 and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. I was the head coach for the Punahou Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years and we're fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. My book Beyond the Lines is about leadership, creating a superior culture of excellence, and finding greatness, which is what this show is all about. My special guest today was honored as the 2019 Hawaii Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year and he's the owner and president of Hawaii Insurance and Financial Services. He is Brandon Bell and today we are going beyond insurance. Hey Brandon, how's everything with you? Great to see you. I want to ask you Brandon, you know, I know you're from Hawaii but tell me about your youth, where you grew up and what schools you went to. I was also, of course, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but I also lived in California up in San Francisco and Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, but most of my life in Hawaii grew up in Pro City and then we ended up moving to Mililani, lived in Mililani, Malca, from my middle school days into high school. Most of my youth, when I was in my early childhood, Pro City, I went to Manana Elementary, went to Highlands Intermediate School and then I went to Pro City High School. So pretty much my whole life growing up in the Pro City environment, a little bit of the Mililani and then I'm going to college in Honolulu as well. I had a bunch of scholarships going in the mainland but I ended up going to Hawaii Pacific University and getting my Bachelor of Arts degree there. I had no idea that you spent part of your time in Mililani because I grew up there as well. Yeah, yeah, we actually moved there when I was in middle school. When they first started to build Mililani, Malca, basically it was all pineapple fields, they had a couple of condos, associations up and they're building, there are only two and the rest were still pineapple fields. So it was good me and my dad would ride our mountain bikes all the way up to the Lyche farm at the top of the mountain there, right back down. So it was good to see it in the beginning and what it was and what it's developed to. So Mililani is a great place, very relaxing, great people, great community. So what sports did you play when you were growing up? Growing up, I got to play soccer, baseball and football but as I moved, I continued to grow. I was more baseball and football so I played a little baseball at Pro City and also pop bar and football for Pro City Chargers and the Highland Colts. So we had my reunion sports from a young, young, young time. A lot of years playing baseball, a lot of years playing football, growing that community, get to know everybody and it was a great time. We had a very good baseball team and a very good team as well. So our standards were pretty high. So we got to maintain a good level of excellence as we were going through and growing in that sports role in that community. Brandon, tell me about your family, your wife and your two daughters. So I met my wife, Kathy, in 2002. I decided to, one year I usually spend New Year's here, Christmas and New Year's, same family gathering, food, fireworks and this one year I decided to go and, I wanted to go and see what it was like for New Year's in Las Vegas so I was going to fly to California and meet a friend and then we're going to drive over to Las Vegas to see what it was like for New Year's. But when we got up there, we ended up staying and our mutual friend introduced me to Kathy and we, you know, from day one we hit it off and, you know, it was a good mix. We were able to just talk, it was very comfortable. So, you know, that just kind of set everything into place as far as our relationship. We've been married 15 years. We just had our anniversary, January 15th. Congratulations. And thank you. We've been together 17 years and also I have two daughters, the older ones 11, Ariana Bell and Aubrey Bell is the younger one. She's six years old and she's going to be 37 this Saturday. So, you know, and they're very, we like to be very active. The girls are involved with golf, a bunch of programs, junior golf in Hawaii. Older daughter goes to Pune Hall and my younger one goes to Royal Elementary. Nice. So, you know, they keep me busy. You're outnumbered with the girls to you, huh? Yeah. Yeah. They keep me busy. I'm outnumbered, but, you know, it's, I'm blessed to have, you know, these three women in my life. So, all for the better, they've taught me so much. Brandon, what was the first job you ever had in your life? So I, you know, was fortunate enough to, you know, going through high school, be able to concentrate on, you know, going to school and studying because my parents wanted me to do that. And then when I got into college, I started at Costco as a front end service person. So I would basically greet people coming in. I would also go to stock, you know, all the goods, you know, and all the aisles that everybody's used to. And then I eventually made my way up to front end cashier to where I would basically scan all the items and, you know, talk to clients and, you know, as they were running through the lines. But I also had to go and pull cards. I was like a utility person, but it taught me a lot. It was the Costco that was out in Ivalet where it's Target now. Oh yeah. Before Target it was Costco. So, you know, it was a great learning experience. The pay was good for my first job. So, you know, it taught me a lot of getting into the real world and being able to experience work. The real world, per