We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hal Rochkind. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hal below.
Hal, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
What a great question. Imposter syndrome is a real thing. It is primarily the condition of feeling anxious and not experiencing success internally, despite being high-performing in external, objective ways. They say time heals all wounds and I would say the same for overcoming imposter syndrome. When I first started at Rochkind Insurance in 2009, it was a chaotic time for me personally. I had moved home from Austin where I lived and worked for 10 years because my father had a debilitating stroke and lost his ability to speak and walk. He was in the ICU for 6 weeks before transferring to TIRR rehabilitation hospital in Houston for another two months. The reason for my move home to Galveston was to 1) help my mom with my dad and 2) keep our family business running. While I had insurance experience in the past from working in the marketing department of National Western Life as well as being the National Marketing Director of Moody Insurance Group, I did not have any experience in the customer facing roll as an agent or any Property & Casualty experience other than buying my own auto insurance. In my first month home, I passed my P&C Insurance and Life Insurance licensing exams between visiting dad in the hospital. While he would have been a wealth of knowledge when healthy, now he wasn’t even able to tell me which bills were due or what to expect come tax season. Those were trying times. My main objective was to keep our current clients well taken care of and properly insured. I purchased insurancegalveston.com from GoDaddy and started creating a comprehensive insurance website. About 5 years of keeping my head down and when life had calmed down a bit, I woke up one day and my imposter syndrome was gone. I realized success and knew I deserved it.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am your best friend on your worst day. I am the calm in the storm. I am peace of mind itself. As an insurance professional, it is my business to mitigate the liability in your life, protect your assets, and ensure your family’s financial future is safe. I have the best job in the world. Our staff at Rochkind Insurance will help you navigate Texas Gulf Coast specific insurance policies for your home or beach house, which life insurance policy is right for you and your family, educate you on the different coverages available for an auto policy as well as provide general liability and worker’s comp for your business. Combined our office staff has over 50 years experience in the insurance industry and we’re excited to speak with you. Even if you’re not a client, we’re happy to share our expertise. In the last 4 years we have been dedicated to growing our staff to better meet our client’s needs. Last year we expanded our office square footage by 50% to accommodate our growth.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Genuinely caring about people and their wellbeing, ability to ask for the sale without hesitation or trepidation and being comfortable with the uncomfortable, and my ability to gauge the temperature of a crowd have served me well. Our mantra has always been what is best for the client is best for us. If you treat you clients well, then they will return, and you can grow a business. My advice would be to ask questions and get used to being uncomfortable.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Show me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are. I don’t love using this word, but I have been supremely blessed in the friends’ department. While I have collected great friends along the way, I am still super close the guys I grew up and we text on a group thread daily. These guys are now captains of industry and we discuss everything from parenting to politics to college football to investment strategy. I am certain I would not have turned out as well if it wasn’t for them. While we do not always agree, we are always open to each others ideas and I am eternally grateful for their friendship.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://insurancegalveston.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rochkindinsurance/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsuranceGalveston
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rochkind-insurance-agency/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@insurancegalveston2140
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rochkind-insurance-galveston?osq=Rochkind+Insurance
Image Credits
Callie Walker Photography
