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Uncommon Questions We Get That Fall Outside Insurance


It’s not uncommon for our clients to develop a strong bond with us: we work hard to provide everyone who walks through our doors the necessary advice for their unique needs. At Pepper, Johnstone & Company, we stress relationships.

That’s why we sometimes run into situations where a client needs advice that falls outside of your typical commercial insurance questions – such as, “Do I offer additional services through our existing business or create a new business entity altogether?” or “What should we consider  from a sales and marketing standpoint as we expand operations in a new market?”

Creating a Center of Influence

Oftentimes, clients will come to us with questions on how to build brand equity. In these instances, we stress the importance of building strong brand awareness, through leveraging social media channels, blogging, press releases, and other media engagement. It’s a simple, cost-effective way to build awareness for your business, which in turn, creates brand equity over time.

We call it amplifying your center of influence. A strong center of influence posits your company as an expert in your space, encouraging current and prospective clients to follow your brand and any business-to-consumer (B2C) interactions you have.

A Culture of Consultation

We don’t preach a one-size-fits-all insurance plan for our clients-- it never works. Instead, we take a consultative approach with our clients, where we walk through your business background, concerns, and goals to formulate a plan for your future success (even if insurance is only a small part of it).

Bryan Johnstone, a Principal at Pepper, Johnstone & Company, is a certified risk manager and certified insurance advisor with a wealth of business acumen to assist his clients on many questions or concerns that may fall outside the typical realm of insurance needs. Prior to Pepper, Johnstone & Company, Bryan was a business strategy consultant for Fortune 500 companies, so he, along with the other insurance advisors that also bring diverse business backgrounds, understand  business at both a macro and micro level. The ability to draw on prior business experience enables the insurance advisors at Pepper, Johnstone & Company to better assess risk and identify coverage gaps within an organization that other competitors, with no or little business background, may overlook.

More Than Risk Management

At the end of the day, it’s all about asking the right questions. Over time; however, we’ve learned it’s not about the questions our clients ask us, it’s about the questions we ask them. Sure, a client can ask if their employees are covered under a workers compensation policy, but if we determine the client does business in countries where employees are at higher risk of violence or kidnap, the conversation quickly pivots to do they have a kidnap and ransom policy in place?

Our firm blends insurance, business and finance through a consultative approach in order to see the total picture for your business or family -- we don’t prescribe an insurance policy off a 10-minute meeting. We perform a deep-dive analysis of your specific needs and ask the right questions, so you feel confident you’re insured from every possible angle. Unlike many other independent insurance agencies that take a “one size fits all approach to insurance” we  design insurance programs that are tailored to the unique needs and concerns of each client.


Pepper, Johnstone & Company protects your business and family with a choice of multiple insurance companies to choose from, for home, auto, and business. We've helped countless clients save money on their insurance while making sure they're properly covered. Visit us today at our website, or give us a call at 256-232-7818 to get us working on a quote for you today. We look forward to working with you.