In this episode, host Katherine Breuss interviews Cheryl Litvin, the fourth-generation owner of First Associated Insurance Agencies. Cheryl shares her journey into the family business despite initial reluctance and discusses the importance of soul alignment in business. She recounts a life-changing experience of surviving a tornado, which reinforced her commitment to helping others understand the importance of proper insurance coverage. Cheryl also emphasizes the value of networking and community, particularly for introverts, and the necessity of knowing one's weaknesses to grow and delegate effectively.

Contact Cheryl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryllitvin/

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Katherine Breuss: , I wanna welcome Cheryl Litvin to the AG 45 Soul Line Strategy [00:01:00] Podcast.

Cheryl, welcome and thank you much for taking the time to be with us and share your experience being soul lined as as. You know, as a business owner. Um, but before we get into our, I'm sure, very interesting conversation that's coming ahead, I'd love it if you could introduce yourself to everyone listening and maybe share more about who you are and then also your business.

Cheryl Litvin: Okay. Um, thank you for having me as My name is Cheryl Litvin. I am the fourth generation owner of First associated Insurance agencies, independent insurance agency. Um, started in Brookfield, Wisconsin. We've been here for a very long time. Um, and as a child I would've, if my parents would've asked if I would take over the business, I would've said, hell no.

And. As life unfolded, I married my high school sweetheart. We [00:02:00] moved to California and I started working as a safety, OSHA trainer. And my mom said to me one day, you're doing insurance, right? And I was no. Sure enough, she's And family is hugely important to me. So. Not letting our legacy go, was very important for me and here we are.

So literally when you asked me to do this, I was I know I was born to do this, and I know that the, how you have green lights and red lights. I know that this is a green light for me and to continue the work that, my great-grandfather, grandfather, and parents have done before me. Wow, that's cool.

Speaker: You don't, you don't meet a lot of fourth generation business. You don't, this, you don't, [00:03:00] you're the third generation is the one that screws it up though. Yeah. Well, What about Cheryl? Can you share with us, for you as a person, you, are from Brookfield, is that correct? I was born and raised in Pewaukee.

Uh, our, our office has always been in Brookfield. Okay. So what is something that that you love doing, you enjoy doing outside of, of course, your business? I anytime that we can, I can be outside. I am a happy camper. So hiking, gardening, not, I wouldn't say gardening, planting flowers, I'm saying tearing things apart and putting it back together.

Cheryl Litvin: Organized, love doing that stuff. Very cool. You know it, since, I moved back to Wisconsin two and a half years ago, I've been discovering a lot of the different hiking trails and parks and never [00:04:00] realized, that we're here. There's some beautiful areas, to the state.

Speaker: Um, and I, and I love all the little village fields and all the, the different, places within Wisconsin that you don't get. Throughout all of the US. So, Wisconsin is, quite close to my heart Um, but, Cheryl to that, in terms of soul lined and, and this is the theme of the podcast and, and how.

A G 45. How I see soul alignment is, when somebody is clear about who they are, they are integrating that in everything they do, including their business. They're aligning who they are and what they want into the strategy of their business. Maybe not directly they're sharing it with, everyone on their team.

Um, but there is that alignment [00:05:00] piece. And when we do that. We don't do it a hundred percent of the time, but when we do that, the impact is huge. So I would love it if you would share how soul alignment and what you, how that has impacted you, whether positively or not, in your business and even in your life.

Cheryl Litvin: I touched on it a second ago, but I'm firm believer in red light, green light. If you've ever read the book by Matthew McConaughey, the Matthew McConaughey of Green Lights, I read that I listened to it and I was he's When it's a green light, that it's easy.

It's, it's, you don't have to struggle much. You know you're on the path and the red lights are there to teach you a lesson. So I've had a ton of red lights. Um, literally before I popped into this, podcast, [00:06:00] I got a cancellation notice for one of my, my new customers. And when I first met 'em, I knew it wasn't aligned.

Mm-hmm. Like with me. But I am a firm believer in helping people with insurance because it's super complicated and, walking through it, but I knew he wasn't a fit for me, and a month later is proof he wasn't a fit for me. Um, the thi the lesson I'm still learning is I need to trust my gut more.

