Today we shine the spotlight on Joel Carson, LUTCF, a seasoned sales manager at 1847Financial Dallas/Fort Worth with over three decades of experience in the financial industry. With a deep passion for mentoring and training, Joel has dedicated his career to helping financial professionals unlock their full potential and achieve remarkable business growth. Let’s take a journey to see how he empowers financial professionals to excel in a competitive market.

How long have you been in financial services and what made you decide to join the industry?
I've been in the business just over 30 years and my grandfather actually sold life insurance for a mutual life insurance company out of Omaha, Nebraska. As a kid, I thought his autonomy, income, and ability to travel and meet new people would be something I'd want to do as an adult. 

What roles have you had along the way?
I've been a sales manager both here and at Mass Mutual, but I also had a brief stint for about 10 years where I was a national sales director for an annuity marketing organization. So I've always been in life and annuity financial services, both a sales leader at the Managing Principal level and as a frontline sales manager.

How long have you been with your firm?
I have been with Penn Mutual and 1847Financial for six years.

How do you partner with financial professionals?
The key is to first understand where they are in their practice and then tailor a service model to fit their unique needs. We identify their strengths to enhance them further, while also addressing areas that could benefit from improvement. 

What does your firm offer that others don't? What makes you stand out?
We have a full suite of services to support financial professionals, either locally or nationally. We have everything from new business, practice development, marketing support in a local team that can help support financial professionals regardless of their location. Penn Mutual also has a strong suite of products and is backed by one of the strongest brands in the business.

Can you elaborate more on your local support?
At our main office in Addison (Dallas), we have practice development and an operations manager; we also have marketing support not too far away in Houston. For financial professionals in the north Texas area, we’d love to house them in our picturesque office space. However, there is no requirement to be local, as we’re able to recruit, mentor, train, and develop anywhere nationally.
Describe your ideal recruit.
We are looking for financial professionals who want to grow their practice and really take it to the next level. If you’re working hard and seeing success but feel like something is holding you back – whether it’s limited product offerings, a lack of marketing support, or an unproductive team dynamic, we want to help you break through those barriers. In today’s competitive market, having access to top-tier products and very strong compensation is crucial. We offer that and more. If you're facing challenges or frustrations in growing your practice, we’d love to talk to you.

What's an example of how you've helped a financial professional grow their business?
This ties directly into what we discussed about the ideal recruit. If you're doing well in your business but feel like you've hit a plateau or are facing limitations, we can work with you to break through those barriers. For example, I've worked with financial professionals who were successful, but found their income or practice growth had stalled. By providing them with enhanced resources—such as underwriting support, a broader range of product offerings, marketing assistance, and advisor teaming—we helped them reignite their growth and take their practice to new heights. The key is understanding where you are in your practice, where you want to go, and how we can support you in achieving those goals.

What advice would you give a financial professional looking to change firms?
Start by identifying what matters most to you, both personally and professionally. Once you have a clear sense of your priorities, take a close look at your practice to see if those expectations are being met. It’s not just about work-life balance—consider whether there are pain points, frustrations, or other obstacles holding you back. If you find areas that need improvement, let's have an open conversation. With our proven track record and comprehensive support, we can explore how to help you elevate your practice to the next level. We’ll be candid in our discussions, focusing on how we can assist you in growing and expanding into new areas or enhancing what you’re already passionate about. These are the kinds of conversations we’re eager to have with financial professionals.

What do you enjoy most in your free time?
Anything ocean or nautical including fishing and scuba diving. I’m actually doing this interview from a beach house in Galveston, TX. Most decor in my office and home are water-related, including a set of shelves made out of a canoe in my office.

If you're looking to join a firm that prides itself on partnering with financial professionals, consider connecting with Joel on LinkedIn or reach out directly to 214-674-6053.

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