The truly educated never graduate, they continue to learn, educating themselves, and expanding their knowledge. These words could not be truer for Katie Watson, independent insurance agent at Insurance Agency of Ohio, located in Worthington, Ohio.
Katie Watson prides herself and her agency on the value of education and the entire team takes it very seriously. In fact, her agency’s core values really center around education, competency, and training; always propelling forward to educate themselves and their clients.
The moments she loves most about being an independent agent, are connecting with clients, or potential clients; educating them on the risks and the gaps that could impact them or their business. She gains so much joy when she sees the connection her clients make when they understand the importance of coverage. Her job is not to sell, but to educate and ensure the client understands the exposure and how to properly plan for gaps that could deeply impact their lives.
Worthington is the epicenter of not only the agency but Katie’s life. She lives in Worthington with her husband, Adam and her three stepchildren: Elle (9), Jack (7), and Charlie (4). Her life is very full and busy, but this doesn’t stop her from volunteering within her community.
Katie is very involved with the Worthington Chamber and finds so much fulfillment in her life through her involvement. She loves the opportunities it provides because it can be customized to make it personally rewarding. From local festivals, ribbon cuttings for local businesses, local charities, the Worthington Chamber provides many local connections that ties neatly into her life to live, work, and play in Worthington, Ohio.
Family and community have become blurred; a family-run agency that was started by Katie’s dad; includes Katie, her TWIN sister, and her brother; collectively bringing decades of experience. Most everyone at Insurance Agency of Ohio, lives within 5 miles of the agency, organically creating community and family within the agency.
Katie is constantly educating people in the community not only about the importance of insurance but also how rewarding a career in insurance can be. She has hired many people in the community with little to no insurance experience and, through education and training, are able to get them licensed. She has found this builds a family-oriented, committed, and loyal team who are all driven to help others within the community.
Katie has been involved with the OIA for 10 years, which has provided her the ability to expand her knowledge about the industry, and create connections with her peers to establish a formal network that has been invaluable for her personally and professionally. Katie has found that your career can feel like an island without peers and a network. OIA provides a non-threatening, non-competitive experience to grow, learn, and expand upon what you currently know.
Her proudest moment in her career and her time with OIA, was presenting her dad with an OIA Citation Award for his career as an educator in the independent agency system. She was so proud to introduce him for this award that recognized him for his excellence in teaching independent agent professionals. Ralph Guarasci chose deeply satisfying career for himself and paved the path for a legacy that his family can take to the next generation.
Being part of what is considered a Next Gen agent, we asked Katie what advice she bestows on the next generation of independent agents. And of course, she ties it to education!
“It’s a marathon, you have to properly train and educate yourself. The more you submerge yourself into the culture by finding a supportive agency, getting involved with your chamber and state association, you will find that you will gain momentum that will provide bounds of rewards! It’s a race of a lifetime, put the work in and when you look back, it will be a life full of wonderful experiences, people, and a wealth of knowledge”!
