Lead. Empower. Grow. Podcast

It's the first episode of Lead. Empower. Grow.'s 2023 season! Today we talk to the one and only Javier Rodriguez, Executive Field Chairman out of Southern California and one of FFS' greatest business builders. Listen as Javier shares his peerless advice, insight and strategies for success — which include the importance of policy renewals and becoming a personal example of the power of the product.To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

On this week's episode of Sales Edition with Andy Cowan, our Director of Sales interviewed Senior Marketing Director Chi Luu from Southern California about how she optimized her referral process to launch her business to the Top 15 in Personal Points. Chi walked Andy through her sales process step-by-step and explained her she manages to close 80% of her sales after the first meeting. Don't miss this insightful discussion covering everything from how to ask for referrals to the art of cross-selling.Want to know how our top salespeople are running their businesses? Tune in for more episodes of Sales Edition with Andy Cowan, coming each month on the Lead. Empower. Grow. feed.  If you want to increase your personal production, you won't want to miss it.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

On this inspirational episode of Lead. Empower. Grow., Regional Marketing Director Shenita Jones — you might know her better as "S.J." — came on the show to talk to me about her beginnings in financial services: from her life as a serial entrepreneur to 20 years in the insurance industry to finally finding the right products that can be used to build generational wealth for the people in her community. Enjoy this great discussion all about her secrets to success: being true to herself, true to the vision of helping other people, and how to achieve whatever you can see through the power of belief.To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

On today's episode, Regional Marketing Director Vicki Diep of Team Resilience in California sat down for a great conversation about bringing life insurance to the Asian community and changing the face of insurance in the process. Vicki is dedicated to helping families for the sake of helping them and brings an inspiring energy to our talk about everything from the stigma around life insurance to the difficulty of selling financial products as opposed to tangible goods like houses and cars. Hear how she overcomes these obstacles and more in this enlightening episode of Lead. Empower. Grow.To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Welcome to the first episode of Sales Edition with Andy Cowan, our new Lead. Empower. Grow. mini-series featuring our very own Director of Sales interviewing top leaders about how they reach such high sales numbers.Our first guest is Field Vice President Tony Jackson out of Charlotte, NC, who was gracious enough to talk to Andy about where he finds his leads, how he connects with prospects, and how he leverages his book to close so many sales. Tony gave some valuable insight on his entire process, including the F.O.R.T. Method of talking to prospects and how he gets people to join him for a conversation.Want to know how our top salespeople are finding leads? How they are connecting with prospects? What their appointment process looks like? Tune in for more episodes of Sales Edition with Andy Cowan, coming each month on the Lead. Empower. Grow. feed.  If you want to increase your personal production, you won't want to miss it.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Sean and Kim Weaver run their business as the perfect pair: Sean, a pastor, is the people person while Kim, a former engineer, runs the numbers. Together, they protect families from potential hardship by making sure they have the financial solutions they need. On today's Lead. Empower. Grow. episode, join us for an interview with the Weavers about how they started in the industry and what drives their business forward.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

On this episode, our Lead. Empower. Grow. host sits down with Michael Hatter, a Senior Vice President who will be leading a sales panel at the upcoming Leaders Convention 2022 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on July 28. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at what he might discuss from stage, as well as a book recommendation to all who work in the industry entitled Who Moved My Cheese? and how those lessons inform how he protects his clients.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Our guest today is Matthew Wu, who sat down with Lead. Empower. Grow. for an educational discussion about what it means when inflation rates rise, uncertain market conditions and how it all combines to affect retirement planning. A former I.T. specialist who started a business in financial services, Matthew shares his lively passion for helping people find financial solutions in this enlightening episode.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Our guest today is Alan Guerra, a minister from Southern California who started a business to provide financial security to other pastors and their congregations. Alan spoke to Lead. Empower. Grow. about how he came to see the importance of life insurance, and his work providing retirement solutions and peace of mind to people across the country.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

