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west oak family office, wellington-altus private wealth
“I am the sole owner and lead broker of a multi-office brokerage,” says Rose Freeman, owner of Willow Insurance Corp. “I approach client interactions as an educational opportunity. Insurance is something that is widely used but has a lot of room for growth in terms of client comprehension.”
Freeman started her journey when she bought an insurance brokerage in Shell Lake in 2013. While she has a background in corporate finance, she did not have any previous brokerage experience, so she only had a short window to complete her education and licensing requirements, shadow the existing owner and whip up a business plan. Less than a year later, she owned a brokerage and was expecting her first child. Once the baby arrived, she was running the business from home for a month with only one other staff member working at the office, so she returned to the office with the baby. A few short years later, another opportunity arose for the purchase of a second brokerage in Debden, and while she was now pregnant with her second child, she decided to expand Willow Insurance Corp., this time returning to the office with a one-week-old.
In 2020, Freeman left an abusive relationship with her two young children. Due to the pandemic much of the province of Saskatchewan was shut down at the time and options were limited. Schools, daycares and all non-essential business closed to the public. Willow Insurance Corp. was also closed to all in-office traffic providing services via telephone on online. She was provided shelter housing by a local church where she continued to run the business with a laptop for three months. Being a small business owner is incredibly rewarding but the downside is that self-employment doesn’t come with the same benefits or employment protection as what is extended to employees. Many small businesses, like Willow Insurance Corp., are dependent on the owner showing up every day without exception.
As a full-time entrepreneur and mother, Freeman manages five staff split across two locations, and each location offers a full suite of commercial and personal insurance products, as well as other services such as passport photos, travel insurance and hunting and angling licenses. As a fully licensed broker with a finance education, she looks for ways to improve the business. This year, she increased her involvement with the Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan by joining the Leaders Forum, a year-long pilot program designed exclusively for brokerage leaders to provide guidance and mentorship as they grow their skills and businesses.
If she could change anything in the industry, she’d provide more educational opportunities. “[I’d] create a university course for insurance professionals,” she says. “Insurance is comparable to commerce, but the educational paths are very different. Moving the insurance educational path to a university would help attract and retain a more diverse workforce.”
205 Main Street, Shell Lake, SK S0J2G0
306.427.2255
rose@willowinsurance.ca
linkedin.com/company/johnston-insurance-services
willowinsurance.ca
Rose Freeman
Owner/Broker
Willow Insurance Corp.
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Milestones
2013
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Master of Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy)
2013
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2012
2013
2017
2021
2020–present
Rose Freeman
Owner/Broker
Willow Insurance Corp.
Read on
Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
Profile
Milestones
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
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2012
2013
2017
2021
2020–present
Rose Freeman
Owner/Broker
Willow Insurance Corp.
Read on
Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
2020–present
2021
2017
2013
2012
2020–present
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer
2020–present
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2021
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Participated in IBAS Leaders Forum
2021
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2017
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Purchased and amalgamated Debden Agencies into Willow Insurance
2017
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2013
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Purchased Shell Lake Agency under newly formed Willow Insurance
2013
1998–2007
2012
human resources | key media
Completed Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker Designation
2012
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Milestones