Today’s episode is all about how having the right mindset and support system will drive you to keep going and take control of your destiny. My guest is Brandon Straza, founder and owner of a 7-figure insurance company, American Insurance Option; founder of Success Finder, and host of The Mastermind Effect podcast. He believes that earning money is just a by-product if we can build something that can make an impact and change people’s lives, and that finding one’s purpose and leaving a legacy are stronger driving forces than earning money.
Let’s dive into this episode and find out how he was able to find his real purpose.
[00:01 – 07:40] Opening Segment
It may be hard to figure out what we want to do in life but it’s easier to figure out what we DON’T want to do. When he was in his teens and still in school, Brandon tells us about his math teacher who helped him figure out what he really does not want to do—just wanting to work to make money. His math teacher told him that he needs to make something more out of himself. This became one of Brandon’s driving forces. In addition to having a supportive family, he also had opportunities to learn from other people’s experiences which helped him figure out the things he really want to do eventually. Brandon went on to become founder and owner of his own companies. The most recent one he’s working on is the Success Finder which aims to match people to the best mastermind that matches their skills, goals, and needs.
[07:41 – 14:19] Using Rejection as a Driving Force
One of the things that Brandon feels that contributed to his success is that he has a very good support system. Aside from his family, he says he also had a pseudofamily—his first employer and colleagues who treated him like real family. Because he was working three jobs at one point, all three gave him different experiences and coaches/mentors to learn from. And of course, he also have his family whom according to Brandon, will still love him even if he screws up. Having all these positive figures around gave him the power to exceed all the NOs and rejections he previously received.
[14:20 – 26:20] Taking Control of Your Own Destiny
Brandon chose founding his own company from scratch over working for corporate America because he wants to be the reason why something works. Today, he shares with us what happened when he was still on the first few months of working on his own insurance company.
First, people tried to discourage him. They told him to think about how many businesses fail. When he did not listen and just kept working, he also encountered other challenges. For one, he did not pay himself for 18 months just so he can re-invest every dollar. On some days, he also experiences some fears creeping in. However, now that he has a son, he also derives inspiration from him to overcome those fears and keep on having a “why don’t we do more” attitude.
[26:20 – 32:19] Purpose and Legacy
Earning money used to be Brandon’s driving force. Now, he has found something so much deeper and which can also make a lot of difference in other people’s lives—he has found his purpose and yearning to leave a legacy.
Brandon says that he wants to help build happiness and purpose in other people’s lives and the way he’s going to achieve this is to also build a company that has a purpose. He is talking about The Success Finder and his podcast that goes hand in hand with it—The Mastermind Effect. In his podcast episodes, he interviews different coaches and mentors from the masterminds that he’s hoping to work with in The Success Finder. This also makes him think of podcasts as the best way to connect to other people. Podcasts are “the best way to open any door out there,” he says.
In addition to helping other people find their happiness and purpose, Brandon also hopes to leave a legacy to his own son. He hopes that by the time he’s 10, he’s going to have the same mindset. Brandon hopes that at this young age, his son will already start thinking “what neighborhood business can I build?”
[32:20 – 36:26] The FOCUS FIVE Segment
The FOCUS FIVE are five questions I ask every guest on my show. Keep on listening to find out what book Brandon gifts most often; who would he talk to if he can get an hour of any person living or dead, from the past or the present, and why; that one thing he believes but most people will disagree with; his morning routine; and lastly, where are the best places we can connect with him online. (See the links below for Brandon’s social media links!)
Tweetable Quotes:
“By Listening to other people’s experiences it helps bring me to where I am today.” – Brandon Straza
“Whenever I hear people saying ‘No’ to me, it still gives me the driving force to success .” – Brandon Straza
“Legacy is the success that you build along the way, something you could look back at. The value of impacting others is worth more than money.” – Brandon Straza
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- The weight of Gold
- Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen, Book by Steve Sims
- Schedule a call with Hans
You can connect with Brandon on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
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A few last words
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