Hidden Gems: Meet Eric Bennett of Bennett Financial

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Bennett.

Hi Eric, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I’m Eric Bennett II, CEO/Founder of Bennett Financial. I was born and raised right here in Tennessee, Chattanooga, to be exact. Since I was young, I’ve always been a great listener. So naturally, people enjoyed talking to me. That, matched with a fascination with people, pushed me to attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in hopes of becoming a psychiatrist. It seemed fitting, but I noticed the shift in society during my time there. A college degree no longer secured a job, and more schooling didn’t necessarily mean more money. So nervously, I left. From there, I partnered with a close friend to start BDI, a holding company based out of Murfreesboro. That opened the door to many learning experiences, friends, and business partners and allowed me to get a taste of running a business. I was hooked. Through those connections, I got into Insurance, which I love. Starting Bennett Financial was the best decision I could’ve made. It allowed me to use my abilities to listen and better understand people while also pointing me in the direction of success.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning a business always entails struggles. Some are bigger than others but always to be expected. My biggest hurdle when starting was not knowing. Starting, I knew nothing about running a business. I didn’t realize payroll or marketing, or taxes. Which I later found out are all important factors in sustaining business. So to overcome these struggles, I learned all aspects of my business in advance. Whether it’s legal matters or ethical procedures, I’ve already prepared to deal with them if they arise. This has played a huge role in where the company and I are today.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Bennett Financial?
Bennett Financial is a Conglomerate company with most of our business in insurance. More specifically, we specialize in wealth building and preserving through insurance products. We handle every niche in insurance, from life insurance to annuities to Medicare. When we started out, I wanted to change how insurance was viewed. Rather than just a check in the mail during an unfortunate time, we want to shed light on its potential to help fund dreams, goals, and businesses. This is still our goal, and we continue to educate individuals about the benefits it has every day. I believe this has set us apart from everyone else.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
It’s hard narrowing down one lesson as the best one because I’ve learned so much along the way. There are two that stand out, however, because they are the reason I’m here today. One is to surround yourself with the right people, like-minded friends, and colleagues. It makes it much easier to share ideas and get inspiration to achieve what you want. I think the saying is “you are who you hang around,” and I believe it. The other lesson I would tell anybody starting is knowing the unknown. As I said before, I didn’t know anything about business when I started. I had to learn and learn every little area of my industry and still do. This knowledge has helped me tremendously when a problem arises because I’ve already learned what to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: BennettFinancial.org
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/BennettFinancial/