Do It for the Crew
For Samuel Lamy, describing his greatest accomplishment in life up to this point is easy – finding a way to rise above.
“For sure it’s being able to find success regardless of the circumstances,” says Sam. “I and my brothers and sisters were raised by two immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York. We had a family of six in a two-bedroom house, in a section called Crown Heights, not the richest of neighborhoods. Statistically, there was no way of really getting out. I remember my first-grade teacher telling my mom about me, ‘he’ll be dead or be in jail by age 18.’ “I grew up in an environment where you had to fight for yourself. Coming out of that environment and finding the success I have is pretty much my greatest accomplishment so far.”
It’s never easy. Life is a hard road. But now, as a successful Field Training Agent with USHEALTH Advisors in Orlando, Sam says he’s seeing so much of what he has worked for come to fruition. Since 2018, Sam “Millions” Lamy has been a model of consistency, with more than $1 million in personal production and currently leading a team that is growing to more than $3 million in sales.
And though he has experienced success in the insurance world, Sam says he never forgets where he came from and what it took for his parents to sacrifice to get him here.
“Back in the 1990s, New York was a tough place to live,” says Sam. “Both my parents knew we’d have to find a way out. My dad was a body shop mechanic. My mom ended up starting her own business to save money for us. She would help single mothers who couldn’t take their kids to school and didn’t want their kids to take public transportation. She would pick up the kids to take them to school and bring them back home, kind of like an early Uber service. I didn’t ask back then, but I know now because of her business we were able to save the money to change our lives.”
Eventually, all the saving became a savior for Sam and his siblings, they managed to move south, finding their way to Orlando, Florida.
“I’ve learned a lot from my parents,” says Sam. “You can sit and whine about your situation, or you can do something about it. It’s a great trait my parents had and still have. You never hear them complaining about life, they just find a way to make it work.”
Sam was just a teenager when his parents made the move to Florida and he says it was exactly what the family needed and just in the nick of time. It’s not easy to fight back against your environment and Sam says his parents knew their children could use some new surroundings.
“I was sixteen when we moved to Florida,” says Sam. “My siblings are younger, I’m the oldest. My brother who is closest in age to me, only two years younger, could have also gone down the road of getting in serious trouble because he was watching me do the same. I just think the move was the best thing for our family as a whole.”
“But I wish I could move back to New York. The person I am today would never allow me to go down the rabbit hole or become a criminal. I know better now and I absolutely love New York. It makes me sad though because a lot of my friends that I grew up with ended up going to prison and some of them are no longer with us. Now I give back to the community I grew up in. My success in the insurance world has provided me with the ability to send money back there that allows kids to have an outlet. So instead of being out on the street, they can use creative arts as their way out. When I was younger I started writing and talking about my situation through poetry and spoken-word poetry. It made a huge difference. It’s so important because in that environment there aren’t that many positive role models, so giving back and giving the kids a chance is extremely important.”
What’s also important is finding something you love to do. For Sam, that love became insurance, but almost by accident, because the man Sam loved suffered a serious one.
“In 2009, during my junior year in college, my dad was involved in a car accident where the man who hit him did not have auto insurance. The agent who sold my dad the policy did a poor job, making it a bare-bones plan, without any uninsured motorist or collision coverage. That was my introduction into learning about the world of insurance and a year or two later I got into the property-casualty business, with the same insurance carrier that my dad had been insured through. I vowed that I would educate my customers and let them know the serious repercussions for stripping down their coverages.”
“I would rather lose a sale knowing I can sleep at night by protecting people the right way,” says Sam. “Knowing any family would not have to go through what my parents went through was so important to me. Your clients just know when you are being honest and transparent with them and I was one of the top agents in the country for that company. I would always tell clients what happened to my dad. I said if you don’t want uninsured motorist or collision coverage, let me tell you a story about my dad.”
Facts tell stories sell. Sam worked hard at his craft and sold so much insurance for the property-casualty company that he was earning as much as some in the corporate office. Sam says the guys at the top got angry, claiming no agent should make as much as they did. “I didn’t get it,” says Sam. “Here I am busting my butt and I’m being looked at as wrong because someone’s ego got bruised?”
