"2022 has taught me as a CEO a number of valuable lesson. To start, you have to be humble and hungry, regardless of the success you have had in past."
Shawn Meaike is the founder and president of the life insurance agency, Family First Life. In late 2013, Shawn launched Family First Life, currently a half-billion-dollar independent marketing organization. As Shawn describes it, he is “building a company that truly puts both the families of our clients and the families of our agents first.”
Family First Life is now represented by over 17,000 licensed agents in all 50 states marketing mortgage protection, final expense, life insurance, and annuities. Family First Life generated over $10 million in paid premium during the first year in business and in 2022, the company is projected to reach close to $750 million dollars in issued paid premium.
Prior to launching Family First life, Shawn worked as an independent insurance agent, selling final expense, mortgage protection life insurance at a high level for several years. Shawn graduated with his masters degree in Applied Social Relations, which led to a career in the State Department of Children and Families, where he worked for more than 13 years.
Shawn is also invested in various other industries, alongside owning real estate property and a waste management company. He currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida with his family.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Shawn Meaike: I went to college to play baseball in 1995 and ended up getting a bachelor’s degree in social work and then obtained a masters degree in Psychology. After I graduated with my Masters Degree I obtained a job with the state of CT as a social worker and I also obtained a real estate license to supplement my income. For 15 years I worked two jobs to just keep my head above water.
When I was introduced to this opportunity, I was excited about one thing at first. NAA had thousands of leads that we’re filled out and signed by clients that WANTED insurance and I got paid on average $550 for each person I helped. I was never going to cold call anybody. I know how I feel when telemarketers call me and I wasn’t going to be one. I had no background in insurance, but I LOVED helping people. In 2008 I worked part time with NAA and earned $296,000 in my first 12 months… I was FIRED up!!
I quit both my jobs and worked with NAA full time and the year after I earned $602,000. This past year I 1099’d 1.4 million dollars. I never dreamed about being a millionaire, I just wanted to help people and I was afraid to be broke. Andy Albright the president and CEO of NAA personally mentored me and taught me how to follow the very simple system NAA has in place. If you can follow a system it will work. I always equate things to sports, you didn’t have to tell me twice to fill a hole and hit somebody when I played football, I just did it. I do the same with this opportunity. This opportunity doesn’t discriminate you just have to listen and WORK and the results will be insane.
Family First Life is an Independent Marketing Organization helping families with their life insurance, retirement planning and retirement protection needs. We place the families we serve and the families of our agents first. Our goal is to have the highest paid agents in the industry, as well as serving more families than any other IMO.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Shawn Meaike: 2022 has taught me as a CEO a number of valuable lesson. To start, you have to be humble and hungry, regardless of the success you have had in past. Always look forward as it pertains to business – in 2022 we had to adjust our business model as fast as possible, and the biggest lesson we learned was if you adopt a mindset and understand the benefit of growth, you will get a buy in from people from leading by example.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Shawn Meaike: With the current disruption in the economy, businesses should focus on their strengths and weaknesses. When anything pertains to benefits in life insurance we don’t want anyone to go through pandemic, but the more mortality there’s been, we’ve recognized we had to push through strength and weaknesses and adapt to a virtual society since there’s no other choice. During any down turn, although we don’t hope or want anyone to go through a pandemic, staying optimistic allows you to see there’s always opportunity.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Shawn Meaike: After the pandemic hit, we were socially responsible abiding by CDC guidelines and regulations. We talked about what you can and cannot control, one thing I’ve learned is focusing on what you can control.
To talk about what you can’t would be death sentence for our business. We adapted to sales over the phone, changed lead sources, etc. Adaptation will lead to success when you work hard and have a good attitude.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Shawn Meaike: I wish I knew the power of virtual sales prior to pandemic and while I was presented with this new path and the opportunity, I didn’t know what I didn’t know but plan to utilize this new opportunity to benefit our growth and outreaching to more clientele.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Shawn Meaike: We went from 5% of our business to being online prior to 2022 to about 65 % of our business being virtual now and will continue to move in that direction. It’s become normalized to purchase insurance and do business online and not face to face, we plan to adapt to these new model of “hybrid sales” to continue the momentum of growth.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Shawn Meaike: I Spend 10-12 hours in front of screen probably too much. We went from 5% of our business to being online prior to 2022 to about 65 % of our business being virtual now and will continue to move in that direction. It’s become normalized to purchase insurance and do business online and not face to face.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Shawn Meaike: Life insurance is all about stories, claims, that help exclaim death benefits and clients we didn’t help and didn’t receive, as Weill as stories of when the benefits have helped families. if you can package that up to those who you are marketing to and how you tell the story and how you can relate, if you’re passionate and can motivate and can be effective that’s crucial for your business. Being transactional is not always effective It’s important to be able to connect with people
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Shawn Meaike: Real challenge for us now is helping people see how much opportunity is out there in economy. Getting people to embrace life insurance is difficult, and
unfortunately people have the mindset of what they can’t do versus what they can do, and at FFL we are helping people realize they can exceed in this industry
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Shawn Meaike: I always thinking it’s me and will always think its me because at the end of the day as a leader, I feel I am responsible. Data doesn’t lie, what I believe is that if you
want change you must be the change you want to see. Do I think other leaders think that way? Probably, but I take claim whether its going well or not,
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Shawn Meaike: If I could chose a Superpower I would want the power to instill the belief level I have for people and place it in side them so that they can feel the same beliefs for themselves. This will give people courage and the confidence to see their own potential to do great things, and allow them to go out into the world to make themselves successful and see the same beliefs in others.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Shawn Meaike: My success is simple, I want more people to achieve financial freedom and more people to change the trajectory for themselves. We want to deliver more life insurance to middle
Americans, we know for years there an underrepresented community and there’s no reason it should be that way. We want to protect more families and I think that those who think they can’t we want to remodel their mindset and help as many as we can to change the world.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Shawn Meaike for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Shawn Meaike or his company, you can do it through his – Facebook
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