 They don't know this, but what you guys have is incredibly special, you know? You're building something unique, fun, exciting, and there's a lot of potential revenue in your future over these next 12 months. I mean, there's a lot. What do you think's been the secret to your success? Cause you guys have been in the business how long again? So I've been in since 2009 as an insurance agent, but as an agency owner since 2014. Okay, so the last six, seven years on that side of it, what do you think's been the secret sauce to the growth you've had and the success you've had that others can learn from? All right, I got some incredible special guests today. Anthony and Rakita Starks from Dallas, Texas. The power couple with tons of energy just like that. Are you guys, is the personality, are you guys always like this or are you just putting on a show for me today? No, this is hideous. I love how much, you guys have fun, right? And when you're building a team and a culture and what you guys are doing, like what attracted me to you guys and I was wanting you to be here today and I spent some time together was like the online persona of how much fun you guys have in your office with your people. Like more people need to be having fun like you guys do. Where does that come from? Just a natural, who we are? Even our children are getting the trickle down effect that they're loud, they're adventurous and enthusiastic, all that kind of stuff. So that's just who we've been. And now that we run a company, we can just extend that in our company. That's it, that's it. How have you seen that help your company? Just the owners having enthusiasm and passion and actual care and it really shows that you enjoy the life and health insurance that you're selling. How's that transferred into some of your team members and employees? I would say it's really transferred in the form of them having fun at work. They look forward to coming to work. It's not a dreadful situation. Sometimes people can have jobs that they hate or they're just doing it for a paycheck, but we really feel the passion with our people. That's huge, that's huge. Who's the better salesperson? Okay, so tell me what Rakita's better at then, everything else? See, I'm the head, she's the heart. Oh, I like that. I'm sales, she's the service because me, I can get straight to business sometimes. She's like back up a little bit, butter it up. Yeah. So I get the business, she keeps the business. Every company needs a Rakita, that's a lot like Lauren, because we would scare everybody away. Right. You know? It's all kind of crazy. We are a little crazy, we are a little crazy. But it's needy. That's right. And you're actually in the middle of writing a book about this, by the way, which I thought, I don't know if it's okay to publish, but I loved, I guess I'm also putting pressure on you now to write it too, or make it a public, because I was impressed by that. Because you guys are a dynamic couple, you have fun, you're great at working together in a business setting. Not every couple is excited or is good at that and running a business together. You guys are doing a really good job of that, by the way. At least it seems like to me, you guys are doing a really, really, really good job of that. It's been a process. It is, man. It is, man. I think it just started with understanding who he was, like instead of trying to change who he was, or get him to adapt to my, like he said, I'm the heart. So don't always try to see it emotionally, but see it as, okay, how does this make sense in the business? Okay, he has to be at the business this much, because the business is like a baby, it takes nurturing. So I had to come to us a point of understanding why he's doing it, and how he's doing it, and really adjusting myself. I think we always get so caught up in adjusting the other person that we don't adjust ourselves. So good, so true. And for those that don't know Anthony Rakita, they're operating an agency out of Dallas, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, doing very well on the life and health side of the business. What business were you guys in before insurance? So myself, I was in sales, I was a pawn broker. So I was a store manager at a pawn shop. So I was doing that. I've had many different jobs. Lifeguard, done that. Lifeguard, yeah. Like Baywatch with you, Anthony running down the beach. Lifeguard, I had my own long service. I had my own mobile detail service, and I all started from selling snacks in school, from a youngster selling snacks. So the first time I first started selling candy, it was to one of my neighbors across the street, the old Penny candy, I would go get it, 25 cents to work, and sell it to them three, four quarter. Yeah, three pieces of candy for 25 cents. It's an entrepreneur your whole life. Yeah. Yeah. How about your new beginning? But I was a property manager in the apartments, and then when we started the business, I was a stay-at-home mom. So I stayed at home for the first four years of our children's lives, and then they went to school, and then that's when I came in full-time in insurance. So I haven't been licensed as long as him. Yeah. You both seem to really enjoy it though. Yeah. Why insurance? Well, just from my story, coming into the business, as I've shared before, for anybody who doesn't know my story, when my granddad died in 2009, he didn't have life insurance. So when you understand the detriment that that causes financial in the family to come up with all of this money, well, now he's passed away. We come up with the money to bury him. My dad ends up passing six to nine months later. So now you have two