YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Mark Acre rose through the ranks of Torchmark Corp. unlike anyone else before him. At age 26, he was the national insurance company’s youngest director in history, managing 15 branches and 900 agents. He took that experience to start his own firm in late 2007. And with three offices, Acre and his team manage $10 million in premium.
The industry has recognized his work, being named the Young Advisor Team Leader of the Year by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and elected to the board of the NAIFA city and local chapters.
In his spare time, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in February. He did it to raise money for nonprofit Man Up and Go to serve the fatherless, empower single mothers and equip men to lead.
What is your proudest moment? The birth of my two biological kiddos and the adoption of my third.
What is your best productivity hack? An app called Habitify that sends alerts throughout my day until each task is complete.
What did you learn the hard way? Starting out working for a Fortune 500 company was an amazing opportunity. When I went out and started my own practice, I quickly realized that there were many things that happened behind the scenes that I needed to learn.
What historical figure do you identify with most? Napoleon.
Cuban cuisine arrived on C-Street with the opening of La Habana Vieja; independent brokerage Gateway Real Estate opened its first office; and a veteran of the restaurant industry invested in her first food truck.
Barak Hill gives advice based on what he learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected his business. He says we should all have a backup plan ready to use.
Sandy Higgins, owner of the Crackerjack Shack, recommends the book "The E-Myth Mastery" by Michael E Gerber. She says it changed the course of how she runs her business.
Aaron York describes the work culture he tries to foster at Donco3 and why he attributes to it a part of Donco3's success. Rachel York is a co-owner of Donco3 and Aaron is the General Superintendent.
Hollie Elliott, executive director of the Dallas County Economic Development Group, explains how local schools factor into business decisions and affect a local community.
Rachel Barks, owner of Artistree Pottery, says an important lesson she learned was not to over-expand and to do her research before hand. She gives examples from her experience as a startup business owner.
Jim and Debbie Meinsen own TCI Graphics, and are now celebrating 50 years of business. Jim Meinsen takes some time to explain his philosophy on debt, and how to stay out of it.
Caleb Scott, owner and coach of Queen City Insane Asylum semi-professional football, says the early grind was hard, but it was worth it. The team is in their second season carrying a national ranking of number 2 in the NFA IDFL.
Barak Hill, local musician and entrepreneur, tells about his switch to livestreaming in 2020. He says it was a necessary move, but also not an easy one.
Jessica Burkland, a SCORE mentor and an instructor at the MSU Department of Management, gives us a rundown of the non-profit organization SCORE. SCORE stands for Service Corps of Retired Executives and offers free consultation and advice to business owners.
Hollie Elliott, the executive director of the Dallas County Economic Development Group, discusses some of the ways helping small town businesses is different than in larger cities. The Dallas County Economic Development Group is a 501(c)(3) non-profit aimed at helping local existing and new businesses in the county.
