We have been with Primerica for 11 years. Simon used to work as a Shoppers Drug Mart Manager for many years and earned a 6 figure income there. We had some unfortunate circumstances in life that pushed Simon to want to make a change. We realized that we wanted more time and more money and that working for someone else would never give us those things.
We found Primerica by accident. We realized we needed life insurance and happened to come across a Primerica office. We called them and had someone come over, do an FNA and Simon was very excited about what they did. He asked “How do I do what you do?” Needless to say, it didn’t take long for him to do his IBA. We haven’t looked back since.
I have never been the lead partner nor did I ever want to be, but I have always been there to support Simon and give him the freedom and flexibility to allow him to do whatever he needs to do to make this happen.
I have always been Simon’s biggest cheerleader as I’ve always known that if he wants something, he will make it happen and I had never seen him want to do something more than this.
I remember the day our son Grayson was born, Simon decided immediately that he was coming full time in Primerica because he knew that he needed to move harder and faster to make things happen and he couldn’t do that working 60-70 hours per week at his job. I didn’t even question him. Just to be clear, he was not making enough money in Primerica at that point. I may not have told him this, it scared me, but I trusted him and I knew he needed my support.
I got my license a few months after Simon did. I think that is very important as a partner.
I remember being at the office for a compliance meeting 9 months pregnant, very uncomfortable and pretty much ready to give birth. And did the next day. Most people have excuses.
When Simon was still stuck between his salaried job and coming full time in Primerica, I used go to the office with our young son. I would meet each morning with our RVP Shafik in order to get the right mindset, keep plugged in, and for accountability. Even when Simon couldn’t be there.
I am a very introverted person by nature, but I would join Facebook groups and Moms groups in the community in order to meet new people and build relationships in order to help Simon to get more recruits and clients Even though I really didn’t want to and it made me very uncomfortable.
I go to as many of the meetings, trainings and conventions that I can while still making sure that I am taking care of the household and the kids. For the longest time, our “vacations” were solely going to the convention. We even took our youngest son Keaton to a company trip to the Bahamas and to a convention in Atlanta when he was just a few months old.
Things didn’t come easy to us here. We hadn’t had any experience in business or finance. Simon especially had a steep learning curve as we was the lead partner and he hadn’t read a book in a long time, knew nothing about money, didn’t know how to recruit people, didn’t know how to sell. Really, he had no skills that would help someone be successful here. lol. He needed me to be his cheerleader, to believe in him, to support him. He did not need me to make him feel guilty, to feel stress or pressure.
Simon wanted to quit many times. That’s probably when he needed me the most. I would remind him of how far we have come and that it will be worth it. And I would remind him about why we started here in the first place. It’s these “little things” that a partner does that will make the world of a difference. If as a partner, you are negative or passive aggressive or things like that, you are inadvertently pushing your lead partner closer to leaving this business and that is the worst thing you could do.
If any of you know Simon, if you get him on the right subject, you can’t get him to stop talking. lol. One of those topics is Primerica. About development, skills, how to do things and etc. Not to mention stories of things that have happened. My role has been to listen, and listen, and listen, and listen. HAHA.
We are not one of those Primerica stories where everything worked out from the moment we signed our IBA’s. We have had a lot of adversity. We had moved to a new province a couple of years before we started in Primerica. We barely knew anyone, had no roots in the community, had no family support. We had a child pass away, we have 2 children with needs. One of them our son Parker who has autism. We have always chosen to learn and grow, become stronger and to persevere no matter what. It’s all a decision. And choosing to have a strong partnership is necessary. I don’t share these things because I want people to feel sorry for us, I share them because I know there are people reading this who need to hear that you can succeed no matter what. That you can choose to use your adversity to your advantage and grow stronger from it.
These days, although we are nowhere near where we want to be, we are so grateful that we have pushed hard to make things happen. We get recognized and voted on in our community as one of the top advisors. We get referrals all the time. Simon is able to spend more time with our kids than ever. Life has changed and it is constantly improving because we make it so. When we look back, we are so grateful that we have made the decisions we have. I am so glad that I chose to support Simon when most wives wouldn’t have.
You don’t have to be the partner who is on appointments, in the office, or running the Primerica business. In our case, that’s not what worked best or what Simon needed. You just have to figure out where your strengths are and focus there. Make sure you support each other. Always remember that you 2 are the only 2 who will care the most about your future. You will each have down days. Pick each other up. When you feel like quitting, which you will, remind each other of WHY you made the decision to be here and about the future you are creating. Don’t ever remind each other about past failures or each others weaknesses. You are a team working together, not against each other.
Talk about your goals and dreams together constantly. Make sure to talk to each other and communicate how you feel, especially if you’ve had a bad day and need support. You get to celebrate all the wins together, but you also have to face the struggles together.
We are so grateful we found this business vehicle. It didn’t happen by accident. We have become better people, better parents and have had a positive impact on 100’s of families so far, as a result.
We are also so very grateful to have amazing partnerships as uplines and examples in Shafik/Shelina Lalani and Bobby/Candy Gocool. It reminds us that you can have it all. A great family, a great partnership, a great business and a great life.
Marie O’Neill, RVP Partner
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