Today we’d like to introduce you to Manning Bennett.
Hi Manning, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started with me as a little 12-year-old boy singing in church. I could remember it like it was yesterday, with very little confidence, standing up and singing in front of the congregation. Seeing the way I moved the congregation opened my eyes to something.
Whether it was the sight of a little boy giving God praise, me sounding good or bad, whatever the reason, I knew that I could actually make an impact. In addition to me growing up hearing my vocally classically trained, grandmother sing inspired me.
From then, I gained a passion and love for singing and people. In addition to me singing, I have always wanted to be a resource to people and truly touch people’s lives in a Musical, Spiritual, and/or Professional way.
I became a Licensed Minister under the leadership Of Bishop Reggie Hall (St. Paul Baptist Church, Somerville NJ), and his wife of 30+ years Pastor Loretta Hall (Progressive Faith Ministries, Towoca, NJ). Over the years, my singing has taken me places I’d never thought I go, such as Amateur Night at the Apollo, McDonald’s Gospel Fest Male Finalist, and my most recent musical accomplishments here in Savannah.
I began working for State Farm as a licensed sales agent back in 2017. Being new to the insurance profession, allowed me to learn a lot. But over the years, I found it hard for a lot of people to actually qualify for decent coverage at an affordable price, to be honest, it was when the pandemic hit that this really started to concern me. It was heartbreaking seeing families and friends passing away without any life insurance. Online fundraising was oftentimes the go-to for many people.
In addition to that, what I found is that a lot of people just were not educated or aware of the importance and benefits of things like Life Insurance, financial and retirement planning. To be brutally honest, I was one of those people at one point. I then became determined to find a solution, educate myself and others, especially my community, and simply, become a resource.
My wife and I moved to Savannah in 2019. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to perform on showcases like Spitfire Poetry Group, Creatively Crafted Open Mic, Sunday Supper Artist Performance Showcase, and collaborate with various artists and professionals here in Savannah. This is where I was able to connect and network with individuals within my industry. I then became contracted with some of the top insurance carriers to be able to provide affordable options.
Over the past year, I’ve been working independently throughout the Chatham county area, South Eastern GA/SC, and virtually, not only protecting families through Living Benefits Life Insurance, but through financial retirement planning, and setting up business/college funds for children. All in all, my care for people has motivated me to partner with dear friends of mine to start my own firm, dedicated to having the ability to protect and educate more families and individuals.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not been smooth at all. It has been full of setbacks, disappointments, and adjustments. I did not always have the confidence to start my financial service firm and career in music.
For reasons like not having all of the resources, marketing, and finances. Having to juggle being a Husband, having to work a traditional 9/5 with Iheart Radio as a sales assistant, committed family member, being active in ministry. I often found myself putting some of my goals aside. I quickly learned that If I wanted to successful commit to those things, I would have to make time management a priority.
In addition to that, Handling rejection has taught me a lot about myself. There were a few times that I auditioned for singing competition shows such as “The Voice” and “American Idol”. Both times, I made it past the first round of auditions but never made it fully through the audition process. At the time, as much as I did not want to hear it, I was not ready. This was a major platform with individuals that worked hard, studied, used their last to get here.
It wasn’t that I felt that I did not deserve to be there, rather I knew I could dedicate more time and energy to improve myself, agreeing with the judges that denied my audition. Since then, I have grown tremendously as an artist and simply as an individual. I truly feel that every obstacle I face happens for a reason and I oftentimes see it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
In conclusion, my most recent obstacle has been losing my mother in February 2022. Anyone that has lost a loved one can relate to how hard it becomes to want to get up in the mornings or to focus. Although, I can say this has been one of the hardest things I have dealt with in my life, knowing that I am providing life-changing services through my financial service firm or making people smile with a song or encouraging words, is one of my motivating factors.
My mother was always a prime example of never giving up and that’s the type of example I strive to set in my professional, artistic, and personal life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Jaja Financial Group?
Jaja Financial Group is an independent financial service firm that is dedicated to providing quality service to every client we are fortunate to service. Our team is comprised of financial service professionals, retirement specialists, life insurance brokers, and business strategy consultants.
As a brokerage firm, we have the advantage of being able to navigate through the financial industry landscape while keeping our clients goals and needs in mind. We partner and associate with the leading investment, retirement, and life insurance companies. By doing this we are able to provide our clients with diverse options to protect what matters most to you, and to plan for your future.
Our firm was founded on the premise of meeting each client’s needs exactly where they are. We are appreciative of every connection we make and are proud to continue being an industry leader in the services we offer.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The most important characteristic that I feel is most important to my success is honesty, integrity, and determination. With being in the financial/insurance industry, or just sales in general, I feel that there is a lack of trust from consumers. This is quite understandable, This is one of the reasons that empowered me to build my own firm and brand and exclusively partner with individuals and mentors that uphold the same values.
My determination to help and treat each client with the same level of respect and care regardless of financial status is what I believe will continue to build my success. At the end of the day, doing good by my client with integrity is what success really is to me. When you have a heart for people. this is made is easy and this is why I want to stand out.
In addition to that, I believe my willingness to learn and grow as an artist and professional is also what contributes to my success. these qualities have given me the amazing opportunity to perform and qualify as a finalist for the McDonald’s Gospel Fest, and qualify as a 2x finalist at the World’s famous Amateur night at the Apollo. I’ve never thought that I’d perform on the same stage that many of my musical idols such as James Brown, Luther Vandross, Sammy Davis Jr, etc., but I believe it was my determination and confidence that afforded me such opportunities.
My determination to grow and learn has carried into my professional life. Through carrier training, state required continuing education courses, and our firm’s monthly training, I believe this puts me in a position to always be on top of new products, policies, that will continue to put my client in the best position.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.jajafinancialgroup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbthesinger/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manning.bennett
