Epic Entrepreneurs

Making Money Talks Human (and Actually Helpful) with Christine Virost

• Bill Gilliland

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Ever wish tough money talks felt lighter, clearer, and a lot more human? We sit down with Christine Virost—financial professional and the mind behind Yellow Lucky Duck—to explore how a memorable brand, simple language, and patient follow-through can turn financial anxiety into confident action. From annuities and insurance to everyday budgeting and long-term goals, Christine shows how to protect the people you love while still living your life today.

We dive into the art of persistence without sounding desperate, the real timelines behind a client’s “yes,” and why most deals happen after multiple sincere touchpoints. Christine shares practical lines for follow-ups, how to let prospects opt out gracefully, and a reframing that saves your energy: they’re not ignoring you, they’re busy. She also breaks down the myth of constant competition, making a strong case for collaboration and community among local business owners who share a client-first mindset.

On the entrepreneurial side, we get candid about discipline over motivation, launching imperfectly, and hiring for learnability, grit, and honesty. Christine’s approach to work-life harmony is refreshingly realistic—no false emergencies, clear boundaries, and a quick reset ritual for overwhelm that actually works. We round it out with actionable planning tips to align family needs, business growth, and risk protection, plus upcoming community events where Yellow Lucky Duck meets people where they are.

If you want a practical playbook for client trust, sustainable growth, and financial protection that respects real life, this conversation delivers. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s building something, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—we read every one.

Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!
Bill

Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review,  and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/


SPEAKER_02

Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs. I am Cliff McRae with Action Coach Business Growth Partners, where we work with local business owners to turn big ideas into real scalable growth. Today I'm excited to be joined by Christine Verost, Financial Yellow Lucky Duck with Trans America. How are you today?

SPEAKER_01

I'm doing well. How are you?

SPEAKER_02

I'm doing great. I'm doing great. Christine, thanks for being here. Let's go ahead and jump right in.

SPEAKER_01

For sure. That sounds great.

SPEAKER_02

All right, perfect. So for those who may not know it yet, you know, who is Christine Verost and what is Yellow Lucky Duck?

SPEAKER_01

So Yellow Lucky Duck is my side business of everything for annuities and building kind of that 1099 focus onto it. So as a financial professional, there's a lot of different ways that you get paid, but there's also many different ways that you can promote and market your business. And Yellow Lucky Duck's mine.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, perfect. Perfect. So what problems are you most passionate about solving for your clients?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, for there's always all kinds of problems. A lot of the times your emotions are very much tied to your money. And it also stops you from making your money grow, making your you work so hard for that money that you don't know what else to do with it as you move forward and grow and expand and kind of budget, but also be able to live your life, have that things into it. But also, how do we reach your those financial goals that you want to have? But also have the protection in place that if anything was to happen, that your family's not destitute, that you're not missing out on things and the dreams and hopes that you're planning for actually still come to fruition, whether you are still here or not.

Origin Story And Brand Meaning

SPEAKER_02

Okay, interesting. So take us back to the very beginning. What made you say, you know, yep, I'm doing this, I'm starting this business?

SPEAKER_01

Uh well, it actually would have to go back to when my parents got divorced, and my mother would always say that we are fine, we're going to stay afloat. And what is something that floats? Ducks. So throughout college and everything of that nature into it, when thinking about what stays afloat and what's going to keep you afloat, it always represented the yellow lucky duck. So as you're coming into insurance and financial services and the things that we aren't always taught about in school or as with kids, how do we expand and grow? Well, how do we also make this something fun that people want to talk about? So if you're coming up to talk to me, I'm going to ask you if you how can I help you get your ducks in a row? How do we help you stay afloat? And how do we make sure that you're financially protected? And so it brought around the ducks, but it also is just fun. It's entertaining. It makes a hard conversation something easy.

Starting From Scratch Lessons

SPEAKER_02

Okay. I really like that. I like that reference to the yellow lucky ducks pretty much in everything that you do. I like that. So, you know, and getting to this a little bit more, if you had to start again from absolute scratch, you know, no brand, no clients, no trans America, no safety net, what would you do differently the second time around?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, it's definitely one of those where you need to know you and you need to know what you can do. Because you can do anything, but your own limitations that you've already set ahead of you will stall a business from even getting off the ground. But also remembering that you can think outside the box and you don't have to do anything the same way that anybody else has done. You can take the bits and pieces that they enjoy and that you enjoy that work and use them, but you can also manipulate it to where it works for you and it fits your personality and what you want to see happen.

