The Alimond Show

John Knight - Financial Planning and Faith in Overcoming Life's Challenges

• Alimond Studio

Share episode

Ever wondered how you can save on utility bills while securing your financial future? Join us as we sit down with John Knight, Vice President at Family First Life, who reveals his innovative approach to combining insurance with solar energy solutions through his partnership with New Sun. Learn how these strategies can make life insurance more affordable and why financial planning services like annuities and Index Universal Life are vital. Discover John’s compelling journey into the industry, inspired by his father’s entrepreneurial spirit and his own educational background, which laid the foundation for his successful career.

But the episode doesn't stop at financial strategies. Meet an author who has navigated significant personal and professional challenges, relying on faith to guide him through writing and publishing a transformative book. Hear how prayer, fasting, and daily walks became his pillars of strength amidst financial struggles and a crisis in confidence. We also discuss the author's raw experiences driving for Uber and Lyft in a dangerous city, emphasizing resilience, perseverance, and divine support as keys to overcoming life's hurdles.

In the final segments, prepare to be moved by extraordinary tales of kindness and divine intervention. From a heartfelt plea on Facebook that sparked unexpected support to the miraculous rescue after a car accident involving an autistic child, these stories shine a light on human resilience and the power of faith. We also celebrate the release of John Knight’s new book, supported by friends at Chambersburg Waste Paper and available through Xulon Press and Amazon. This episode is a treasure trove of inspiration, offering valuable lessons on finding purpose and support through life's trials.

Speaker 1:

My name is John Knight. I'm actually in the insurance business, so we offer annuities. Life insurance is one of our main focus. Our company is called Family First Life. I'm actually a vice president there. But I also have added something else to my business. But I've actually added solar with a company called New Sun. So it's kind of neat the way that kind of worked out, but it kind of works with what they're dealing with anyway, because it's one of neat the way that kind of worked out, but it kind of works with what they're dealing with anyway, because it's one of the things they always have to pay and we can actually save them money on it. And then that in turn makes the life insurance almost free or more affordable, because with everything going with inflation, everybody's trying to figure out a way to save money and with the solar we can actually control one of the bills that they have. So it's something that came about just because of, I think, circumstance, but I'm very thankful and that's actually really new.

Speaker 2:

Wow, and can you expand a little bit on solar? So is that just another insurance company that you merge with, or is it a different type of service that's added onto what you already offer? Is it?

Speaker 1:

a different type of service that's added on to what you already offer. It's a full. It's a different type of service that is added on Basically. You've probably seen solar panels on someone's house or a solar equipment on the ground.

Speaker 1:

So, what it basically does is it can actually eliminate their bill. Depending on where they live, it can almost eliminate their bill, or eliminate it in some cases, and what happens is all the sun that they're gathering. When sun's out, like during the wintertime, the summertime, it actually spreads out through the whole year. So the only thing they're actually usually we can save them probably between 30 and 50% off their current bill. Oh, wow, yeah, I know that's crazy, yeah. And then there's all these tax incentives that I never knew about.

Speaker 1:

So in some states they have cash back. I mean, it's just in terms of the customer. This helps them so much, like we understand that life insurance is so important that everybody needs to have it. But when you talk about somebody can actually feel it on their bottom line. When you look at that, it's just like I definitely want the life insurance because I need it anyway, and then I can increase the value in my house, I can get some incentives back and I can even roll credit card debt in with the solar loan without having to do a second mortgage. So yeah, it's just, it's a it's when I, when I heard the first presentation for a friend of mine, I was just blown away Because I thought I was yeah, I understand pretty much I had no idea.

Speaker 2:

You learned a lot.

Speaker 1:

Huh, yeah, I learned a lot. I learned a lot and when I heard that, I said everybody that has that would work in their area. They should have it Because, even like, if the grid would go down, some of the systems can last like two, two days, you know, and so that's, I feel like that's incredible If you, if you don't have some type of generator, at least you have, you know, a couple of days of light you know so and so yeah, so that's that's basically what I do and it's basically financial services using life insurance.

