 Welcome to Connecting Hawai'i Business on Think Tech Hawai'i. My name is Kathleen Lee, owner of Kathleen Lee Consulting, and I am your host for this program. This show is currently live-streamed on ThinkTechHawaii.com as well as on Think Tech Hawai'i's Facebook and YouTube pages, and viewers like you have the opportunity to ask us questions throughout the show by emailing them to questions at ThinkTechHawaii.com. For today's show, we are going to be talking about mentoring young professionals, and I am excited to introduce this particular guest since he's my mentor. I'm actually part of the sixth cohort of the Young Professionals Program of the Chamber of Hawai'i's Mentor Away Program. I am introducing today Kurt Asaki, CEO of Asaki Creative Group. Hello, Kurt. Welcome to the show. All right, Kathleen. How are you? Great seeing you. Great seeing you as well, and thank you for agreeing to be on the show. I know you don't like me mentioning it, but it is your birthday today. I try and forget about it. You get to be my age. You try and forget as much birthday as possible. I mean, like, you know, for the viewers out there, I first met Kurt in person, so we had been having Zoom meetings through the program, but I first met him in person on my birthday as well. So somehow this seems appropriate. But Kurt, tell the viewers about yourself, your professional background. You came about to become the CEO of Asaki Creative Group. So good afternoon, everyone. My name is Kurt Asaki, President of Asaki Creative Group. I'll give you a really quick run-through about my life and my business, but I'm from Kauai, from Kapa'a High School. I graduated at the University of Hawaii, then I went to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. In 1995, I started Asaki Creative Group in San Francisco, California. So basically thinking that I'm going to stay up there for five years, I did upstate half my life, 20-something years, and I've been in business for 26 years now. I still have an office in Berkeley, California, and I have an office in Honolulu, Hawaii, and we specialize in marketing and branding, kind of an overview. Yes. Very awesome. And I remember when I was first reading up on you, you and your company came up with the Hawaii logo. Is that correct? Correct. That was probably one of my favorite and memorable projects I worked on. Of course, I'm a true blue or true green Hawaii fan, so it was an honor to design a logo back in 2001, I think, or 2000, 2001, and to see how the program has been built and how the brand has grown through the years. And I remember when we were talking, you said one of your, when you were starting out, one of your first clients was the NFL as well. That's awesome. Yeah. I mean, I guess people get lucky once in a while, but not one of my first clients. They were your first client. I did not have any clients at the time, and I get this call from someone in New York that says, hey, I'm from the NFL. Do you have some time? Do you have time to work on some projects? I said, I got a lot of time and the rest is history. I worked with the NFL for maybe about good solid eight years, I think, until, you know, until I basically started doing more work with NHL and collegiate sports. Wow. That's amazing. Let me launch into how you heard about the Mentor Hawaii program. So, and just as a note, for those who are interested in the program, you do fill out, like a questionnaire before you get selected and they ask you what types of qualities you look for in your mentor. And I, my biggest one was that my mentor had to be kind, because I do a lot of tough love on myself. So I, I'm super appreciative to have been connected with you, Kurt. So thank you to the YPs and thank you to you for being who you are. That being said, talk to us about how you found out about the Chamber of Hawaii's Mentor Hawaii, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii's Mentor Hawaii program. Well, for me, it was easy because I am on the board at the chamber. And so we do talk a lot about what all the initiatives from the chamber and there was discussion about this whole mentorship program. And I basically started asking more and more questions. And for me, I think mentorship is my greatest pleasure in life in terms of, you know, I feel like I have a lot of experiences that I can share. I think everyone has a lot of experiences there can share. I think the most important and I think thing that you can leave behind, I think in life is if you can mentor someone, you can leave your experience with that, you can teach them. That's why my mom was a teacher and I always respected teachers. So I'm hoping that, you know, I'm, I'm hoping that I'm kind. I'm so far, but, you know, I had a great opportunity with Kathleen so far. We had a great time together and there's a lot more that we got to accomplish right along the way. I agree. And on that note, why you sort of touched upon it already, but why do you think executives like yourself should consider being a mentor to young professionals? I'm still a young profession. I'm considering myself a young professional for the purposes of the show. But