“You can’t have security and financial freedom at the same time. One keeps you comfortable. The other builds wealth.”
KEY TAKEAWAY
After 35 years in Wall Street finance, Devon Fleming chose ownership over prestige. Instead of starting over, she chose to grow. Through mentorship, leadership development, and disciplined daily habits, she built lasting freedom, influence, and flexibility on her own terms.
Watch her full interview below and discover why she says she will never go back.
FROM WALL STREET TO OWNERSHIP
Devon spent 35 years in finance.
New York. Connecticut. Wall Street. Investment banking. Quantitative analytics.
Prestigious firms. Recognizable names. Structured success.
She understood stability. She understood compensation. She understood reputation.
She had the title. She had the reputation. What she did not have was control over her ceiling.
But she did not own what she was building.
When she found the opportunity online nearly seven years ago, her first reaction was skepticism.
“I had always worked for very prestigious name companies. So I was very skeptical when I first saw it.”
It was unfamiliar.
It lacked the corporate branding she was used to.
It did not feel predictable.
And predictability had defined her entire career.
Then she got on a conference call.
That is when the shift happened.
“I was really excited about the passive income. I could build something. I don’t want to have to work forever.”
This was no longer about a position.
It was about ownership.
SECURITY OR FREEDOM
Devon explains the trade-off clearly.
“You can’t have security and financial freedom at the same time. It’s one or the other.”
A paycheck every Friday feels secure.
But you do not own it.
You do not control it.
You do not build wealth from it.
Ownership carries risk.
But it also carries upside.
“If you believe in it and you want it and you’re willing to grow, you can definitely have it. I’ll never go back.”
That conviction comes from experience.
THE GROWTH WAS INTERNAL FIRST
Devon is candid about the struggle.
There were seasons she wanted to quit. Seasons she doubted herself. Seasons where she had to confront a hard truth: success would require her to change first.
“Nothing in life will change unless we change.”
That realization became her turning point.
She stopped blaming circumstances. She stopped questioning the opportunity. She looked inward.
The business was not the obstacle.
Her habits were.
From that moment on, personal development stopped being optional and became daily discipline.
Reading. Reflection. Intentional growth.
Not occasionally. Daily.
One of her most influential leadership teachers is John Maxwell. She embraced the principle that leadership is influence. It is going first. It is becoming the example before asking others to follow.
Inside the Delaney Agency, this philosophy is not theoretical. Personal growth is foundational. Leadership development is woven into everything we build. You can explore our Mission & Values to understand why growth always precedes scale.
SUCCESS IS A DAILY PRACTICE
Devon compares business growth to physical fitness.
You do not “arrive.”
You practice daily.
“My success today is really a function of my daily habits and what I’m putting into it.”
Her journey was not a straight line.
There were personal hardships.
Moments of pain.
Seasons that knocked her off course.
But looking back, she sees the purpose.
“It was through that pain that I was able to change and grow.”
Pain forced growth.
Growth created capacity.
Capacity built freedom.
THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP
Devon credits the Delaney Master Agency leadership as transformative.
Watch Devon Describe the Leadership Impact
If you want to hear Devon explain the influence Brian had on her growth, watch this short clip.
“Brian has just been profoundly impactful on my life.”
She speaks about humility, transparency, and wisdom.
“He has completely changed my life.”
Leadership here is not positional.
It is relational.
It is modeled.
It is lived.
Leadership in Her Own Words
Here is another moment where Devon explains why leadership made the difference.
If culture and mentorship matter to you, explore our step by step training and mentorship system and see how leadership development is built into the process.
THE PERKS ARE REAL
Her first incentive trip to Mexico surprised her.
“It was insane. The company is so incredibly generous.”
But the real perk is flexibility.
She works when she chooses.
She takes time off when she wants.
She earns bonuses she never experienced in traditional finance.
“My life is different. I would never go anywhere else.”
A MESSAGE TO WOMEN AND PROFESSIONALS
Devon has always had a passion for helping women grow.
She once started a women’s business development group on Wall Street.
She understands the pressure women carry.
Provider.
Caregiver.
Professional.
Leader.
Her message is clear:
You do not need to be extraordinary at everything.
You need to be willing to have conversations.
To connect.
To grow.
“Women by nature are connectors and wanting to help others, but they sometimes forget to help themselves.”
This opportunity can be started part time.
It can be built from home.
It can grow alongside your life stage.
If you want to see how others have built similar paths, visit our Agent Success Stories and explore real journeys.
WHY CONFERENCE MATTERS
Devon strongly encourages in-person events.
“You got to get to conference.”
You cannot fully understand the culture through a screen.
Proximity accelerates belief.
Belief accelerates action.
If you are serious about growth, attend conference. Get in the room. See what is possible.
A FINAL WORD
People come for the money.
They stay for the culture.
Devon built freedom after 35 years in a prestigious industry because she chose ownership over security and growth over comfort.
If you are exploring what your next chapter could look like, visit our Get Hired page and review the four-step process:
Apply online
Interview and introduction call
Training and licensing support
Start selling and building your business
You cannot have security and financial freedom at the same time.
You have to choose.