I don't have to help everyone. I need to, to trust the My own inner values that my customers have the same values that I do, which means that we can create a bigger impact together. Yeah, I do love that. And that's a, there's, there's, you hit it on the head. I'm not sure if you said, flow, but with that green light it's easier.

Speaker: Yeah. Theaters. [00:07:00] I don't know. It's not to say that life is easy and it's if you're lined, it's oh, life is gonna be cruisy all the time. But it's it's, even with the ups and downs and the challenges or whatever it's thrown at you, when there's alignment, it doesn't feel hard. It's

It's and that the example of even clients, because as business owners obviously. You know, revenue is important, we gotta keep the lights on, we gotta take care of employees, et cetera. Uh, but and it can be hard to listen to our gut when we're feeling is this the fit? Is this the client?

But in the long run, even if, let's say that client had. Continued the call. Who knows? Maybe they would've been hard work or would've taken a lot, who, what I mean? Like it could have been a lot of resistance that there's an opportunity cost there if you hadn't and said no, [00:08:00] which would allow them for the people to show up.

Cheryl Litvin: Does it? Yeah, that's something I struggle with. I'm a people pleaser. I am helping first and foremost. Um, but it is something that I need to learn still, that it's to say no to people who are outside of my ideal. My, my value system is what it is. Its values.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, I, I'm, I'm with you there. I'm, I'm still learning. Good luck. It's been, I could say all my life and I'm still, still doing it. Well, can you also share, insurance, what insurance that your business, sells or, services? We mostly do, commercial lines, business insurance.

Cheryl Litvin: Uh, we do do personal lines. Um, little bit of key person life insurance, all of that. Um, we're [00:09:00] a full service. You know, we, we don't most of the time people will say, I need a general liability policy. Really our job is to walk them through their entire business life cycle and say, have you thought about this?

Have you, we're looking at the whole thing, not one little segment. And most of our, most of the insurance industry is a churn and burn. If you ask me for a general liability policy, that's exactly what I'm gonna give you and nothing more. But the only one that's hurting is the business owner.

Katherine Breuss: Yeah. Yeah,

Cheryl Litvin: we're a consulting advisory type.

Katherine Breuss: It, it's great. I love it. one of the things that we do, when we first start working with a business, we. We look at the risks, we look at all the, the things that, are those red flags that could get them into trouble. And one of them that comes up time and time again, it's the insurance piece because it is, [00:10:00] important to make sure that you are covering, those risks that can blow up what it's taken years to create.

Cheryl Litvin: So one of my red lights, I said, I've, this has been in my family my entire life, I don't know anything different. And I'm a military spouse. My husband served 23 years in the Army and one of the places that we lived. We, we both purchased a house and always showed my dad my insurance policy, and he would say, you need this, this, this, and this.

But nothing is ever gonna happen to you, right? Like never until you get hit by a tornado and you have the cheapest insurance possible and you spend a year living in your dream home, with boarded up windows and no carpet. So that red light. Was the hardest time in my [00:11:00] life. And that has prepared me for the way I talk to customers today.

Like no one expects to be hit by a freaking tornado, but it happens and I'm

Katherine Breuss: Wait, were you hit? Were you hit by a

Cheryl Litvin: Yes.

Katherine Breuss: Wait. In Wisconsin.

Cheryl Litvin: In Kansas.

Katherine Breuss: Oh, I was gonna say, I thought it was a bit safe from tornadoes. Living in Wisconsin.

Cheryl Litvin: We had one yesterday.

Katherine Breuss: Like one thing when it comes to tornadoes is one thing living overseas, I was I don't have to worry about tornadoes. I have to worry about everything else killing me. 'cause I was in Australia, it was anything in the water, anything on land, but I didn't have to worry about tornadoes. Um, wow.

Okay. So you were hit by a tornado, I'm assuming? Everybody was Everyone was My husband was deployed. I had two young boys. Uh, they were in bed sleeping. And if, if you have any time, my. My kids were sleeping, I wasn't gonna move 'em. And I thought, I probably [00:12:00] need to move 'em. And listening to the news, they're, they're talking about streets that are getting closer and closer to me.

