Alexander Mosnick is an accomplished Chicago-based executive specializing in intellectual property (IP) insurance with over a decade of experience. An alumnus of Northwestern University where he studied economics and business, he has was involved with multiple organizations as a student. Since 2018, Alex Mosnick has worked at AON, where he is the assistant vice president of AON IP Solutions.
His duties at AON include serving as an insurance broker, handling insurance policy and coverage negotiation. His skills in finance, sales, and business development have allowed him to become a leader in the US IP insurance market. Alexander Mosnick has leveraged AON’s knowledge to assist companies handle their IP risk, leading a team of specialists to successfully grow the company’s clientele.
Besides his career, Alex Mosnick spends his free time pursuing various activities. These include watching and playing golf, reading financial literature, running, and cycling. In addition, he enjoys exploring cuisines including Mediterranean, Hispanic, and Italian. Mr. Mosnick is conversational in Spanish and has a basic knowledge of Greek, and has visited various destinations in the United States, Mexico, Asia, and Europe. He also enjoys sports and follows the NFL, MLB, the NBA, and the NHL.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Monday through Friday consists of work as a commercial insurance broker, and I work with clients—which are companies of all sizes—to help advise them on their intellectual property insurance policies.
I enjoy working out, whether that’s going for long walks or doing a structured workout class that I do at my local gym or going for a run either around the neighborhood or around the lakefront here in Chicago.
After work, I might enjoy either making dinner at home, making a new cuisine or meal that I haven’t tried alongside my fiancé, or eating out or trying a new restaurant. I enjoy all cuisine types and trying new foods around the city of Chicago.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I have a creative mind, in that I can think through situations and realize that a lot of situations are complex or have more than one answer or ways of thinking about it. So, I think in terms of my ability to think either rationally or go beneath the surface on any particular idea or issue allows me to have a deeper understanding or realize there’s multiple ways to approach an idea or multiple ways to bring an idea to life.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The trend of space exploration. I think it’s cool. How humanity over the last 100 years has been able to see into the cosmos, see into outer space, and start exploring outer space, whether that’s the moon or Mars, which is probably the next frontier.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Trying to have a positive attitude every day.
Realizing that I have a I have a good life. I have great supporting interpersonal relationships in my life and if something doesn’t go my way or is out of my control, then it probably doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, and I’ll wake up tomorrow, and it probably won’t be an issue.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t let things bother you that really don’t matter. And that you cannot control what others do. You can only control how you act and how you react to the world around you.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Basketball is a better game when they allow the players to be more physical, as opposed to less physical.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Go for a walk every day.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Get out of my chair and go for a walk outside.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Taking the approach of trying to learn one new thing every day.
Being very conscious at the start of the workday, thinking about what is one thing that I want to work on today or want to improve.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I reacted to something negatively and emotionally to someone much more senior than me at my company. While it wasn’t a job-threatening situation, it was a reputational risk. I quickly apologized within a day and took ownership of my reaction. They were not too offended but appreciated that I was aware of the importance of professionalism.
Even if you don’t agree with something, try to not let emotions get the best of you and remember you don’t have to react. Just give it some time to digest and think about it before having to do anything.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Create a business that does not charge outrageous fees for concert and sports tickets and undercuts the current companies out there, more power to them!
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
The Apple Health app and any apps that actually help you track your workout, calories, activities, and just your overall physical well-being and health. I think they’re really helpful in terms of seeing if you’re getting out on your feet.
I think it’s an innovation that’s helped millions of people.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Buying new work clothes. I think it’s important to look professional, especially in my job, and continually investing in things that can have value beyond just today.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
The book that I’ve read multiple times over the last few years called “Enlightenment Now” by Steven Pinker. The basic premise is showing a bunch of charts and data that show that the world and standard of living is the highest it’s ever been. Life has continued to improve almost unconditionally since the dawn of man.
Especially in the last 200 years, life has become so easy for humans because of technology, nutrition, and the ability to travel around the world, for example, that it should be enough for you to say every day to yourself “hey, life isn’t so bad.”
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
The Jason Bourne action series.
I really enjoy spy/thriller/secret-agent movies in that they are always highlighting different places around the world, and it continues to stoke my desire to go travel to new places and add new places around the world that I want to visit.
Key learnings
- Even though life isn’t always perfect, it is good to see the positives and to bring a positive attitude every day.
- Don’t sweat the small things; it will lead to a healthier and less stressful life.
- Embrace new experiences.
- It is okay to spend money on physical things, such as a new wardrobe, that can have value beyond just today.