Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Wycpalek.
Hi Emily, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
From the Ground Up
How Two Sisters Turned a Life-Changing Moment into a Mission of Protection
When sisters Emily Wycpalek and Tamara Wilson founded Ground Up Insurance, it wasn’t the result of a business plan. It was born from experience, heartbreak, and the realization that people deserve more than empty promises printed on a policy.
In 2020, after months of lockdown, Tamara and her husband Jason drove up from Corpus Christi to visit family in San Antonio. As foster parents who specialize in keeping sibling sets together, they had recently adopted two young boys. Everyone was ready for fresh air, family time, and a little bit of joy.
They went out to dinner at a restaurant that had a play area for kids. The boys were laughing and running, soaking up their freedom. Tamara noticed her youngest son wander close to the swings, and she turned to reach for him. In an instant, her foot caught, twisted, and broke in three places. As she was being lifted onto the gurney, one of the paramedics nearly fell through a broken step.
The restaurant staff simply said, “Don’t worry, people fall all the time. Just call the insurance.”
That phrase echoed in Emily’s mind. People fall all the time. But where was their agent? Who was looking out for that business, for its exposures, for the safety of its guests? Who had walked that property and made sure they were truly protected? The answer, as she quickly realized, was no one.
What followed was a long and painful recovery for Tamara. She endured multiple surgeries, allergic reactions, and even developed a bone disease that led doctors to fuse her foot. She lives with pain every day and has had to relearn how to move through the world. When the restaurant’s insurance tried to settle for an amount that wouldn’t come close to covering her medical bills, Emily’s frustration as a 25-year financial and insurance professional turned into resolve.
Tamara’s background in community education and public speaking meant she understood how to connect, teach, and inspire. Emily knew how to navigate coverage, compliance, and risk. Together, they realized they could combine their strengths to do something powerful: educate people about what their insurance really means.
They wanted to help small business owners who invite people through their doors every day understand that “just call the insurance” shouldn’t be a punchline. It should be a promise.
In late 2023, Ground Up Insurance was officially born. Emily and Tamara built it intentionally, choosing carriers and partners they trusted, creating processes that prioritize people over profits, and focusing on clarity and education in every policy review.
Because in today’s world, you can buy a commercial policy online in 30 seconds for $400 and feel secure… until something goes wrong. Then you find out the coverage you thought you had was never really there. You’re left with a piece of paper instead of peace of mind.
Ground Up Insurance exists to change that.
Emily and Tamara believe real protection starts with relationships, with agents who care enough to ask questions, visit businesses, and make sure coverage fits the risks. Their goal isn’t to sell policies. It’s to give business owners confidence in what they’ve built and security in what lies ahead.
Ground Up Insurance was built from faith, family, and a moment that changed everything. And that’s exactly how they serve… helping others build their future strong, steady, and protected from the ground up
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but it has been meaningful. When our father passed away in November of 2024, everything slowed down. We needed time to grieve and to find our footing again. He had been one of our biggest encouragers, always asking how the business was going and finding ways to help. He believed in what we were building and reminded us to always do right by people. Knowing that keeps us grounded.
The process of starting an agency has tested our patience. Finding carrier partners we could truly trust took longer than expected, and there were times when progress felt slow. But with every challenge came growth. We learned to listen, to adapt, and to lean on our faith when things didn’t go as planned.
Now we’re seeing the fruits of that work. The right relationships are forming, and the clients we meet feel more like divine appointments than transactions. Each conversation feels intentional, as if we’re being placed exactly where we’re meant to be. It hasn’t been easy, but every step has reminded us why Ground Up exists—to walk with people through their own challenges and to build something lasting, one connection at a time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Ground Up Insurance, we built our agency around one belief — do what you say you’re going to do. That’s what truly sets us apart.
I’ve spent more than 25 years in financial services and insurance, and what I’ve seen again and again is how easily customers are promised attention and advocacy but rarely receive it. At Ground Up, we actually show up. We visit our clients where they are, walk their properties, learn their operations, and build genuine relationships. I want every client to feel seen, heard, and protected, not processed.
We specialize in commercial, personal, and life insurance, but our deeper focus is education and empowerment. We help small business owners understand their exposures and make confident decisions, not just buy coverage that looks good on paper.
What I’m most proud of is the trust we’ve earned. Every policy is written with purpose and care. Every client conversation is a chance to build something lasting. I’m especially proud of how our team works to simplify the complex side of insurance, so our clients feel informed rather than overwhelmed.
I’m also passionate about the insurance community on LinkedIn. It’s one of the most honest and inspiring spaces for learning, collaboration, and innovation in our industry. If you’ve been sleeping on that community, you’re missing out on how real agents are shaping the future of insurance — from risk management to insurtech to client advocacy.
What makes us different is that we’re independent for a reason. We don’t answer to one carrier’s agenda. We work for our clients. Direct agencies can only sell what their company allows, but we have the freedom to find what’s truly best for you.
At the end of the day, insurance isn’t just my profession — it’s my passion. I love helping people protect what they’ve worked for, and I love showing that integrity and heart still belong in this business. Ground Up Insurance is more than a name. It’s how we build trust, protection, and peace of mind… from the ground up.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is people. It all comes down to that.
I care about justice, fairness, and honesty. I care about people being treated right and knowing what they’re getting. So many times, insurance gets boiled down to paperwork and price, but that’s not what it’s supposed to be. My job is to make sure people understand what they’re paying for, what’s protected, and where they might be at risk. There are no guarantees in life, but there is power in knowledge. You can do a lot more with an education than with a policy you don’t understand.
Policy jackets can feel overwhelming, and most people don’t have the time or training to sort through all that legal language. But that’s where I come in. I want every person I work with to know what their coverage means, what’s excluded, and how to make sure the things that matter most to them are protected.
Lately, we’ve seen more and more exclusions being slipped into policies, and too many people are left underinsured without even realizing it. The word we use in insurance is “indemnification,” which means making you whole after a loss. But too often, the system isn’t doing that anymore. Policies aren’t being matched to people’s real needs, and agents aren’t fighting hard enough to make sure they are.
What matters most to me is changing that. I believe in standing in the gap for people, in helping them get back to where they were before something went wrong, and in using every bit of knowledge, experience, and connection I have to make that happen. Because in the end, it’s not about the policy. It’s about the person.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.groundupinsure.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556636281619
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-wycpalek-96485258/