I'm shit, this is gonna happen. Yeah, sure enough it did.

Um, where, where did you go? Because, do you have basements in Kansas?

Cheryl Litvin: Yeah, we had a basement in Kansas. Um, we, and it was a walkout ranch and, Right in front of the stairs was our patio, the walkout patio door, and all of our windows, everyone says it sounds a freight train.

Mm-hmm. For me, I could hear wood breaking. Um, I could, the pressure was intense and you could feel the house caving in on you thing. And then all of a sudden it was gone and it was quiet. And you're looking around what happened? It, it is probably seconds that I have no idea.

Um, [00:13:00] but making that decision to bring the boys downstairs to, bring them underneath the stairs, I still get emotional. Yeah. Um, I was laying on top of them. They were four and one, and, my oldest was you're scaring me. I'm whoa. Yeah, I'm scared so

Katherine Breuss: I can feel it oh my God, that would be scary. And being there on your own with your two little boys. Um, and the second scary part was I knew we were hit by a tornado, no question at all. But the second scary part was, and I knew it was bad. That when I turned, got up to look up the stairs, was I gonna see nothing?

Cheryl Litvin: Hmm. Or was I gonna see her house? And that was the second, second scariest part of [00:14:00] our ordeal. And then it got frustrating, annoying for the next year.

Katherine Breuss: That's when the whole, the whole pain of rebuilding and dealing with insurance. So at the time you did not have great insurance?

Cheryl Litvin: That is correct. I, our agency was not licensed in Kansas. Uh, oddly enough, one of our big carriers was maybe a week or prior week prior to the, tornado. There was a big hailstorm, softball size, hail. So there was, our big carrier was out there, doing adjust or being adjusters to claims and my dad said, Hey, my daughter's there.

We can't get to her because the Mississippi was flooding. And of course, the whole town was messed up. They came to my house and helped clean up. They were not even my [00:15:00] insurance company. They are still to this day, my insurance company now, but they weren't then. Uh, and I had the one 800 every day.

I had to call every day I had to fight. Our house wasn't leveled, which made it harder because if it was, they would say, here's the three or 400,000. But they didn't. Um, and we had to fight. For everything. Uh, I worked for a contractor, thankfully, and he said, Cheryl, I will board up your house.

I will not touch it because you're changing the, the proof. So we lived there for a long time. Wow. No windows and no carpet.

Katherine Breuss: And that's hard too, on top of it. Um, with small kids. with any kids it's hard.

Cheryl Litvin: And two rambunctious boys.

Katherine Breuss: Yeah. Even small, I've got three boys and a girl, I I'm, I'm picturing, when they were even, [00:16:00]

Young and then living, having to live in aborted up house. Um, and then was your husband away most of the time? Yeah, that's, he was gone for nine months out of it. He had pretty much left. And So you were, he was do I need to come home? And I'm whatcha gonna do live in a boarded up house too?

Like, no. Well, I can see why even more now. Um, how aligned you. Are to what you're doing because normally we have a personal experience in the field and we see the impact. Um, it even aligns us and drives us even more. Um, because you've experienced what it's to be on the other end and not have the support, that you thought you'd get.

Cheryl Litvin: Right. And even having, our, our clients, if that were to happen to me or here to a client [00:17:00] here, they would call me. And they would have to explain it once, and that's it. That is priceless,

Katherine Breuss: hun. Oh my It is. It is. And in, in terms of too, because there are many, insurance agents out there, there's many different types of insurance and trying to as a consumer on the other end, trying to understand what it all means.

Right. And then that ability to trust the agent. 'cause then you're, they're the experts and then you're Hey, I'm gonna trust you because I, I don't even know. Right. Um, it's hard and it's the same thing. I find this also with wealth advisors as You know, there's many wealth advisors out there, and, and a lot of them do, they'll sell insurance too.

