world and, but I don't get leads or business fed to me. I have to get out there and get it. So can you give us some things since you just started kind of in your insurance industry? You've done really, really well networking. So tell us a little bit about some of the stuff that you do.

Oh man, I love networking. I think it is one of the best things as a business owner, as an entrepreneur, to get out there and to meet people. Um, uh, at first, the very first, uh, networking event I went to, I was so scared and nervous and I had one of my leads go with me. I was like, can you just go with me please? And, and I show up and I end up running into 3 people I knew. Right. And so it was just like, it was crazy to me. I wasn't expecting it to be, be like that. I mean, I know I've, I've been able to meet a lot of people right throughout my life. Um, and so I didn't expect to meet anybody that I already knew. So it kind of like, ooh, you know, I was able to let my guard down. It got me a little bit easier to kind of be like, okay, this, I got this, right? Um, so I was doing about maybe one event a week that I was going to. And I had another mentor and was like, no, you need to do 5 events a week. And I was like, 5? Are you crazy? Right?

That's so many.

It's a lot.

It's a lot. Okay. It is a lot, but as long as you're able to, um, manage your time, um, and find the best, uh, events that you feel are going to be, uh, the best fit for you, where you see the most value in going to, um, it's, it's kind of easy, you know. And a lot of people is— the main thing is time. Everybody wants to save as much time as possible. Um, so what I try to do is Every, every month I have my regular events that I do go to, and you can find these events on Facebook. Facebook always posts them. You can find them on Meetup. You can find them on all events in San Antonio and then Eventbrite. Those are the 4 main ones that I was using in the beginning. But also, if you don't know, there's also the San Antonio Business Calendar. I'm not sure if y'all ever heard of that.

I've heard of it. I probably never thought to utilize it. Yeah.

Yes, it's a great tool. So there's, there's two ways that you can use that calendar. And this is just for everybody because I know not a lot of people are aware of it. So they do have a monthly subscription. I believe it's $10 that you can sign up for it and it shows you all the events for, for that month that are up and coming. And then there's also just a free daily. So every morning it's updated for that day. So you can go to San Antonio Business Calendar. And they'll have the events for morning, lunch, and evenings that you can look at for that day.

I didn't know that. Had you heard of that, Erika?

Me either.

No, I never.

Drop some knowledge for y'all.

Yeah, that's great. Well, you had mentioned something about like the biggest thing is managing your time. And I think that's something I have a hard time with because when I get out and socializing, I don't think of time and I'm like, oh my God, I was supposed to be here an hour, hour and a half. It's now been 2 and a half. Now I'm late for my next appointment or whatever. So can you tell us a little bit about what you were talking about as far as time management? So because you do so many events, how do you manage your time with that and being a mom? Right. Because you— I mean, you kids have events and so forth. So how do you do that? Yeah.

First, I just need to thank God for my amazing kids, because when I tell y'all I have some great kids, I don't even know how great they are. Like, I don't know how I got them to be so amazing. I have a 16-year-old, a 15-year-old, and my youngest is about to turn 9 at the end of this month. And my older boys are the rock. Like, I raised them to be individually strong, independent men. Right. And it's crazy because they're still young. I forget how young they are. But the way that I've been able to raise them, they are amazing. They cook, they clean. You know, there's a mixer that I have to go to. I'll let them know, hey, I have to go to this event for work. Okay, Mom, we'll make dinner. We'll make sure my youngest is fed. I'm late. So I can't— I couldn't have done this without my kids.

Yeah.

Yeah. No, it's definitely I have to, I have to build that relationship with my kids to, to give them an understanding of what my job is and, well, you know, what my title entails me to do and what I have to do in order to provide for us. And they're very understanding and they're very encouraging in what I do. And so that, first, I just gotta thank my kids for that. Um, as far as time management goes, it's, it's definitely going to be up to you. You know, as an entrepreneur, you are your own boss. So it's, it's gonna be what days are gonna be the slowest for you personally and what are available within that time frame, right? Now, you don't necessarily have to be at the event for the length of the time, right? We understand that there's things that are going on. You're self-employed. We understand that as well. Your time is very important. Um, so it's just gonna be what are the best events that you feel are going to bring the most value to you. Um, so of course, as for realtors and lenders, you're definitely going to want to see what type of lender and realtor events that they are. Um, You know, it's just gonna depend on what specific you're looking for to network with.

