“Earn your success based on service to others, not at the expense of others.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Let’s begin with the end in mind. Every business is about one thing: people.
Devon Perron has always focused on people, as well as on what he needs to do for himself to make him the best he can be for other people.
“I feel like I just developed a strong mind over time,” says Devon, “and mindset is a very powerful thing. So, I was always able to push myself and be disciplined to get me anywhere that I’ve wanted to go. Never giving up on myself is a mindset. So I believe having a strong mind and developing that, well then you can do anything if you put your mind to it; it’s always been a big thing for me.”
It’s also been a big thing for USHEALTH Advisors, since every contribution matters at this company and Devon’s contribution has been significant. Since 2018, when he joined USHA, Devon’s individual sales are approaching the $5 million mark, and even more impressive, Devon has led his teams to more than $78 million in production. Currently, Devon serves as a Satellite Division Sales Leader for the company.
Devon is making strides and continues to lead his team daily in his USHA office in Delray Beach, Florida. But the here and now – the present – always finds its roots somewhere in the past. No one finds success; they build it over time. You can’t connect the dots looking forward, only looking back.
Devon knows his history matters.
“One of my biggest challenges in life was having a split family,” says Devon. “Growing up, mom and dad divorced when I was very young, but they did the best for us that they possibly could. I grew up mainly with my mom.”
“I saw my dad every other weekend, so that was tough on him and for me as well. He’d have to drive 30 minutes to an hour sometimes to come pick me up, and then drive me back. As I got older, I got to spend a little bit more time with him because I played sports, and he was my coach in baseball and football. So instead of only seeing him on the weekends, he was also able to hang out with me during the week and coach me in those sports.”
One sport in particular became a big part of Devon’s life. It’s the game that represents the challenges that are most like life, the game of baseball. That game, steeped in failure, teaches its participants where success truly comes from, how to rise above all the adversity, and then look for the silver linings in even the smallest of accomplishments. Every base hit matters. Every pitch matters. Every well-fielded ground ball matters. Every out matters.
“I played pretty much every position in baseball,” says Devon. “I also pitched a little. I loved pitching. I liked being able to always touch the ball and be in charge of it. That’s why I also enjoyed being a catcher; I was in every play. I had a slightly bigger body as a younger kid, so I made for a good catcher. I just hate not doing something. Even at a younger age, I liked being involved in the action. Half the time I can’t sit still.”
Always wanting to be on the move, Devon went on to attend college at the University of Central Florida, graduating with a degree in business administration. As Devon said, he wanted to be doing something, so he went looking for an opportunity to grow in the finance industry or sales. But he couldn’t find anything he liked.
“I worked at Outback Steakhouse as a server, bartender, and manager from 2012 to 2018,” says Devon, “until I got into the health insurance industry. So throughout college I worked at Outback, and did some guest appearances and stuff at bar/clubs and things in downtown Orlando. But right after graduation, I job searched and couldn’t find anything I really liked, then I saw what one of my former bartenders, Jason Blank, was posting on social media.
“I saw Jason post some accolades online with himself and Jesse Fabricant and so I just decided to message Jason on Facebook and ask him, “Hey, what’s going on? What are you doing?” And then I went and checked out the opportunity and once I heard about it I decided to go all in.”
What attracted Devon to the opportunity is the same thing that attracts many people to USHEALTH Advisors – to feel a sense of belonging, valued, and appreciated.
“I saw they were rewarding people for their hard work or production and all this other stuff,” says Devon. That was obviously something nice, plus at the end of the day, I didn’t find a position that I wanted after I graduated college. So it was time for me to get out of the restaurant industry. I wasn’t thinking about doing insurance at the start, but I figured if people are enjoying it, they’re making good money, and they are helping a lot of families with better insurance, then I thought it would be the right fit for me. I like helping people – that’s always been the main thing for me.”
The company’s mission of HOPE, Helping Other People Everyday, truly spoke to Devon. But once he decided to go all in, he quickly realized you can’t put success on the fast track. No matter what you do that’s new, you have to pay your dues.
Devon is no exception.
“It was a very slow start,” says Devon. “I don’t think I really made much money for the first two months. I didn’t sell a whole lot. I was kind of in my head in the beginning, as most people are when you’re not used to sales. It’s kind of scary to talk around other people sometimes, and I think that was one of my challenges, but I told myself, if other people could do it, why couldn’t I? But first, I had to build the confidence in myself, and once I started catching some traction, that’s kind of when it picked up.”
“At the end of the day, I think it was just more of just doing the thing. It finally clicked in my head. I was like, “Hey, it’s time for me to stop being scared and make it happen. It’s a mindset shift from the customer service industry to the sales mindset.”
Mindset is something Devon says he also learned from another important person in his life, his grandma.
“Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandma while my mom worked,” says Devon, “so that’s kind of where I think I got a lot of my characteristics of wanting to do stuff all the time. I was always outside fishing, in the woods, building forts, and just doing outdoor activities while I was younger. I was very close with her. My grandma loved being outside and loved spending time with me. I learned a lot from her. I learned how to be independent and so much more.”
Besides his grandmother, there’s another very special woman who inspired Devon: his wife, Alexis.
“I met Alexis in high school,” says Devon. “We met in my junior year in 2011. We were just friends for a while, and then in 2012, we started dating and made it official, dating throughout college. When I started at USHA, Alexis was living in Orlando with me, so the day I started, it was actually her birthday. She wasn’t very happy that I was going to work at this new position on her birthday,” he laughs, “but it all worked out in the end. We got married in 2022.”
Earlier this year, Devon and Alexis welcomed a new addition to their family: their son, Luca.
“I’ve always been a big family guy,” says Devon. “I’ve always liked to put my family first if possible. And Luca obviously comes first. I was always the one doing stuff, so I was always out on the go, going to dinner, going out a lot, just doing as much as I could all the time. But now having a newborn, obviously that was kind of a game-changer for me, now we’re home. It’s just about trying to raise Luca, maybe take him out to dinners here and there, but really just enjoy as much time as we possibly can with him because there’s only so much time that Luca’s going to be little.”
Besides his son Luca, Devon is also responsible for many more “newbies” in his life, all the agents he welcomes into his team at USHEALTH Advisors. But Devon says he’s always up for the daily challenge.
“I want everybody to know that I truly care about their personal mission and what they’re looking to get out of life,” says Devon. “Any person that I come in contact with, if I have the ability to influence them in a positive direction, I will definitely do so. I’m always a giving person, and we will always try to lead people down the right path if possible, no matter how hard the decisions are. I’ll always put people first, I’m just trying to live the company’s mission – helping other people every day, helping my own agents, helping their families, helping clients.
“One of my greatest accomplishments in life so far is becoming successful in my career here at USHA because now I’m building financial freedom for my family. I’ve always wanted to make sure I could provide properly for my wife and kids. I’ve got that now, and I’m in a situation where I can provide for them to the best of my ability and, at the same time enjoy my career, which is always focused on caring about other people.”
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Your Storyteller,
Mark Brodinsky
