At just 21 years old, Kyle Austin stood at a crossroads. 

He worked in a busy restaurant kitchen, and his boss had just offered him the coveted position of sous chef. Still, something didn't feel right. Despite his skill at the grill—  orchestrating the dance of hamburgers, steaks, and coordinating the flow of fries and salads — Kyle realized his true passion lay elsewhere.

"I didn't want to be a chef," Kyle says. "I wanted to work with and talk with people."

What he truly enjoyed was the human connection — the conversations across the bar, the relationships built with regular customers, the daily interactions that made restaurant work rewarding. When an unexpected opportunity appeared, Kyle was ready to listen.

"My dad ended up saying, 'Hey, I need help in the office. I'm willing to get you licensed, willing to take you on as an employee,'" Kyle says. Seeing friends with "grown-up jobs" enjoying weekends and holidays off — rarities in restaurant work — Kyle made the leap into the insurance world.

That decision launched him on a journey from opening mail at his father's agency to becoming president of Austin Insurance Agency fifteen years later. The transition wasn't without challenges.

"I struggled at first with an office job," Kyle says. "I was used to being on my feet all day, interacting with lots of people." But he soon discovered that insurance, like restaurant work, is fundamentally about building relationships.

"In real estate, you sell a house once, but in the insurance world, you develop these relationships. These people stay with you for 5, 10, 20 years," he says. "Every year we keep a policy, every year it renews, you get a piece."

His breakthrough came when he started applying his restaurant experience to his new field. "Once I started landing restaurants as clients, I thought, 'Oh, I can do this,'" Kyle says. "I enjoyed being a bartender, talking with and interacting with people. Insurance gave me the same opportunity to build rapport."

Kyle's business savvy emerged as he systematically expanded into new markets. "When I wanted to sell to plumbers, I immersed myself in the contracting world," he explains. With 50 insurance companies in his portfolio, Kyle's approach to business growth has been deliberate and strategic. "You find a niche, become an expert, and then expand. That's how you build a sustainable business."

Not content with simply selling policies, Kyle pushed himself to become a true expert, earning the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation, a rigorous process requiring five essay-based exams with a notoriously high failure rate.

"Each CIC exam has 20 open-ended questions — they're all essay-form, each is hand-graded, and it has a high fail rate," Kyle says. "It's one of the most prestigious designations in my industry. It takes people years to get it."

This dedication has earned Kyle recognition beyond his family's agency. "I sit on an advisory council for an insurance company, and I also sit on a state association board, MAIA, that does everything for insurance agents, especially on the politics side." His expertise even takes him to Washington, D.C. for legislative conferences where he discusses insurance matters with congressmen.

Working with his father presented Kyle with the frank mentorship that many people don't get with traditional careers.

"There's an underlying trust that makes their partnership work," Kyle says. "There's huge trust. Money's not gonna go missing one day. I'm not gonna take all these clients or take the business. That trust comes with a family business."

Most people don't mix business and family well, but most people aren't Kyle. His success with his family business, working alongside his father, demonstrates his ability to nurture both professional and personal relationships — a trend Kyle experienced again in meeting his wife.

In a business networking group, Kyle met photographer and now top realtor Lauren. What began as a professional relationship gradually evolved into something more.

"We met as professional people — not a dating app, not a friend setting us up," Kyle says. "Everything was professional and friendly until one day, I made a move."

Kyle's understanding of real estate has become another asset in his professional toolkit. Working closely with his wife, he's developed expertise in helping first-time home buyers navigate both the real estate and insurance worlds simultaneously.

"First-time home buyers need someone who has the patience to guide them through both processes," Kyle explains. "When you can explain both sides of the transaction—the property purchase and the insurance coverage — you become an invaluable resource. We do really well with clients who need that extra hand-holding."

Today, Kyle takes pride in helping clients navigate the complex world of insurance. “I work witha  lot of realtors helping clients with their home insurance, but our business offerings don’t stop there,” he says. "We basically do everything for families — auto, home, motorcycle, snowmobile. We protect their products and their liability."

For Kyle, insurance is about more than policies. "Ultimately, you're offering peace of mind. You can sleep at night knowing we're gonna pay to protect everything you ever worked for."

Kyle Austin's journey proves that sometimes the most unexpected career paths can lead to the most fulfilling destinations — especially when your true passion is connecting with people.