Meet Heather Guzman of Country Financial

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Guzman.

Heather, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to AZ as a college transfer. I had completed two years of college in Maine where I grew up but decided I wanted more opportunities, so I transferred to ASU to complete my junior and senior year. In 1997 I earned my BS in Business Finance from the WP Carey School of Business and remain a proud ASU alumni. In my senior year, part of my curriculum included completing an internship in my field of study. After closely reviewing the options, many in the finance field were unpaid internships, as a student paying for my own education that wasn’t a viable option. Country Financial offered a paid internship that I could complete while still working full time for Bank of America and attending ASU full time. I quickly decided that a profession in the insurance and investment field was a match between the things I am good at, numbers, math, finance and the things I enjoy, helping others, finding solutions and building relationships. Now, almost 23 years later, my career has taken me to where I am today with my own agency in North Scottsdale and staff to help service my clients and grow my business.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
All business owners have struggles. Being a professional in Phoenix is amazing, with so many opportunities. But I would say my largest struggle has been and will always be finding the right team members to grow your staff. Team members need to care about your business and your clients the way you do. You have to create an office culture of positivity and being a problem solver. You have to know what motivates an employee to work hard, to stay and to want to help grow your business. This can be different for each employee and changes over time. Being flexible and empowering your employees goes a long way but the struggle to find, hire, train and keep the good ones is still my biggest challenge.

Please tell us about Country Financial.
My business is providing solutions for individuals and business owners to protect them with insurance and investment plans. That includes insurance solutions for individuals, such as homeowners, auto, umbrella, watercraft. For businesses, that includes general liability, professional liability, workers compensation plans, bonds. My advanced solutions for both individuals and business owners include life insurance, disability insurance, buy/sell agreements, long term care insurance. With my team at Country Trust Bank, we also specialize in planning for retirement with retirement accounts, annuity options and estate plans. We are a multi-line company that allows our clients to bundle their insurance and retirement options – this saves them money with discounts and allows the convenience of reviewing all their plans as a whole. We care about our communities and work to invest in them too.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up in New England means my childhood memories are a combination of camping in the vast pine tree forests and enjoying everything the ocean has to offer, swimming, boating, fishing.

Contact Info:

• Address: 9835 E BELL RD STE 120
  SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260
• Website: WWW.COUNTRYFINANCIAL.COM/HEATHER.GUZMAN
• Phone: 480-456-1427
• Email: HEATHER.GUZMAN@COUNTRYFINANCIAL.COM
• Facebook: Heather Guzman – COUNTRY Financial

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