We recently connected with Trevoy Pointer and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Trevoy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
It’s simple, myself.
In the last 10 years, I’ve invested nearly $10,000 in self-education. I’ve read several books, attended webinars, tradeshows, invested in mentors, etc. I’ve spent 10,000+ hours curating and improving my skill sets and mindset that’ll help me accomplish my goals.
My first “investment” was a book called “The Four Agreements”, I think everyone should read this book. The book discusses how you must unlearn everything you’ve been taught and relearn a new way of thinking. Most of us have been fed certain limiting beliefs about how things work and the book refocuses the reader to create their own beliefs. It’s an amazing book for someone who wants to shift their mindset. The book redirected me to “Self development”. “Relearning” is difficult to do, especially once we get older and set in our ways.
At the age of 24, I was on a flight from Dallas to New York and I looked over at a guy who was holding a random book. I got a quick glimpse at a page and couldn’t stop reading for the next 5 minutes; I read page for page over his shoulder. I was inspired by what I read, I made sure to get the title of the book and immediately jumped on Amazon to purchase it. After I read the entire book, my mindset was different. I committed to discovering more about myself and I knew I didn’t want to settle for just any life. I wanted a specific lifestyle.
At 24, I was just starting to have some sort of curiosity about the world and wondering how I was going to change my life. What was going to be my next step? I honestly just didn’t want to live an average life. The weekends were at the bars and I would spend tons of money on drinks and partying. It was fun but there was no way I could do that forever.
I had desires to travel, eat quality food, connect with quality people, and do amazing things. The average life just wasn’t for me but again, I had no guidance or anyone in my corner coaching me. I needed to start somewhere.
Playing basketball overseas didn’t pan out because I didn’t know how to become a pro. You need agents, information, money, and other resources to be able to do anything at a professional level and I had neither.
Not many people have access to great mentorship or are in a position to purchase high ticket programs that’ll get you what you need to succeed in life; so I started with what I could and the only thing I was able to afford was a $7 book. Eventually, I was able to find mentors, visit trade shows and get around the people to learn how to move toward my goals. Making these investments for self-development, I was guided to start changing my habits. Those changes allowed me to do incredible things.
I’ve accomplished a lot since the age of 24 and I feel like my life is just now starting to take a turn in the exact direction I’ve been working for. I understand the path and I am built to endure whatever comes with it. I’ve published a book, I’ve networked with and met household names, I’ve started businesses (and fortunately failed at some businesses), I’m a father, and much more.
If I hadn’t read “The Four Agreements”, I don’t know if I would have invested in self-education but I’m glad because it has allowed me to see no barriers in life. My best advice is to run your race and be intentional about everything. Don’t leave anything to chance because if it’s not what you want, you are responsible for changing it. :)
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am an entrepreneur and insurance agent. I got into the insurance business in 2017 after my son was born. I wouldn’t sleep at night because I constantly was trying to figure out how I was going to provide for my son. There was no way I was going to be content with my son getting older and not have the resources for him to live a good life. I want my son to have options to travel, eat good food, meet amazing people, maybe go to college, maybe get a trade; regardless, provide him a life where he could have options instead of just doing what he “has” to do to survive.
When I entered the insurance world, my mind was geared towards learning how to leverage all types of insurance to build wealth and also how can I show people how to do the same.
The business that I am in is “needs-based”, people will always need insurance. I aim to help people become open-minded about life insurance and how people leverage their policies. After explaining how households named millionaires and billionaires have leveraged life insurance for decades, usually I get some interest.
The day “life insurance” clicked for me was in 2017, when I worked for an insurance carrier in Addison, Texas. I got a call from an agent who represented a well-known professional basketball player. The agent wanted to put a few million into his policy. After I saw the amount that he’d be leaving his beneficiaries, I couldn’t believe it. It was a large amount but anyone can do this at any level. All it takes is a small premium payment. I had seen several policies and how they were structured but to this day, I realized life insurance needed to be promoted more to everyone instead of just to certain people. We need to understand how to build wealth and this is a great way to start.
The main problem I solve is helping people set up a basic financial structure, so there’s clarity. A large percentage of people in the country live day by day; but if you’re looking to live a good life, that requires some sort of foundation and planning. After working with thousands of clients and a ton of reading, the everyday person is confused about how to build a solid financial foundation. I love to fill in the gaps for people and I’ve seen what this does when someone finally gets it. Usually, they focus on increasing their income and investing. That’s how you change the game! It’s not easy at all but with the right mindset and habits, things change over time.
I believe everyone deserves an opportunity to have a strong financial position; it’s not just about finances but we have to be honest about how it impacts mind, body, and soul. After being in the business for 6 years, I am proud to hear my clients simply say “I trust you and you have made me feel like I’ve made a great decision.”