Speaker 1:

So we use all of our license. They always say it. So usually we're dealing with final expense, which helps you with like burial insurance, life insurance for kids up to adults. And then we have things like infinite banking, like be your own bank, which is like a lot of wealthy people do, or like the Rockefellers did so they actually open my mind up to that. And then annuities, because with the 401k, with the stock market being so volatile, sometimes you're guaranteed your money instead of putting it in and not knowing what's going to happen. And then we have things like Index Universal Life, which takes a lot of benefits of the stock market but also takes the benefits of life insurance with the safety, and still gives you a chance to grow a retirement. So those are the options that we offer to be able to protect families.

Speaker 1:

Okay, that is awesome, I love the range of services that you have for clients. That's amazing.

Speaker 2:

And now tell me, how did you get into this industry? Were you always like I'm going to be an insurance agency, I'm going to offer services to help people, or how did you get that start?

Speaker 1:

So I always wanted to be in business. I always wanted to help people. My dad was a administrator at a school. Okay, so I always wanted to be in business. I always wanted to help people. My dad was an administrator at a school, so I always wore a suit. I always wanted to wear a suit. Once my dad did, and he actually, way back, he tried to get insurance with AL Williams, which is now Prime America. So he never got his license but it actually inspired us because he was always trying to do Amway. He tried to do vacuum cleaners. He tried all this stuff. He was always trying to do Amway, trying to do vacuum cleaners. He tried all this stuff. He was always trying to be an entrepreneur. So that put that seed in me because we knew like there was always that opportunity. Now his never panned out because a lot of times he couldn't put the time in because he had that full-time job and he couldn't afford to like almost take the time off, to like kind of actually take that leap of faith.

Speaker 1:

Yes like kind of actually take that leap of faith. Yes, so, um, but he was, uh, he was a great decision maker and what he was doing because he worked with in human services, with kids at a school, um was where he was supposed to be, but he instilled that entrepreneurship. So now we actually have an agency named after him, um, and so it's a wow and that's actually one of the uh inspired. He's the one that actually inspired my book. Uh, my book is called please quit, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

So the whole premise of please quit is everybody's going to, everybody's going to tell you to quit. Okay, so what? What mine's saying is please quit listening to everybody. Uh, please, please, keepistling to what everybody else says. Please quit quitting on your dreams, because most people, they always say, the richest place in a graveyard, you know why because?

Speaker 1:

well, because all their, all their dreams are buried in the graveyard. Yeah so, and I'm not sure who actually was a person that said that, but that that always resonated with me, because so many people give up on their dreams. Like it took me five years to write that book. I started that book I'm sure you've heard of Grant Cardone with the 10X Growth.

Speaker 2:

Con yes.

Speaker 1:

So I went to Growth Con and that's actually another thing I wanted to add too so that also birthed me wanting to speak too, because I saw a speaker give a 30-minute presentation and then do an offer. So that's also what I wanted to do too, so I'll bring it back. So once I left GrowthCon, I decided that I wanted to write that book. So I actually met a publisher right before I left, right when I was actually about to get in my lift. I met a publisher right before I left. Okay, right when I was actually about to get in my lift, I met a publisher. It was a chance. It is, I'm telling you, it was divine timing.

Speaker 1:

Um, so I start writing this thing in the airport. Um, and I was pretty much in the position to do it, like I had the financial and everything to do it. So I didn't do it. Okay, and the reason and the reason why I think now, looking back and like you know, steve Jobs always talks about, you know, you don't really understand it. You know, when you're looking forward, you only understand how the dots are connected. Looking back, that's just paraphrasing. But I didn't have enough experiences going on to actually write that book. You know, I had maybe up, like I'd say, chapter five or maybe halfway, but I needed the experience that just happened in the last two years to be able to finish it. So I went on a 21 day fast, only water, so I'm about your life.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, that's intense.

Speaker 1:

Incredible, incredible. But you would not believe the amount of focus that you would get because there's no distractions Cause you would think that, like when you say 21 day fast, all you think about is being hungry the whole time, yeah, yeah. But what happens is is like probably the first three days is what the hardest part is. But as you lean on the Lord and you're just become numb, so you just decide it's almost like a like we tell they always talk about, like um we. So you just decide it's almost like they always talk about. Like we can make changes based on decisions. And once you make a decision that you're not going to eat, you just become numb to it. And as you drink and fast and pray, every day is just like you're the same but the insights that you get.

