Over seven years ago when I started my business, I decided to use part of my name in the business name, as many small business owners do. If you are an entrepreneur, you understand the number of decisions you must make every day, which can lead to some of your decisions being better than other decisions.
One of the “not so great” decisions I made as an entrepreneur and small business owner was my business name, Zitek Insurance Group. Don’t get me wrong, Zitek Insurance Group is a great name that I have been proud to use for many years. The problem with my decision to use my name for the business is that I made it using my heart, and not my head. I thought owning an insurance agency with your name in it was the right decision. The business name was a good decision in the beginning but as time passed, I realized that it wasn’t the best decision if I wanted to grow my company in the way I planned.
Today, Zitek Insurance Group is now at a turning point in 2020. We have surpassed the dreaded five-year mark, which is the time most small businesses fail by and are halfway to our ten-year mark, which is another important mark to ensuring long-term success for a small business. Zitek Insurance Group did not start off through buying another insurance agency with existing clients, but through earning every one of our clients through hard work and determination. As the owner, I believe we have achieved one of the American dreams that many people hope for every day, which is owning your own business. After working tirelessly long hours a day in, day out and sacrificing everything, Zitek Insurance Group has been built to be a successful small business that happens to be on the edge of explosive growth.
With our growth comes new and great opportunities for our business, so we are very excited to announce our new Office Manager, Brenda Kamis. Brenda joined our team officially as of December 2019 and will be a great addition to our growing business. In addition, we are actively looking for a personal line’s producer to join our growing team.
With these changes and more coming to our business, I am excited to share with our clients, friends, and family that we have officially changed our business name from Zitek Insurance Group to The Ragnar Group. We have already had people ask us how we came up with the name Ragnar Group, as the name means different meanings depending on the person. Some have wondered if our new business name has anything to do with the Minnesota Vikings mascot…maybe. Others have asked if the new business name comes from Minnesota’s own Norwegian heritage…possibly. We have had people even ask if it comes from the famous Ragnar Run road race…sorry, but no, this big guy isn’t running any races. These were all great guesses to the reason behind our new name which led to some fun conversations with clients, friends, and family, but they are not the real reason we chose the new business name. The new name comes from my favorite character in a book of mine called “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. If you have ever read this book before, you understand why I used the name. For those who are unfamiliar with this book, it is a wonderful book that I challenge you to read then give me a call when you are done, so we can discuss how the Ragnar Group was formed.
Take Care,
Mike Zitek
CEO, Ragnar Group