I exclusively speak on foundational concepts. I do believe there are several ways to build wealth but I aim to help people to start with a solid base understanding.
Ultimately, it’s not about money. Money is simply a resource to improve your life in this economy we live in. Once the principles are understood, life just gets better.
I’m also an author and a consultant. I self-published my first book back in 2019 called “Walk Through the Fire”. I will start writing a book in the fall of 2022 called “How To Set Your Kids Up So They’re Not A**’d Out”.
The consultancy should be in motion by mid-2023. I am passionate about being a father. I want to connect with more fathers and add value to stepping into being a great leader and becoming financially and emotionally stable to lead their families. It’s important to work for me and I am constantly aligning myself to start that consultancy. Generally speaking, a lot of us fathers hadn’t received any guidance on the journey of fatherhood and being the leader of our family; If I can help shed light on different ways to approach how to balance everything, I see it as a value add for fathers out there.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Yes!
Reading is key. There aren’t many places you can get a ton of knowledge and education for about $7.
Usually, when you want information from someone successful, you have to pay a consulting fee or monthly rate.
Anytime you can pick up a book and learn from flipping pages, you’re winning. Reading also creates some sort of calmness and personal time we all need.
My favorite books that have completed changed my life:
– The Four Agreements (Don Miguel)
– Money (Tony Robbins)
– Outwitting The Devil (Napoleon Hill)
– What Through The Fire (Trevoy Pointer – my book :)
– The Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)
I have business books that I could add to this list but to be honest, a business can be learned sooner than people think. The books I recommend are based on self-development and understanding yourself. Once a person goes through the process and understands yourself, then you’ll create ideas, you’ll create the network, you’ll create self-worth, you’ll understand how to add value to others, etc.
It’s a process and to be honest, once you understand yourself, you can learn business in no time.
Most of us have simply just “learned” a way to live since day one and a ton of us haven’t challenged or questioned the things we’ve been taught. The books I’ve mentioned will challenge traditional thinking and create a desire to learn more. It’s the most incredible work anyone can do.
Most of us have simply just “learned” a way to live since day one and a ton of us haven’t challenged or questioned the things ‘we’ve been taught. The books I’ve mentioned will challenge traditional thinking and create a desire to learn yourself more. It’s the most incredible work anyone can do.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The Dream of going to school, getting job, getting a house, and retiring at 65 is the most insane story on the planet. It’s very 1980s.
I went to grade school. Afterward, I was able to get a basketball scholarship to go to Manhattanville College in New York and graduated with a degree in business. I came back to Dallas and started working.
By the age of 24, I was burned out with just working a job with no direction about what I wanted and going out every weekend to put on an image of success.
At 24, I knew that this wasn’t life for me. I just knew life wasn’t just about working and brunching every weekend.
I started reading books, I started moving towards personal development and it changed my entire life.
I was hungry to live life like Mark Cuban, Steve Jobs, Jay-Z, Kobe Bryant; these guys chased their dream with an unwavering belief in themselves. I wanted that same mentality but I didn’t know how to get it outside of basketball.
When I began to understand personal development, I had to relearn everything. I found out that everything I learned from a traditional standpoint was going to point me to a life that was “just enough to survive”.
There are millions of people who want “just enough” and that’s fine, so this isn’t an issue. I just knew that wasn’t what I was looking for in life and I was hellbent on changing my narrative. From 24 to 28, I researched every possible thing about becoming the best version of yourself. I remember going on Wikipedia and searching back to the 1300s to learn about how people broke from poverty, how they changed their lives, how was business is done, etc. I learned that history repeats itself and some people rebelled against traditional ways of living. This type of research resonated with me and it pushed me more towards personal discovery.
I poured into my education, my thought process, my skills, etc. I had moments of frustration because no one had told me about anything I was discovering. I learned about communicating with people effectively, money management, credit, how to start a business, how to be in good personal relationships, and more. Eventually, I accepted the fact that my life would be an ongoing push to evolve for myself and the following generations to come.
Today, it’s the same. I am a father and entrepreneur, and my goal is to get 1% better daily; I also want to inspire people to believe in themselves as well. It’s the best thing anyone could ever do. My biggest goal is to make sure my son is in a position to know what he needs to know to live an amazing life today.
Best,
“Chase your dreams relentlessly”
- Website: TBD
- Instagram: instagram.com/trevoypointer
- Facebook: Facebook.com/trevoypointer
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/trevoypointer
- Twitter: twitter.com/trevoypointer
- Youtube: YouTube.com/trevoypointer
- Other: I am currently in the process joining State Farm agency and my website will change. That’s the reason, I didn’t add a website.
Image Credits
I have the rights. These are my images.