Finance Monthly - October 2021

Can you tell us a little bit about the way the pandemic affected you and your businesses? I think the pandemic was an intense obstacle for most businesses and business owners. Formy companies, I quickly changed my mindset from being shocked and grappling with this whole new world to thinking about how I could adjust to better serve my clients, employees, and community. The pandemic created unprecedented needs for our clients and with all the restrictions and safety concerns, we had to be very agile in creating client-focused solutions. All told, I think Postema Insurance & Investments grew well above 50% in 2020. What were the main challenges you were faced with and how did you manage to overcome them? The first challenge was in rethinking how I could keep my employees and clients safe. The safety of those around me has always been important, but there was a new threat to consider with the pandemic. With that handled, I had to decide how to keep my business operating smoothly so I could meet customer needs despite potential employee absences. We had to stay extremely organised and do a lot of cross- training while maintaining company ethics and service standards as our clients’ need for sound financial advice continued to grow. What are some of the key lessons the past year and a half have taught you? It’s made me think a lot differently about my weaknesses. I realised how important it is to hire people who can do what I can’t, rather than just trying to do it all myself. I’ve also learned how important it is to work on total and complete life management, not just time management. I’ve found that if I continue to follow a path of self- improvement, my entire team and all of my organisations will improve as well. If we want to change the world and make it a better place, we must first make ourselves better. Tell us about your new company, Postema Capital Lending. Ultimately, I have always wanted to add a lending component to my financial services organisation. The pandemic not only gave me the time to implement Postema Capital Lending but also pointed out just how necessary this service was. I strongly believe that financial planning isn’t just about accumulating wealth. It’s also about preserving your wealth and property with insurance, rigorous tax planning and strategic borrowing Fron t Cove r Fea t ur e 12 Finance Monthly.