A little background on Don Trudeau and Benistar:
Don Trudeau is the CEO of Benistar, a leading provider of medical benefits for retirees. The company primarily caters to the 65-and-above age group. It provides a wide range of design, installation and administration services to clients from all over the country, with particular focus on medical and prescription drug plan administration.
Benistar maintains an extensive network of partner firms and providers. Among these are top brokers and consultants, who help expand the range of services Benistar provides and ensure consistent quality. These firms help provide a variety of medical and prescription plans for public companies and privately-held firms, labor unions, city and county government organizations, educational institutions, and religious organizations.
Currently, Benistar provides retirement plans, retiree health plans, and administration services for more than 1,200 sponsor firms all over the country. The sum total of premiums that the company administers amounts to more than $ million annually.
Benistar’s range of services is divided into three major categories: group retiree medical benefits, prescription drug solutions, and consulting and administration services. Its group retiree medical benefits program is designed to help clients pay for expenses that are recognized by Medicare, but do not qualify for coverage under Parts A and B of the plan. The company’s prescription drug plans for retirees fall under the Employment Group Waiver Plans or EGWPs set up for groups belonging to Medicare Part D. Its consulting and administration services are designed to help those in the post-65 age group with analyzing their current retiree programs with regard to their feasibility, and then coming up with solutions by which their existing plans could be improved.
These services have been developed over Benistar’s 35 years of operation, and all are delivered to the highest standards of quality and professionalism.
Interview with Benistar's Don Trudeau:
1. Where did the idea for Benistar come from?
There was a real shortage of high-quality medical plans available in the late 1970’s, and the few that were actually available were excessively high premiums. There wasn’t much in the way of companies or individuals providing such services in those days and I felt that I could address a very real need back then.
2. What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
My day usually starts with a cup of coffee and checking my emails. Then I head to the office and attend a couple or more meetings. The day will probably end in reading an interesting book. I stay productive by planning my day in advance or making a checklist.
3. How do you bring ideas to life?
First, I write them down using a note-taking app or simply a piece of paper and a pen. Then I do some research and study all the information I get. After that, I talk it out with people I trust.
4. What’s one trend that really excites you?
Technology excites me a lot. It just keeps changing and getting better and better. Life could even be completely different in 10 years or so.
5. What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I’m not sure if you can classify this as a habit, but being curious and persistent helps me find new ideas and ways to do things more efficiently.
6. What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
I worked in retail a very long time ago. It helped me realize that nothing comes easy. Sometimes you just have to do the crappy things you don’t want to and move on with life. Eventually it gets less difficult.
7. If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I am very happy with where I am now. I wouldn’t want to go back in time and change anything. Everything that came before has helped me reached my current place.
8. As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I recommend that everyone find the time to read. I read a lot. Reading helps you discover new perspectives and ideas.
9. What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Asking questions. Asking friends, colleagues, partners, and customers. Sometimes the only way to find answers is to ask questions. You can’t do everything alone.
10. What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I once tried to do too many things at once. I thought I could handle all of it but I found that there’s a limit to what anyone can do. As much as possible, I try to focus on one thing now and make sure it’s all good before I go to the next.
11. What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers? (this should be an actual idea for a business, not business advice)
A good business idea would be an app that reconstructs your sentences to make them sound more appropriate according to the subject and context of the conversation. This might help us avoid misunderstandings and conflicts.
12. What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why? (personal or professional)
$100 on dinner with family I hadn’t seen in a long time. I had a great time catching up.
13. What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
Flow is one of my favorite software programs. It’s a task management software that makes things easier for you.
14. What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I would recommend 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. It’ll teach you how to get more things done in less time.
15. What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others? (include websites, blogs or Twitter profiles, etc – please don’t include yourself).