Got it. Yeah, I think it's hard, like you're saying, I mean, it's hard to manage your time. And like you were saying, Marie, I know for me, like, if I'm in something, like if I'm working on something, it's so hard for me to like step away and then all of a sudden the whole day is gone. So I think it's really about, you know, what Samantha was saying, like you've got to kind of make it a priority a little bit if that's what you're going to be doing. You know, you have to, you have kind of say like, hey, this is important for this reason, um, and really kind of get out there and kind of make yourself— for me, I, like I said, if I never had to go out, I would never go out. Like, I have to make myself do these things, you know, for business reasons. And I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way.

So I think, I think what you're saying also, I mean, obviously I have, uh, so my eldest at home is 15 and then my younger one is 13, and they now that they're at that stage in life, they can do a lot on their own. They're, they're able to stay home if I need them to stay home by themselves. They're able to use the microwave and we use this, we use a stove here and there and the oven's a lot better that I'm more comfortable with them. But for the most part they can do so allows me to do a little bit more. But having that support system, whether it is your kids or your spouse or maybe mom and dad that live with your grandma, grandpa, that type of stuff. So having that support system at home or to help you be a successful working mom, right? Because you— I mean, I always said I didn't have kids for someone else to raise them. I wanted to be part of their life. So I chose my career based on having the flexibility. I want to be at whatever play or sporting event that they're part of, that I want to be, you know, without having a boss telling me, oh, you can't take off your PTO, you're out of PTO or whatever. So there are upsides and downsides.

Yeah. And I mean, also, you know, for, for moms, right, especially that have little ones, there are networking groups. Well, at least one that I know of, so I'm gonna plug her in. Uh, so for, uh, there is an event for moms, um, and you're able to take your kids. Um, it's called Café y Conexiones, right? Um, and so it's a mom's group. If you haven't heard of them, I would definitely check them out. You— we go and have coffee and meet and greet and network with, with other Moms in the Business, and you're able to take your kid with you. So it is kid-friendly, and I think that's another option that's available out there for, for moms that have younger kids when they're not in daycare and they're playing both, you know, teacher and mom and everything all together. So those are also groups that you can look for that are going to help benefit you in the business.

Samantha, do you think there's a need for more groups like that, more groups that have where it's acceptable to bring, like, say, your younger children and moms and show, you know, to have events that allow for you to network, meet other working moms and have kids there. Because I mean, I know we have the Working Moms of San Antonio where we share ideas and we've had events just to have— it was more geared to, I guess, creating friendships, not so much geared to networking, but maybe having events that— I mean, it's rare to hear where you have a networking event primarily for work, Hey, bring the kid along. It's okay with us. Yeah.

I mean, you know, again, I was able to find this group luckily, thankfully. And of course my kids are older, so I don't really have that issue of like, oh, I have my kid, I have to take my kid. But for younger moms, you know, and of course being a mom, we're all moms, so we get it. Kids screaming, crying, whatever, whatever is going on. We've been there at one point. And so I think it's such a great dynamic that we're able to do that. And I don't see a lot of events that, that are kid-friendly. Now, you might have— I know there was like a Realtor event where you can bring your family and friends, but, you know, that's more of just kind of like a— I would say like a mixer type thing where you're just kind of like getting to hang around and enjoy everybody's company. Whereas, you know, the networking events that that we're able to do with Café Conexión, uh, with Lisa, they definitely are able to, you know, we talk about our business and, you know, we're able to, to bring our kids around and, you know, play with the kids, whatever we need to do to keep them occupied and also kind of give those moms a break because we, we know what it's like, you know.

Yeah, definitely. I think I, I heard something not too long ago, it's like if you're gonna hire someone hire a mom who owns her business because they're the most— they're the best at the multitasking. Oh yes. I was at first, I was like, how? I mean, you might have a crying kid in the back, but you're able to focus on whatever, whomever you're speaking to at a networking event and still get everything in and still take care of the child that's in the background, you know. So they said we're best at multitasking. So that's, that's kind of a cool thing.

