About me ‘JC’

Director / Financial Adviser

Mortgage – Insurance – KiwiSaver – Coaching

The following is a little bit about me and the road that ultimately led me to set up Success Avenue. This is a compilation of my life experiences which have contributed to shape the person I am today and will hopefully help you decide if Success Avenue is the right fit for you.

A seasoned entrepreneur with a passion for both the financial world and the thrill of watersports. Since diving into the entrepreneurial scene over 25 years ago, in 2016 within the financial services sector, JC has been making waves not only in business but also on the open water. When he’s not navigating the complexities of finance, you’ll find JC harnessing the wind and waves, indulging in his love for kitesurfing, wing foiling, and surfing. A family man at heart, JC enjoys sharing these exhilarating water adventures with his kids, creating a perfect balance between the dynamic business landscape and the serenity of the sea.

successavenue-about

Family

I come from a family of 6 kids (3 girls and 3 boys), in a very typical affluent South American family, in Santiago, Chile. We had a lake house where the family enjoyed a multitude of water sports, including sailing, water skiing and wakeboarding. My love for sport has been with me right from the beginning, helping to shape my life and making me a very determined and competitive individual.

Growing up in a large South American family, everyone has an opinion about what you should do or what you are about to do, so when you decide to do something (e.g. start a business), you better be confident that is going to work! When a massive economic crisis hit Asia in 1997, the amount of money my dad had to make to support a large family was staggering. I remember seeing how hard he worked to make sure we had everything we needed and more, and how tough things became following the crisis. This determination has also trickled down to me and is evident today in my strong work ethic and willingness to help others.

My career.

My work history includes roles, ventures and small businesses in various industries, all with the common thread of a desire to serve people and nurture an entrepreneurial spirit. I have always set out to do the best for people and my strong values and work ethic have shaped who I am today and how I want to help people live their best lives. Below is a snapshot of some of my entrepreneurial roles.
01.

Landscape artist and pool master.

As a youngster, starting to make money by maintaining a large garden and cleaning the pool. I also chopped wood and harvested all the walnuts from two large trees on the property.
02.

Famous DJ

I launched my first venture with a friend working as DJs for private parties. We purchased equipment and all went well for a short time. My first experience with a business partner taught me some valuable lessons and introduced me to entrepreneurship.
03.

The restaurant game

I worked countless events as a waiter and bartender, where I started perfecting my people skills and learning more about business and the different aspects that make a business work. I also started to understand that to make more money, I needed to focus on adding more value, not only to my employer but to my clients.
04.

Landscape artist 2.0

My father and I set up our own landscaping business. I did a quick course to learn how not to kill plants and used my experience looking after our own garden to sign my first few clients and an employee to help me do the maintenance work.
05.

The Robot rainbow

Honing my sales skills by becoming a salesperson for expensive robotic vacuum cleaners!
06.

The Cruise ship

At 23 I had heard about working on cruise ships in the Caribbean. Like a working holiday – and getting paid! Being on my own in a different part of the world for the first time, although incredibly scary at first, also showed me what I was capable of.
07.

The bar.

Two friends and I decided to open our own bar. I worked extensively in hospitality to prepare for the venture, and although we were young, we had a great combination of skills, including culinary, engineering and all my experience working in bars, the ship, etc. A lot of fun but a lot of serious hard work too.
08.

The personal trainer

At this time, I also studied for two years to become a personal trainer and did a masters, graduating with honours. I never went on to work as a PT, but it was great to supplement my love for sports.

New Zealand

Prior to leaving Chile, a friend recommended I do a carpentry or welding course to bring valuable skills into NZ, and I decided to go for the welding option. I managed to get a job quickly at a reputable engineering company, doing one of the worst jobs on the floor. Given my experience with terrible jobs and working incredibly hard, I did not let that deter me, so I put my head down and worked hard.

My time working in engineering was great as it allowed me to learn a new profession, graduating 3 years later and being one of the top paid apprentices.

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JC Kitesurfing is born

In 2007, while in my second year working in engineering, I met my next love ‘kitesurfing’. I saw a bunch of guys getting pulled across the water by these big kites and riding what looked like wakeboards. At that point I knew that would be my next sport.

With my limited income, I convinced a friend who was an instructor to teach me how to do it, and not long after I started my second job teaching kiteboarding, my nickname ‘JC’ was born, and I’ve been known by it ever since.

I met my wife Christie who had to first miss out on dates because I was too busy chasing the wind, until she found the love for it herself and we started my first business in NZ ‘JC Kitesurfing’, growing it to became one of the biggest shops/schools in the country right in middle of a recession. We taught thousands of people how to kite and SUP, while Christie and I welcomed our amazing little boys Lucas and Maxx.