believe me, I'm still considering myself a young professional yet. I'm trying to fool myself, but I think it's important. I think it's important to, you know, I was brought up to family was important. You take care of your family. I feel like my community is my family. I feel like my office is my family. And as much as I think it's extremely important for us older generation to pass down their knowledge to, you know, whether right or wrong, but I think that experiences can help the younger generation in terms of how they move on and progress. I mean, people talk about being a visionary or they have this vision for Hawaii. Part of the vision is to help, you know, share that vision with the next generation. And hopefully they can take that torch and bring it along to the future. And I, you know, I just completely believe in that. A lot of times, you know, in our culture, we tend to say, you got to work for it. You got to earn it. You know, what does that really mean? You know, I think if I can mentor someone at a younger age, you know, to me, they're going to have to prove it through the whole process. But I think it's going to be so much better. It's going to make a community. It's going to make society. It's going to make our, you know, business climate, I think a lot better. Well, what are some of your so far? Because how many years have you been doing this part? The mentorship program. I think this is three years now. Wow. Okay. So that's halfway through the program. So you've been with it for a few years. So what are some of your favorite parts about it? Oh, for sure, meeting people like you, you know, I enjoy meeting people. I enjoy mentoring people and see them growing, you know, you know, my biggest enjoyment is seeing your success one day, you know, and I'm hoping that maybe something, you know, that I had mentioned or advised you to has helped you reach that point. You know, honestly, that's my biggest joy in life, I think, and in business, I think, too. But, you know, just meeting people, you know, I was just mentioned to you, you and I know my former mentee, which is Luke, and he and I still hang out together a lot. And we still, he's taught me more than I've taught him. You know, we have to go through this whole pandemic together. But the guy was so positive and he taught me. So I think what I learned from other people, I think, not only their experience in their lives, but just everything, I think that's what I really get out of the mentorship program. Well, what are some, I think we can go into this one question before we go into break. So what challenges have you faced so far as a mentor? Challenges. Challenges. I think it just basically comes down to time and scheduling. You know, luckily, you know, I always try and look at the positive things of what happened, you know, through this whole pandemic. And we've learned to do things online, you know, through Zoom. So that made us connect each other to each other a lot better. But it's just a time, it's just finding time, right? I mean, Kathleen, right now, you're away. When you're here, probably I'm away. Just finding that time. And I think for me, as you know, it does bother me, but I really want to find time to help you. You know, we got to make time. You know, at the end of the day, it's about just making time. And so to make that time and as you know, running your own business is very difficult to make time sometimes. That's true. I absolutely agree with that. It looks like we have time for one more question before going on break. So so far, what are some lessons that you have learned as a mentor? I have learned. I learned that we all go through very similar experiences, no matter what careers or type of businesses. I've learned that we need to be open to learn from one another, whether you're a mentor or mentee. I've learned that by giving, you get, you know, in a lot of ways, a lot back. And for me, for giving whatever knowledge I can provide, my mentee, it helps is, to me, it's fulfilled me in a lot of different ways. You know, and I encourage people, I tell people the greatest thing you can give is yourself and your knowledge and experiences to each other. And you're caring, you know, at the end of the day, it's so much you care for one another. I think that's really important. It's not just about the business aspect, but about people, right? Taking care of people, being good to one another. So that's a lot of things that I've learned. Those are some really good lessons, Kurt. So we are going to go on break, but when we come back, we will pick Kurt's brain even more about being a mentor to young professionals. So we'll go over that when we return. Stay tuned. Most of Hawaii, the state of clean energy on Think Tech Hawaii. Hawaii, the state of clean energy is about following the many clean energy initiatives in Hawaii. Hawaii, the state of clean energy appears weekly on Think Tech Hawaii at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays. Thank you so much for watching our show. We'll see you then. Aloha. Welcome back to Connecting Hawaii Business on Think Tech Hawaii. My name is Kathleen