Mike Zwickey (Zwickey Agency)

Mike Zwickey is the owner of the Zwickey Agency, an insurance firm that offers a sensible approach to risk management.

Raised in Brooklyn Park, Zwickey attended Osseo Senior High School, graduating a year earlier than me in 2009.

Hard to fathom that it has been almost two decades since we both attended high school, but since graduating from Osseo, Zwickey worked physically demanding jobs, until in 2017 he fractured his humerus, an injury the humble Zwickey did not at all find humorous (god damn it’s way too much fun to write these sentences).

“I could no longer do labor jobs, so I got into insurance,” he says via phone.

“I like sales and interacting with people. I also like to provide value to people, and that was the reason why I got into the insurance industry.”

Since Zwickey’s right arm was debilitated, he used his left hand to furiously dial and call upon the denizens of the Twin Cities.

“I would make outbound calls and try to get business,” he says, because every company needs someone who can implore and persuade eligible members of the general public to do business with them.

“I was only selling products though. I wasn’t servicing policies or managing those accounts. It was strictly sales.”

By the time 2020 rolled around, Zwickey was ready to evolve, so he left that agency and started his own firm, the aforementioned Zwickey Agency.

“The big motivating factor was building something for myself,” says Zwickey.

“I worked really hard for three years and did really well, but I was doing it for somebody else.”

The mental and metaphorical handcuffs removed, Zwickey was at liberty to build his own empire and enhance the future outlook of his family, while simultaneously establishing himself more in his community.

“I was working for an agent down in the Twin Cities, about 50 miles from my home, and so starting my agency in Lindstrom allowed me to be a bigger part of my community,” he says.

Through home and auto, Zwickey began to ingratiate himself to neighbors and community members alike.

He also can write commercial general liability and auto.

“Anything you would need to protect your business, we will do that too,” says Zwickey, laidback by nature and a man who leads with information and intentionality over intense sales tactics.

There is much Zwickey can do to cover one’s most valuable assets, but he doesn’t write for life insurance or health, two areas that simply aren’t in his sphere of expertise.

“I just never got into those, so I’m more focused on property and casualty,” he shares, willingly, because he knows who he is, and he doesn’t compromise on those core competencies in order to generate additional revenue. 

“I don’t lose clients because they can’t get a life insurance policy with me. I have other advisers that I actively work with that I can refer clients to when a client has those needs.”

If it seems as though Zwickey swiftly and seamlessly transitioned from salesman to business owner, the reality is that becoming an entrepreneur was difficult.

That process was painstaking, and it forced him to develop new skills, namely patience.

“Not everything happens overnight, and some things take time,” Zwickey reminds readers.

It should also be noted that Zwickey prioritizes the wellbeing of others over squeezing every ounce of profit he possibly can from clients, an approach that may leave dollars floating away in the proverbial ether, but in return he has simply moved closer toward becoming the best version of himself.

“Providing value isn’t always about the big things,” Zwickey emphasizes.  

“Sometimes there is value even in the small things.”

Life is precious.

Life is short.

Relationships matter, far more than accruing so much capital that your checking account explodes. 

“When you’re in a sales position, things are moving very fast. It’s turn and burn, and you are just trying to make money,” Zwickey explains.

“Whereas being a business owner, you learn patience, and how to take a more holistic approach because every aspect of your business needs to be in place. Not just sales.”

From ground zero in 2020, to navigating a non-compete with his ex-employer, again, the lessons Zwickey has absorbed are aplenty, but he is here, and with his foundation somewhat cemented after six years at the helm, he is looking to ascend and elevate others alongside him.

“It’s been a grind to get here,” Zwickey reveals, acknowledgement more than exhaustion attached to his diction.

“I believe it takes two years to build a solid base underneath you, and then at that point you don’t really have to worry about a lot.”

Oh, but you do, Mr. Zwickey, particularly if you’re trying to expand your reach and capture more market share, which you are aiming to do.

“If we moved into an office space in Lindstrom, that would be the next step,” he says.

“From there, we would have an area where clients can come in and we can get our name out there more.”

Will we see Mike Zwickey on a billboard in 2026?

Probably not.

But he will be around, more than ready and capable of helping families wade through the uncertainties of the insurance industry. QS

**

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