Speaker 1:

So then I started writing the book because I heard this from Dr Miles Monroe If you fast, it will give you the focus that you need because there's no distraction. You know we so distract when we eat, and don't you know? I made a pact with my niece, patricia, and she's like Uncle John we can't stay here on the 15th, which is my birthday, march 15th, and be in the same position. I said I know, so I was doing a fast at that point. But then we made that deadline and I think I finished it by the 17th, which was like 22 or 23 days with that fast. So yeah, and I was completely done. I couldn't, I couldn't believe it took me five years but I completely finished the book. So now it's in production.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so, that this was the proof that we approved in the back cover. So y'all thank you. It was but just an incredible. I still can't believe that.

Speaker 1:

No, that's something to be totally proud of, and for your book when do you plan on it to be like, do you have a set date? Once, I don't have a, I don't have a set date. They said 30, 30 to 45 days. So if we're thinking 30 days from now, we're looking at maybe, let's see we're almost in June, so probably July, august, and I can like relay that back to you. But just I, just I still can't believe it, because I remember I was talking to the consultant and just going through that whole thing and go from that to like actually seeing the cover.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Yeah, it was like this is my book, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, when you have the um, cause they did the, uh, they did the edit, and then I was reading through it and I was like man, that's, that's okay, you know.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, yep, so, and now I know you mentioned um a little bit about faith. Tell me how important that is to you and why.

Speaker 1:

Oh, it's everything to me. So when this last year or those last, I'll say this last three years, from beginning of 22 up until now, I went through, I've been through the valley. You know what I'm saying. That's one thing I talk about in the book is going through the valley and how that actually helps you become who you are. You know, most people hate it because you know you do so much introspection with yourself, looking at all the mistakes you made, looking at your life and finally, like, look and like, look and say and say, hey, I need to make these changes. And then sometimes what happens is everything that you've done, that you didn't do, compounds, and that's usually what puts you in the valley.

Speaker 1:

So I actually started doing a walk every morning and I would pray for my I pray for over over the phone, right, I'm just just a general player after I would list a Facebook, um, and then prayer and fasting. So, and during this process we were um behind on our rent by like it was like 10,000, it was like $8,000. Okay, um, so every day I'm I'm seeking God, I'm trying to figure out how I can, you know, make this happen. I'm I have no, I have no confidence. Like I'm pretty confident person but I haven't. I've lost all my confidence because of some things that happened with my business and some of the partners that I was dealing with and I just couldn't get. I just couldn't get back up and I've had that happen before. So I don't understand why it was taking so long and why, you know and it's still kind of a process at this point so just fasting and praying and reading the Bible and listening to you know, dr Misenro, listening to Dr Myron Golden and trying to get insights into what is going on with me.

Speaker 1:

So what I finally figured out is I had some negativity, because we have, you know, we have some negativity sometimes in your home front and you have some negativity on the outside and what happens is I wasn't getting enough feeding myself enough to be able to combat that. I've always done it in the past, but having it on the outside too, that just destroyed my business. So I went to the point where I was doing six figures, to the point where I was almost back to working at a McDonald's in terms of income or to Uber. It was Uber and Lyft. That's what I was doing.

Speaker 1:

But the one thing about doing Uber and Lyft is. It made me understand how to work through tiredness. It made me lean on God, because anybody that gets in your car you don't know if they could kill you. And I wasn't about carrying a gun and I was actually working in one of the toughest. Harrisburg, pennsylvania, is one of the most crime-filled cities in the US per capita for violent crime. So I'm driving from usually 10 at night till 6 in the morning. Oh, man.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah. So anything that I have maybe in terms of fear, yeah, it's probably going to leave, because you're going to see that every night, and I did. You know, there was nights where you saw like you might have a shooting. I mean, pretty much those cops didn't care about anything you were doing, if you were doing something right, because they were running to a killing and pretty much every day they were talking about somebody getting killed on the news. Oh man, scary, it's so scary. So what happened was I ended up having an accident that stopped before. Let me go back. I stopped doing Uber.

Speaker 1:

Okay, god pulled me out of that situation, and my first week I did like $8,000, which is what you're supposed to do like with my business, right. And then I got distracted. I got distracted because I started looking forward, like with my book, because God was also talking to me like hey, you need to build this community, you need to get this book done. So I started looking at that. And then I started looking at AI, because AI is huge now, but at that point it was just kind of an infancy. So I wanted to be able to implement that in my agency, but it was like, we'll say, two years too early, we'll say two years too early, but during that time it put me back in the car, because what happened was I focused so much my production.