Um. But I love, I, I hate that that happened to you and your family, but I love, I love the, that connection. Like I love that there's that, connection [00:18:00] from an unpleasant experience, and hearing now what you're doing for people, that it doesn't happen to them. I, that's I don't know.

I think that's a hats off, right?

Cheryl Litvin: So at the time I thought it was a red light and now. A hundred percent. It was a green light to the next path of, of what I was supposed to be doing. So when did you move back to Wisconsin? 2018. Okay. And is that when, when did you take over the business? The official takeover date was January of 2025.

Oh, congratulations. All But you've been working in the business for quite a while though.

Yes.

Katherine Breuss: Yeah. Like I know you grew up with it, you had it all around you.

Cheryl Litvin: I became licensed in 2014 or 15. I.

Katherine Breuss: So I would, Shera I'd love is for you [00:19:00] to, if, if you have an experience that comes to mind, thinking of a time where you didn't necessarily feel aligned and the impact of that in whatever way that showed up,

Cheryl Litvin: that's easy.

Mm-hmm. Uh, when I moved back in 2018. I, I said, this, this agency is, has been around since 1955, older than me. Um, and I, growing up I saw my grandfather and my mother and my father sending out letters, literally looking through the telephone book, doing all these, to those things to drum up business.

Well, I wasn't given anything when I came here. And I, that first year, literally nothing. I didn't have a salary, nothing that we were only living at my husband's retirement [00:20:00] pension. And, that first year, I, I, I did what my dad and my mom did and sent out letters, did all of that. And let me tell you, it was rough and it took me about a year to go.

What am I doing? This can't be how this is, I have all this experience. I'm an OSHA trainer. I've been through a tornado, I know insurance. This can't be. Hmm. And I met somebody who said, Hey, come to this women's group. And I started networking. I didn't even know what it was because. I didn't do it before and my parents certainly never did it.

Um, and that's when the green light started happening and I learned that I had to do things differently. Their experience before was great and still [00:21:00] is great, but that's not how it is fresh new today. Mm-hmm. So I started going to networking events. I started speaking, I started giving value back instead of, hi, my name is Cheryl from first associated blah, blah, blah.

I sell insurance. Well, I'm talking about things that, hey, getting hit by a tornado, freaking sucks. Mm-hmm. But that this, the second or water is your first claim. Do, do you have a, do you have a finished basement? So I started talking differently. My business started growing. Um. So, that I had to learn that super quick and I doubted myself for a year thinking, this is not gonna, and I wanted to quit about 25 million times, every entrepreneur.

Um, but I also knew that I couldn't quit because the ultimate goal was continuing my family's legacy [00:22:00] and educating people about what insurance should be. Mm-hmm. Um, those two goals kept telling me to put one foot in front of the other, and here we are. I I love that. So there was, what

Katherine Breuss: you were doing to begin with was misaligned even though it Yes.

May have seemed the thing to do or the way to do it. Um, and then. You fell into, let me ask you, was it you fell into it or were, was there something inside that was no, I want to network because of this, or,

Cheryl Litvin: I'm an introvert, I would say, Nope. Didn't wanna do that either.

Um, but being a military spouse, we did lunches every month or whatever as a group and tried to keep connected as a community. [00:23:00] And that was one of the things I missed when my husband was retired, was I, I lost my community. So that community aspect of it is what said, maybe I'll try this.

Um, and then I started finding the people that. Aligned again with my values and it Took off from there.

Katherine Breuss: You know, it's interesting because I, I was gonna guess if there was something that in terms of a community piece that, that, was important to you, but even, and this is great for our listeners to hear, is that I love that you said that you were an introvert.

So it wasn't networking was something that you're let's do networking. It was, I'm going, oh, let's go. Um, but what. What probably drove you from what I hear you saying was that higher why, and that higher [00:24:00] why was educating people on insurance and the importance of insurance and your story, that value of sharing what could happen to them in terms of, and how to protect themselves.

So it's this helping, serving people and adding value to their lives. that is what I hear, that even when we have that and we align to something bigger than us, even things that might not come natural to us or that we might not necessarily as an introvert, networking is probably not the first thing you're drawn to.

