90-Day Launch Plan · Ethos Appointed-Agent Path
Copy the Neilson Financial Services (NFS) multi-brand DTC senior life model. The US is open white space — NFS tracks zero US competitors across 16 months. Launch first brand "1776 Funeral Defense" on Ethos's pure-digital GI Whole Life rails, MAGA-coded positioning, no call center, no agent on close.
Customer → 1776 Funeral Defense Meta ad → quiz LP → handoff via agent-coded URL → Ethos checkout → instant decision → policy bound. Funerals for Less LLC earns commission. No middleware, no AQE, no call center, no voice-sig widgets.
Universal across all 50+ NFS-tracked winners. Non-negotiable above-the-fold on the 1776 landing page.
"America's #1 Patriot-Owned Senior Life Brand"
Trustpilot + BBB A+ (open Week 1, seed reviews)
Pull Ethos's published 100% / 99.x% claims-paid stat
"Guaranteed acceptance, no questions, no exam"
"Premiums never rise — locked for life"
Lock at launch. Ship Day 1 on Ethos.
PRIMARY BONUS. Digital PDF instant on signup. Will template, beneficiary checklist, executor instructions, funeral wishes worksheet. $0 marginal cost.
"Plans from $30/month" or "Less than $1/day" — honest math for senior demo
Ethos already offers — lean into it as full refund pledge
Ethos GI WL feature — premium never rises
Dual Ethos policy in single funnel — UX wedge, no carrier filing needed
Originally planned $100 Visa at month 3 (NFS UK pattern). Unit-economics analysis: roughly break-even at best in US Meta-driven launch. Replaced with Estate Kit (better demo fit + $0 marginal cost). Phase 2 A/B test if month-1-to-3 retention proves weak — test Visa gift card, Bass Pro Shops gift card, or Patriot Welcome Box variants then.
Phase-by-phase, with checklists. Giann's NC license is the gating item. Everything else builds in parallel.
Down from $71-156K (the broken Aetna/Surefyre plan) because: no middleware, no call center, no IMO membership, Ethos eats appointment fees, faster license-to-live.
| Phase | Fixed Setup | Media | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-4 (foundation + license + Ethos) | $3,400-7,000 | $0-500 | $3.4-7.5K |
| Weeks 5-8 (live + scale test) | $0 | $10-30K | $10-30K |
| Weeks 9-12 (scale + brand #2 plan) | $3-6K (DM test optional) | $25-75K | $28-81K |
| TOTAL 90 DAYS | $6-13K | $35-105K | $41-118K |
One primary, one backup, one Phase 3 aspiration. Plus the verified skip list.
Pure-digital appointed-agent partner. Liberty Mutual signed white-label deal April 2026.
Online GI app, ages 50-80 (complements Ethos's 66-85 band).
True white-label "Insurance as a Service." Full brand control.
| Aetna / Accendo | AQE requires agent. No true GI (only Modified Benefit with health questions). |
| Mutual of Omaha | Requires phone interview. Blocks pure-digital UX. |
| Globe Life | Captive DTC. Doesn't appoint outside agencies. |
| Lincoln Heritage | Captive agent model. |
| Surefyre | P&C only. Not a life insurance middleware. |
From prerequisites to live writing. 2-4 weeks total.
Active NC resident life producer license (Giann) · NPN issued · E&O insurance proof ($1M) · Fingerprint background check · LLC with EIN
Visit ethoslife.com/agents or partner.ethoslife.com
Giann's NPN + NC license number + active status, LLC name + EIN, E&O proof, background clearance
3-7 days processing
Via SuranceBay SureLC (industry-standard appointment software)
Get your unique tracking URL — embed in 1776funeraldefense.com handoff CTA
Customer clicks "Get My Quote" → Ethos checkout with your agent code attributed → instant decision → policy bound → Referral Fee per Exhibit B paid to Funerals for Less LLC. 60-day attribution window.
The Ethos Producer Agreement is a referral producer contract with several one-sided clauses standard for InsurTech affiliates. Attempt to negotiate the 5 items below before signing. Realistic: get 1-2 wins out of 5. Still worth doing.
Engage a TX-licensed insurance attorney (Texas governs per §9.3). Budget $1-3K. Required, not optional.
Issue: Template Exhibit B is literally "Intentionally left blank." All economic terms unknown until signing.
Ask: Specific Referral Fee schedule, payment cadence, chargeback window, NSF handling, free-look policy, BEFORE signing. Do not sign without this.
Issue: Ethos can terminate with 3 days notice. Steve cannot convenience-terminate at all. Catastrophic at scale.
Ask: Mutual 30-day convenience termination, OR remove §8.3 entirely.
Issue: Perpetual, royalty-free, sub-licensable rights to Producer's name/image/likeness/statements. No approval right.
Ask: Limit to term + partnership-context only. Remove sub-licensable. Add termination-revocation clause.
Issue: Ethos can amend Exhibit B anytime, sole discretion.
Ask: 60-day prior notice for reductions. No retroactive effect on in-force policies. Producer termination right (with payout) if materially adverse.
§2.8 Issue: All Ethos-referencing content requires written approval + Ethos backlink.
§2.8 Ask: Limit to jointly-published Ethos-branded content only.
§7.1 Issue: Ethos liability capped at 12 months of payments to you. Month-1 breach = near-zero recovery.
§7.1 Ask: Floor of $50K OR 12 months of expected average payout.
Giann + Funerals for Less LLC is the minimum viable license stack. Steve's PA license is redundancy, not gating.
| Person / Entity | License | Process | Timeline | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giann (PRIMARY) | NC Resident Life Producer | 20-hr course + online proctored exam + NIPR app | 2-3 weeks | $400-500 |
| Funerals for Less LLC | NC Business Entity License + Giann as DRLP | NIPR via Giann's resident license | 1-2 weeks post-Giann's license | $50-200 |
| Giann + LLC (non-resident) | FL, TX, GA, SC, TN, AL, OH, PA, AZ | Reciprocal via NIPR (no exam) | 1-2 weeks per state, batch | $1,500-2,500 total |
| Steve (optional) | PA Resident Life Producer | 24-hr course + state exam + NIPR | 3-4 weeks | $500-600 |
From 16 months of NFS competitor research. The strategic moats.
16 months of docs, zero US carrier or brand mentions. 12-18 month moat window before NFS or another operator notices.
Universal NFS UK hook. We analyzed unit economics for US Meta-driven launch — break-even at best. Replaced with Free Estate Kit. A/B test in Phase 2 if month-1-to-3 retention is weak.
#1 claim + star rating + claims-paid % + no medical + locked rate. Non-negotiable above-fold.
120-second host-led DRTV. BSIA + Smart both running since June 2025. We replicate with Veo + Nano Banana AI talent.
Our LP differentiation. Scorecard-marketing playbook.
NFS data: "Funeral" in brand correlates with struggling brands (Dignity Insurance). Counter: MAGA demo may respond differently to direct/plain-spoken framing. Let conversion decide.
Current working name · Plain-spoken patriot framing
Defensive frame · Avoids "funeral" stigma word
Senior-direct · Generic enough to avoid stigma
Promise-frame · Most NFS-aligned