Meet the man behind Leathers Insurance: Jerrod Leathers, pictured with wife, Becky, and daughter, Kiernan.

After spending over a decade as a captive agent, Jerrod decided it was time to plant his own roots in the insurance industry and start an agency in California, MO. On April 1, 2016, Leathers Insurance opened its doors, and Jerrod said this leap of faith didn't come without a little apprehension:

  I joked with my friends and family saying that if it didn't work out, I could always go back to my old employer and claim it was all just an April Fool's prank. Thankfully, I've not needed to play that card, and CFM has been a big part of my small success so far. I've learned that rural Missouri can sometimes present unique insurance needs and I'm thankful to have a partnership with a company like CFM, who understands those needs and puts a focus on protecting rural Missourians.

The decision to become an independent agent has since allowed Jerrod to have more freedom and choices for his clients, but it's also given him the opportunity to educate people on insurance in general:

  I believe so many of the negative feelings from the folks that buy insurance products come from misunderstandings, and a general lack of knowledge of exactly how insurance works. The best clients are educated clients so, I take great pride in educating my clients on how their policy is going to work, what it's going to cover, and more importantly, what it's not going to cover.

Another rewarding part of starting your own business? Getting to create an ingenious logo and slogan. Jerrod's logo is inspired by a 4-leaf clover and is backed by a catchy slogan he came up with all on his own: Bad luck costs more than good coverage. Jerrod tells the story behind how he built his new brand:

  Well, it was a spur of the moment, off the cuff thing. I was setting up my website last March, and the template asked if I had a company motto. I already had the 4-leaf clover logo designed, so my mind was playing off of the 'lucky' 4-leaf clover. It took about 10 seconds, and a light bulb went off. It just came to me. I thought it was silly at first, but I told my wife about it and she said it was really good. She’s always right, so I popped it in the website template and the rest is history.

If you agree that bad luck costs more than good coverage, give Leathers Insurance a call at 573.304.2164 or visit them online.