Speaker 1:

I did 4,000 next week and I think I might have done two, and then I was back in the car. So now I'm fighting that battle again to get back out, and then my confidence is even going lower. You know what I'm saying. So now I've gotten to the point based on the fasting, the praying, cold showers Wow, yeah, yeah. I've been doing cold showers for probably the last three months and that actually helped with my psyche, almost shocking me to say you're ready to go every morning.

Speaker 2:

I'm sure you're ready to go. I'm ready to turn the hot water on.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because that's what I tell us to go every morning, because yeah, you're ready to go, I'm ready to turn the hot water on. Yeah, because that's what I tell us. I said, if you want to get out of like a depression or like a a state, I mean, cold showers is good, because every morning it shocks you and it's so good for you, like my doing a lot of walking with through dash and all this other stuff, so like I never my body would feel terrible, but since I lost weight and I do the cold showers and then stretching like I can, it just completely changed everything. So so now I've gotten in better shape, um, getting better, um psyche and it all. To god, I mean every morning prayer, um, uh, fasting.

Speaker 1:

I'm also, I'm also a minister at a church, okay, so I started speaking that way. That happened in the last two years, and so that increased my faith. Through all this has increased my faith because when they said, hey, you guys have to be out by a certain date, I didn't even pack and it actually came to the day and they actually came in and changed the locks.

Speaker 2:

That's how yeah?

Speaker 1:

that's okay. So they come and change the locks. That day I get on Facebook, I humble myself and I say I don't know who can help. But you know we need help, I will pay you back at some point. And I just left it at that. Two hours later, a good friend of mine and uh, it was just incredible. And uh, they, um, I'm, I'm forever humbled. You know what I'm saying Because I know they're, I know they do well, but, um, when you have a friend like that, everybody's probably asking them for that. And I never asked specifically for anybody because, no matter what financial situation you are in, if it's a certain time you could not have it, even if you have a lot. You know what I'm saying Like if you're tied up in product projects. But it just came at a certain way that was so sweet and so humble and I just I'm just blown. I'm so blown away to this day. And my niece actually saw the whole thing happen because she thought we lived there for a little bit yeah, you know.

Speaker 1:

So we go to her house. We're there for 24 hours. It's probably one of the most fun we ever had. She had a television that was sitting back that wasn't even put up, because you know, she's a single mom and a lot of times she doesn't do all the get all this project stung. She has so much on her plate. So I'm looking at this TV and I was like what's he said I just asked about. You know, we'll come to find out that the TV wasn't working that well.

Speaker 1:

So during this time I actually rolled my car. I wrote my car going back two days before we were supposed to get be put out. Right, my son's in the car. He's special needs, okay, autistic. I roll the car, I look down for a second, miss this truck and total my car. And this is on a friday night on 81, okay. So it's like you guys, you know, at leesburg traffic, or is that? Yeah, yeah, so, uh. So I rolled the car. Um, the car is actually sitting on its side and it's on my son's side, right, my son didn't have his seatbelt on and he had the window open so he could actually went out the window, but he's a big boy, I couldn't get him out. My shoulders are completely dead. I can't get him out. This lady comes up with a new story shirt on which is a school that we almost had him go to.

Speaker 1:

So, she's able to talk to him why we're trying to get him out.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Right, and there's people actually holding up the car. There's angels actually holding up the car.

Speaker 2:

Oh, my God, I was like blown away. That is crazy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, this is wild. So they're holding up the car, they finally get him out out and they take us not to chambersburg, but holy spirit hospital. Okay, yeah, so we go to holy spirit hospital. Everybody is great. I'm thinking it's going to be a nightmare sometimes, because there's always one or two every time we take him there because he has special needs. Everybody, down to the freaking security guards that were help helping him like stay calm, was so sweet. And then I forgot his diaper bag. He wears pull-ups.