Persistence Without Desperation

SPEAKER_02

I really like that. Like that. So, what's a lesson you've learned the hard way as a business owner that no one really prepares you for?

SPEAKER_01

Things aren't always going to go well. Sometimes things go very horribly wrong, and it honestly doesn't always have everything to do with you. A client doesn't call you back, you don't get the piece of business, you don't get to work with those people. It's not that they don't like you. It's not that your personality and their personality didn't match, or they're mad at you because you didn't call them back the exact moment you said they would. It's more about if you can defeat the inner monologue in the brain that's going to tell you that they're mad at you, that this is a personal decision, that they're blowing you off for these reasons. All of that's not true. It's going to be more of what's happening in their life, and they're the most important thing in their life, and you're just a sidestep into it. But how do you create that sense of urgency and the importance to where they want to call you back? And persistency is always going to be key. We're not pushy, we're not bugging, we're not driving people crazy. We're being persistent because we care about it and we want to help them with what we can do, but also understanding that at some point you can say no and cut that off.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and I'm sure in what you do, you deal with that quite a bit, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, quite a bit.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01

It's a hard conversation. It's something that everybody needs and has to have, but not everybody wants to do it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So so digging into that a little bit more. So you're saying you reach out to people sometimes and they don't reach back out to you, and you kind of have to, you know, blur the lines between being, you know, persistent with the while also not being desperate, correct?

SPEAKER_01

Correct. Well, you never want to come across as desperate because I'm not desperate. I don't need this business. I don't need you to listen to me. I don't need you to put these plans in place. But your family does, and your family's going to need something of it because the reason that you typically buy insurance is that you love someone or you owe someone. And the reason to get better with money is because we all want more of it because then we can do things with it. But when it comes down to being persistent, it's more about, hey, I'm just reaching out because I was thinking about you. Let me know where you want to go from here. And if you do want to proceed, wonderful. If I'm not the right fit for you, that's perfectly fine. Please go ahead and tell me so that I won't consistently come back to see if you need me still.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. No, I and I agree with that. I'd rather you just be honest with me rather than me chase. You know what I mean? Like if it's like if you're not interested, just let me know. I'd rather you let me know rather than me keep, you know, reaching out to you every couple weeks or whatever and just not get you to answer the phone.

Discipline Over Motivation

SPEAKER_01

But it's also one of those things where a lot of us in business, we all think we're just so amazing and wonderful that you're gonna say yes on day one. It doesn't work that way typically. Most people don't say yes until maybe the fifth connection and andor further than that. So depending on what you're doing and how you're pursuing things, it might take a while. It's you have to have the long game and plan in place, otherwise, it's going to be very disappointing for you.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, I agree with that. So, what's a lesson you learned the hard way as a business owner that no one really prepares you for?

SPEAKER_01

It's definitely gonna be not prepared for what it's gonna take out of you and what you're gonna actually have to put into it because motivation's gonna take you so far, discipline will take you the rest. So there's many days where you wake up and you're not motivated and you don't want to do it, and you don't want to make the calls, and you don't want to go see the people, and maybe you just don't want to network. But when it comes down to it, once you get into the spirit of it, get up there and start talking, yeah, it's fun and you enjoy it. But if you don't enjoy it, then don't do it.

unknown

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. So what's what would you say is one common myth people believe about running a business that makes you laugh now?

SPEAKER_01

That it's all about competition, that you're going to compete with lots of other people. When actually it comes down to more collaboration. If you have a strong enough community of business owners and people who are experiencing the same things as you, it's no longer competition. It's more of collaboration and community to help support each other. Because I do something different than what you do. And all we want to really do is serve the client. We want to make sure that they have what they need, that they'll meet their goals, and that this is going to fit within their budget.

Entrepreneurial Mindset And Freedom

SPEAKER_02

Okay. All right. So let's move on to a little bit more about you. So let's be honest, you know, uh, you know, be completely honest with this answer. Are you naturally more of an entrepreneur or an employee at heart?

SPEAKER_01

Ooh. I would say I'm definitely an entrepreneur. I like being an employee occasionally, but I like telling others what to do, and I like to be in charge.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. And then other than other than being in charge, are there any other any other things you could think of that make you realize that you're more of an entrepreneur?

