When it comes to getting your life together, we could all use a little help. Our friend and client Serena Smith, a State Farm agent, is just the gal for the job.
As the only woman selling insurance in Bentonville, Serena gives you the advantage of thinking through things from the female perspective. Trust us this is important. As a fellow entrepreneur and small business owner, she has provided valuable insight not only when it comes to our business insurance, but personal and family insurance needs as well.
Of course, we’re bias but we think female business owners seem to be more efficient and on top of things. As far as working with clients, women often recognize the importance (and need) for things like life insurance more. (Raise your hand if your husband thinks he’s invincible.)
Serena spent her childhood on a dairy farm in St. Joe, Arkansas. She graduated from the College of the Ozarks with a bachelor’s degree in business. After 15 years in the transportation industry with both FedEx and UPS, she made the decision to capitalize on her love of working with customers and made a career change to State Farm in 2007.
Her Bentonville agency opened in June 2010 and was punctuated by her finish as the 28th best performing new agent out of 1,500 agents nationwide. In the last nine years, she has continued to expand her customer base through a focus on personalized service offerings and a customer-first approach.
After college, Serena lived in Dallas, but knew she wanted to end up back in Northwest Arkansas. While in Dallas, she became best friends with a coworker Brooke, whose mother was a State Farm agent. Brooke decided to follow her mother and become an agent and encouraged Serena to do the same – that’s how her journey into insurance began. “And I’m so thankful for both of these amazing ladies and their life-long encouragement,” Serena says.
Since we know Serena personally, we can tell you she’s also an encourager. She brings her contagious smile and fun to any situation. She’ll also be the first to tell you that now is a great time to do a review of your life events. And really, before or after any major life event like marriage, divorce, death, a new baby or new house is when people consider taking a “life audit” and checking in with themselves.
“We want someone to come in for an insurance and financial review if they’re a new client to learn about all that we offer, and really everyone should see their State Farm agent at least every two years to do a review,” Serena says. “We want to be sure we’re all on the same page when something does happen so we already have a plan in place – not when it’s after the fact. Any time there’s something exciting happening in life, or even sad and unexpected, is a great time to talk about your plans.”
We can tell you first-hand that Serena and her team offer a great portfolio of options and can tailor it to your individual needs. For our families, we updated our life insurance policies after the birth of our children. There are so many new, wonderful policies now through State Farm, so go see Serena soon to see which is the best fit for you and your family!
If she’s not in her office, you might find her volunteering with Mercy Hospital through one of the many committees she serves on.
Serena and husband Nathan live in Benton County and have three children: London, Cole and Hallie. When she’s not helping clients or answering a call from one of their kids, she and Nathan love to travel, preferably to the beach. Otherwise, you might find them out this summer at the AMP enjoying a concert.
13 with 3W
- Favorite cocktail? Champagne 🍾
- Cake or pie? Pie, especially hand pies!
- Best trip you’ve ever taken? It’s hard to pick one but probably Paris and the Brittany region of France!
- Singing or dancing? Dancing but a few friends would probably say neither … please 😬
- Favorite movie of all time? “Under the Tuscan Sun”
- Dressy or casual? Dressy
- Spa or gym? Spa
- New York or L.A.? New York
- Style icon? Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
- Sunset or sunrise? Sunset
- Cat or dog? Dog! My rescue dachshund, Franklin 💕
- Sand or snow? Sand
- Quote that inspires you? “I do my best because I’m counting on you counting on me.” – Maya Angelou
For more information on Serena Smith, call 479.268.6431 or visit www.serenasmith.com. And be sure to follow Serena on Instagram @insurenwa.