Although a ton of fun, I worked 7 days a week from 2007 to 2016 building that business while I was still working my engineering job, along with teaching and serving thousands of clients through the shop. In the summer of 2015, the pressure of working 7 days a week with two young kids and a ton of financial pressure, prompted the decision to look in a different direction and that is where my career in finance began.

The financial advisory world

In July 2016, I walked into my first day as a trainee Insurance Adviser, surrounded by highly competitive humans with big goals in life. Selling insurance was something I never thought I would do and something that would lead me into finally finding out what I wanted to do when I grow up.

My first year as an adviser was focused on learning the industry well so I could provide good advice to clients. To achieve this when I was under so much pressure, once again I got real focused on the target, set up a solid plan and worked hard to achieve it.

Talking about insurance, being better with money, having the best mortgage structure, focusing on the present as well as the future is very natural to me, given what I have experienced in my life and what I’m experiencing right now with having kids, a mortgage, a business and so on.

As I was getting better as an adviser, I also started adding value to the business itself, climbing up the ranks to training new advisers by 2017, becoming Head of People and Culture, Partner in 2018 and General Manager in 2019. In April 2021 I decided it was time for me to embark on my new venture, one where I could stay true to my values.

During my time I helped to build a business from under 20 people to a nationwide business with over 70 people, while overseeing training and managing the sales team. I started and managed a nationwide relationship with a well-established building company who refers their clients to the business for finance advice. I have a huge amount of appreciation for the opportunity I was given and I’m glad that it came at a time where I had enough experience to help make a difference and fuel my never-ending search for growth, both personally and professionally.

Success Avenue

On May 1st, 2021 Success Avenue was born. The business aims to help people find their own potential, offering financial coaching to make better decisions, and encouraging people to live a full life while they build a solid future and offer each client open and honest advice across all our different financial products.

I consider myself successful as I have lived my life on my own terms, never saying no to a new adventure, spending quality time with my wife and kids, traveling the world, learning new things, and seeing new places. We are very lucky to own a piece of NZ paradise on the Hibiscus Coast, where we will soon build our family home. I love my job and have big dreams to keep achieving personal and professional goals to keep enjoying this life with all its ups and downs.

I really look forward to meeting you and helping you find your Success Avenue.

Life lessons

Your family will always be the first to come to the rescue when something doesn’t work out, when you need to talk, or to support you even when you make mistakes. Appreciate every second as they won’t be around forever. Love your family.
We all live very busy lives and having that something that can take you away from all the noise and ground you is essential to protect your mental health and allow you to be the best version of yourself, not just for you but for the people around you.
In 1997 when the Asian financial crisis hit South America, we lost almost everything. Society was built to keep us in debt and to encourage us to buy things we cannot afford. One of the big mistakes my dad made was to have all our eggs in one basket and when the basket broke, so did the rest. Learn how to be good with money so you can live your best life and be prepared for when things get tough.
Your friends, your family, your mentors can all have a huge influence in your life, make sure to pick the right ones.
I’ve gained a great amount of experience from a range of different things; some were only there to fill a gap but they still taught me great lessons. You don’t get good at business or any other aspect of life by doing well all the time. It is the fails that teach you the big lessons, so go out there and start failing, because the sooner you do, the sooner you will reach your goals.
Although your kids can drive you insane sometimes, seeing them grow, teaching them things for the first time, being a good role model like my dad, mum, grandfather, uncles were to me, is a blessing. Enjoy them because one day they will decide to go and live elsewhere.
If you need help, pick up the phone and call me.
My oldest brother is 10 years my senior, but that has never deterred me as a kid from trying and focusing on what I needed to improve so I could one day be better than him at sports. I would encourage you to compete with yourself, because every little improvement you make compounds to huge improvements long term. That is applicable to every aspect of your life.
This is a huge issue today and sadly financial pressure is a big part of it. Financial pressure can be resolved with a solid plan that can help you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Be prepared, because it might take a whole lot of work to get you there, but it will all be worth it.
Do not do a job that stresses you to the point where your health suffers, or you must take medication to be able to handle it. We spend most of our lives working, so do something that inspires you and that you feel proud to be part of. If you love what you do, give it all you’ve got, share your knowledge, and inspire others to do the same.
If you want positive change and to achieve things you thought were not possible, you must get rid of all your excuses. It does not matter if the weather is not right today or the wrong political party is in government, you have the power to achieve whatever you want when you understand the actions you need to take, have a clear plan, change habits that will not help you progress and work hard. Have a purpose.
If I can take something positive from my cousin’s death, it is that it gave my life more meaning. It made me focus even harder on being a positive influence on others, to live my life to the fullest, to do whatever I decide I want to do, because when I look back, I do not want to have any regrets.
This world is full of negative stuff and we are letting it control us. If we all focus on being good to one another, we can change the world.
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