Two Years of Sage: What Building a Brokerage Taught Me About People, Leadership and the Power of Service

By Jasmin Gabrielli, General Manager & Director, Sage Insurance

On our very first morning as a business, I unlocked the door to a tiny office on Bay Street, Brighton, at 6:30 am.

The street was still quiet, but inside, there were a handful of us, buzzing with nervous energy and absolutely no idea how the market would receive us.

By 6:30 pm, we were still there, exhausted, yet hopeful and exhilarated. Before we finally walked out, we took a quick selfie. At the time, it felt like nothing more than proof we survived Day One, but now it feels like a time capsule. The phones had rung. Policies had been placed. Real clients had trusted us. Somewhere in the middle of that marathon day, the business stopped being an idea and became something real.

That moment - equal parts fear, adrenaline and possibility - still stands out as one of my favourites.

That was Day One of Sage.

Two years on, the feeling hasn’t faded. It’s simply evolved.

The Gap We Set Out to Close

Sage was born from a simple (but surprisingly rare) truth:

Clients deserve brokers who deliver great service.

There is no shortage of brokers in the market, yet we kept hearing the same story from mid-market and privately owned corporate clients. They felt unseen. They felt unsupported. They felt like no one was consistently showing up for them with genuine care or proactive guidance. For clients who rely heavily on relationships, that gap was far bigger than it should have been.

We wanted to be the brokerage that closed it.

For us, that starts with people. The right people with the right attitude. You take care of your team first, and they take care of your clients. It's simple, but it’s the foundation everything else rests on.

Service-focused. Relationship-driven.

Committed to great outcomes.

It sounds simple, and it is, because simplicity, when done well, becomes powerful.

The First Wins That Kept Us Going

I’ll never forget the chaos of launching a new business and then boarding a plane days later. Not ideal timing. Yet there I was, somewhere in a different time zone in November and December, logging in at odd hours to help keep things moving. Even then, clients were trusting us with their renewals, new policies were landing and the momentum started gathering in a way that felt almost surreal for a business so new.

If I had to describe Year One in three words?

Exhausting. Exciting. Amazing.

And completely worth it.

The Reality: Insurance Is Easy. Business Is Hard.

The biggest surprise over the last two years? The insurance part is easy.

Running a business is hard.

You start a brokerage because you love the work. You want to deliver it at a higher standard. What no one prepares you for is the sheer volume of everything else. Systems. Staffing. Culture. Strategy. Stakeholder management. Cashflow. Technology. Compliance. Client expectations. The never-ending decision-making that comes with growth.

In insurance, the right answer is usually clear.

In business, every decision affects people - and that’s where the real weight sits.

But even so, the challenges are what have shaped me the most.

Our Biggest Milestone: People

People sit at the centre of everything Sage has achieved.

Bringing on team members earlier than we “needed” them turned out to be the best decision we ever made. It meant we never sacrificed service. It meant our culture grew with intention. And it meant our growth stayed sustainable, rather than reactive.

We collaborated on everything. Everyone had a voice. Everyone shaped our trajectory. That’s the Sage way.

Along the way, my own leadership evolved, too. I became more empathetic, more aware and more considered. You cannot lead a team without understanding them.

Years spent in other businesses helped shape my view of the workplace I wanted to build. Just as importantly, they showed me the type of culture I knew would matter most.

Culture: Built on Purpose

Culture does not happen by accident. Ours was built slowly and deliberately, shaped by a focus on:

• real relationships

• accountability without ego

• service as a non-negotiable

• collaboration and shared wins

• high trust, high care

• honesty, even when it is uncomfortable

There were so many moments where the team showed up for each other that felt distinctly “Sage.” There are the practical things, like someone staying late to help finalise a renewal, another stepping in to support a colleague’s client, everyone rallying when someone is stretched thin.

And then there are the moments that make us feel like more than a workplace. Dog sitting for each other when someone goes on holiday. Making each other lunch. Celebrating the small wins with the same enthusiasm as the big ones. Those are the things that make me the proudest.

The Impact: How We Know We’re Making a Difference

Our clients tell us.

They tell us we’re responsive, proactive and genuinely invested. They tell us they feel cared for, protected and supported. They tell us we make insurance feel simple, and we have good enough relationships with our clients that they tell us if we haven't gotten it quite right - which in itself is an achievement; that feedback is the fuel that keeps you going on the messy days.

The Tough Moments (and What They Taught Me)

Every business has them. We have faced moments that tested us operationally, emotionally, financially and strategically. Each time, the lesson has been the same. Resilience is built, not found.

I’ve learned that:

• tough decisions are non-negotiable

• people need honesty more than perfection

• teams follow how you show up, not what you say

• discomfort is where growth happens

And if I could revisit one decision? I’d make some tough calls earlier. The longer you avoid them, the heavier they become.

How Sage Has Evolved

We’ve grown a lot in two years.

We’ve:

• refined our offering

• built stronger systems

• learned what doesn’t work and let it go

• doubled down on service, relationships and expertise

• levelled up our leadership, internal processes and capability

If Sage were a person, I’d say:

We’ve gone from an ambitious toddler to a grounded young adult. Still hungry, but with greater clarity and confidence.

How This Journey Changed Me

This journey has not only shaped me professionally, it has shaped me as a human. I am more resilient. More empathetic. More strategic. More patient. And more committed to the people who trust us. Clients, team members and partners.

What keeps me going on the hard days is simple. The belief that we are building something important. Something meaningful. Something that genuinely impacts people’s lives.

Looking Ahead: Year Three and Beyond

Two years ago, the following sentence would have sounded bold. Today, it feels entirely achievable.

Sage will become one of the largest independent, privately owned brokerages in Australia.

Not for the sake of ego, but because we have the foundations, the people, the capability and the momentum to get there.

What I’m most excited to build next:

• deeper specialisation

• stronger national presence

• more industry-leading service

• new technology

• more incredible careers inside Sage

And if I had to write a headline for our next chapter, it would be this.

“Sage steps into its next phase with purpose. Expanding, evolving and keeping people at the centre.”

Jasmin Gabrielli

Jasmin is an experienced insurance professional with over 11 years of general broking expertise across a diverse range of general and hard-to-place specialty lines specifically in commercial applications.