Speaker 1:

So, I forgot his diaper bag. He held his pee up until we gave a urinal and it was just. He was amazing, he was amazing and God was just all in that. From the angels holding up the car to there was this young, young african-american guy that was trying to rip the door open. Yeah, and, uh, the ambulance drivers, the, uh, the firefighters, the cop that waited, uh to take my report, um, just everybody. And then, uh, we told the car so, um, we had actually given somebody a car back in 2012 yeah she actually had gotten a new car and gave us back her car plus $1,000.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh. So what's so crazy? Is we get the car? We're driving it. I'm thinking it's okay, it breaks down Of course, yeah, it breaks down.

Speaker 2:

What else, yeah, what?

Speaker 1:

else, what else, god, what else can you do? Okay, so it breaks down. I'm at, I'm doing DoorDash trying to make money and it breaks down right at Texas Roadhouse, which is close to my house. I go into Texas Roadhouse, the guy the wrecker never comes. Okay, the wrecker never comes because it's sub cut rate insurance. Yeah, so wrecker never comes. So I end up walking from my hat, from my hat, from, uh, that place to my house, which is probably five hours right, and it's cold.

Speaker 1:

It's still winter time, so it's pretty cold, right. But I'm so glad I was walking, because if I wasn't walking I wouldn't be able to walk that far. And every time I'm thinking this should never happen again. This should never, because every through my whole life I was having, like, uh, triple AAA and the good insurance and all this stuff. But then I'm in the position where a lot of people are. At least I know insurance, at least I have talents that I know of. So it's only temporary for me, that's somebody else's life all the time, so I'm so thankful in that process.

Speaker 1:

So we get up the money. I have a good friend that fixes the car when I'm taking the car to his house.

Speaker 1:

It starts acting up. No, yes, after I just put $500 that we didn't have man, okay. And so I was like okay. I was like this car has to go, because I don't know why. I know how that car is, but I just know. Like I don't know how I do, but I just know cars. I'm not a mechanic, but I just know cars. So it's just, I don't know, god just gave me that. So drive back to the house and say you know what, forget it, I'm going to take it to the junkyard, okay, Because this is where it needs to go. So I had a buddy that when he saw my accident, he's like you should come and get a car.

Speaker 1:

So that week before, like when that first happened, we tried to go get a car. They said we need a certain down payment, but then it changed Okay. And so I'm like forget that and we try to go to our church. But they didn't have that much money and they wanted this whole rundown of my budget and I was like, if you look at my budget or how we get by, you're gonna, you're not gonna give me five dollars, you know, because a lot of it's by faith and and even though people I know they're people of faith. Some people don't really push their faith to that point. You know I'm saying that's it's hard even when you do so. So they're. They're like well, you know, we got to have a meeting about this job because you know I get it. So I was like, okay, no, no big deal. So then we go to this dealership they actually I'm about to walk out the door because they can't help me and I was like, well, listen, I got an approval through this one company, right, that we had paid off a car, and so we do that company too. I was like, okay, so let's do it.

Speaker 1:

So then we got that company. They gave us a car. The car was better than the car we had before ac, great condition, an older person had it. So all we needed to do was bring the down payment right. So down payment was 19 I.

Speaker 1:

I think it was like $1,900, no $1,500. I'm sorry, but we wanted to make sure we paid our rent because we had just gotten out of that situation, right. And so I'm like well, god, I got to have a car to be able to go to work, to take my son to school, because it's the only one we have at this point, and so we pay it, and then we don't pay the rent, okay, so in the process of me sitting at that dealership, I ended up winning a 70-inch TV, really Okay, yeah, yeah. So I'm thinking, okay, I can sell the 70-inch TV, you know, and use the extra money to help pay the difference in the rent.

Speaker 1:

So I wanted my niece to buy it and so, long story short, I had a bunch of people that reached out to me try selling online, try to go to a pawn shop. I couldn't get this tv sold, so I just said, okay, god, I said I'm just going to give it to my niece, because I really appreciate her, you know, keeping us at the house and stuff like that. So I surprised her and I give her the TV brand new, 70 inch TV. And then a couple of days later I got a deposit for like $500. What From?

Speaker 2:

where.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think it was like an insurance policy or something like that, yeah, yeah. So the business kept paying and it's just God's been looking out left and right. My son goes to a Christian school. There's been times when they covered the cost of his tuition or money came in that I wasn't expecting to pay his tuition, just stuff like that. I mean, god just worked through our life, through this whole thing ever since we moved out, and I just can't thank him enough for what he's done, even like me sitting here with you. It's still a miracle, because now I got a book coming out. We scheduled this.

