Community Highlights: Meet Jacob Pogue of The Pogue Agency

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Pogue.

Hi Jacob, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I spent 20 years in the restaurant industry, the last 12 of those bartending. I was in a position in life where I just felt stuck. I knew I wanted more. I didn’t know how to get it.

I got my finance degree in hopes that would be a way for me to break out from the restaurant industry. The problem was I was making $80,000 to $100,000 a year, and for me to use my finance degree would mean I would have had to take a pay cut. So, year after year went by where I was just doing the same thing today that I did yesterday.

By the grace of God, a customer that I got to know at the bar started sharing with me what he was doing and this great company he was working for, Symmetry Financial Group. He shared the potential that they had, the structure and system that the company set up. I decided I had nothing to lose because I could start part-time. I could still bartend and start working with Symmetry Financial Group on the side.

In December of 2012, got my insurance license and in January of 2013, I started part-time with SFG. There was definitely a learning curve. I have never been in sales or insurance before unless you call bartending sales. I would say, “You want a drink?” They would say yes. So I had a 100% closing ratio there. But the great thing about the company that I worked for is that there was training and there was mentorship, and I was able to plug in. SFG also has a lead system so that I didn’t have to go straight to my family and friends for business. I was able to leverage the lead system, which put me in front of qualified clients, prospective clients, and I would serve them with different insurance and investment options based on their specific needs.

Over the next couple of months, I learned, I grew, and I got better. Three months into working with SFG, I was on a run rate to replace my bartending income, so I was able to quit that bartending career. That was life-changing for my wife Stacie and me. Stacie and I had been together at that point for 14 years, and all 14 of those years, I was working nights and she was working days. It was a strain on our relationship. So, we felt like we hit the lottery when I was able to quit that bartending gig. We could have dinner together every night of the week. It was a blessing.

For that first year, I was just focused on helping clients as a field agent where I served as many clients as I could. I was able to exceed my annual bartending income and had much more free time with my family, which was awesome.

One of the great things about Symmetry Financial Group is that they have a structure to help you turn from self-employed to a business owner. We can go out there and hire agents, plug them into our training, and build our own insurance agency. So, I started doing that in 2014. I had a lot to learn in terms of what leadership was and how to become a leader. I started reading a lot of leadership books and plugging into my mentors more and finally started moving in the right direction. A year after starting to build The Pogue Agency, we had 10 agents on our team and our agency was doing $50,000 to $60,000 a month in annual premiums.

What happened was we kept hiring good people, people that wanted to do the same thing that I did. The Pogue Agency just started taking off. We started growing into leadership with this company. I started being asked to speak in front of 1,000 – 3,000 people, and then most recently here in Denver, 5,000 people.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There was a learning curve. I have never been in sales or insurance before but plugging into the training and mentorship that is offered set me up for success.

It has been an incredible journey. We have a rockstar team of people that go out and truly care about other people. The Pogue Agency truly wants to help our clients protect their largest asset, which is themselves. If something happens to mom or dad, we want to make sure that kids can stay in the same school system; that there is money there for mom if dad doesn’t come home.

I love what we do. I love that we can build a successful business by helping people. And not just our clients but our team of agents too. I’ve watched this company not only change my family but also change so many of the agents that we have on our team. The Pogue Agency currently has more than 340 agents writing business each month. It’s just surreal to look back nine years ago, starting in an industry that I knew nothing about, the insurance industry. Now nine years later, I lead an agency that will do $24 million this year. With that income, those commissions are spread out among 340 agents, and it’s absolutely incredible.

It has allowed my wife and I to do the things that have always been on our hearts, which is to give back. We have a lot of different charities that we partner with, like our local church and charities, as well as national and international organizations. It’s been an absolute blessing. It’s been an incredible journey. We’ve built a great culture here at Symmetry Financial Group and The Pogue Agency. I’m just honored to be able to help carry the torch for this company.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Pogue Agency is hiring part-time and full-time agents. There is no experience required and our agents are all remote with fair compensation. We offer training and mentorship that truly sets our agents up for success. Contact us to learn more about careers at The Pogue Agency. careers@thepogueagency.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thepogueagency.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pogueagency/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PogueAgency