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Insurance is the one purchase everyone has, but almost nobody wants to think about until something goes wrong. We’re joined by Storme Anderson, a Farmington, New Mexico insurance agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services, to talk about what the job really looks like when you’re the person families call after a fire, a death, or a major loss and how you can plan before life forces the issue.

We get into how Storme landed in insurance after the 2008 real estate crash, why selling an “intangible” product is harder than selling a house, and how she builds trust without turning every conversation into a sales pitch. She breaks down her “super check” annual review, what people forget to update, and why personalized insurance advice still matters in a world of 1-800 numbers, online quotes, and automation. If you’ve ever wondered what Farm Bureau actually offers beyond auto insurance, she clears that up too.

Then we go practical: small-town marketing, referral programs that actually work, tracking lead sources, and community events that build real loyalty. Storme also explains why insurance rates have been rising, how underwriting responds to disasters, and why zip-code pricing can make the same coverage cost wildly different amounts across New Mexico.

If you care about smart insurance planning, local customer service, and how to run a relationship-driven business, you’ll get a lot out of this conversation. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a policy review, and leave us a rating or review so more people can find the show.

Be sure to follow or subscribe! And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at Ken@StrategicHorizonsConsulting.com

This show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).

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A lot of people think custom engraving is just pushing a button on a laser. Then you meet Bonnie Cummings, owner of Third Axis Custom Engraving in Farmington, New Mexico, and you realize the real craft is equal parts creativity, technical mastery, and staying power when life gets heavy. She shares how she starts with crystal engraving that creates 2D and 3D images inside blank crystals, then steadily expands into laser engraving on all kinds of materials, metal engraving, and full-color sublimation printing.

We dig into what it takes to grow a home-based small business in the Four Corners area: multiple moves, the overhead squeeze, and the double shock of construction plus COVID. Bonnie explains why cutting fixed costs can be the difference between closing and continuing, and how she builds a customer-first approach that turns first-time buyers into people who call back years later because they remember how she made them feel.

You’ll also hear the unglamorous truth behind personalized gifts and one-of-a-kind awards: pixelated logos, rushed deadlines, hours of image editing, and the importance of deposits and pricing your time. Bonnie breaks down why you’re not selling “materials” as much as you’re selling experience, design judgment, and the ability to run expensive equipment reliably. We wrap with her advice to other entrepreneurs: keep going one step at a time, learn something new every day, and let systems free you up to focus on the people and the meaning behind the work.

If you enjoy stories about local business, customer service, laser engraving, crystal engraving, sublimation, and real-world entrepreneurship, subscribe, share this with a creative friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Be sure to follow or subscribe! And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at Ken@StrategicHorizonsConsulting.com

This show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).

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Send us Fan Mail

A family restaurant can feed a town, but it also ends up raising it. We’re joined by Carrie West, third-generation owner of The Spare Rib BBQ in Farmington, New Mexico, for a candid talk about what it takes to protect a legacy while stepping fully into modern small business ownership in the Four Corners. From the early days of the shop to taking over “for real” with payroll, taxes, and nonstop responsibility, Carrie explains how the job changes when the risk has your name on it.

We get into the practical side of running a successful barbecue restaurant: ordering and inventory, equipment upgrades that reduce stress in the kitchen, and why staying consistent matters more than chasing constant change. Carrie also shares the mindset that keeps her steady when the cooler breaks or the day goes sideways, plus the leadership lesson many owners learn late: your mood sets the tone, and your tone becomes the culture.

Along the way, we talk customer service and community support, watching families grow up as regulars, and the “country wisdom” that keeps the team grounded in roots and gratitude. Carrie also hints at future plans, including the possibility of a pickup window, while staying committed to the same clean dining room, friendly service, and quality food people remember when they come back home.

If you care about family-owned restaurants, restaurant management, and what makes local businesses last, hit play, share this with a friend who loves BBQ, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Be sure to follow or subscribe! And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at Ken@StrategicHorizonsConsulting.com

This show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).

Support the show