Um, you, it's not bad because that bigger why you're connected with, and that drives everything.

Cheryl Litvin: I would agree, especially, introvert, introverts do not the spotlight at all. Um, but when you shift it and talk about things that are happening in the news or things that, personally getting, getting with the tornado, it [00:25:00] shifts the dynamic it doesn't feel you're selling versus.

Educating, and you don't have to buy insurance through me, but you do have to understand what you're getting into.

Katherine Breuss: Well, and that's important too because, I hear, most people, even extroverts, a lot of people don't to sell there. I've, I've, there's a lot of people, there's very few people I sit or I listen to and they're I love selling.

It's I love this. This is, this is great. And it's this shift in a mindset that, obviously we're, we're all selling to some level, to some degree, you know? But when you're adding value, it's not you're, it's the only time someone should feel bad about selling is if they are lying.

They're misrepresenting themselves. They have a product that's a sham, and they're trying to. The rest of the time. It's if you are adding value and that you're adding [00:26:00] value, it's something to be proud of. And, and it's not that you're forcing, I love that you, you even said they don't have to buy insurance from me.

But it's understanding, it's understanding what it is and, and probably understanding the risks and being educated they can make that decision. Um, it's value.

Cheryl Litvin: One of the things I always tell my business owners most of the time, because, they, I'm you're gonna ask me the same questions 20 million times.

I will answer them 20 million times, and five minutes later, you'll probably forget what this means, but you can ask me again.

Katherine Breuss: I am probably one of those,

Cheryl Litvin: you're gonna, no one starts a business because they wanna do all the administrative stuff and, the legal stuff and the insurance, nobody does except for, people in, in those fields. But, [00:27:00] and there are things that I'm not great at, We literally have our website guy here and he's been yelling at me about our website for, years that it's not doing what it's supposed to be doing, but that's his expertise and, can't be good at that.

All things. Right.

Katherine Breuss: No, and that's great. It's knowing what is, time worth spending on. Right. And what to get rid of or what to delegate or what to automate. Um, 'cause time is as important. Um, Cheryl, last question. What would be advice that you would give to fellow business owners if there's, I'm sure there's a lot, but if there was one that comes to mind, of a recommendation or advice that you would to share?

So that other business owners could be more successful in whatever that means to them, what would it be?

Cheryl Litvin: you have to get [00:28:00] gritty with your weakness. So I've always had some coaching consulting person and I always try to figure out what my weakness is, and then I go to that expert to help me get stronger or to get me to the next spot of delegating.

But knowing what you're terrible at is a very good benefit of growing because the minute you can give it away, delegate it, get better, whatever it is, the, it's when you get step into the next stepping stone.

Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. I love it. I also love that you get outside support, coaches and consultants and stuff, because obviously I believe massively in it because that is, that is my business.

Um, but it does it exponentially. Um, having those, outside advisors or advocates, for businesses, [00:29:00] are, I, I, I can't say enough in terms of how important it's.

Cheryl Litvin: Well, that, if I look at your insurance policy,

it doesn't matter what it is, I can find your fault in probably, or your gap in two seconds or less.

You can also do the same thing in my business on those things that I can't see, and then open up, shed the light. And it is, it's, you have to find the person for. What you don't know. Uh, yes.

Katherine Breuss: Yes. Find the person for what you don't know, to shine a light on those gaps, and how to maybe move forward through it.

Yep. Cheryl, thank you much for your time. It has been a real pleasure. I've enjoyed our conversation and I wish you all the very best.

Cheryl Litvin: Thank you. And thank you for having me. It was a lot of fun.

Katherine Breuss: Yeah. My pleasure.

AG45 Outo: [00:30:00] Thanks for joining us on the Ag 45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. If you are ready to align your soul with your business, take back your time and grow with intention, we'd love to connect. Visit accelerate growth 40 five.com to schedule a call, apply to be a guest, or take the next step toward building a soul aligned business.

At Ag 45, we believe when business meets value, wealth meets legacy, and time meets freedom, the journey becomes truly enjoyable. Until next time, stay aligned. Stay inspired, and keep building your legacy.

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