Tony and Shelly Narain Start a Family Business

In early 1994 Tony and Shelly Narain owned a real estate brokerage in the Stratford, CT, area. “Things were running along pretty well back then,” remembers Tony, “or at least we thought so. But then my brother came up to me one day and said, ‘Listen, I’ve heard about this company with a great opportunity. Let’s go check them out.’”

“I was really excited about what I saw,” says Tony. “I could see how we could help a lot more people and have a real residual business – something we would never have with real estate. Shelly and I weren’t scared about going out on our own because we had been doing that for years. What we were attracted to was the freedom.”

Tony and Shelly kept attending Primerica functions to find out more about the business. “That’s the part we got right immediately,” says Shelly. “We stayed plugged in – even if we were still concentrating on the real estate. We never missed a training meeting. In fact, we went to as many as six a week because we wanted to condense the time it took us to figure out the business and become successful. The beauty of Primerica is you have to put the time in to get your business going but you can do it at your own pace. We just chose to go as fast as we could.”

Tony and Shelly hit the ground running. “Things seemed slow to us at first,” says Tony “but the pace started to pick up.” By June of 1995, Tony and Shelly were ready to open their first Primerica office. “It was a stretch,” remembers Tony. “ But we went from $3,000 our first year with Primerica to $26,000 and three years later we were at $500,000.¹ Since then, the Narains have continued to build and are now Senior National Sales Directors with the company. They have an entire organization which they started and grew – and which they own.² “We have our own business within a business,” says Tony.

“You know, there’s one thing I want to say about Primerica that really changed our lives,” says Shelly. “Before we ever started making money, we were already learning how to manage our money. Before, even though we were earning what we thought was good money in real estate, we never had any money in the bank. We spent as fast as we made it. Primerica helped us learn how to pay ourselves first – and Tony and I haven’t argued about money since. We see eye-to-eye on finances.”

“Even after the money came rolling in,” says Tony, “we were careful about stepping up the lifestyle. And we brought up our four daughters in the same way. They have never had to worry about a thing – and today our family has a life we couldn’t have even dreamed up in 1994, but the kids appreciate where all of it came from. Hard work.”

Tony and Shelly are proud of their family and thrilled two daughters, Betty and Mary, are active in Primerica. “We’re building a family business that we can pass down from generation to generation,” says Tony.²

“It’s been a wonderful ride and we can’t wait for the future,” says Shelly.

1. The cash flows stated are not intended to demonstrate the earnings of typical RVPs/representatives. Rather, the cash flows that have been cited reflect the potential that comes with building your business, and there is no guarantee that you will achieve any specific cash flow level. Most RVPs/representatives do not achieve the levels illustrated. In the 12‑month period ending in December 2010, Primerica paid a total of $503,115,928 in compensation to the sales force at an average of $5,296 per licensed representative. Average RVP earnings are typically higher. Actual gross cash flow is, among other factors, dependent upon the size and scale of a representative’s organization, the number of sales and the override spread on each sale, and the ability and efforts of you and your downlines. Having said this, Primerica provides a tremendous opportunity for individuals who work hard and who desire to develop a business with strong income potential.
2. Ownership is available only upon meeting all qualification and eligibility requirements, and remaining in compliance with all terms and conditions, as set forth in the Ownership Program Document and various operating policies and procedures issued by Primerica from time to time.