se. Yeah. Now, Brandon, how did your, you know, your insurance industry career begin? How did that all happen? So funny story, I was at my parents' house one day and their insurance agent happened to be there. And for me, I'm a very social person, so I just engage in conversation. And he was telling me, Brandon, you know, your personality, right? You're very outgoing. You like to build relationships and talk to people. I think you do great in insurance, so I'm like, I didn't know much about insurance at the time. So I needed car insurance and, you know, life insurance and, you know, I was, I asked them, you know, and being young at that age, I was like, the first thing I asked is, well, how much do you get paid? And, you know, for me, you know, of course, still young, I should have asked him a little bit more into detail because he was a top producer at Liberty Mitchell at the time. And of course, the pay fluctuation of being a top producer versus, you know, an average producer, the income, the margins can be a lot different. So when I got into it, you know, I always knew I wanted to be in a business and I was like, hey, let's take a look at this. And I started doing my research and went into becoming part of one of the largest, in fact, the largest insurance carrier in the U.S., United States. So that's how I got started in it is just basically bumping into my current good friend and him opening a door to, you know, learning more about the insurance industry. And that's how I got started. Well, that's, you know, sometimes the smallest step in the right direction becomes the biggest step of your life right there. Yes. Yes. I would have never known. Now your company, Hawaii Insurance and Financial Services. I mean, it's phenomenal. When and why did you start your company? Well, you know, previously I've been in the insurance industry for about 17 years. And when I first started off, I started off with, again, the largest insurance carrier in the United States and it was out here in Hawaii. So I was kind of a guinea pig to where it was a scratch agency. So this agency started with zero clients and traditionally in the insurance business, if you own an agency, there's a retiring agent and you move in either by the book or they'll fit you in and take over with the clientele already in the book. But for me, they wanted me to start the business from scratch with zero clients. I started out in Evo Beach and there was no agent in that community at that time with this particular carrier. So, you know, Evo Beach was a growing community, lots of people. And, you know, we're the only ones that was there as far as this particular carrier. So we were able to get a lot of clients and we stuck in the community. And then as we grew, we ventured out a little bit more to where in three years we were able to become the top agency in the West. But you know, after that, you know, I love helping businesses. So that's my niche. And for that particular company, they did have or they did ensure they do ensure companies but more on the smaller end. We changed our vision to helping larger companies in Hawaii. So that's why I transitioned out of that business into our own company to where we would be able to obtain various carriers that would be able to help any size business and particularly the large businesses. And you're getting recognized a whole lot and, you know, Pacific Business News, you won the award for business leader of the year. How did that make you feel? Oh, awesome. You know, it, you know, just starting from zero and being able to build a business and being recognized. There's a lot of sacrifice. You put in a lot of work, but you also have to have the passion. Right. To me, it doesn't feel like work to me. It's like I wake up every day. I love what I do. I get to converse with so many different people that can teach me so many things, and that's really, you know, what my passion is, is learning and building relationships. So, you know, for me, it's work, but it's not work, you know, and I love doing it every day and that passion and, you know, that's what keeps me going. And hopefully, you know, I can leave a legacy for inspiration for the next generation, you know, as far as doing what I do, that they have a passion for and continue to strive for their dreams. No, you're doing fantastic, Brandon, and your growth is just phenomenal over these years with your company. I mean, how do you keep outdoing what you've done? You know what? Relationship building. To me, when I was younger, I really, you know, and I think the younger generation, of course, you know, financially, we all need some type of financial there to survive in the world, but I change my outlook on wealth to relationships. And to me, wealth is having relationships wherever I can go, whether it's having friends in Japan or New York or California. If I have relationships with people to me that's wealth, that makes me happy. You know, and that's what helps me grow is relationship building and building that trust. It's not just, you know, trying to go out there and say I'm the cheapest costing product or something else, you know, it's really building the relationship and having that trust with people because the trust, especially in Hawaii, goes a long way. So it's not just one year, two years, three years. These are relationships that I've built 10, 15, 25 years, you know, from when I was a young kid that my parents taught me to do. So that's really my reason on how we've been able to grow the company and be able to be successful in that sense. I love hearing about relationships. Brandon, we're