The year was 2018 and one of Sam’s co-workers, Josh Cohen, moved over to a company called USHEALTH Advisors. Just a few years before, Sam’s dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. Sam says his dad’s health policy was not a good one at all. “And because of what happened to my dad I wanted to know more about health insurance. When I saw what Josh was offering as an agent for USHEALTH I wished my dad had known about that product before he was diagnosed.”
Although Sam was impressed by the company and happy Josh made the move, he says it wasn’t until Jonas Occeus also joined USHEALTH Advisors that Sam knew it was his next step.
“Jonas and I are brothers first, agents second,” Sam says. “I owe him a lot. If he didn’t believe in me I’d still be at that same old insurance company. Jonas created a very simple system that is easy to duplicate and because of it, we have changed the lives of so many people. We are always tweaking it and seeing it evolve to help others. Even though we are no longer working in the same state, Jonas and I still talk every day. We don’t have to be in the same region to help each other. I’ll say it again – for Jonas and me, we’re brothers first, agents second.”
Now that he’s fully engaged in USHA, Sam says he loves the way he can collaborate, not only with Jonas but with so many others in his division and within the company.
“I love being with my Division Leader Chris George,” says Sam. “He doesn’t know what it’s like to lose anymore. His knowledge is unmatched and he’s accomplished so much with this company. Plus, there’s my region leader, Mara Dorne. Mara has taken me in like family. She didn’t even know me 16 months ago and she has welcomed me with open arms. She just knows whenever I need something or senses when I’m down, or not feeling myself and she’ll just reach out. She is so attentive to the needs of others, it’s remarkable that she can have so many agents in her region and still be able to know when my highs and lows are. She defines what USHEALTH Advisors is all about, HOPE: Helping Other People Everyday.”
It’s not only about the people that support you, but it’s also about the people that inspire you – for Sam, there are three women, his wife Kailannie, and his two young daughters.
“My girls are my reason why,” says Sam. “My oldest daughter Milan is a model and an actress, she has an IMDb page, the whole deal. At 8-years-old she is already tapped for a tv or movie role soon in Los Angeles. My youngest daughter Chelsea is only 5-years-old and she’s her sister’s biggest cheerleader. They are truly best friends.”
It’s the family he loves and the work he loves doing that wakes Sam up every day. He says he wants to help as many people as possible find success in this business with USHA. When you have the vision, it’s easy to get others to follow and see the big picture as well. We all look for leaders to guide us and inspire us.
“I think this is a really, really good opportunity,” says Sam. “In fact, it’s a phenomenal opportunity. When I decided to take the leap it was because of the residual income. The other job I had at the property-casualty company was the hamster wheel of employment. I couldn’t see me doing that forever. If I stopped working the money stopped coming in, with no residual income. People that can see the power of residual income is huge for me. Like Jonas says, we have residual bills, why not have residual income?”
“A lot of people find security in the 9-to-5 job, but when 40 million Americans lose their jobs like happened this year, you see the 9-to-5 is not really as secure as you think. I’m so blessed here. To me, it’s the security of the career, not the guaranteed paycheck. The old story of 9-to-5 job security is a false narrative. People should take the leap. It’s tough, it’s difficult, and you have to push yourself. But if you honor the highs and the lows, like anything else in which you can find unbelievable success, you take the leap and bet on yourself.”
For Sam and so many others, it’s a great bet and made even better because of the support and leadership at USHA. Sam knows it’s the focus on one team, one dream. And he knows the magic of teamwork, is about being in sync.
“At school, I played defensive end in football,” says Sam. “And to keep in shape for football I started rowing crew. I became more of a rower than a football player, rowing is simply an amazing sport. You know how you see all those photos and posters about teamwork – they always seem to have a picture of a crew team on there. You have to be in sync, so many things have to be in play together and you are relying on everyone to do the exact same thing at the exact same time. It’s a full-body sport. People think it’s all arms, but it’s mainly the legs. Your legs are driving the pushback for the boat. It’s perfect sync, perfect synergy.”
If it works on water, why not on dry land? And why not as the leader of a team of insurance agents? After all, to create success, it’s all for one and one for all.
Do it for the crew.
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Your Storyteller,
Mark Brodinsky