Yeah, for sure. So, um, so So since you obviously have your own business and you've started this within the last few years, I'm curious, and sometimes we've asked people this in the past, like, are— is there like, what do you think your biggest struggle was kind of getting up and going and that kind of thing? And then I'm curious about what your biggest win has been, you know, in terms of having your own business.

Yeah.

Yeah. So I mean, honestly, everyone that starts a business is gonna, gonna struggle. It doesn't matter, you know, and especially in the beginning because For me personally, I've always worked for corporate. Always. I've never been my own boss, but now I am and it's amazing. But I'll never go back to corporate America again, you know? And, and it's not that I didn't enjoy what I did. It's not that I didn't enjoy my management team, my, my company that I work for. I loved everything about it. It's just sometimes you have to see what's going to be best for you and for especially being a parent. Um, I mean, being an entrepreneur, yes, it's a lot of work, but it also allows you that time to be a parent. Um, and so I think for me in the beginning, struggling was really trying to change that, that dynamic with my kids. Like, they've always seen me at home, obviously, because I was working from home, right? And so now I kind of had to pull, pull away and, okay, well, I'm not going to be here during these times, or, you know, and, and I think that was my, my initial struggle was is just kind of getting my kids onto that whole, this is a new way of living that we're gonna do, and I'm gonna need y'all to step up for me a little bit, you know. I know that you're young and you don't need these responsibilities, but it's going to be better for you in the future. So, you know, I just gotta kind of guide them on that. Um, and, and just kind of understanding, you know, what is owning your own business? What is it about? What, what do I have to get in order? You know, I've, I— there's so many things that you have to do. Um, and so understanding each thing to to put in order for that, you know, that was kind of my hardest part, was just kind of how to get it started, honestly. Yeah.

Well, um, do you— and what do you think, um, we always ask this too, and so I'll ask it now because we're kind of on the subject, but what do you think is your favorite thing about what you're doing right now, you know, in terms of the insurance business and that kind of thing?

Yeah, so definitely getting out there and providing more knowledge, right? Because there's a lot of small businesses and, and self-employed individuals that unaware that there's other options that are available for them. Um, you know, most people just hear, oh, the marketplace, marketplace, marketplace. Um, but there are other options on the private market that you can, you can look for. Um, and, you know, just kind of let them know, don't be afraid to look other places. You know, a lot of people are just so used to consistency in what they've already had. Um, sometimes they're kind of scared to, to outreach and see what other options are available for them because they're so comfortable, right? But it might just not be the best situation for them. So being able to educate others and let them know what options are available for them and, and fit what best fits their specific needs is, is definitely what I love doing.

So educating them for the most part sounds like, like you love like letting people know, hey, you don't have just one option, there's several out there. So educating them on the resources they have, that's great. It's kind of what our previous, um, uh, podcast— Claudia, she was like, her favorite thing was doing was educating her clients. So that's, I think that's us as moms. We like to do that.

Yeah.

And I mean, I will say, and I'm sure I'm not the only person that feels this way, like, I don't know a lot about insurance and like how that works. And like, you sort of just like you said, you sort of are used to what you're used to. And so you kind of just show up at the doctor and I'm almost really never sure how much we're going to pay for stuff. You know what I mean? You go up there and you give them your card and stuff and and they might tell you it's this much, and they might tell you it's this much, but you've got to go, right? So you're there and you just pay it and it's whatever. And so I just feel like it's important to do that educating because I just don't think people really know. I don't think people really know what they're getting, and they don't really get how it works. Um, and so I think that's super important.

I think it should be a class in school teaching people how to handle your insurance and your benefits. And what is it? Because as an adult, even, you know, I like if you're in corporate America, you get benefits that are given to you and you have a few, maybe 4 or 5 plans that maybe hopefully if you have a great company that gives you some options. But some of the— you're like, I don't know what I need, you know? Yeah.

