This is the story of the first person ever – that I know of – who actually meant to get into the insurance business. What else do you need to know?

“I actually did plan to get into the business,” William Hill recalls. “I had a life-changing event that forced me to reconsider a life in the Marine Corps. One of my neighbors at the time worked at a national brokerage house and I admired his lifestyle. I asked about getting into the business and he sent me for an interview with The Equitable. I didn’t relish the thought of selling life insurance and working nights, but I was told it would be good training before becoming a broker. So I spent two years there until I took a straight commission job working for a small consultant shop. That lasted two years, until I worked up the nerve to go it alone. I probably would have never picked the profession had I not been in such a desperate need for money. As you know, once you are in, you are in unless you want to make a major lifestyle change.”

It seems to have worked out well. After getting his start in the business, he’s made his way by becoming what one colleague called “a true individual worksite guy.”