Entrepreneurship — everyone’s doing it these days, but what does it take to get to the upper echelon of success? Here’s how it happened for Steph Tulley, founder and CEO of Actuology.
Actuology is an interactive advising platform that offers business owners a simplified and personalized approach to insurance. Actuology’s intuitive interface provides users with information-driven solutions and support.
“Actuology was inspired by a sense of knowing the industry and finding my passion through a tech company,” Tulley says.
“I see something that’s broken and I want to fix it, and if anyone can help facilitate the future in my industry, it’s definitely Actuology.”
Starting as a receptionist for an insurance brokerage, Tulley quickly advanced to Managing Partner in just eight years and all by the age of 25. Being part of a generation born into technology, Tulley capitalized on her knowledge of insurance, and her in-depth understanding of the technology and the emerging market, to become the perfect fit as CEO of Actuology.
On starting a tech company versus the tried-and-tested model of owning an insurance firm, Tulley says it’s been an eye-opening experience.
“It’s more so reinventing something and changing the way the industry works.”
To that end, Tulley’s ideal goal for Actuology is that the company becomes the catalyst for the next shift in insurance tech. She makes it clear, however, that she is not trying to disrupt the industry players. Tulley’s goal is to build a healthy insurtech ecosystem of partnership, collaborating with others to collectively disrupt the industry, with Actuology at the forefront of this paradigm shift.
Actuology has already changed the game as the first automated advisor service, specifically for insurtech. It is a completely digital commercial insurance marketplace for consumers and business partners. On one end, they present consumers with clear, easy-to-understand information and the ability to select personalized commercial products to meet their business needs. On the back end, the platform generates quality leads for insurance business partners.
The future of Actuology is bright. The company’s biggest achievements to date have been of speed and traction. Receiving international usage overnight, the platform has since garnered an influx of early adopters who believe in the future and viability of Actuology and what the company has to offer.
Tulley is not only leading the way in insurtech, she is also leading the team of qualified professionals helping to facilitate the company’s success. Leading by example, Tulley demonstrates her capabilities and influence through her tech fluency. Having first-hand knowledge of the technology and a clear, strategic vision for the company, and mutual respect for her team’s abilities are the driving forces behind Tulley’s approach to leadership.
Tulley attributes much of Actuology’s success to the support of organizations like Embarc Collective. Based in Tampa Bay, Embarc Collective is the fastest-growing startup hub at the epicenter of Florida’s thriving tech ecosystem, the perfect place for a company like Actuology to thrive.
“As a transplant New Yorker, I find Tampa Bay has a sense of newness and willingness to innovate,” Tulley says.
Actuology was one of over 125 companies selected to be part of Embarc Collective and it has been an invaluable source of knowledge and support.
When asked where she draws her inspiration, Tulley credits her grandmother who adopted her at just six months old. Tulley grew up in a warm, brightly decorated apartment in New York City and watched her grandmother, a Mary Kay saleswoman, exemplify the true meaning of grit and hard work. And amid the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, these are the qualities Tulley has inherited, which have allowed her to achieve continued success.
Tulley defines success as “being able to wake up every day to motivate yourself to do what you need to do. It’s being able to do something and sticking to it without a pat on the back.”
For those considering entrepreneurship, Tulley says it’s not for the faint-hearted. There is no road map. It is the ability to be agile and adaptable, being able to evolve not only to your environment but also to the changes in yourself.