Lee, and our guest for today is Kurt Osaki of Osaki Creative Group. So Kurt, when we left off, we were talking about you being a mentor and the value of being a mentor to young professionals. What do your mentees, is that even the right word, mentees? I think it is. Well, I've been using it so sorry. So what do your mentees typically seek from you as far as advice or assistance go? What do they look for when they get partnered up with you? You know, I mean, big picture, the pathway, you know, with the pathway to success, your pathway, you know, a lot of my mentees always ask me about my path and what I went through. And for me, I think the best learning experience is to tell them about all the things that I failed in. You know, if you call it failure, but you know, all the things that I failed in and the potholes that I've been through. And I think that's the most, you know, important thing. I think, you know, frequently asked questions also is about, you know, networking. I think it's a big one and how you network. I believe everyone has a network. It just needs to connect the dots. It's just need to understand how to connect the dots, you know, and takes a lot of work. And at the end of the day, what a lot of questions that come to me is how difficult was it? And it's very difficult. I mean, to run your own business, you know, there's, there's, it's 24 seven, basically, you know, you go sleep at night, we're in a multi-business, you go sleep at night, we're in about your employees. So, you know, it is very difficult. And there's type of questions I've been asked a lot. Okay. And I believe that a lot of times people do join programs like the Mentor Hawaii program to see how they can advance in their careers. You sort of talked about this already, but what are some pieces of advice or lessons that you have for like up and coming young professionals? You know, I think the mentorship program is really important. And in fact, as much as I can continue it, I will continue it as much as I can give, I will give. But, you know, I, you don't have to join something like that to be a mentor to someone. I think every day you could be a mentor in your office, whether, and you don't even have to be a business owner to be a mentor. I think, you know, whether you're a father, a mother or anything, you are a mentor and you should look at it as that. If you work in a working environment, you may not be the owner or the president of the company, but you do work around people that you can mentor and everyone can mentor. And I think people forget that. You know, I think people forget that we are mentors every single day of our lives to other people. And people are watching, people get affected by it. So, I think that's really important. But I really think this program is important because it sort of is, you know, obviously is structured, but it keeps you in line, you know, especially as business owners. It's very difficult, like I said, finding the time. What about yourself, Kurt? Did you have mentors or individuals that you looked up to that you took lessons from that you're now applying? Now that you're in that position where, for instance, you're my mentor. So, anything that you've learned from the folks that came before you? Absolutely. I was extremely fortunate. Even to this day, I still have a lot of mentors, whether they're younger or older. And that's another point. You don't have to be older to be a mentor, you know? So, younger or older, I have a lot of people that I think have mentored me, have inspired me especially. You know, just, I mentioned that about everyday life, about mentoring people. But just, you can see something so simple to someone or compliments someone. And that can make a huge difference throughout the rest of their lives. Because I still remember a lot of these things from my mentors or people that were not traditionally a mentor to me, but they just gave me advice. And it's been great help, you know, in terms of, in all facets of life. Not only running a business, but also being, hopefully, or trying to be a really good human being. I like that. I'm actually curious about this. So, on our end, on the mentee side, we, as I mentioned earlier, we filled out a questionnaire of preferences without the guarantee that we were going to be matched up with someone that would be like the right fit. And I think, I mean, that happens organically anyway. Did you folks have to do that? Did the mentors have to fill out something too? Or was it just like super arbitrary? I'm almost certain we did fill out something. But, you know, I have a hard time remembering what I did this morning, to be honest. But, yeah, we had to fill out a form, I think. But I don't think it was such as we wanted to be matched up with so-and-so. It was more just our information. So, you know, I mean, I think they try and match you up by profession, which makes sense. But, in a lot of ways, it'd be great to be, I think, mixed up too with different professions, you know, see different perspectives. You know, not only right-sided thinking, right-brain thinking, but left-brain thinking. And, you know, I