SPEAKER_01

Um, it's very much thinking outside the box. Um, there's many people who hand over formulas that are like, this is how this works, and this is what you should do, and I'll come up with a very different idea and get told multiple occasions that that's not going to work. But when I put it back to them and ask, well, have you tried that? They're like, No. Then how do you know it's not going to work? So why can't we do it? And why can't we proceed with those? And so it's more of the entrepreneurial spirit into it because I like representing Trans America and I like representing Yellow Lucky Duck because those are the things I believe in. And I believe we do good business. So I have the confidence and the support backing. So the employee side's nice, but it's still the flexibility and the freedom to do this the way I want to and have the ability to make those decisions.

Harmony Over Balance In Life

SPEAKER_02

Okay. No, love it, love it. So, and let's get into something a little bit different in your personal time. How do you personally handle stepping away from the business? You know, basically vacations, downtime, unplugging in the evening. Are you the kind of person at 6 p.m. you kind of turn your phone off and don't answer? Or are you working around the clock? How do you typically handle that?

SPEAKER_01

I think it depends on the situation. So I am in the business of life and death, but I do not cause life or death. So there's never that sense of urgency that it cannot wait till tomorrow. So I'm okay being at a birthday party and enjoying the whole evening. But also, if I have a client who calls and it's a panic call, I will call them back. I want to make sure that they feel supported as well. So it's kind of a balance between those, but I don't really like the idea of balance. I think it's more of harmony. There's some days it's going to be more on the business side. And then there's some days it's going to be more on the personal side. So trying to find where does that fit and putting the energy into it as needed.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, okay. And then how about uh how do you handle vacations?

Support Systems And Growth

SPEAKER_01

Vacations are more one of those where it's delegated for somebody else to handle and it's making sure that my clients are aware that I am going to be stepping away. And then it's all about fun. Like as much as a thing's into it, but I will tell you that usually when I'm on vacation, I run into somebody who says something that triggers a whole different conversation that has to do with work, and all my friends roll their eyes.

SPEAKER_02

All right, all right, perfect. I appreciate that. So, you know, looking back, what what would you attribute most to your growth so far in your business?

SPEAKER_01

I would say it's family support and friend support. I left a managerial job, and pretty much my sister told me that you will either fly or you can jump off the cliff or you can fly off the cliff, but either way, I'm pushing you. So you're going to do it. So I think that would really contribute to it because they've always been the support of it and the even if you have doubts, they're there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. So you so you're basically saying if you didn't have that support system, would you I mean you would probably still be working that managerial job? Is that kind of what you're saying?

SPEAKER_01

Um, I think I would eventually quit on my own, but I think it would have been I might have gone a different direction in it. Instead, I I found an opportunity that presented itself and I just took it and didn't look back, and it wasn't something that I had done before because I went from serving coffee to insurance and financial services.

Hiring For Learning And Grit

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Now, do you uh do you have employees or have you had employees in the past?

SPEAKER_01

I've had employees in the past. So I did run an agency for two and a half years, and I ran a staff for two and a half years previous of that.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, all right, perfect. So when you're building a team, what traits matter more to you than what's on someone's resume?

SPEAKER_01

Whether or not they're able to learn and whether they're willing to learn. So just because you are well versed in a topic and well-versed in a subject doesn't always mean that you actually know how it's works and how it works out in the real world. So you could be textbook smart or street smart, but you need a mix of both to survive in this industry and actually have that growth to it because soft skills and hard skills are so important. But also knowing that if they're looking at the fact they're going to be honest, they need to be team-oriented, but also have their own goals and drive, because this my whole industry will beat you down to the point where you're going to question your life. And so you have to be able to overcome that.

SPEAKER_02

And what would you say is one thing you do intentionally to keep your workplace positive, motivated, and productive for those employees, you know, especially during like a stressful season?

SPEAKER_01

Um, where can you find the fun? Make sure that they're connected very strongly to their why. Why are you in this industry? Why is this what you want to do? Why are we trying to help people? If they know that, everything else will come. And also allowing the fact that you can have a bad day, but that bad day can be collapsed into an hour versus an entire week. And if it's going to be that way, then well, go do something about it and then come back when you feel better. But how do we make sure that it's okay to have those feelings, but it's also not okay to let those feelings completely destroy your whole week?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. So you're very big on, I'm guessing you're very big on uh, you know, taking some time off if you need to go reset, right? Um, if you need to go go ahead and go and reset and come back strong, you know, and and rested, right?

