Fran Tarkenton

Fran Tarkenton is a classic entrepreneur. Yes, he did play in the NFL for 18 years, and is in the NFL Hall of Fame as well as the College Hall of Fame. He earned those accolades by his own performance and the ability to make his teammates better.

That same strategy is still working for him today as he continues to strive to make his business partners better.

His business career is even more impressive than his football career. He has built fifteen different ideas into successful, thriving businesses.

• He had his first insurance license at 19.
• He did the first payroll deduct guaranteed issue Life Insurance Program at Cannon Mills in North Carolina. By utilizing National Life & Accident of Nashville, Tennessee, 26,000 people at Cannon Mills were insured. Fran took that idea to corporate America and built a large company.
• He started the practice of advertising on airplane ticket jackets in 1980. He eventually had every airline except Eastern and Braniff utilizing his system.
• He built a software technology company in the 1980's partnering with IBM and Ernst & Young. This company went from $0 in revenue to $129M in revenue within just a few years. View Morningstar Article by Dr. Donald Moine.
• During his esteemed career, Fran has formed close relationships with several business leaders whom he greatly respects; among them, Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart and Jay Abraham, marketing guru. Sam was a great fan of Fran and the feeling was reciprocated. View a letter from Sam Walton.
• Fran has worked for many years with marketing genius Jay Abraham. Jay says of Fran, "He is the most intuitive businessman I have ever known. He has a proven ability to lift his partners and increase their chance for growth."

Fran was among the pioneers behind the launch of Guthy-Renker Corporation in 1986. Today it is the leading infomercial production company. Guthy-Renker Corporation introduced television spokesperson Tony Robbins to the world and is the promotional genius behind successes such as Power-Rider fitness products. Fran also helped launch 1-800-BAR-NONE, the top sub-prime auto loan program in the United States.

Fran is a founding partner in one of the fastest growing conference call companies in the U.S. He owns GoSmallBiz.com, a leading small business portal and consulting service provider. He partnered with Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. to develop its small business plan which is growing at a rate of 110% per year.

In 2003, he started Tarkenton Financial, a company focused on financial education and the benefits of fixed annuities and single premium life products. The company markets these services to the growing senior market through hundreds of representatives in the Tarkenton Financial network.

A highly regarded entrepreneur for the last 40 years, Fran's philosophy is that there is only one reason for a business to exist - to provide products and services that enhance and improve the quality of life of its customer. Tarkenton Financial is the culmination of his work for the last 10 years. It embodies his vision, values and his passion. Meet Fran Tarkenton and you'll understand why Tarkenton Financial is right for you.