think that might be interesting also. Yeah, I agree. Is there anything else that you would like to add that I didn't cover or I didn't ask about? Oh, I don't know what I want to add. I mean, I kind of just want to repeat how important it is to be a mentor. And as I mentioned, it does not need to be in any formal structured program. I think every day you are a mentor, you know, to someone out there, or you can be a mentor to someone. And I think it's so important, especially here in Hawaii. You know, in Hawaii, you know, we talked about that whole family and Ohana thing. But, you know, that's who we are. And we should live by that. You know, we should help people. You know, we talk about our future generation, our next generation, the future or the past or whatever. But I think that's the greatest thing you can leave behind is that experiences or that knowledge or that advice to someone that can make Hawaii a better place. And I think it makes a big difference. It can make a big difference. I absolutely agree with that. I just thought of another question. As far as people who are seeking mentors go, what are your thoughts on what expectations they should have when they are looking for someone to be a mentor to them? You know, I think you got to lower your expectations a little bit because as I mentioned, the time factor is the hard one for all of us. And I know a lot of other mentors in the program and they go through the same thing too. You know, the personality, I think is important, matching up with the right personality and likings. Like Kathleen, I know you like golf, so we got to go out and golf soon. I think that makes a big difference is not about just sitting at a table and talking or on the phone or anything, but shared experience. But I think you have a goal. Have something in your mind that what you're trying to look for or what you're trying to gather from your mentor, I think in advance. But be open also. I think be open because that's the whole idea, right? Learning new things, learning unexpected things from your mentor. So, but have fun doing it. It doesn't need, I mean, I think Kathleen already figured it out, but it does not have to be structured. It does not have to be formal, right? It's just whatever fits for you, I think. If you need it formal, make it formal. But if you want to have fun and go along and do the whole, through the whole program, I think you should have fun in doing it. So, I think the world is wide open right now. I think there's a lot of opportunities there and I hope a lot more people get involved in becoming mentors. I was just mentioning that today, that life is too short not to have fun. And I think that's absolutely key. So, I appreciate you for being that type of spirit. I ran out of questions, actually. Hey, I'm going to test you, Kathleen. So, during our last meeting, what was my one big advice to you? And I had like a, I left you with like this phrase to do something where I was an action. It was, it was go all in. It was like jumping the pool or just, and to the viewers out there, I did turn to Kurt about wanting to focus on my business. And he is all about doing things 100%. And I know it was just a conversation, but like what we talked about was instrumental in me kind of putting everything aside and focusing on my business 100%. And if you ever get an email from Kurt, it says it's 100%. It's 100%. Very simple and succinct, but also straight to the point. So, yeah, I mean, I'll talk to you more about that and hopefully get more guidance from you, but I am humbled and thankful that you were one of the people that encouraged me to just go for it. Kathleen, I would never advise you to jump in the pond. That's the words I use, right? Jump in the pond sometimes. But if I didn't believe that you could do it, that too. You know, so I know you can do it. And a lot of people out there, I know they can do it, and they're always scared to jump in. They don't know how deep it is or how shallow it is. But, you know, after you sort of find out that you can jump in, jump in. Always believe in that, you can always come up. There's no such thing in failure in life. When you fail, you don't try. When you don't try, you fail. But I say always, right? But I failed many times, and I've learned many times. And I think that's what I want to pass on to you and I think other people and younger generations out there. Well, thank you, Kurt. And I will keep that in mind because that's pretty powerful, right? Sometimes people stop at failure and they figure like that's what defines them. And it does, but it also shouldn't be what stops you from moving forward. So thank you for that. Thank you for the pop quiz, Kurt. Hey, I got to put you on the line too, right? Yeah, well, on that note, we are reaching the end of our program. So once again, we have Kurt Osaki of Osaki Creative Group on the show talking about mentoring young professionals. My name is Kathleen Lee. I do want to thank Jay Fidel and the entire staff at ThinkTech Hawaii for making programs like this possible. We had Haley helping us out today. So thank you, everyone, and stay safe. Aloha.