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With grit, determination, and a whole lot of passion: InPlace celebrates six years in business.

In the early days of my career I was working for one of New Zealand’s larger insurers. It was a comfortable position, following the easy rhythm of a Monday to Friday corporate, yet there was something stirring inside me — the desire to step out of my comfort zone; to take a risk and go big. 

I remember sitting in my office contemplating the next step.

Do I stay in a cushy role that pays well, working Monday to Friday with little opportunity for progression, or do I take the plunge and build something of my own?

I knew that taking the plunge would mean going all in; you can’t start a brokerage, claiming to care for your clients’ most valuable assets, without putting your entire heart and soul into it. So that’s what I did.

When I left the business I focussed on building my network, sharpening my sales skills, and grinding. It was tough, and I was often haunted by the worry that it was all a mistake.

Weeks and months went by, but still the drive remained. Eventually, I founded Adrian & Associates in February of 2019, with my heart set on building a brokerage with an edge.

I didn’t have any big investors, a client list, or a grand income forecast. Just a relentless drive to prove that I could do it. I was fueled by pure determination.

Now, in 2025, we are celebrating six years in business. What began as Adrian & Associates has since grown and flourished, recently rebranding to InPlace — a name and image befitting a brokerage built on a foundation of grit, heart, and passion.

The grind was real, and our growth didn’t come from luck. We’re here today because of hard work, cold calls, networking, and pure grit.

There were plenty of mistakes along the way; team changes, redundancies, referral deals that didn’t pan out, and expenses driven by ego — all counted as learning opportunities. Fortunately, none of my mistakes were enough to cause me to throw in the towel.

I’m so proud to say that we’re still here six years in! We’ve learned from past mistakes and, of course, made new ones along the way — but, we’re in a great place, and I’m looking forward to the future.

Six years of growth has also brought an expansion of services, with business insurance, life & medical insurance, and asset finance all available through the InPlace ‘plug-and-play’ model. 

We do everything possible to help ambitious people see opportunities where others might see risk.

It’s the InPlace mission, and a passion close to my heart — after all, it wasn’t that long ago that I was an ambitious person who saw an opportunity where others saw risk.