Leading with a special focus on business insurance, Belen Sanchez-Ceja is the owner and president of Belen Insurance as a licensed agent with New York Life Insurance Company. Lauded by her industry and organizations for helping companies, she has been honored with an Emerging Leaders Award and recognition from the Consulate of Mexico.
Ms. Sanchez-Ceja, who holds a Bachelor in business law from California State University, Fresno, attributes her success to her life experiences, ability to relate to people, honesty whether sharing good or bad news, and going above and beyond when serving her clients, most of whom speak Spanish. She also credits her widely admired father, a business owner, for modeling how to treat family and clients well. Born in Mexico, Ms. Sanchez-Ceja moved to the United States at age two with her mother.
At Belen Insurance, Ms. Sanchez-Ceja and her office team organize workshops for various organizations in addition to catering to all insurance needs for clients seeking a variety of coverage, including for their homes and automobiles. Lenders and realtors often refer them to first-time home buyers, and her company provides services required by the Department of Motor Vehicles, fulfilling overlapping or multiple needs to make bureaucratic processes easier. She assists clients who own businesses and are required to put commercial automobile insurance policies in the business name. Ms. Sanchez-Ceja also helps commercial clients with contracts that cover the full process of setting up their businesses. She and her company do more than sell insurance, she says. They get people through some of life’s most difficult and stressful situations.
Working in the insurance field for more than 20 years, Ms. Sanchez-Ceja was an agent with Farmers Insurance before starting her own business to become more than a salesperson—she wanted to be creative. This prompted her to begin collaborating with various organizations in Fresno by hosting workshops, leading community presentations, and becoming civically active with the local Small Business Development Centers, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, the Community Council, the Consulate of Mexico, and the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation in addition to supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the Leukemia Foundation.
In the next five to 10 years, Ms. Sanchez-Ceja plans to develop an even more closely-knit team who will fully manage her business as it continues to grow and allow her more leisure time. She also aspires to inspire other people to have the confidence to reach their goals and live their dreams. Married to a realtor and the mother of three children, Ms. Sanchez-Ceja enjoys painting and biking.