15 years old he became an apprentice at the prominent merchant Harboe Meulengracht in Aarhus. After completing his apprenticeship he worked as a salesman in Randers before moving to Hamburg where he worked for a German company. In 1847 Broge returned to Aarhus where he established his own business in Mindegade in what is today known as Hans Broge's House. Due to his connections in Germany and his brother who worked as a merchant in Hamburg he was able to continue trading during the German sieges of Denmark in 1849 and 1864 which proved a substantial advantage. In 1866 Hans Broge had become the largest taxpayer in the city.