Speaker 1:

I was able to talk about the book. One of the things is to become a speaker, so obviously, doing the headshots it's going to be huge. And then all the experiences I've dealt with that were supposed to break me and the whole reason for my book please quit. And then, on top of everything else, I got my team taken away from me, my insurance team taken away from me, yeah, yeah, just recently.

Speaker 1:

So what happened was I've been juggling this debt from other people, that, and even though it's I'm responsible for it, even though somebody else did it, and basically these people was given to me by somebody. We and I was used based on a relationship that we had, so I didn't actually verify if there was any issues with the people, because if I didn't trust this person I would have never taken them, because I worked at another insurance company before and I wouldn't take anything from my upline because I knew how he felt about me, because the first conversation we had was I don't start what he said. He said I don't tolerate stealing. This is the first conversation that he has with me, so what does that tell you about how he feels about you?

Speaker 2:

yeah yeah.

Speaker 1:

So that's the first conversation he has with me. I was like, oh, that's fine. I was like you know, but then I never anything he offered me. I never wanted it because I knew how he felt about me personally. So, which was fun, because it made me be able to work in an environment where somebody you know doesn't like you but you can still thrive in that environment. So I still got you know four things. Which is founders of world for management excellence actually five. So I still got you know four fames. Which is a founder's award for management excellence actually five fames. I still had was a great agent, had a lot of success.

Speaker 1:

But then when I ended up going to this other company, I switched to this other guy's team. When I had a chance to become a VP, he said, hey, you know, I have this team, you know you can work with them. I was like, okay, no big deal, cause I know him, he's from home, and so I get on this team and they don't want to turn in there. They don't want to. They don't want to let they don't want to let me know what their people did for the week. I'm always pulling stuff from them. All I do what I need to works is you can actually fall over the person that you're working with. So there's no, you won't stay down if you, if you're a hard worker. So actually he probably should have passed me because of how many people he had, okay. So basically, you know he doesn't want to increase their comp, even though we talked about it and all this stuff.

Speaker 1:

So we fight and every time I feel like getting rid of them. I, the person I work with, oh, I wouldn't do that. And so I'm like all right, you know, you pretty much, let me, okay, most of the way. So then it gets that point where they start having issues, okay, and then chargebacks and stuff like that. So then what happens is all that debt starts rolling up to me. So then I have to, I have to let him go. So I was like you know, I can't work with you anymore, which should have been a year past. But by then we attacked on my license. I'm in all this stuff, my confidence is down, and now I'm stuck because I have to make sure I pay it off so it doesn't affect him.

Speaker 1:

I've got it, the guy that I've known from back home, but then I can't move because of how I feel inside. You know I'm saying so. Then what happened was you juggle those balls, one One finally drops. It's not very much money, it's like $2,000, which is nothing, but it doesn't take 30 people to pay off $2,000. It's just an excuse to get it. But it was actually kind of a relief because when you're just in that place where you're stuck, something has to break. Place where you're stuck, something has to break, you know. But what I think is, when that does, it's not going to be as profitable as they think it's going to be, cause the way that, the way the compensation is built now, it would have benefited him to take those people.

Speaker 1:

You know, what I'm saying, but, um, and I wish all the best for him, you know what I'm saying and I actually have no ill will or anything. Um, because I know I did everything I could for my people. So my people were having record years and we were. We were actually. We were actually pacing to a million dollars this year and everybody on my team had record numbers. But I never let them know what was going on with me personally. My sister knew, but she's still having a record year. She, she had double what she had, so she was a six-figure earner. She almost hit 200,000 last year, had a guy that almost hit 140. So everybody was having record years and then everybody that was like either kind of stagnant or wasn't doing much started actually, um, getting back in the game and right in business. So we would have had a.

Speaker 2:

We'd have had a really good year yeah, and then, um, I could, um, I could talk to you all.

Speaker 1:

No, that's okay.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, thank you Is there anything that we haven't touched on that maybe you would like for our listeners to know? It can be about through your business or your book coming up, or anything else that just I want to make sure we hit all those key points.