family members who've passed away in a 12 month calendar period, no life insurance. So that's what brings us into the business, with me into the business in 2009. Did either of you ever think you'd be selling life insurance and health insurance today? No. I wasn't just going to be a police officer. I thought I was going to be a detective. I was going to be a teacher. Wow. Well, now you're protecting clients and prospects, right? And teaching prospects and clients and agents and the team. You know what financial freedom really is, right? Because their agency's financial freedom insurance out of Dallas. I love the name, by the way. Thank you. That's what everybody's trying to do. Everybody's trying to generate financial freedom. How easy was it to choose the name? They just click? It was something that was definitely needed. It was something floating around all the time. You see a lot of these beyond balls, financial freedom, and all that kind of stuff. So I stuck with what I was after and then what we wanted for other people. So we're always a type of couple and people individually as well. We don't only want things for ourselves. We understand as God blesses us, it's to be a blessing to somebody else. That's right. I love that. Rakita, are you, I'm guessing, like Lauren's goal is to like enrich our team members' lives and she has a massive heart for everybody that works with us. Are you probably more of the same way? Yes, very much so. I like to see people be better than they were yesterday. So it's like, I'm always gonna find, I'm thinking of ways that improves the individual versus the team so much, you know? Like, yes, the team matters, but we have to also look at the details of each person. So yes, I love pouring into people. That's awesome. And in the agency, what's each of your roles, you think? So I'm more operation sales, training, and... And I'm more of... Customer support, customer experience, and agent development. Yeah, nice. Awesome. And you're selling life and health. You're earning a good amount of income. You have several agents locally, some VA's helping you. What do you think's been the secret to your success? Because you guys have been in the business how long again? So I've been in since 2009 as an insurance agent, but as an agency owner since 2014. Okay, so the last six, seven years on that side of it, what do you think's been the secret sauce to the growth you've had and the success you've had that others can learn from? I would say I'm being committed. Okay, what's the other one saying? Great one, I was thinking like... Yeah. I was gonna say dedication. Dedication, commitment. Just being committed to the craft. That was time we first started out and you get the overhead of being an owner. I mean, you have to make a lot of sacrifice. So we've sold personal possessions, cars, things out of our home to make sure that it ends met. And at the same time to invest into our company as well, because we bootstrapped. We didn't get loans and all that to start. So we bootstrapped it. And where'd you start at the kitchen table? Oh, I started it. Okay, so she's gonna tell us. So I started at the kitchen table and she's nursing our oldest son, little Anthony. And man, the whole house had to be quiet. I want to call babies crying in the back. And it was just crazy. So she kicks me out of the kitchen, sends me upstairs. And I started in the upstairs room and it was just... We have four bedroom house and you want to choose the center room for the kitchen. Yeah, it's the kitchen. Yeah. So I had to send him upstairs. Yeah, so one day she just came out real calm, real sweet as she can be. I'm in the middle of working. She's just slowly packing my stuff in the box. And I'm, what are you doing? And next thing I'll see is going upstairs and all of my stuff with her. She's like, this is your new workspace. Walk him into your office. Yes. That's awesome. Was there a moment where you guys thought about quitting? I would say for me, no. Because I knew that I had to own something. So I knew it was gonna be a company. I just didn't know what company. So when we got into the business, I would just start, let me go back to 2009 because I can kind of better explain it. In 2009, I started 10, 11. I go back to the corporate world when, as been our commission, can be tough. I go to the corporate world for about two years but then making really good money, great benefits and all that. I knew that that wasn't for me. I needed to be in the owner role so that not just for to be in charge and all that, but because I needed to be able to create other opportunities for people. So as we get back in it, we're hitting it hard. We're sacrificing. We're doing all we can do to make it work. That was just where my mind was. It was the why I was in it. Not only just to create opportunities but just thinking about my dad and granddad that, hey, I need to be educating other people so they don't go through what I went through and also to make sure that they leave inheritance to their generations. Was there moments along the way where you were like, this dude's freaking nuts? Yeah, for sure. Not so much now. Cause he's rubbed off on me. But yes, I did think that he was kind of crazy but and there were moments that I wanted to give up because, you know, being married to entrepreneur, ambitious man, it takes a lot. It takes a strong woman to be married to an ambitious man. So there were moments that I wanted to give up but then I knew I'd be giving up on him, our family and myself. Yeah. And now team members too, right? Yeah. Yeah. You guys seem to do seem incredibly dedicated and committed. Like there's nothing