Pursuing Excellence | MOVE

On this episode of Andy Albright's MOVE pod, we get to know Mark Hutcheson in depth.

How did he wind up in life insurance?

A bad back and a brother who was an insurance agent with State Farm led Mark Hutcheson to The Alliance.

Hutcheson grew up in the northern part of Georgia in a middle-class family with 8 siblings (seven boys and two girls). His father was a Baptist pastor and the family didn’t have a television, which meant long hours playing football, basketball and baseball outside.

The family moved to Kansas City his freshman year of high school, but he returned to Greenville, S.C. after high school and attended Bob Jones University.

He worked as a landscaper in college and hurt his back, forcing him to have back surgery at age 21. His next job was doing electrical work that required physical labor and led to a second surgery at age 30.

Hutcheson, who lives in Greenville, S.C., had already decided he couldn’t make a living doing hard labor. Luckily, he found The Alliance in 2011. He was also working part-time as a basketball referee, but didn’t think he would ever be able to provide for a family on the path he was on.

“I was 26 and I was frustrated making a little over $10 dollars an hour as a rookie electrician,” Hutcheson said. “I didn’t see it going anywhere.”

One of Hutcheson’s older brothers introduced him to The Alliance after filling out a lead out of curiosity. An agent met with Hutcheson’s brother and he encouraged Mark to look at joining The Alliance.

Hutcheson, 35, got his license in the fall of 2011, but struggled early on barely being able to pay his bills. He was living scared and each week had to fight just to make ends meet.

“I just wasn't putting in that activity and the work that was required to do this at a high level,” Hutcheson said. “When I realized that it was something I could control and you didn’t have to have this great skill set or this incredible knowledge of all these products things changed. You just have to be willing to go out, work and just do what was being taught.”

Things started clicking for Hutcheson in January of 2012. It wasn’t record numbers, but he made $75,000 in his first full year with The Alliance. With increased activity, Hutcheson enjoyed more and more success over time. Each year since 2012, his income has gone up.

“It’s nothing earth shattering, there’s no magic formula,” Hutcheson said. “I’m just a small-town country boy from North Georgia that just knew there was something better in life out there than what I was doing as an electrician on a fixed income. I just needed the right opportunity and the right direction, which I think The Alliance excels at better than anybody else in showing you how to break free from the rat race of life and showing you how to control your own financial destiny and future.”

Outside of selling insurance, Hutcheson was still refereeing college basketball games. He loved it, but he wanted a family and knew he’d have to hang his whistle up.

Hutcheson met his wife, Shannon in 2016 and got married in May of 2017. He called his last basketball game in 2018, after the arrival of a daughter named Georgia (2). He also has a step daughter Adrianna (12).

The couple will welcome another child in January of 2021, which Hutcheson has jokingly referred to as a “Corona” baby because Shannon got pregnant during the COVID-19 outbreak in March.

Hutcheson has continued to help clients during the pandemic. He’s come a long way from being a broke electrician with a bum back 10 years ago. He’s also thankful to Andy Albright for starting The Alliance in 2002 that offered him a better way to earn income.

“Not a day goes by where I don't think of what life was like nine years ago,” Hutcheson said. “Fortunately, we're blessed with the ability to go out and work to provide a great lifestyle. The key is continuing to be grateful for where you came from, and letting that gratitude drive and propel you to make a difference in others’ lives.”  

Hutcheson wants new agents or those who are in a slump now to remember the results come from the activity and effort you put into it. There’s no magic to it. It won’t just happen overnight. Hutcheson said you can’t let fear prevent you from taking action.

“I had those same concerns and those same natural fears and worries when I first started, but what I've learned along the way is you don't know what you don't know,” Hutcheson said. “I think people expect it to be an overnight success or to see these massive changes in a week or so and it doesn't work like that. It just makes me that much more thankful for the vision and the leadership that we have here at The Alliance. You gotta be willing to work. Bring a teachable attitude and good work ethic to the table."

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