SPEAKER_01

It's definitely one of those, but also knowing like you had things that needed to be accomplished today, where are you going to move them in your week to make sure that they do still get accomplished?

Quick Fire: Principles For Execution

SPEAKER_02

Okay, okay. Perfect. Yeah, so I appreciate that. So we're gonna head into what's called the quick fire round. Uh so basically how this works is I'm going to I'm going to give you one word, and I just want you to give me back the first thing or first idea that comes to mind when you hear about this word in regards to running your business. Now your answer doesn't have to be one word, it's just the first idea. Um first word is education.

SPEAKER_01

Always be learning. No matter how smart you think you are, there's someone smarter.

SPEAKER_02

I like that. Planning.

SPEAKER_01

Do it or don't do it, but it will affect everything that you do.

SPEAKER_02

Inspiration.

SPEAKER_01

You gotta have something every day that's going to be inspiring and that's fun.

SPEAKER_02

Commitment.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that one. Okay. Commitment in regards to business is like you decided to be here, you made that decision, you committed to it. Let's see what you can do with it.

SPEAKER_02

I like that. Discipline.

SPEAKER_01

Kicks in when motivation drops off.

SPEAKER_02

Risk.

SPEAKER_01

Without risk, there is no reward.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, agreed, agreed. And the last word is execution.

SPEAKER_01

Well, the funny thing is, I like lots of sci-fi and historical films, so that thinks of something differently. But what when like when thinking about it towards business, it's sometimes it's um progress versus perfection. Sometimes when you execute something, it's not going to be absolutely perfect, but it is better to do something than try to make it perfect.

Advice For The Overwhelmed Owner

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, okay, okay. All right, so I appreciate that. So, and then for this next question, I just want you to be as, you know, as candid as you can with this answer. But, you know, let's say if a small business owner is listening right now to our podcast episode today and feel stuck or overwhelmed, what piece of advice would you want them to hear from you today?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, stuck or overwhelmed. Get outside and be a sunflower for five minutes. Look up at the sun, take a deep breath, put your hands on your hips and breathe. But also know that this is just a moment. This isn't the rest of it. You came this far already. How do we help you go further?

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Now, what do you do if you can't uh look at what like let's say it's a cloudy day, what do you do then?

SPEAKER_01

You can still be a sunflower, just go outside. When you think about sunflowers, that's the best thing about them. If the sun is out, they're going to look at the sun. If they do not have the sun, they're going to look at each other. So in that point, you actually need to go find somebody else who will reflect the sun for you.

SPEAKER_02

I like that. I like that a lot. So, and now you know, getting into this a little bit more for that small business owner who, you know, what words of advice would you give to small business owners who are looking to grow?

Planning For Sustainable Growth

SPEAKER_01

Your planning is going to always incorporate your family. And how do you protect both your family and your business and your employees? And how do we move that forward gradually? So, as much as you want to be at the finish line, it didn't take you a short period of time to get where you are. So, think about that amount of time and then think about the next period of time and what are you going to do differently to shorten how long it took you to get to this spot so that you can meet achievable and attainable goals.

What’s Next And How To Connect

SPEAKER_02

I like that. Perfect, perfect. So, what would you say is next for Yellow Lucky Duck? What should people be excited about in the near future?

SPEAKER_01

For short. So we're actually going to be a vendor at some of the Memphis fresh markets. So this weekend on 221 is going to be the winter market out in Welford from 12 to 4. We're also going to be at the Trailblazer Market on the 28th of March, as well as the Easter egg hunt on April 4th.

SPEAKER_02

All right. All right. Well, I appreciate that. And finally, what's the best way for someone to connect with you or learn more about what you do?

SPEAKER_01

So LinkedIn is always the best thing of it. I am the only Christine Verost out there. Um, otherwise, if you want to give me a call, it's 864 416 1410.

SPEAKER_02

All right, perfect. Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Christine. It was fantastic. Uh, thank you so much for sharing your story, your perspective, and real behind the scenes of building a business. I really appreciate you coming on the podcast today.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, thank you very much.