Today we’d like to introduce you to Randi Sullivan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was a school teacher prior to starting my career in financial services. I worked in a low income area and often my students would complain about their parents not having any job opportunities or enough money to meet their needs.
Due to this I would spend time with my students teaching them about money and entrepreneurship and I ended up being reprimanded by the administration for teaching content that was not in the given curriculum.
This was my last straw to drive me out of the classroom and into financial planning. I started my career educating teachers and putting on free financial wellness seminars at schools.
Two years into my new career I opened my own office and began building a workforce of agents. Seven years later we have 80 licensed life insurance agents and financial coaches working within our firm, and 4 registered representatives handling the investments. Our business name is ONO Distribution, we’re a franchise of a larger broker working with about 200 financial companies to serve our clients.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Pivoting from teaching to financial planning was challenging in some ways!
The licensing process for investment advisor representatives is not easy. I mentored under another advisor for two years before going out on my own.
Through the process of working with clients I’ve worked with people who are in deep debt and not enough income to cover the bills, as well as people with millions to invest and an income far surpassing what they need. Understanding the mental complexities of how to discuss the pitfalls of someone’s situation while helping them feel both supported and not judged is a skill that I had to work on refining for myself, and then teach to the many different personalities that work alongside us as advisors!
Before the pandemic we were meeting in an office or at our clients houses in person and once everything shut down, our biggest challenge was learning how to gain the trust of our clients when working with them through Zoom. Creating real relationships via Zoom takes time and effort and was a huge struggle at first. Thankfully we were able to adjust our approach and the general public became more comfortable with electronic communication and we’ve been able to help clients all over the United States!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about ONO Distribution ?
We specialize in personalized planning for millennial parents: We understand that your financial goals are unique. Our customized strategies are tailored to fit your individual needs and aspirations in a time where you’re raising kids and thinking about not only your future, but theirs!
We have a holistic approach: From investment advice to retirement planning, debt management to estate planning, we offer a comprehensive range of services to secure your financial future. This is different from many agencies that tend to only focus on one financial area, leaving your financial plan with many gaps.
Our biggest values are transparency & trustworthiness: We pride ourselves on honesty and integrity. Our goal is to empower you with clear, actionable insights and recommendations that we would stand by and recommend to even our dearest family members. It’s important to us that we make a positive difference in the lives of our clients.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Leaving teaching I took a huge risk financially. I went from a steady paycheck to a full commission position with no back up plan.
I had so much conviction for what I was doing that I wanted to give it my all. I told my husband that I was either going to fail while trying my best or we would have a full on business to run one day.
Thank goodness we ended up with a great business! My husband was so supportive and when I opened my office he left his position to work with me full time. His support was everything to me.
Pricing:
- We don’t charge for our advising at ONO. We believe in removing the barriers for financial education. This is exactly why I left the classroom, to have the freedom to teach without being held back. We are paid by the financial companies we work with if we’re able to help someone put investments or insurance in place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.clubono.online/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sully113
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16QB44WF7Z/
