The Foundation · The Firm

What Is Intention Financial Group?

Intention Financial Group · 714 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa · Sonoma County

Ask Joe Jacobs the elevator question and he gives the elevator answer: “Intention Financial Group. Well, we’re a mortgage brokerage. We help people buy homes and get financing for their homes. That’s the very simple version.”

Then comes the part that explains why the firm exists at all. “There’s thousands of other places out there that do the similar thing. This business is a relationship business. We hear that all the time.” And here is the turn: “I believe no matter what business we are in, it’s still a relationship business.”

Why was the company rooted in intention?

“The reason I founded this company and rooted it in intention, and some of the principles of intention, which are kindness, abundance, expansiveness, receptivity and creativity, is because I knew that if it becomes about more than business and it becomes about relationships, the services that you offer will change people’s life.”

He is also honest about the standard: “I will do those less than perfectly, because all of us are less than perfect.” The principles are not a slogan. They are a practice, done imperfectly, on purpose, every day. Where the word intention itself came from is a story of its own, and it gets its own telling in the final post of this series.

What makes the team different?

“All the people on my team that work with me have made this impact on others. And the nice thing about our group is that we’re all in alignment on how we’re really serving others, and not just talking about it.”

The firm is small by design. “I’m not a mortgage brokerage that’s looking to bring on a bunch of new loan officers like a lot of companies do, almost like a revolving door. To me it’s about having a tight-knit group that care about the same thing, that are experienced, that care about how we are perceived in the community by being involved, being engaged.”

Watch: what is Intention Financial, in 80 seconds

Joe on the firm, the principles, and collaboration over competition.

What is the firm’s philosophy?

“It comes back down to collaboration over competition. I don’t have any techniques. I tell the truth as best I see it.”

And the operating system underneath it all: “People do business with people that they know, like and trust. My philosophy has always been no pressure, be available, and things just kind of work out.”

No pressure is easy to say and hard to run a business on. It works at Intention Financial because of the structure: as a brokerage, the firm shops multiple lenders for each client instead of defending one bank’s menu. When the incentive is finding the fit, pressure has no job to do.

Frequently asked questions

Joe Jacobs · NMLS #453314 · CA DRE #02241856
Intention Financial Group · 714 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA
Not a commitment to lend. Loan terms and pricing vary by borrower and situation.
Equal Housing Opportunity · nmlsconsumeraccess.org