Brian Sierra, Founder of Guard Your Claim, one of Florida’s leading public insurance adjuster firms, shared some inspiring words today for career-focused young people, taking lessons from his own path to success. The prominence of the firm – which secures millions of settlement dollars for homeowners across thousands of claims for hurricane, flood, fire, toxic mold, water damage or other damages – was not preordained. Sierra found that cultivating mentor-mentee relationships, along with a spirit of giving, made him the entrepreneur he is today.
“Starting out, we did not want to just make a name for ourselves, but rather to help everyone around us get to where they wanted to be,” Sierra said. “This may sound backwards. Like, if you go into business, you want to help yourself. However, in our work, you succeed by helping others.” Together with his partner, Viktor Garcia, Sierra started Guard Your Claim with the single goal of maximizing settlements while minimizing stress for the policyholder.
“By focusing on the needs of the policy holders, helping communities that have been affected by the natural disasters and staying in a constant mode of giving, we have created a significant business,” Sierra added. He also cited the value of having a team building mentality as part of the success formula. “We have an amazing team of adjusters,” he said. “They make the business what it is today.”
While he worked on his skills in the field, Sierra also developed his mind. “I knew that the best people read books really build a mentality that helps them succeed.” In addition to books, Sierra credits his mental growth and his experiences with personal development authors and coaches. He says the change in attitude brought about by these experiences helped push him to live a healthier, more positive lifestyle while continuing to build his business. “The most important thing I learned is ‘why’. You have to have your ‘why’. That will edify you. Doing it for yourself isn’t going to be enough if you want to be great.
Sierra feels he was fortunate to have had a mentor in the business. His mentor helped him become adept at going out in the field, despite having no knowledge of how to properly speak to homeowners. “I knew I needed to work harder on my off time to educate myself on the process,” Sierra remarked. “On the weekends, I would dedicate time to mastering my door knocking skills by listening to the do’s and don’ts of a door to door person. Rejection was a part of my process. A lot of no’s along the way, but I learned early on that each no brings you closer to a yes.” The Secret to Living is Giving- Tony Robbins.