As an animal lover, Kyle Knudsen served as a dog adoptions volunteer at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Fairbanks Ranch, California, for four years. During this time, he provided an array of care to animals available for adoption. His activities ranged from guiding dogs through socialization protocols to walking and exercising the animals. Kyle Knudsen also maintained clean living spaces for the dogs, in addition to supporting permanent staff and technicians with various tasks.
Kyle Knudsen has worked in wealth management since 2012. Beyond his professional and volunteer work, he enjoys leading an active, outdoor lifestyle. He has summitted Mt. Whitney and rafted the Arkansas River in Colorado. He also works in the natural spaces throughout his community of Pacific Beach, such as performing coastline litter cleanups. He is Wilderness First Aid certified with the American Red Cross, among other outdoor and survival certifications.
Kyle Knudsen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Chico.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Wake up and take my dog for a walk. Then I enjoy a coffee and set an intention for the day. Head to the office and work a full day. On my way home, I like to call a friend or family member on the drive to catch up and embrace the relationship. Once home, I again take my dog for a walk. Do something active, either the gym or something outside. Check out the sunset and cook dinner and wind down. Read before bed, then lights out.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Document my concept thoroughly, develop an understanding of similar ideas, develop a process or outline of the concept to test and refine, take action and get feedback with the intent to adapt, and improve utilizing the feedback.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Increasing awareness about health and environmental issues.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Planning for tomorrow today. Spending a few minutes to make a plan helps me significantly stay on task and to minimize distractions.
What advice would you give your younger self?
It’s okay to fail as long as you don’t quit or give up. Tenacity and grit will help you achieve outstanding results; failing is just part of the process of refining your achievement of success.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Technology does not in fact make everything better or more efficient. We are subject to progress traps.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Take time for yourself, to care for yourself, to reflect and grow from your trials and tribulations, so you can enjoy the process of growing and improving.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Go for a walk outside or spend time in nature to soothe my soul and have my senses put back in order.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Preparation, preparation, preparation, process, process, process. If you want results, I strongly believe it’s extremely important to be prepared, and you need to have a quantifiable repeatable process.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Trying to be too many things to too many people. I learned to specialize in what I excel at and deliver a very niche offering that was being ignored in the market.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
The iPhone calendar. I plan my day using time blocking techniques, so I am segmenting my time instead of getting lost multitasking.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Dog insurance premiums. It has saved me a fortune and given me the freedom to always say yes when my veterinarian recommends medical care for my best friend, Breezy.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
“Take Less, Do More” by Glen Van Peski.
I identified with the subject matter and lessons shared as a fellow backpacker. It amazes me how the author is able to extrapolate lessons learned on the trail and apply them to life. Adventures provide richness to a life well lived.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
The TV series “Seinfeld.” I’ve enjoyed it over and over again. It’s unbelievable how a show about nothing can be so relatable to real-world circumstances. Comedic genius all the way through.
Key learnings
- Taking time for self-care and self-reflection is important for not only personal growth and improvement, but overall well-being.
- Successful ideas are rooted in thorough preparation and a quantifiable, repeatable process for execution and refinement.
- Failure is part of the refinement process on the road to success—grit and tenacity yield better results than aiming for perfection.
- Advance planning and time blocking are valuable tools for staying productive and on task.