Interview with Nick Weiser- Managing Partner
The Weiser Agency

Nick and Kelly Weiser, Managing Partners

How long have you been in the insurance business?

Insurance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was 2-years-old, my parents opened their own Farmers Insurance Agency in my hometown of Houston, Texas. Upon graduating from Miami University of Ohio, I moved to Los Angeles to work for Farmers Insurance at its corporate headquarters for 8 years. It was there that I met my now business partner and wife, Kelly. Kelly worked in Marketing for Farmers corporate while I worked in Government Affairs before we made the decision to start our own agency.

When did you start The Weiser Agency?

A little over two years ago we made the decision to leave the corporate side of the company and jump headfirst into having our own Agency. It has been the best move we’ve ever made!

What areas do you service?

With offices in both Santa Barbara and the Channel Island Harbor, our team specializes in insurance coverage for families and businesses throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. We can insure anyone throughout the state though and do have clients all over California.

Do you do more than residential insurance?

Yep, we do it all. Our mission is to protect the lifestyle our clients have worked so hard to build. We do that through protecting all their assets. From the traditional home, auto and umbrella insurance to recreational vehicles, life insurance, and retirement, we provide a comprehensive insurance portfolio tailor-made for each client so we can make sure there are no gaps in their asset protection plan.

Beyond personal insurance solutions, do you insure business as well?

Yes, one area that we’re really focused on growing and have seen a lot of success with is commercial insurance, specifically for restaurants. The vast majority of our products are underwritten by Farmers Insurance which protects more restaurants than any other insurance company in California. That said, we can do all types of business insurance. For example, one of our awesome clients is Brighten Solar which was featured on the blog in the past and specializes in solar panel installation.

We know you earned an award recently "Toppers and Championship". Tell us more about how you were awarded this honor?

Sure. Both these honors are given to Farmers Insurance agencies across the country. Topper Club recognizes the top 6% of agencies across the country and the Championship title is awarded to the top 3% of agencies in the US. It’s based on performance targets for new business as well as retention and we’re thrilled to have qualified for both awards our first year eligible.

What’s one of the biggest misconceptions about insurance?

I think it's two-fold.

First, people place a lot of importance on finding the cheapest & ‘best’ price. Which we think is a silly thing to do when you’re looking to insure all your assets and the lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to build. We believe your insurance advisor is just as important as your lawyer, CPA or Realtor since each expert is devoted to helping you acquire and protect your assets. That sort of knowledge and personalized insurance approach isn’t something you can get from a 1-800 number or website.

Second, there’s a general lack of awareness of the importance of life insurance. When we ask about it, we often hear “I don’t have any kids” or “I have some at work” or “They’ll get the house when I die”. We believe a large part of our job is to walk our clients through the importance of both investing in life insurance early to lock in their rate while they’re healthy and ensuring our clients have the right amount coverage to truly protect their loved ones. We’re also able to offer a lot of great retirement & tax benefits through some of the life insurance products we offer.

Is there anything significantly different about insurance in the Santa Barbara area?

Fire is always a big concern to our clients as I’m sure it is to yours. A question we get quite often, especially from first time home buyers, is if they can get insurance on a specific property that may be close to a wildfire area. Our team is well versed in all sorts of options to protect homeowners against fire risks and we can explore multiple solutions together to make sure your home is properly protected.

We have worked with you in the past and our clients love working with you; what would you say is your favorite part about your job?

Thanks for the compliment! We love working with Hitchcock + Associates as well and find your clients are always great to do business with! For us, the most meaningful part of the work comes from the moments when we’re able to be there for our clients in their time of need. Our team truly believes peace of mind comes from knowing everything you love is protected in case of a loss and we’re honored to serve as trusted advisors to thousands of families in the Santa Barbara & Channel Islands Harbor communities.

Business of the Month: The Weiser Agency

Interview with Nick Weiser- Managing Partner The Weiser Agency