Next Insurance is proud to announce the launch of Built By Business, a new program that is uniting business owners across the United States by helping them get back to work.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Next Insurance planned to produce its first national advertising campaign. Once it became clear that small businesses were being forced to close, we reallocated more than $250,000 and hired 50 business owners impacted by the pandemic to help build the campaign.
These entrepreneurs were paid to create commissions in-line with their craft to inspire others, give back to their communities, and recreate an expression of Next Insurance in everything from paint, to cake, to tattoo artwork.
The entrepreneurs' stories are featured in ads and a Built By Business landing page that will be shared on national TV and online starting in June.
“First and foremost, we stand by small businesses. This should be a time of unity, so when our customers were experiencing hardship, it didn’t feel right for us to spend our dollars on a large production. Instead, we decided to use the budget to put people back to work,” said Melanie Chase, Next Insurance’s CMO. “We decided that if our brand is designed for small businesses, it should be built by them. This initiative brings to life the mission of our company to help entrepreneurs thrive.”
Meet the Built By Business entrepreneurs
At the heart of the Built By Business campaign are the stories of entrepreneurs — the self-employed and small businesses — and the invaluable products and services they provide to their communities.
One of those stories belongs to Mark Linen: He opened his bakery, Brotha Bakes, just six months ago using recipes he learned from his mother when he was growing up. Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, momentum and revenue slowed. As part of the Built By Business campaign, Next Insurance commissioned Mark to bake 220 cakes that were donated to first responders in his community.
“Brotha Bakes was just getting started when the pandemic hit, so the opportunity to participate in Built By Business was mind-blowing,” Linen said. “What really stood out to me about the experience was that I was able to donate what I produced to hospital workers in my community. Giving back is really important right now and truly underlines the intention and spirit of the project.”
Learn more about Mark’s Brotha Bakes project.
Another of those stories belongs to Hyatt Stengle: Hyatt is a contractor who works on everything from home remodels and new backyard decks, to helping her clients organize cabinets. Her business slowed during shelter-in-place, but she’s taking the time to work on projects around her own house. As part of the Built By Business program, Hyatt was hired to create a planter box in her backyard that spelled out “Next.”
“Small business owners have a unique passion for their craft and ultimately want to do what they love to do: build, create, and innovate,” said Stengle, owner of Hyatts Helping Hands. “Being hired by Next Insurance to create something for the Built By Business campaign was such a unique and collaborative opportunity. It’s not everyday that you know the people at your insurance company, let alone work on a project with them.”
Several other businesses participated in the Built By Business program, and we’ll continue to share more details in the coming weeks:
Next Insurance plans to continue the Built By Business campaign over the coming months and will be highlighting more entrepreneurs as they return to work.
Visit the Built By Business webpage to watch the stories or learn more.
How Next Insurance helps small businesses
Built by Business was announced in April, not long after Next Insurance became the first company in the U.S. to provide a 25% reduction in insurance costs to help customers lower their operating expenses during the coronavirus pandemic.
That relief followed an industry-leading call to action by Guy Goldstein, Next Insurance’s CEO, for others to do their part and help small businesses.
Next Insurance is transforming small business insurance with simple, digital, and affordable coverage tailored to self-employed professionals and entrepreneurs.
Our insurance coverage is easy to buy online in 10 minutes or less. After you purchase a policy, you’ll have 24/7 access to unlimited digital certificates of insurance, additional insured and policy documents, and more, with no extra fees.
A team of licensed insurance advisors supports all of our services. We also utilize AI and machine learning to simplify the purchasing process and drive down costs by 30% compared to traditional policies.