I mean, I know like from a mom perspective, when I was having my first daughter, I worked for a company. It was a small company. Um, and we got— I mean, I paid for my insurance. I paid out of my check, you know, every time they gave me a check and that kind of thing. And then And then lo and behold, you know, I got pregnant and stuff. And like, we were going to the doctors and doing whatever, they didn't have maternity coverage. And so I had insurance that I was paying for. But like, all this stuff that I was gonna have to pay for, for this baby just wasn't covered. But I had no idea. Like, I just feel like there's a lot of misinformation. And there's a lot of just, like I said, you just don't know. And so we were kind of shocked in that moment. And I'm sure that's happened to people, you know, before, you just don't know. Kind of what your— even your whole plan is about, even if you're paying for it.

Yeah, we do see that a lot of, you know, people are just so used to paying for, for what they think is the best situation for them. So as an advisor, what we're able to do is sit down and just talk to you, even if it's to kind of go over what certain benefits you currently have and just kind of give you a better understanding of what that is and what it entails. You know, that's, that's definitely what we like to do is be able to go over those options that you have as far as insurance. And, and you're right, we we're not— we didn't go to school and learn, oh, this is your benefits, taxes, insurance, like any of that stuff, right?

So you're important stuff.

You have to— yeah, you have to kind of like, okay, Mom and Dad, like, do you know about this? And, and even then, you know, they might not even know. So you're just kind of taking a chance on what someone else is telling you and going from there. Um, and, and I know because I've, I've been in that same position when I worked for corporate America at first, before I even knew about benefits. And, you know, starting off very young, I like, okay, just give me whatever as long as it's health insurance, right? I don't, I don't care what it is. But there's so many different varieties of different coverages that, you know, each person needs as an individual. So yeah, education is the best thing for that because a lot of people have no idea what they're paying for. They're just paying for it, right?

Yeah, that's true. I had a similar situation, Erika, when I got pregnant with Tyler. I didn't realize I had I didn't understand how it worked. I just signed up for the insurance and I think I probably went with the cheapest one I could get. I didn't realize I didn't have— my job didn't have maternity leave and they didn't have, I think it was short-term disability where it would pay a portion of your salary during the time that you're off or took off. I didn't realize I didn't have it. I didn't realize it wasn't included. So when it came time to have it, I ended up having to have an emergency C-section. So I ended up being out longer than I had planned. I didn't realize I wasn't gonna get paid because I didn't have the right type of insurance. No clue. Nobody from HR said, hey, you might want to sign up this, you know, for this benefit or whatever. Like, no clue because I didn't have anybody advising me. Because no one tells you. They don't tell you what those things cover. So if you're not reading it all and you're young and you just, you don't know. So that's awesome that you do that. And I love that the part, like you said, I like to educate educate your, your clients about, hey, these are the type of insurance you're getting and this is what it will cover, because a lot of people don't know.

Oh yeah, definitely.

Cool.

Yeah.

So, and then at the end we always have people sort of tell everybody, you know, how they can be reached for their services and stuff. And so if you want to say that stuff, then people can get a hold of you for insurance.

Sure. Yeah, I'd be more than happy to. So, um, I mean, honestly, I'm big on social media, so, uh, you can either go to my personal page, it's Samantha Guajardo, last is G-U-A-J-A-R-D-O. Um, you can add me on there. I do have a business page as well. It's Foxy Insurance with two X's. So F-O-X-X-Y. Yes. I love that. You know, when it's so funny that you did that. When I go to networking events and I forget to do that, like people will literally do the logo and it just makes my day. I'm like, I love y'all so much. Um, so yeah, you can find me that way. You can call or text me directly, um, on my cell phone. It's 210-865-1775. 5. That is my personal cell phone, so anybody can reach me. It's so much easier just to contact me directly. Um, I have a website in progress, so, you know, in the future I'll update that. But yeah, definitely social media is the best way, or call and text as well.

Great, that's great. Um, well, I want to tell you thank you for being on here. I feel like I learned a little bit about insurance and a little bit about networking and a little bit about mom stuff and, you know, all of it. So thanks for being on. Um, thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast, and we'll just catch you guys next week.

See you guys next week.

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