From Selling the Good Book to Selling by the Book

Profile on: Doug Hesse, Founder Hesse Financial Advisors

If you heard a story about a guy who was selling Bibles door-to-door only to become a Christian once one of his customers finally explained what the Good Book was about, you’d probably think somebody made it up, that it came from a movie or somewhere. Well, in the case of Doug Hesse, founder of Hesse Financial Advisors, you’d be wrong, because that’s exactly what happened to him back in 1972.

Restless spirit

At the time Doug started selling Bibles, he wasn’t searching for the meaning of life. All he wanted was a job. Prior to that, he’d been fired from his position as a disc jockey when he refused to play country music and had flirted with alcoholism when he started sampling too much of the stock that he carried in his liquor store. So perhaps Doug was searching for something, but it had more to do with finding his niche in the business world than anything else. He was constantly restless, driven by an entrepreneurial spirit that was yearning to be unleashed.

Thus, to Doug, the Bibles he was peddling were merely another product to be sold, a means to an end. He had no idea what the book was about. As his wife Roselyn puts it, “He was selling Bibles on tape and telling people it was the original cast.” Thus, when Doug appeared on Pastor Jack Abacha’s doorstep, it didn’t take long for Jack to realize the earnest young salesman had no idea what he was talking about. After Jack explained the gospel, however, it resonated instantly with Doug, and he became a Christian right on the spot. The salesman had been sold.

A life-changing decision

Roselyn was amazed at the sudden transformation in Doug. “He was ready to become a minister – the same guy who only recently owned a liquor store. So this was definitely a whole different guy.” It wasn’t long before Roselyn followed in Jack’s footsteps and became a Christian herself. The two were married shortly thereafter and settled down in Denver.

Around this time, Doug got a job at the Denver Institute of Technology. The pay was good, but it didn’t take long before he grew restless once again. He longed to try his hand at business, and when he received a financial gift from his grandfather, he finally had the opportunity he was looking for.

Although Roselyn wanted to invest the money in a home, Doug – showing no sign of the financial acumen that would be his key to success later in life – thought real estate was a bad investment, so he bought an ice cream parlour instead. Concurrently, he was promoted at work, so he suddenly didn’t have time to run the shop. That job fell to Roselyn until they sold the business 15 months later. “Then we bought a house, and it doubled in value, proving me right and Doug wrong,” says Roselyn, chuckling.

Doug finally finds his niche

Eventually, Doug decided it was finally time to get a “real” career. He started taking classes at Denver’s College of Financial Planning. By 1980, he became one of the first certified financial planners (CFP) in the country.

Things weren’t easy starting out, because no one really knew what Doug was selling. “Financial planning in 1980 was almost non existent,” says Doug; however, word slowly spread, and within a couple of years, Doug had built one of the largest financial planning practices in Denver.

Things went smoothly for the Hesses until Denver’s cold winters started to play havoc with the after effects of Doug’s childhood polio. So the Hesses decided to move to Roswell, Georgia, hoping their success in Denver would open doors for them in Georgia. Such was not the case. After pounding the pavement in search of work, Doug managed to earn just enough money to scrape by that first year. But Doug continued to work hard and within a few years, Hesse Financial Advisors was among the top 25 financial planning firms in Atlanta. He hasn’t looked back since.

Keys to success

Apart from a sharp mind for how to handle money, the key to Doug’s success has been his ability to offer something larger firms can’t: Focused attention on his clients. Today, Hesse Financial Advisors manages $150 million for approximately 150 clients, and they meet with each and every one of these clients every quarter. “We are very focused on helping our clients meet their needs, meet their goals. We work hard for their trust,” says Doug. Doug’s faith plays a key role in both earning and maintaining this trust. “I believe that God has guided my steps in everything I’ve done…. I think my business has been very successful because I care about my clients and help them in every way I can.”

After years of helping clients plan for retirement, Doug finally put a plan in motion that would allow for his own retirement. He merged his company with Centurion, a larger financial planning firm, and continued working for them on a contract basis. Eventually, Centurion was bought out by an even larger company, so Doug, who still retained some ownership in Hesse Financial Advisors, profited once again. Today, Doug and Roselyn spend most of their time using this money to help others. “He’s made a lot of money, but the money’s really not important,” says Roselyn. “In fact, now it’s kind of like, how much can we give away?”

Have you ever considered how faith might help your business? Why don’t you ask Jesus about it? If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Saviour and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.

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