For this episode, we interview Holly Or, an entrepreneur out of Charlotte, North Carolina and a member of former guest Polly Outhay's business team. Holly spoke to the inspiring example that businesswomen can set, and her episode focuses on the importance of representation, both on stage at FFS events and through the members of her own team, which consists of women who are giving back to their Cambodian community in North Carolina.  -----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Today's special episode is a first — instead of interviewing an entrepreneur from the field, the hosts of Lead. Empower. Grow. spoke to First Financial Security's Director of Sales Andy Cowan so he could share his expertise with the field.Andy has been with the FFS Home Office for six months after formerly being a sales trainer for life insurance carrier Columbus Life. Throughout his career, he has helped many salespeople find success. In this episode, he shares his most essential pieces of advice and gives a glimpse into what's coming in FFS's future.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This week on Lead. Empower. Grow., our hosts are joined by sister entrepreneurs Polly Outhay and Ali Bouasavatdy, two Senior Marketing Directors who run their business out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Polly and Ali have a unique perspective, and their discussion touched on the importance of diversity in the workplace, the flexibility that comes with running your own business and how 2022 will be the Year of the Tigress. -----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Our guest on this episode of Lead. Empower. Grow.  was named one of Forbes 50 Over 50 in Investment in 2021, sharing the list with powerful women like Vice President Kamala Harris and Barbara Corcoran. Shirley Luu, Executive Field Chairmen with FFS and head of Shirley Luu & Associates, joined us in the studio to give us her master tips for recruiting, share her origin story in the financial services industry and spill some secrets from her book IUL ASAP. -----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This week on Lead. Empower. Grow., we sat down with Daniel and Clare Abuga, Regional Marketing Directors who have made such an impression working together that they have earned the nickname DanClare in the field. We spoke to them about how important building generational wealth can be for immigrant families, as well as their unique sales philosophy that they call "the power of one hour."-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

The hosts of Lead. Empower. Grow. interview Mahider Mulugeta on this week's episode. Mahider is an Area Marketing Director who has been at the forefront of helping families secure their legacies through financial education. We spoke to Mahi about his success, including his background in storytelling and how he uses those skills to promote financial capability to families in need.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This week, the hosts of Lead. Empower. Grow. sat down with Executive Field Chairman Bridget Biermann,  who works alongside Mark Biermann as one half of the fastest growing EFC team in FFS history. We spoke to Bridget about her experience bundling policies into benefits packages, how to anticipate her clients' needs, and how she helps her team overcome challenges in the field.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Field Vice President Yetti Esatu sat down with the hosts of Lead. Empower. Grow. this week for a lively discussion of real estate and insurance. We talked to Yeti about informing her fellow realtors about the importance of life insurance, how to stay educated on the latest financial products, and how her experience in the housing market helped her adapt to the changes of 2020. -----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

The two top producers at First Financial Security sat down with the hosts of Lead. Empower. Grow. this week to talk about their long run of success and what it took to become the inaugural Chairman's Club members. Victoria Le and Corey Vuu have built an incredible team over the years, and they gave us insight into what they look for in recruiting, the resilience their team has shown since the pandemic began and how to overcome fear to find success.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This week, the hosts of Lead. Empower. Grow. sat down with Senior Vice President Paula Duncan to talk about how she shares financial solutions and opportunities with those who need them. Before joining FFS, Paula's career spanned everything from handwriting airline tickets as a travel agent to some old-school podcasting experience in radio advertising. We spoke about the ever-evolving nature of business, the balance of technology and people skills and more. -----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Senior Marketing Director Bee Lee is our guest this week on Lead. Empower. Grow., and she shares her inspiring story of studying for her insurance license as a single mom in the housekeeping business . She also shares her advice on maintaining a positive mindset and the importance of events like Leaders Convention to the growth of her business in an enlightening conversation.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This week features Area Marketing Director Abiyel Hewitt who stopped by to talk about the benefits of being your own boss, how technology has been helping financial education and helping teachers with their retirement through his book Teacher's Guide to Tax-Free Retirement. -----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

National Marketing Director Brandi Bridgett is on this week's episode to talk about how she built the perfect daily routine, how to thrive as a woman in a male-dominated industry and what sharing the umbrella means to her. Join our conversation.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This week, we sat down with Executive Field Chairman Bob Brotherton to talk about his interesting journey before joining our industry, his unique perspective on mastering the cold market and how to lead with the opportunity when approaching prospects. Join our conversation.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This week, we sat down with Field Vice President Daniela Dubach, who gave us an interesting perspective on what it was like to move from Europe to America to become an entrepreneur. In our interview, we discuss the differences in financial education between the two continents, financial vulnerability with regards to gender and how to present yourself responsibly on social media. Join our conversation.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This episode features Tony Jackson, a National Marketing Director at First Financial Security who sat down with us to talk about his success in financial services. We spoke to Tony about the power of integrity in our industry and the importance of having a strong support staff behind the scenes. Join our conversation.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

This episode, we sat down with Pahoua Xiong, a Senior Marketing Director at First Financial Security who reached her first diamond in December of 2019. We spoke to Pahoua about the challenges and benefits of working for herself as a woman in this industry, her goals for 2021 and how she's been able to use the latest First Financial Security tools to grow her business.  Join our conversation.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

For our first episode, we sat down with Mark Biermann, a familiar speaker at our national events and one of the fastest producing agents in FFS history. We spoke to him about his transition to our industry, the importance of positivity for his success and how a quick response to the pandemic helped his business.  Join our conversation.-----To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies, visit our website.

Tune in Monday, April 5 for the full interview with First Financial Security entrepreneur Mark Biermann.