Speaker 1:

Um, I want everybody to um get the book because it's actually I'm actually going through it right now. You know everything in my mind probably makes you want to stop or leave or forget what God has called me to do because of all the challenges. You know what I'm saying, but I know that, if I keep moving forward, that things are going to work out. You know that things are going to work out, you know. So that's why it's so important for people to check out the book, because I feel like I wrote it based on the Holy Spirit, because I was fasting the whole time, so I was leaning on him to be able to bring the words out. And when I went back and read it, I was like I can't believe I actually wrote that. So I know the Lord wrote it, because I'm not the English major Through you, yeah, yeah, exactly, I'm not the English major Through you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, exactly Through me. That had to have been it, so I want to be a speaker. So important for them to, even if they're not getting life insurance or insurance through me, to make sure they cover their families, because you just never know, I had my dad pass away in 2018 if we didn't have insurance.

Speaker 1:

Sorry about that, oh yeah thank you If we didn't have insurance. Sorry about that. Oh yeah, thank you If we didn't have insurance. If he didn't set up insurance, my mom would have been in a bad position and my sister ended up passing away in 2020. Yeah, 2020. Not from COVID, but she stopped taking her medicine and just some things happened Ended up having a stroke. Yeah yeah, but life is so short and that's why you have to do everything that God calls you to do and people actually need you to do what you're called to do, and so now I feel like I'm finally doing my calling. I finally finished it. Now I have some courses and stuff I still need to finish, but in terms of the major thing about getting that book done, that's one thing that got me distracted because I actually saw the blueprint. You know Myron Golden, and what's so wild about Myron Golden is Myron Golden's birthday is the same day as my dad's by 20 years exactly.

Speaker 2:

Oh, my yeah yeah.

Speaker 1:

So when I saw him and he looks like a prophet out of the Bible. He has a gray beard and he's so well-read. He actually uses the Bible to be able to help in business, so he takes everything from the Bible and associates it. He's incredible. So when I looked at him, he was the one that jumped out to me, and also Russell Bronson, who's actually a man of faith too, and they actually gave me the blueprint through ClickFunnels, where I could build the community, I could sell the book, I could go to get a mastermind doing coaching. So I'll do all that too. Awesome.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, so that'll all be built in, and I'm just trying to think of anything else that I can say oh, make sure that you check on your parents. Make sure that you check on your parents. Like, I actually need to go out to Arizona and see my mom, because I'm I'm like, and my spirit keeps telling me that I don't know how long she's going to be here, cause my dad's been up there and now my, my sister's son is actually of age. So you know, I'm kind of worried that she's like, maybe doesn't feel like, hey, I'm doing a lot now because pretty much that's the last job she has done. Yeah, yep, so. And then the book talks about discipline, and my mom just personifies that. Because I didn't know, my mom didn't like to cook until I was in my twenties, but she cooked every day, as if like you thought she exactly.

Speaker 1:

And, like Mike Tyson said, I do know this one mike tyson always talked about um, uh, discipline is doing the thing that you hate like you love it. Yep, yep, and. And she did.

Speaker 1:

And I don't even know that she liked to cook until, yeah, my 20s just for you yeah, just for me, just for me, by, you know, by four uh brothers and sisters, and it was just, it's just incredible. And then we lived at a place called sc School you know, you'll know about this in book, and there's a lot of things we couldn't do because my dad had would have to pick between us and the kids. We never got a chance to go there. We went to another school because then he would have to pick and I was. It was so genius but you don't understand that as a kid yeah so what?

Speaker 1:

once we got of age, we got the chance to like play, play basketball and stuff like that. But I know why. I didn't understand then. But I understand now why, um, things had to be that way. But we learned how to be able to um compensate at any environment because of, because of what we learned at that at that school, and I actually had a chance to actually try to buy that school.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, with creative finances, which is another thing that I'm working on too. It's called Subject To, but I actually do through, like the owner financing. So I put a deal together. God helped me with that. I put a deal together to actually have the owner, because I didn't have the money to actually, you know, finance the deal. So I wanted the owner to finance the deal Because I didn't have the money to actually finance the deal. So I wanted the owner to finance the deal.

