Meet Serena Galloway | Insurance Agency Owner
We had the good fortune of connecting with Serena Galloway and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Serena, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
I can attribute my success to always setting my own personal goals for success separate from those created for everyone else on teams I was a part of. I never settled for mediocre and always looked for an opportunity to learn new information to broaden my horizon. I have always had a plan for where I wanted to go next and how I planned to get there. That definitely doesn’t mean the roads were already straight and narrow; however, I’ve always had a personal guide on how to tackle anything I set out to conquer.
What should our readers know about your business?
I own a local GEICO office in Missouri City, TX. What excites me the most is the ability to use my platform as a small business owner to be a leader in the community, provide stable employment opportunities and mentor young women just like myself who may believe it is not possible to be a business owner. I have worked in the industry for over 20 years. I can honestly say I didn’t always know I wanted to own an insurance agency but I have known for at least 10 years that I wanted to be my own boss and that knowledge has driven me to find my purpose and decide which route I wanted to take as an owner.
Was it easy?
Nothing worth having is ever easy, right? It definitely hasn’t been easy at all. Each day still brings new challenges which can be expected as a new owner. The initial challenges were related to establishing my storefront and the process required to complete a build-out of the space. I learned a LOT from individuals I personally know who are presently business owners and attorneys who specialize in business start-ups. I don’t believe in reinventing the wheel and I am not shy about asking questions whenever an issue is over my head.
The main lesson I have learned along the way is that no one will be as dedicated as I am to the success of this business. I owe it to myself and my business to find those individuals who value success and have a winning attitude.
I want the world to know that I while do recognize the societal differences in opinions where insurance protection is concerned; I take the role of educating consumers on their insurance needs very seriously. In my office, we will make the experience above simply purchasing insurance. I create an environment of family in my office and that is exactly how we treat our customers. My entire staff takes pride in being our customer’s personal agents.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am very new to Houston and I am sure I have not yet scraped the surface of places to go and things to do.
A few of my favorites are:
Gerald D. Hines Waterfall
Discovery Green
Taste Bar and Kitchen
Trez Art and Wine Bar
UnWine
Hillstone
Grace’s
Urban Social
51Fifteen Cuisine & Cocktail
Bayou City Seafood and Pasta
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I make a point to surround myself with people who have a similar mindset as mine and that is a mindset of winning! With similar mindsets, an organic atmosphere of support, love and encouragement is destined to be created. If I had to give specific credit to any ONE person, I would say my daughter. Being her Mom at 18 always motivated me to be my absolute best because I expected nothing less from her. She is now 26 and pursuing her Doctorate of Nurse Anesthetist. She set a goal a couple years ago that this was her dream and she would not settle for anything less and she did just that. She has witnessed the challenges I have faced in my quest to become an entrepreneur and she has cheered me on the entire time and often times has had the most solid words of encouragement when I have been faced with obstacles. She gives the best advice and it’s not only because I am her Mom, but because she has faced similar challenges in her journey to grad school. I must also give credit to my Mom, brother and four sisters because they absolutely did NOT want me to move from Georgia last year to Houston; however, they knew what being a business owner meant to me and have supported me through this entire process.
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
