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It’s a conversation that many of us hope to never have, but no one can avoid it. What do we do when an immediate family member dies? This question is not just about funeral arrangements and estate planning, but finances as well. For many families whose breadwinners die without coverage, the emotional pain is exacerbated by looming financial devastation and anxiety. The emotional burden can be lessened by an insurance payout, which often brings families some peace of mind on one of the worst days of their lives. As an entrepreneur with experience in this field, Eric Schmidt has seen how insurance changes lives for both agents and the families they provide with coverage.
Eric is the founder and president of Family First Life North East, a Connecticut-based insurance company affiliated with Family First Life. FFL North East’s mission is to make the families the agency protects and the families of its agents the number one priority. As a former agent with an ambition to improve his quality of life, Eric understands the importance of providing a supportive environment for his team. In January 2022, Eric partnered with Integrity Marketing LLC, an omnichannel insurtech leader in life, health, and wealth solutions, to further promote agent success.
Before joining the FFL network, Eric worked 70-90 hours a week in the automotive industry and was still unfulfilled. Although there wasn’t a true cap on his income, there were too many variables he couldn’t control, such as gas prices and inventory of cars. Working such long hours also meant Eric missed many crucial family milestones because he didn’t have real control over his career. The desire for more control over his time and finances led him to the insurance world, a choice he has never once regretted.
In Eric’s words, the life insurance industry is one of a few that aren’t transactional. Coming from the automotive industry, Eric says life insurance is different because it’s not just about sales. For Eric, it is about helping families navigate the dark times that follow the loss of a loved one, which he says is the most rewarding thing he’s ever done. In his first full year of business, Eric personally helped 479 families with life insurance, a milestone he’s continued to surpass.
At the height of the pandemic in 2020, he provided 607 families with coverage on his own and grew a team of insurance agents to spread the impact. Today, FFL North East has hundreds of agents that work alongside Eric to help thousands of families with their insurance needs. Eric’s goal is to train and equip more agents to spread the impact of his work further. This opportunity is open to qualified agents looking for an agency invested in their growth and self-driven newbies with a passion for helping people.
As a member of FFL North East’s team, agents get access to an unrivaled support system that ensures they grow as efficiently as possible. The company has heavily invested in departments such as marketing, leads, contracting, and onboarding to ensure everyone on the team has equal chances of success. Eric hopes to grow a team of accountable, trainable, and motivated agents ready to create positive change in people’s lives while still earning financial rewards.
