In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Brandon Powell, a financial advisor and recruiter at Mutual of Omaha. Powell shares a personal story of early career failure and a turning point that led to exceeding his first‑year production goals, emphasizing that hitting rock bottom can precede success. He stresses the critical importance of financial planning, noting that "failing to plan is planning to fail" and that advisors provide knowledge, discipline, and accountability. Powell offers broader business advice about "controlling the controllables"—aligning daily actions with intentions across health, fitness, and finances. He reflects on embracing failure as a catalyst for growth, the value of a supportive network for happiness, and highlights prospecting as the lifeblood of the financial‑advisory industry, citing the book Game of Numbers by Nick Murray. His favorite quote, "If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room," underscores continuous learning and surrounding oneself with stronger peers. Powell concludes by directing listeners to his active LinkedIn presence for networking and mentorship. The episode blends personal anecdotes, practical financial‑planning insights, and motivational business principles.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today on the call we have Brandon Powell, who is a financial advisor and recruiter with Mutual of Omaha. Brandon has achieved numerous Mutual of Omaha sales and recruiting awards in his 4 years with the company through his dedication to serving clients and helping new advisors get started in the career. So welcome to the show, man.
Hey, I appreciate you having me.
Of course, man, I appreciate you coming on. We'll dive in. The first question I have for you, Brandon, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Well, I was brand new to the business and had only been working for a few months, and I was, to be honest, I was failing miserably. My resources were running out and I was just in a complete panic. I had fallen in love with an industry that I was just going to have to leave because I couldn't make it work. I felt like I hit rock bottom and was just in a really tough spot. It was actually the day of my birthday and I received a really encouraging call from a client who decided to move forward. Since that day, things really turned around dramatically. I achieved all the standards and requirements of first-year advisors and actually doubled the production goal. That I had set for myself in that first year. So moral of the story with that is sometimes you just got to hit rock bottom to get to the top.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Well, really, you know, failing to plan is planning to fail. Many people try to manage their own financial planning and try to just go at it by themselves when in reality they lack the knowledge and discipline and accountability to stay on track and reach their goals. And this is where an advisor may be needed. You know, we bring the knowledge and accountability to help that client pursue their goals and reach their dreams.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice, not necessarily industry specific?
You know, really, uh, control the controllables. Um, you know, if you get up every day knowing that you're going to give it your absolute best in every category of your life, you're going to succeed. And for me, I make sure that my actions are aligned with my intentions. In other words, if I want to remain healthy and physically fit, I'm not going to have a cheeseburger every single day of my life. I'm going to hit the gym every day and eat the right things. In terms of business, if I want to see— succeed financially, I'm going to align my financial resources in accordance with that end goal and do the things that make me successful.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Uh, you know, really, uh, failure is inevitable, um, and failure is actually what makes you successful. Um, you know, for too long I was afraid of failure, and, uh, you know, now I embrace it. I really look forward to the challenges that, um, you know, every day brings and learning from them to be better in business and also better in my personal life and those that I have influence over, you know, and really in every category of my life.
And in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
Well, for me, it's surrounding yourself with people that you love and people that really care for you and are really on the same mission with you and are willing to challenge you when you need to be challenged. In order to grow, we need to have a solid support system that'll be there, you know, really through the ups and downs, but also to challenge you to be a better version of yourself each and every day. I've got, you know, colleagues, family, men's group that I'm a part of that hold me accountable, and I make sure I do the same for them.
And what's the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Well, you know, there's a ton of resources out there, so a really tough one to answer, but, you know, I'm gonna go with an industry legend here, Game of Numbers by Nick Murray. And really, you know, what I take away from that is prospecting is the lifeblood of our industry. You know, you cannot fail to achieve great levels of success if you don't stop prospecting until you get there. However, you are guaranteed to fail to achieve them if you do not stop prospecting before you get there. So basically, you know, if you come in every single day and give it your all and hold yourself accountable, you know, you're going to succeed.
And what's your favorite quote and why?
Well, if you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room. And, you know, for me, it's all about learning and growing and moving forward in every aspect of your life and being held accountable like I mentioned before, but really surrounding yourself with people that, that can make you grow stronger and a better version of yourself.
Well, thank you so much for coming on again, man. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find you online?
For me, it's LinkedIn. I'm huge, very, very active on LinkedIn. You know, if you, if you message me, I'll message you right back and would love to talk with anybody who has questions about my profession or really anyone looking to jump into this amazing career. I offer securities and advisory services through Mutual of Omaha Investor Services Incorporated, member FINRA/SIPC.
Awesome, brother. Thank you again. We appreciate you coming on.
Thanks a lot. Appreciate it. The podcast you just heard was recorded with Anchor. If you want to make your own, download the Android or iOS app completely free from anchor.fm/podcast. That's anchor.fm/podcast.
