Steve Smith spent three decades commuting past the Tower of London as an insurance broker for Marsh, but by 2014, corporate burnout and workplace toxicity pushed him to trade his high-powered career in Hertfordshire for a completely different life in New Zealand, 1News reported.
Growing up in Bishop’s Stortford, Smith learned early financial discipline after taking a Saturday job at age 12 selling jeans and specialist clothing to farmers and builders. For every nine pounds earned, his mother instructed him to put five pounds straight into a bank account.
That early lesson in scarcity and value stayed with him through decades in the insurance industry. But working in London eventually lost its appeal.
While he respected the deep expertise of many colleagues, he grew tired of the shouting, bullying, and self-serving dishonesty embedded in parts of the corporate culture. Approaching forty, he began questioning whether he wanted to spend the rest of his life in that environment.
The turning point arrived through a chance meeting in 2011. While hosting clients at an insurance awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, he met Jo, an insurance professional visiting London from Te Kūiti, New Zealand.
After managing to show her around London—including lunch at a traditional pie and mash shop—the two built a life together in the UK before deciding to leave corporate life behind.
In August 2014, following a redundancy, Smith spent every waking moment researching a move to New Zealand. By February 2015, the couple had completed the emigration process, selling their house, car, and belongings.
To mark the transition, Smith purchased a high-end watch at Selfridges and an engagement ring from Tiffany on their final night in London—luxury purchases he views as defining moments of his departure that he has never repeated.
Building a New Career and Family Life in the Southern Hemisphere
Relocating to New Zealand brought immediate and unexpected changes. Shortly after arriving, the couple discovered they were expecting a child, now ten years old.
While Jo secured her desired career path in New Zealand, Smith found the local job market harder to crack initially. He stepped away from traditional employment to become a stay-at-home dad for two and a half years.
Parenting largely surrounded by mothers offered unexpected lessons in negotiation and human interaction.
By 2019, Smith re-entered the professional sphere as a business broker with NZ Business Brokers. In this role, he helps owners sell their companies, frequently working with clients who hope to fund their retirement through the sale.
Many business owners hold unrealistic expectations about their company valuations, often anticipating million-dollar returns that do not match market realities. Smith works alongside a network of trusted advisors to help clients structure practical exit strategies.
The Trade-Offs of Self-Employment
| Timeline / Milestone | Location / Role | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-2014 | Bishop’s Stortford / London, UK | Insurance broker for Marsh, commuting daily for 35 to 40 minutes. |
| August 2014 | London, UK | Took redundancy and began researching relocation to New Zealand. |
| February 2015 | New Zealand | Emigrated, sold UK assets, and transitioned to citizenship. |
| 2019 | New Zealand | Began working as a business broker with NZ Business Brokers. |
Operating as an independent broker means Smith is entirely self-employed, trading corporate stability for personal autonomy.
He now has the flexibility to attend his son’s sports days, join school trips, participate in local community hui, and manage his time around school holidays and teacher-only days.
While he admits to missing a good traditional English pub, Smith maintains he would not change his decision to move. He notes that the isolation of running a small business beats the loneliness he often felt inside large corporate structures.