that's going to get in your way. Being a business owner is not easy, right? It's not always everything it's cracked up to be that everybody talks about. Right. You know, what are some of the key business lessons that you've learned along the way that have really made a big difference and a big shift over these last six or seven years? For me, I would say documenting. Okay. Documenting systems and processes. Not taking the money right now because I know as you're in a survival mode of a business and an empathy stage, it can be tough. But when you really say, you know what? Not that sale, let me work on the business right now so that I can develop system of process to streamline the company and then it'll be a lot easier to live. So you leverage the business through system of processes versus trying to do it all on your own. So good. Everybody always wants to take as much money out of the business as humanly possible early on. It's like, it doesn't work. You're draining the life of the company. Right. I respect that you guys. It really sounds like we're in it for the long game. You weren't in it for a short-term financial game, but you knew that if you sacrificed a little bit for a few years, that would be some serious, sick, long-term financial game. Right. Right. Yes. Yeah, which is huge. How's today been? You've been in the office for about a half a day. Yes, it's been great. I'm ready to give back. Yeah. I'm ready to give back. I'm ready to help from it. I love it. What's been some, what do you think about morning meeting this morning, by the way? Oh, that was awesome. I liked how short and sweet to the point it was, and given the agent's opportunity also to ask questions to grow. So I really like that part. It doesn't have to be a long, drawn-out meeting to get going. Yeah. I think I like more of the, honestly, the energy that getting up, having to exercise and get moving, body rest, stage of rest, but body emotion, stage of motion. So I saw that motion. Did they use some energy over there? Yeah, they did. Yeah, and we love energy. The only way we do events is so we loudest people in the room. Yeah. I believe it. That was you when I heard it. Yeah. Probably it was, dude. Probably. Yeah. What's been some big takeaways? You've spent some time with us. We've spent a lot of one-on-one time together. What's been some big takeaways that you're going to take back immediately tomorrow and start to implement and grow? I would say focus in on the numbers. Because there was some time you asked us some questions. We had to go fidget for them or we didn't know them right off or we had to go for my gut. But understanding the stories that the number is telling you and when you broke those numbers down and we could see it, it brought a lot of clarity. Even though we might have known some of the things, kind of talked about them. But once we saw it on the board and then you just have a way to make the person think bigger, you talking about helicopters and jets and all this kind of stuff. And now we're going to get us a jet. Yeah. Right. Now we got to get us a jet, so boom. No, not. Yeah, not. Right? So you're doing that so when you just made it plain, just hey, if you can do this or you're able to do this, is this possible? And all of those were yes, so there's no reason not to do it. And it was your answers, right? I was just asking questions and kind of trying to steer some conversation and really dive into the numbers deeper. Because what you guys have, they don't know this, but what you guys have is incredibly special. You're building something unique, fun, exciting. And there's a lot of potential revenue in your future over these next 12 months. I mean, there's a lot. So thank you for being here, spending time together, being committed to the industry, sitting front row at 8%, 2021 coming up, like 66 days. Yeah. If you had to describe, each of you had to describe today so far in one word. And you can only pick one word to describe the day you've had. What word would that be? Who wants to jump out and go first? One word. For me, I would just have to say clarity. Good. Yeah, you mentioned a lot. That's a great word, too. That's a great word, a lot of people need some clarity. Man, is this tough? They always say it's hard to see the picture inside the frame, so that's why I hire resources that are outside the frame too all the time. Because I'm like, OK, well, what do they see? I don't know what I see, but what do they see? I would say we have a starting point. We've been in the middle, but it's a starting point to the next level. So I see where we need to hire. I guess they still go back to clarity, but we see where we need to go. Yes. Yes. Yeah. It's kind of like walking in a dark room and you bump your knee on a furniture. You don't know where you're going and you turn on the lights. So I think, well, I think I know the lights. You turn on the lights today with just hiring, compensation, all of it. So the lights went off. Huge, man. Thank you. Thank you. OK, you guys are amazing. Thank you for being here. I've been loving getting to know you, and I'm looking forward to a long-term relationship. I've continued to know you, get to know you, and watch you scale and grow this thing. Yes. They're going to have a monster one day. All right? Yeah. I love it. OK, thank you guys so much. Thank you. Thank you. All right, hey, if you're a power couple like the Starks, let's get you a Nazi. Hey, if you enjoyed this, I got another one you're going to love. It's right there. Click on it. See you in there. Who likes money? OK, come on now. Come on now. Come on now. All right, all right. OK, two more, two more.