EP73:'We're Home'

The text was so simple, but the meaning behind the two words carried more weight than most would ever imagine.

It was a hot day in July of 2015 in Burlington, N.C. during The Alliance’s “Leadership Conference” that is now known as “Family Reunion.”

Terry Edwards had finally convinced his wife, Tia to attend a big event after asking her to attend for months. She finally agreed, but she was far from sold on being in the life insurance business.

That thinking changed as Tia sat in the women’s seminar on the first day of the event, listening to the women of The Alliance share their inspirational and emotional stories. Tia, holding the couple’s newborn daughter, Taylor in her lap, was moved to tears as she heard Hollie Davies share her personal story.

Any prior doubts she had were now gone. Terry was in another meeting space at the men’s seminar when the text showed up on his phone.

“We’re home,” the text from Tia read.

“It took me being at that event and seeing and hearing these women share their heart and stories to know that we were right where we needed to be, and I knew we were with the right people too,” Tia said.

That’s the good news. To fully understand the journey of Terry and Tia Edwards, you have to go back and learn about the struggle to even find The Alliance and wind up as Agency Managers in 2019.

The couple met in middle school, started dating in high school in January of 1994 (Terry was a junior and Tia was a freshman), went to Elizabeth City State University together and got married in 2001. The couple always talked about what they wanted their life to be like together even in high school. Nice house, yard full of kids, good jobs and all the “American Dream” stuff most people desire.

They both got good jobs, but moved around North Carolina every couple years as Terry continued being promoted in different parts of the state. Eventually, the couple started a cleaning business as their “side hustle.” It was going so well they worked seven days a week and had to order staff to help keep up with the work.

In 2009, Terry discovered network marketing and his mind started thinking bigger in terms of what income level is possible. They earned around $2,000 monthly in network marketing, but the way it changed the couple’s thinking was far more important.

Full-time jobs, a janitorial business and network marketing … that’s a lot for any young couple. Something was missing, however. They wanted children, but doctor’s couldn’t explain why it wasn’t happening.

Thinking it wasn’t going to happen, the Edwardses focused on adoption. Instead of adopting one child, the couple ended up adopting three children – at the same time! Immediately, Isaiah (2), Anaya (3) and Elijah (4) were adopted in 2010 on Father’s Day weekend.

“That increased my drive,” Terry said. “I was focused on providing a future and a legacy for my children to follow.”

Fast forward to February of 2015 and life was even sweeter. Terry just accepted his dream job as the CEO of a credit union in Atlanta, Ga. Even better, Tia was four months pregnant with Taylor at the same time.

The couple packed up and moved from their house in Kernersville, N.C., sold their janitorial business and leased a home in Georgia. They hadn’t even sold their home in N.C. When Terry went to start his new job, the job offer was rescinded. With no job, a growing family to provide for and bills rolling in; Terry didn’t know how he was going to cover the bills with only his network marketing deal bringing money in.

“We had double bills and what was coming in was not going to cover everything,” Terry said. “I got on the computer and searched craigslist.”

Jason Mathis had posted a simple ad that read, “too many leads, not enough agents.” Edwards spoke to Mathis, got licensed and started running business quickly. Following The Alliance system, he banked $8,000 in the first 30 days.

“I didn’t have anything to lose so why wouldn’t I give it a shot?” Terry said. “Tia was still skeptical then, but it was working.”

Tia still was skeptical. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was pregnant or what, but she couldn’t understand why Terry was always on his phone … all day long it seemed.

“I had never seen a deal where you could make that much money so fast,” Tia said.

After being asked repeatedly by Mathis to go see The Alliance corporate headquarters and meet president and CEO Andy Albright, Edwards finally drove to Burlington, N.C. If he was “all in” before, his belief level reached new heights during his visit.

Terry watched Brant Swindle shoot a training video, attended The Wednesday Call and met with Andy Albright in his office after the show. That conversation forever changed Terry’s outlook on success.

“What captivated me was that Andy was so plain spoken,” Terry recalls. “What he said was just common-sense stuff. I couldn’t believe you could act normal, be hugely successful and make millions like he has done. I had never seen anybody like Andy.”

Terry asked Albright why he continued working so hard when he clearly didn’t have to. Why keep doing it?

“Andy said, ‘you are right, my grandkids are taken care of. The problem is you can’t say the same thing,’” Terry remembers. “I instantly fell in love with Andy because I was looking for a place where I could belong, where I wasn’t looked upon as a dollar bill, and my dreams and my aspirations were No. 1. We just clicked. Jane Albright met Tia and we started really building a friendship. We found out we had more in common than we do separate.”

After starting with The Alliance in April of 2015, the family moved back to their Kernersville, N.C.-house because they hadn’t even had time to sell it, after Terry’s “Dream Job” fell through. Terry and Tia won a Foresters cruise to the Bahamas and a trip to Banff, Canada in their first year with The Alliance. They got to know other agents even better on those trips.

Almost five years later, it’s hard to belief how many things have happened to and for Terry and Tia since joining The Alliance.

“It amazes me,” Terry says with a laugh. “It hasn’t lost its luster. I never want to get to a place where I think I got it. I know I still have to work on me and there’s another level to reach. There’s more to learn and I can be a better leader, so we can attract better people. We are not content or satisfied with good. We are shooting for great. We are not where we want to be, but we are not where we used to be either.”

2019 was a tremendous year of growth for Terry and Tia. They were able to realize their dream of opening a satellite office in Kernersville, a 1,700-square-foot space with offices for agents and a meeting space for 100 people when they host HotSpot meetings each Tuesday night.

Looking to 2020, Terry and Tia have set even bigger goals. They want to reach Vice President before the year ends. They want to attract better leaders and lead from the front. They want to help other people find their 'why,' then show them how to make it happen.

“It’s about knowing what it is that you want and then figuring out how to get it,” Terry said. “Being fanatical is about not stopping until you get what you want. Max out your capacity. Once you get one goal accomplished, there’s the next goal. Be better today than you were yesterday; but be better tomorrow than you were today. What do you want? What can you go through to get it? That’s fanatical.”

Who knows what would have happened if Tia wasn’t in the audience to hear Hollie Davies speak at the women’s seminar holding Taylor back in 2015. There’s a good chance, life would look different Terry, Tia, Elijah (14), Anaya (13), Isaiah (11) and Taylor (4), but the good news is we will never know.

Tia was there, and her commitment level went through the roof. A simple text she lovingly sent to her husband changed their lives forever. It helped change The Alliance for the better too.

“We are at home,” Tia says. “This is the right place with the right people. 2020 is about going all in and being a better person than you were yesterday.”