Although gold has always been considered a strong hedge against inflation and an asset that provides stability during times of economic uncertainty, it’s a finite resource. All the gold that has been mined up until today fits in 2.5 Olympic-size swimming pools. Central banks use gold to back their currency values, large companies around the world invest in gold, and many individuals have turned to gold to maintain the value of their portfolios over time.
For Collin Plume, founder and CEO of Noble Gold Investments, gold and other precious metals are a secret weapon that every wealth-seeking household needs to understand.
“Gold is an asset that makes people feel safe,” he says. “There is no counterparty risk associated with it, it holds its value, and it’s a tangible asset that you own.”
After a stint in the commercial real estate business, Plume realized that market saturation in that industry would limit his potential as an entrepreneur. When he stepped into the precious metals space, he felt the world open up.
Over the past 16 years, Plume has grown Noble Gold into one of the largest gold IRA companies.
“In the last three years, we’ve had the most transfers and the largest dollar amounts of any company in the U.S. in this space,” he says.
Plume with his wife, Sharon, and their three children
EARLY EXPOSURE TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Plume hasn’t always been an innovator who traded gold, but being an entrepreneur has always been in his blood. Long before his own story starts, he credits his grandfather for his entrepreneurial instincts, which were born out of necessity.
“My great-grandparents died when my grandfather was very young,” he says. “He had three siblings, and they didn’t have any money, so at 14 years old, he started working in the garment business in Los Angeles.”
After just a couple of years, Plume’s grandfather started his own garment business that would last decades. Plume’s father stepped into business with his grandfather when he was old enough, creating an entrepreneurial environment for the entirety of Plume’s childhood. His comfort around ever-changing, fast-growing ventures sparked action.
“It was never a question about whether I’d have my own business,” he says. “I just needed to figure out what it was going to be.” Some of his first undertakings were an internet startup, a cleaning business, and a stint in the insurance space. To Plume, it was simple: Every entrepreneur had something to sell—he just had to figure out what that something was going to be for him.
Plume with the Noble Gold Investments Team
GO FOR GOLD
For a number of years, Plume had his sights set on the commercial real estate industry. “I started working with a real estate professional and fell in love with the industry very quickly,” he says.
For about five years, he hustled as a commercial real estate agent. When the financial crisis hit in 2008, Plume’s own wallet took a hit. Out about $300,000 due to deals that fell apart in the final stages, he knew it was time to make a switch.
However, the search for something different wasn’t solely because of economic volatility, Plume was facing volatility from his own body, too.
“I had a few years where my health was incredibly poor,” he says. “I needed a total reconstruction on my food, both of my hips were replaced, and I was in constant pain.” Knowing that his body couldn’t keep up with the physical demands of travel, on-site client meetings, and industry shakiness, he began to look for a job that would allow him to work behind a desk.
Call it fate, but the job Plume found was working for someone in the gold business. Within his first week on the job, he knew it was the industry for him.
“For the next few years, I focused on helping build that business, I spent a lot of energy getting my health back in check, and I met my wife,” he says. With his life feeling a lot more aligned, he was able to focus on mastering his skills in the gold industry and, eventually, it was time for Plume to go out on his own.
By 2016, Noble Gold Investments was officially operational. His prior experiences in a range of industries set him up with the skills needed to succeed. He was comfortable working in global businesses, he enjoyed talking on the phone to clients, and he was finally able to pursue a vision that existed clearly inside his own head.
Figuring out what his product focus was going to be was only part of starting a successful business.
“There’s so much that happens in the background as an entrepreneur,” he says. You’re not just pitching your product; you’re running a business.”
To run his business well, Plume tapped into the lessons he learned from three key mentors throughout his early career, each one in a different industry and with a different teaching style.
While working in the insurance business, Plume got a look into what good customer service looked like. “The leader at that company had incredible customer service retention. We got tons of referrals,” Plume says. “He was fantastic at making every single person feel special. It was astounding to watch.”
In the dynamic landscape of commercial real estate, Plume’s biggest takeaway wasn’t about customers, selling, or even industry insights—it was about building a team. Plume watched as his boss and mentor showcased how to connect with and understand potential new hires. He took notes on asking the right questions, hiring the right people, and making your team feel like the most important part of your business—because they are.
Finally, as he was becoming more interested in the gold industry, Plume saw the value of thoughtful marketing. “Everything was marketing in that industry, and still is,” he says. His boss paved the way by utilizing new concepts like affiliate marketing and tailored outreach.
Plume’s broad understanding of how to treat customers, how to reach new buyers, and how to build a team is what he credits with his success today.
“Every entrepreneur thinks they have a great idea,” he says, “but knowing how to bring an idea to life and turn it into a business requires a lot more legwork.”
Plume sees precious metals as one of the smartest investments at this point in time
VALUE BEYOND THE ASSETS
Noble Gold Investments makes it easy for customers to buy precious metals. Unlike working through a pawn shop or small dealer, clients don’t have to worry about crazy markups, challenging resale dynamics, or portfolio outcomes tied to the value of the dollar.
“We see countries every day that are de-dollarizing,” Plume says. “China, India, and Brazil are all buying tons of gold.”
Because of the scale that Noble Gold Investments has achieved, Plume doesn’t have to wait around to make transactions. If a buyer wants to sell the gold they own, he’ll buy it back from them at a great price and often sell it to another customer on the same day. Many other players in the industry can’t operate at that pace, and if they’re sitting on gold, prices aren’t going to be as favorable to customers. Noble Gold can’t be beat on price point or inventory, but the value offered to its clients doesn’t stop there.
Plume spends a lot of time educating his clients about the precious metals market. With a very active YouTube Channel, a prominent social presence, and even an upcoming book, Silver Is the New Oil, he constantly pours resources into providing education to individuals looking to break into precious metals investing.
But don’t be fooled by the name; Noble Gold Investments offers more than gold. In fact, Plume sees silver as one of the smartest investments at this point in time. In the early 1980s, silver was priced at about $50/oz., but it didn’t have many industrial uses. Today, silver is used as an electricity conduit in almost all electronics.
“The chips in your phones, electric vehicles, solar panels, and everything in between—they all use silver,”
With a sharp rise in industrial applications, the potential price for silver has nowhere to go but up. To Plume, silver is the key to finding freedom from oil, managing inflation, and transforming electronic capabilities.
Investing in anything comes with uncertainty, but that doesn’t mean that you should sit on the sidelines and take the opportunity for success away from yourself. Plume took the risks and believed in his abilities, and now, he’s reaping the rewards.
