Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Velez.
Hi Joey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started in the financial field when I was 19 years old. The reason I got into it was because I wanted to help the Hispanic community get ahead financially.
When I first started in my office, I was the only person who spoke Spanish. Growing up, I watched my parents struggle and make financial decisions without really having someone sit down with them, educate them, and help them build a plan. I always wondered, “Why didn’t they have someone to help them?”
That became a big reason why I wanted to do this.
My dad was my first client. He believed in me from the beginning. He always did. He gave me around 60 referrals, and honestly, that helped me get off to a fast start.
My dad is such a big part of my development. Without him, I would not be the man I am today. He was such a positive person. He was a believer. He was a dreamer. He always told me I could do it. He always made me feel like I was going to be a winner.
And honestly, because of his belief in me, and because of my mother’s belief in me, we are where we are today.
Unfortunately, in 2022, my father passed away. He was murdered, and that was obviously one of the hardest things my family has ever gone through.
But I also got to see firsthand why what we do matters so much.
My dad had life insurance, and the claim paid out in two days. Our company delivered. Of course, no amount of money could ever replace my father. Nothing could replace him. But what it did was give my family options during the worst moment of our lives.
That experience made this mission even more real for me. It reminded me that what we do is not just about policies, investments, mortgages, or paperwork. It is about families. It is about options. It is about making sure people are not left completely lost when life hits them the hardest.
Being 19 years old in financial services was not easy. A lot of people would look at me like, “What is this 19-year-old kid going to teach me about money?”
Instead of getting offended, I realized I had to get better. I had to dress sharper. I had to work harder. I had to do more appointments. I had to make up for the skill gap.
There’s this stage in business that I call the invisible progress stage. That’s where most people quit. You’re working hard, you’re meeting people, you’re getting rejected, you’re learning, but on the outside it looks like nothing is happening.
For me, I stayed focused and locked in. After my parents, it took me four months to make my first real sale. During those four months, I was walking into businesses, speaking to owners, going into barbershops, and just trying to get better every day.
I remember TJ Rice from Next Level Barbershop in York, PA gave me a chance to do a workshop, and that really helped me believe in myself. I’ll never forget that.
The Manno family from Paolo’s Pizza also gave me a shot and opened doors for me. Alex, the owner of CarMart Automotive in York, PA, gave me a chance and believed in me too. Pastor Efrain Reyes from Iglesia Voz de Alerta opened doors for me as well.
And truthfully, there were so many local business owners in York who supported me and gave me a chance when I was just getting started. I’ll never forget the people who opened doors for me.
During those first four months, I grinded with no sales. But I was meeting people, learning, and building momentum even though I couldn’t see it yet.
Then, at the end of the fourth month, I decided I was going to make something happen. I got my first real sale, and things started to change. The momentum I had built during that invisible progress stage started to compound.
For three and a half years, I worked hard, but I was part-time. I treated it like college. I was learning, developing, and building myself. Eventually, I earned my Regional Vice President promotion.
During those years, I also met my beautiful wife, Nelly. We became a partnership, and our business elevated when we started working together. Having a great spouse who believes in me and works with me toward our vision has been one of the biggest blessings in my life.
Once I became an RVP, our income exploded. We made more money than we had ever made before. We became the first people in our families to make six figures, and I was only 22 years old. It was wild.
Now Nelly and I have a beautiful 5-year-old daughter, Sofia, and she benefits so much from the environment we are building. She gets to grow up around a team, around leadership, around people who are trying to become better, and around a business that gives us options as a family.
That means a lot to me because this is not just about what Nelly and I are building for ourselves. It is also about the environment our daughter gets to grow up in and the example she gets to see every day.
Since then, the business has continued to grow. Today, we have over 80 licensed agents on our team and over 2,000 clients combined.
We now have a life insurance, investment, and mortgage business. We help families develop a financial game plan that protects them if they die too soon, but also helps them prepare if they live a long life.
With mortgages, we teach families how possible it can be to buy a home. A lot of people think homeownership is out of reach, but sometimes they just need education, guidance, and a real plan.
I’m also extremely thankful for our mentors. Chris and Kelly Kerner, who are local to Mount Joy, have been a huge part of our journey. They did our financial game plan with us every quarter and helped us stay focused, organized, and intentional.
