John Ballinger has made it his business to help local business owners, both through his Highway 58 insurance company and as a member and the president-elect of the Enterprise Gateway Chamber Council.
He is now taking his newest helpful endeavors nationwide to show clients how to save money.
“It’s almost like I need a white board to show you, but once you see it you get it,” he said. “When the puzzle is all put together, we’re basically taking AAA and AARP and putting them together and doing it for small business owners all over the United States.”
When John Ballinger gave up a career as a military aircraft mechanic, he turned to the most difficult thing he could think of: insurance. His newest endeavors include all kinds of “Business Owners Benefits.”His new Business Owners Benefits operation allows commercial clients to band together to get the best gas prices from contracted suppliers, much like seniors who get discounts through AARP. BOB customers also benefit from traditional roadside assistance.
“We’re going to be the exclusive provider for [Fuelbank’s] fuel-management program for small businesses in the U.S.,” Ballinger said, adding that covers operations with up to 50 employees.
Likewise, he is beginning to group small operations of a similar nature together to get lower than average insurance rates for business owners. Having already spent five years in the business after working as an independent consultant, he said he knows plenty of other “insider secrets,” which he already offers through his established Custom Insurance Solutions business.
Between 10 and 20 hours of his week is spent as an expert witness and consultant, he said.
“Everything I touch every day is because somebody else didn’t know what somebody else didn’t tell them,” said Ballinger, recalling a lesson he learned from his attorney father as a young boy. “We were leaving the courtroom one day and I said, ‘Dad, how can the IRS do that to people?’ He said these words, which ring in my head to this day in my business: ‘The knowing take advantage of the unknowing.'”
Though he said he sees this business really taking off, he’ll keep it in Chattanooga.
He has operated Custom Insurance Solutions on Highway 58 since founding it five years ago. He said his recently launched website, chattanoogahashealthinsurance.com, augments insurance solutions with clear yet comprehensive advice and little-known facts.
“I saw one thing in two minutes that saved them $30,000,” Ballinger said of one commercial client who’s been in business since 1970.
Health insurance costs are based on the ZIP code in which someone lives, according to Ballinger, with lower premiums for “healthier” ZIP codes. He also said group insurance costs 40 to 50 percent more than individual insurance.
“Everybody is so scared to talk about something they don’t know about that whoever comes to them and says, ‘This is what you need to do,’ they just do it, whether it’s right or wrong,” he said. “Our job is to at least educate them on what they’re paying for and make sure they have the coverage they need.”
With most homeowners paying more for insurance products than their house throughout their lifetime, Ballinger said his insurance solutions, which cover all major companies, are worth it to them as well.