going to take a quick break and then when we come back, we're going to continue going beyond insurance. Awesome. You're watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii with my special guest, Brandon Bell. We will be back in a quick minute. Hi, I am Yukari Kunisue, host of Konnichiwa Hawaii, Think Tech Hawaii's Japanese program, broadcasting every Monday from 2 p.m. I usually invite a guest in Japanese language community. That's interesting things and I'd like to share stories with you guys. Please tune in and listen to Konnichiwa Hawaii. Aloha, y'all. My name is Mitch Yuen. I'm from the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute. And I'm the host of Hawaii, the State of Clean Energy. We're on every Wednesday at four o'clock and we hope that we have interesting guests who talk to us about various energy things that are happening in Hawaii all the way from PV, the windmills, the hydrogen, most of my heart, electric buses and electric vehicles. So please dial in every Wednesday at four o'clock on Hawaii, the State of Clean Energy. Aloha. Welcome back to Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. My special guest today is the owner and president of Hawaii Insurance and Financial Services. He is Brandon Bell, and today we are going beyond insurance. Brandon, you were also honored last year by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, winning the Entrepreneur of the Year award. I mean, you're winning all these awards, Brandon. So how did that make you feel? That made me feel great, too. You know, just winning any award is such an awesome feeling. And, you know, to do it with the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, it was great because they were recognized as the top chamber in the United States. They won an award at the same time. So to be honored as a young professional entrepreneur of the year, that was an honor at the same time that the Chamber won their award. It just made me feel like if the Chamber was, you know, the top chamber in the United States, and I was the entrepreneur of the year for that chamber, oh, it just made me feel, you know, like all this hard work and relationship building is paying off. And, you know, it's made, the Chamber has made a lot of business awards. In fact, it's business businesses that, you know, have their membership through the Chamber. And that's how they meet each other in relationship building, right? So it's right up my avenue. But, you know, it was awesome to be honored. And I just, it was such a joy to do it. Proud, right? You felt, I felt proud to be honored with receiving that award. I had Sherri Minor McNamara on my show a few months ago, and she's just a fantastic leader for the Chamber. But I want to ask you, Brandon, about you being on the board of directors for First Tea. Can you tell me what First Tea is? Yeah, First Tea of Hawaii is a non-profit organization that we help youth kids in Hawaii from ages five to 17 help them build leadership skills, help them learn life lessons, and basically through the game of golf, but help them to become better people, right? So golf is my two daughters, they golf. It's such a great game. I golf as well, and it's taught me a lot. But, you know, it's such a good organization. The kids, they have fun. The parents are able to watch their kids participate. And, you know, it's also the network of parents engaging with other parents that have their kids involved in the program. They engage in relationship building and conversation. And, you know, we're a part of Sony Open. You know, we have the Lote where we have our boots, but be able to take the kids out and experience them, you know, the game of golf, learning life lessons and leadership skills. So it's a great program we're growing. It's not only here on Oahu, but we have locations on the Big Island and Maui, we just opened another location on Maui as well. So it's a growing program, great program for the kids and the parents. And I just love, you know, giving back to the community as much as I can. It's my turn to give back, and that's what I want to do. Well, the kids and parents, I mean, they're going beyond the lines. And my young, the youngest girl, the youngest person that I've ever met that's read my book is a third grade girl in California. And it's amazing. But I want to ask you, Brent, I know you've read my book. What principles stood out for you in the book? You know what, in reading your book, Rusty, the thing that that that stuck out and to me is inspiration. You know, you've you've met so many people in your life. You've been a coach at Punahou for the boys varsity team. And, you know, your inspiration to your your team, the other coaches, the parents, you know, just everything in general, whether it's in business, whether it's in sports, family. The whole book was to me was inspiring with everything that you mentioned in there. It's inspiration as far as the, you know, reading, that's what what came to me. You know, and Rusty, your inspiration to me, you know, it's not just one person. You know, it's a whole there's so many people that are inspiring out there. And I'm just, you know, one of the things my wife taught me to do is just listen more. I'm very talkative, so it was hard for me to stop talking and listen, but you can learn so much, right? If you listen first and then so in general, Rusty is just an inspiration. And that's what I took as a whole take away from your book. Awesome book. Oh, thank you. And, you know, my and you just read it in the book, you know, my first priority was to develop champion athletes of character first and