Why Advocacy Is Essential for Business Success With Andrew Holt and Cody Schoonover

Andrew Holt is the Government Relations and Grassroots Manager at the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). NAIFA works on behalf of its members to promote a favorable regulatory environment, provide professional education services, and ensure ethical professional conduct for insurance and financial advisors.

Andrew spent several years of his career in the political arena, getting his start as an intern for a senate race in South Carolina, where he found his passion for connecting voters with elected officials. This eventually led to his current position at NAIFA, where he influences public and elected officials on legislative priorities, engages volunteers in grassroots efforts, and leads grassroots lobbying efforts at the state level.

Cody Schoonover is a PAC Manager for NAIFA. Before NAIFA, he was the Sr. Associate at PLUS Communications, a Beltway-based consulting firm specializing in coalition building, grassroots mobilization, advertising, digital engagement, message development, and media relations. Cody earned his BA in political science from The Ohio State University.

In this episode…

What is advocacy? Do you need it for your business? 

According to Andrew Holt and Cody Schoonover, advocacy is fundamental for your business’s success. To understand how your industry operates and to stay ahead of competitors, you need help from financial advisors who ascribe to a code of ethics and actively participate in advocating on behalf of yourself and your business. Having an advocate's involvement allows you to focus on running your business — undistracted.

In this episode of Advisor Today, Suzanne Carawan sits down with Andrew Holt, Government Relations and Grassroots Manager at NAIFA, and Cody Schoonover, PAC Manager at NAIFA to discuss why advocacy is essential to the success of your business. Andrew and Cody share how NAIFA’s advocates differentiate themselves from their competitors, the political issues NAIFA represents, and tips for how business owners can leverage political advocacy to their advantage.