Speaker 1:

And we will build like a fix all place up Because that's what it needs. It's so big, it needs a vision and that's what we had. We had a big vision. Now somebody else bought it and they're fixing it, but if ever it comes to fruition again, at least we wouldn't have to spend. You just have to answer your call, no matter how difficult it might be, and that's that's the biggest thing is, um, god knows it, better more than we do? And if we just follow what he has, even if you don't have the resources, he'll provide those for you and he'll, like, put everything in place, like, even, like, I'll even tell you this, okay.

Speaker 1:

So, even right before this happened, so yesterday, I had all these issues with my insurance because I've been making as much money, so I've been having insurance sometimes canceling out. So we finally got all my insurance straight and I get pulled over. I'm doing DoorDash and I get pulled over by the police, right, and they're like, hey, your registration's suspended, so I don't have a car and we only have one car. So I'm like, oh my gosh. I said, what am I gonna do? So I'm like, hey, they're like well, we understand, you know I've had it happen to me and I was like, well, you guys want to follow me home because they could have taken my plate, you know, I'm saying, and then I had, no, no way to get here. So, um, so they uh said, oh, no, we're good.

Speaker 1:

So then, uh, as called around, I found out that all I had to do was they had the other information I had to send in to get it taken care of. I just needed my insurance information. So all I had to do was pay $20, and it was taken care of, but I had the $20. Oh, my goodness. So my son ran out of pull-ups and my wife was just so upset she's like what's going on. So I was like, well, let me take the $20 and fix the, fix the thing for the thing, and I'll go do door to action. We can get the rest of money. So that's what we did, yeah, and then it was all taken care of, but this right up into the end. Now I'm thankful that I got pulled over instead of her, because my son might not understand and would have been all upset.

Speaker 1:

Maybe you know when the cops are there, but, um, what are the chances that they pull you over at 1 30 in the morning? None of my headlights were out or anything like that. And, lelies, let me know that it was there because they could have took me in too, you know. So those are the grace, the grace of god through everything and then being able to put it all back together. And I also think it was like saying to him is John, this is the time to get back into your business. You know, doordash is not going to take care of and I've been hearing it from my wife some other DoorDash is not going to take care of you. It's, it's fine, you know, but it's not for you because your, your abilities are so much higher than that, you, much higher than that, you know. But it did help me get in shape and take care of my family.

Speaker 2:

So so important to do what God's called you to do. That's amazing.

Speaker 1:

I love that story oh my gosh.

Speaker 2:

And now for my final question if you could leave our listeners with one message, like a parting word, a mantra that you live by, what would that be?

Speaker 1:

What it is please quit. Perfect, because you know, like I said, everybody's going to want you to quit what you do. I remember when my sister came, I talked to my sister about insurance. This is way when I first started and I had a briefcase and she's like come get your suitcase Right. And obviously that cut me pretty hard right because I just started a business and now my sister's actually working with me, make a double wish she made at her other occupation. So how many times you have somebody that maybe doubted you and now they work with you and I've actually? Well, they passed me. At this point, you know I'm saying and the business? So it's please quit, please quit denying what God has given to you, please quit listening to what everybody says to you. Just please quit giving up on your dreams, you know. Please quit not believing in yourself. So basically it's just that mantra please quit. Which means the opposite of what it's saying Actually trying to say, yeah, exactly, exactly, awesome, awesome.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you so much for being here today and for sharing your story and about your book, um. Will that book be available on amazon, on your website? All that? Yeah, yeah, it'll be on amazon.

Speaker 1:

Uh, the publisher is x? X lawn, which is x? U l-L-O-N Publishing. I'm sorry, xlon Press. That's a Christian publisher. And then my website, which is a one of the click funnels, is johnnknightcom. Okay, so it should be available in there too. I just need to upload it and figure out how that's going to work. But at least Amazon and that publisher and I also wanted to give a shout out to um, my good friends at chambersburg waste paper they? Um are in chambersburg. They actually deliver um. I think they might deliver in the area, but they just been like so supportive with a lot of different things, so I wanted to let them get a little shot of them, because they've been just incredible people um, even though, because they're one of my clients with aflac, they've just supported me um 110 and they've even offered me part-time to work with them, so I'll actually probably help them with sales and some other things too so that's another thing I'm probably doing, so well.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for being here and sharing everything. Thank you so much, you did amazing thank you so much.