Byron & Jessica Chatfield
Saskatoon, SK
Former Occupation: Line Cook

Finding Purpose
In 2004, 21-year-old Byron Chatfield of Saskatoon, SK, was working as a line cook at a family-style restaurant, but he knew he wanted to do something bigger. “I was searching for something more meaningful to do with my life,” remembers Byron. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with restaurant work — we need those jobs — but I wanted more.”

“Here I was, at the beginning of my adult years, casting about, looking for what I was going to do with myself and what my identity was going to be.”

One fateful day Byron answered a help wanted ad in a newspaper. “Yep! Remember those?,” laughs Byron. “The ad said they were looking to train motivated people, so I answered the ad and went to the appointment. I interviewed with Primerica Representative Gordon Kopp, and I was so taken with his description of what Primerica does for families: the concepts it teaches and the opportunity, that I signed up then and there.^1-4 I actually set up two interviews for that day, but I skipped the second one because I was so fascinated with Primerica. I later found out that second interview was for selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door.”

Byron started working his Primerica business on a part-time basis but threw himself into learning everything he could. “I wasn’t an immediate or massive success,” says Bryon.⁵ “But I made money and stuck with it. I got out of my comfort zone, grew my people skills and my knowledge. Most importantly, I didn’t give up. In that sense, I was a success. I got better and better and became more comfortable at what I was doing.”

BUILDING AND SHARING
Fast forward a few years and Byron was seeing good results in his Primerica business, but something was missing. Byron wanted someone with whom he could share his life. “I noticed this really cute girl who lived near me in the same condominium complex, and I wanted to meet her,” smiles Byron. “I don’t know what was going through my head at the time, but one day I got up the nerve to leave a note on her car letting her know that I’d like to meet her.”

That “cute girl” turned out to be Jessica. “I found the note,” laughs Jessica. “But I didn’t know who had left it because Byron hadn’t signed his name! After we eventually met, I discovered that Byron was a nice, interesting guy. He asked me out and I was hesitant at first, but then he closed me with the line, ‘What do you have to lose?’ Neither one of us had a lot of time on our hands because he was busy with his Primerica business and I was working two jobs, but we found the time to go on a few dates. It wasn’t the first date, but early on, Byron took me to a Primerica meeting. I thought to myself, ‘Well, this is not your usual date,’ but I could see that Byron was ambitious and he was sincere. Before long, we’d fallen in love.”

Soon, Byron and Jessica were married and working together toward making their dreams come true. They built a team of like-minded people, and in the summer of 2008, the couple opened their own Primerica office in Saskatoon, when Byron was 25 and Jessica, just 21.

“Since those early days, we’ve experienced steady growth,” says Jessica. “Things haven’t always been easy. Life has thrown some things at us. We’ve had health scares and, along the way, brought two beautiful children into the world. But the positive thing about our Primerica business has been that, when anything came along, we had the leeway and freedom to deal with those issues without having to go to our employers to ask, hat in hand, for time off to deal with whatever the challenge was. We were in control of our time. Maybe we had to put the other things in God’s hands, but we had control over our time.”

“What a wonderful thing our Partnership has been,” adds Byron. “I know we wouldn’t be where we are today without each other’s contributions.⁶ We play really well off each other’s strengths and when one of us may be down, because that is bound to happen, we’re always there to pick each other up and remind ourselves of why we’re doing what we’re doing. We ascribe to the philosophy ‘Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.’ You just have to work through any challenges. That is what we have always done and that is the example we strive to set.”

LOOKING AHEAD

It’s been two decades since Byron and Jessica started their Primerica journey. Their children, now 5 and 10 years old, are being raised with exposure to a business and way-of-life that will one day be theirs. “The kids love to travel with us to the many great destinations that we head to for Primerica leadership events,” says Byron.⁷ “As they grow, so will their understanding of what we, as a Company, do for families and communities.”

Since their early days, before their first Primerica office was a reality, the Chatfields have always striven for steady growth. “If you do the right things long enough, your efforts are going to catch on,” Byron shares. “Our team members and Primerica clients know they are foremost in our hearts and in our mission. We have always had in mind our next goal and our next. The beautiful thing about a Primerica business is that your dreams and determination are what decide where you go.”

1. Primerica Representatives are independent contractors and are not employees of Primerica. Representatives earn income through the sale of products and are not paid to recruit.
2. The opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of Primerica.
3. Primerica representatives market term life insurance underwritten by National Benefit Life Insurance Company, Home Office: Long Island City, NY in New York State; Primerica Life Insurance Company, Executive Offices: Duluth, GA in all other U.S. jurisdictions; and Primerica Life Insurance Company of Canada, Home Office: Suite 400, 6985 Financial Drive, Mississauga, ON, L5N 0G3, Phone: 905-812-2900 in Canada.
4. In the U.S., securities and advisory services are offered by PFS Investments Inc., 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30099-0001, member FINRA [www.finra.org]. Primerica and PFS Investments Inc. are affiliated companies. PFS Investments Inc. conducts its advisory business under the name Primerica Advisors. In Canada, mutual funds are offered by PFSL Investments Canada Ltd., mutual fund dealer. Head Office: Mississauga, Ontario.
5. In Canada, the part-time opportunity may be subject to certain restrictions, depending on your occupation.
6. The Partnership Empowerment Program (PEP) is a recognition program for supportive partnering among Primerica representatives. It does not signify a business or legal partnership. PEP cannot affect, combine or alter contractual compensation, hierarchical agreements or ownership issues.
7. In 2025, Primerica will sponsor three leadership events that will collectively have approximately 3,200 qualified participants. Any licensed representatives may participate in those special events if they meet the qualification requirements.