And Jim and Mary Kocher have poured into us so much. They have been an incredible example and have helped expand our vision of what is possible. Having mentors like that has made a major difference in our lives and in our business.
For me, this has always been bigger than business. It started with watching my parents struggle and wanting to be the person I wish they had when I was growing up. Then, after losing my father, I saw even more clearly how important it is for families to have a real plan.
That’s what drives me today. I want to help families get educated, get protected, build ownership, and believe that a better future is possible.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road.
When I started, one of the first struggles was my age. I was 19 years old working in financial services, so I had to deal with people questioning whether I was credible enough to help them. I could tell sometimes people were looking at me like, “What is this kid going to teach me?”
But instead of letting that offend me, I used it as motivation. I realized I had to grow faster. I had to dress sharper, study more, work harder, and do more appointments than the average person because I had to earn people’s trust.
Another big struggle was the invisible progress stage. After helping my parents, it took me four months to make my first real sale. I was walking into businesses, talking to owners, visiting barbershops, getting rejected, and still showing up. On the outside, it looked like nothing was happening. But internally, I was learning, building confidence, and developing the habits that would eventually create momentum.
There were also moments where I could have quit. Building a business part-time for three and a half years was not easy. I had to stay committed even when the results were not showing up as fast as I wanted. I had to treat the business like college and keep developing myself.
One of the hardest struggles of my life was losing my father in 2022. He was murdered, and that changed my family forever. My dad was one of my biggest believers. He was my first client, he gave me referrals, and he always told me I could do it. Losing him was painful in a way that is hard to explain.
At the same time, that tragedy made my mission even stronger. My dad had life insurance, and the claim paid out in two days. That did not replace him, and it never could, but it gave my family options during one of the worst moments of our lives. It showed me at an even deeper level why financial planning matters.
So no, the road has not been smooth. There has been rejection, doubt, slow seasons, grief, and a lot of pressure. But every struggle helped shape me. It made me a better leader, a better husband, a better father, and a better financial professional.
I would say the struggle taught me that success is not built when everything is going right. Success is built in the seasons where you keep showing up even when nobody can see the progress yet.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My business is with Primerica Financial Services and Primerica Mortgage. We license and train agents, and together we help families better understand their financial situation and work toward building a financial game plan.
A lot of families are working hard, earning income, paying bills, and trying to make good decisions, but they may not always have someone sit down with them and explain how different areas of their finances connect. That is where our team tries to make a difference.
Through properly licensed representatives, we work with families in areas such as life insurance, investments, debt, retirement goals, and home financing options. Our goal is to help people become more educated and more confident when making financial decisions.
What sets us apart is our communication and accessibility. We are not perfect, but we make it a priority to stay in touch with the families we serve, answer questions, and get back to people in a timely manner. People know that if they reach out to our team, we are going to do our best to respond within 24 to 48 hours.
I am also proud of the culture we are building within our team. We focus heavily on growth and development. We are constantly working to help our agents become better educated, better trained, and better equipped to serve families professionally.
Brand-wise, I am most proud that our business is built around education, leadership, communication, and service. We have built a team of over 80 licensed agents and have served over 2,000 clients combined. That means we are not only working with families directly, but also developing licensed representatives who can make an impact in their own communities.
I want readers to know that our mission is to license, train, and develop agents who can help families become more educated, more prepared, and more confident when making financial decisions. Whether it is protecting income with life insurance, planning for long-term goals, or exploring home financing options, we want families to know they do not have to figure everything out alone. With education, guidance, and a real plan, they can make more informed decisions for their future.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
One of my favorite books is Think and Grow Rich. I actually picked that book up when I was 14 years old, and it changed the way I thought about life. That was probably one of the first times I realized that your mindset, your environment, and the information you feed yourself can completely change your future.
Self-improvement has always been a huge part of my life and my business. We actually spend every morning Tuesday through Friday doing a book club with our team. We read different books together and talk about how to apply the lessons to our lives, our families, and our business.
Some of the books that have impacted me are The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and books by John Maxwell on leadership. I’m constantly listening to Audible, whether I’m driving, working, or getting ready for the day.
For me, personal growth is not just something I do when I have extra time. It is part of the culture we are building. If we want to help families grow financially, we have to keep growing ourselves first.
Pricing:
- WE offer a free Financial Needs Analysis
Contact Info:
- Website: https://livemore.net/o/TeamVelez1