then great tennis players second. And I know you're doing that with your with your own family and then with the kids that you're helping at first tea about how important character is. And in your job, I mean, like you said earlier, it's all about building relationships and trust. And I think that's really why you're so successful and that's why you go beyond the lines, Brandon. I try my best, Rusty, right? You know, we always, you know, as as long as you be ethical, you do the right things, you know, and you take what you've learned in your life and pass that on to me. That that's what, you know, brings wealth, right? As far as you give back or you give what you have and it'll come around, right? It'll come back to you in different ways, whatever it may be. But, you know, that's that's what I do. Just like you said, I just build relationships and, you know, that character is very important because, you know, Hawaii is that's what is made up of you want to surround yourself with positive people who have great character. So that's where it all starts from and everything else will fall into place. Brandon, have you experienced like a major adversity in your life before? Yeah, actually, I'm glad you brought that up, Rusty. So a lot of people don't know this, but, you know, in the transition between my first business and this company, you know, I've had other companies. And what a lot of people don't know is, you know, my wife and I and my family, we we hit rock bottom in 2013. What had happened was I had a brain tumor. And I didn't know I didn't know there was no side effect, you know, no symptoms. And basically a couple of weeks before they had found out, I was just getting tired, right? I thought I was maybe overworking, but my dad had come home and I was watching the girls. And he noticed that I wasn't really responsive. So he called Kathy to come pick me up at the doctors. Went to the doctors. They did some tests, wanted to keep me overnight. And for some reason, my sugar levels were high. And basically, they gave me, it was like insulin, but by doing that, it almost killed me. So they actually called Kathy and said, hey, if you can have somebody babysit the girls and maybe catch a taxi to the hospital because you don't think your husband is going to make it. But I was able to recover, right? And by that happening, they had to throw me into MRI. And that's when they found the brain tumor. So, you know, medical expenses and everything. We went through, you know, a pretty rough 2030. My youngest daughter was actually born. She was only six months old when we went through that too. So it was, it was, that was my biggest challenge personally and business wise, because it affected us a lot. So we hit rock bottom and we had to gather. And so I have a different outlook on life through that, too. Having two girls, my wife, the support system. And, you know, it's something that a lot of people don't know about me, but, you know, now they know fully, they, you know, see it through the show. And, you know, anybody can achieve anything even after, you know, hitting rock bottom. You just got to get back on it and have a positive outlook on life and continue striving for your dreams and you'll get back to where you need to be. So I had no idea about that, too, Brandon, but, you know, you talk about outlook. How did, so how did it change you after that experience? Yeah, you know what, when I was, I was very business minded, tunnel vision and it was more financials to me as a younger entrepreneur. But after that happened, you know, it changed more to the relationship. My family was more important. Before that, my business was the top thing. But now after that had happened, I hold my family higher and everything follows up through that. So it made me a lot calmer person, a different view on life because now I had a second chance because I could have easily not seen another day, right? But, you know, a different perspective on life in that asset. There's more important things than just the financial, right? So it did, it did, you know, change my mindset and how I approach things now, which makes me, it made me smarter. It made me grow rusty and made me, you know, a better person in every sense. So, you know, things happened for a reason. I'm glad I had a second chance at life. You know, I would have never gotten to meet you if I didn't see another day. So, you know, I'm glad, you know, everything happens for a reason. And, you know, I'm thankful, I'm blessed that, you know, maybe it happened for a reason. And, you know, it taught me so much. So, I'm where I am today because of that, too. And, you know, just hang around positivity and great people like you. And that's, you know, it continues on. Well, Brandon, I'm lucky to know you. And, you know, I would train my players a lot to welcome adversity. And it's a mindset. You can either have a victim mindset or a victor mindset. And you're definitely a victor and an inspiration to me, as well as everyone that's going to watch this show today. So I really want to thank you for joining me on Beyond the Lines today, Brandon. Oh, I want to thank you too, Rusty. I would stand up and give you a hug, but, you know, I'll do that the next time I see you in person. For sure, that's a deal. Thank you, Brandon. Thank you. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii and a special thank you to my clothing sponsor, Eolani Incorporated. For more information, please visit RustyKomori.com and my book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that Brandon and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.