Man on a Mission
He is known as ‘007’ because he has always been the go-to guy to get the job done in whatever environment he’s been in. Dean B. was born and raised in Carol City, Miami, Florida and comes from a Jamaican background. Dean has always been a hard worker and has had a bigger vision of where he wanted to be in life. Once he sets his mind on something, he does everything in his power to go and get it. Dean accepts all the challenges that are presented to him no matter what they are.
Dean has always enjoyed working with people and helping them out in whatever way he could since he joined the workforce. He was involved in the customer service sales field selling tires for Sears. One of his coworkers at Sears came up to Dean and told him “You’re spinning your wheels here. You have a talent and you need to be doing something else than selling tires.” His coworker went out and bought real estate study material for Dean to obtain his real estate license. He mentioned to Dean that he was a perfect fit for the real estate business. Dean was a realtor for several years and did very well. After the market crashed in 2008, he took some years off.
Dean later decided to enroll in pharmacy school. He worked as a head pharmacy technician at Walgreens. A long-term care facility manager offered him a position to work with them on the spot. He had to travel all over Florida when he was working for the long-term care facility and while living in Tampa. Dean was feeling overworked with long shift hours and not enough income coming in. He knew he wanted to get out of the pharmacy field, but he needed a reason to do it. He found a job in the customer service field in south Florida with a life insurance company but was doing his due diligence on that company.
“If your mind is set to be weak, you’re going to be a weak person. If your mind is strong, you can do anything you want.”
While doing his research on the company he was working for, he came across Senior Life Insurance Company. He saw an article on RVP Doug B. online in which he shared his testimonial and it caught his attention due to the similarities that they both had. Dean says, “Doug gave a true testimonial and it wasn’t all sunshine. He shared the rough patches he had and the happiness he found with Senior Life.” He decided to keep Senior Life on the back burner of his mind. Dean shares, “The Rolex was another reason Senior Life caught my attention because I love timepieces.” He told one of his friends that Senior Life was probably the place he needed to call home. After a week or so, Dean was able to meet with Doug at his office. Doug told Dean, “You’re kind of different and I want to put you with this guy named Marc.” In May 2017, Dean became part of the Senior Life family.
When Dean first became an agent, he faced some struggles finding himself in the final expense industry. Like other agents, he was trying to find a structure that worked for him rather than following the proven system provided by Senior Life. He shortly realized that he needed to be that sponge to absorb all the information that was being presented to him. He listened and executed what he was told to do. Within a short period, he overcame those struggles and the beast was unleashed after he found his rhythm. Dean mentions that he can get competitive in this business. He shares, “If your mind is set to be weak, you’re going to be a weak person. If your mind is strong, you can do anything you want.” He adds that if you give your maximum effort and you give it your all most than likely you are going to accomplish whatever you are set to do. It’s the amount of effort that you put into everything you do.
Doug B. has been there for Dean since day 1 and has given him his true leadership. Dean says, “Doug does things out of the blue for the Blake Group. I am happy to be a part of his agency.” Doug has been there for Dean during hard times and is a great support system. Doug is always willing to answer any questions that Dean and help him understand something even if he has to repeat himself multiple times. He shares, “Doug has a lot of patience and it’s hard to find a manager like that.” Dean gave Marc T. the nickname ‘Coach’ because Marc has done a lot for the Dream Team and is extremely unselfish. Dean says, “Coach will do whatever it takes to help you succeed. He taught me from experience and didn’t want me to go through the difficult things he went through. I’ve haven’t gone through any difficulties thanks to him.” Dean adds that some people only think for themselves, but Coach does not. Dean is very thankful to have Doug and Marc in his life and he loves them both like brothers.
“Coach will do whatever it takes to help you succeed. He taught me from experience and didn’t want me to go through the difficult things he went through. I’ve haven’t gone through any difficulties thanks to him.”
Dean’s mother will forever be his role model. She is no longer alive but is looking over him from heaven. Dean states, “My mother was the queen of mothers.” His mother immigrated from Jamaica to Florida and faced struggles during her transition to a new country. She worked three jobs and she never complained about anything. Even though she had a busy work schedule, she made time for him and took him wherever he wanted to go. He shares, “Her strength was just incredible.” He is thankful that his mother gave him the strength to do all the things he does to this day. She taught him to never give up by him witnessing all the obstacles she overcame. After her passing, Dean decided to move away from Miami to keep his mind going and to continue working hard as his mother had taught him. He says, “My mother was everything to me. She was the BEST.”
The motive that keeps Dean going hard is his son Mekhi. Dean says, “My why is Mekhi. I love that little guy and he’s the reason why I get up every day and get things done.” Dean was living in Tampa and would travel every weekend to Miami to see his son. After a while, he got tired of traveling back and forth so he decided to move back to Miami in 2016. Mekhi was Dean’s reason to leave the pharmacy field for good, and never looked back. Mekhi has hugely impacted Dean’s life. He shares, “I want the best for my son, and I can’t let him down. I want him to understand what it means to be a man and it is providing and protecting the ones you love.” Since Mekhi was born in 2014, they became attached and have an incredible bond. By joining Senior Life, Dean has been able to spend more quality time with Mekhi than ever. He shares that they enjoy going to different sports events together, sharing the same fashion sense, and just hanging out with each other. He took Mekhi to his first Miami Heat game and it was probably the best day they ever had together. Dean is building a legacy for his son and would like for him to follow his footsteps when he’s turns 18.
Dean identifies as a ‘007’ type guy because he always has a game plan to get the job done. As the film series character, James Bond, Dean is the person people call upon to complete a task with no questions asked. He says, “My mission is to help families and help mine at the same time. If I don’t accomplish that mission, my family and I don’t eat.” He has never been scared to accomplish a mission. His fashion sense also reflects the James Bond character because he likes to look clean and well put together since birth. Dean shares, “My first diaper was very stylish. It wasn’t your everyday Huggies.” A person that has influenced his fashion style is Big Daddy Kane, a Grammy Award-winning American rapper and actor. He grew up listening to him and idolized him. Growing up, one of Dean’s nicknames was ‘Big Daddy Kane’.
Dean has a lot of goals he would like to accomplish this year. After attending the Run Fast Kickoff Event, he became tremendously motivated to blow up this year. He shares, “I like to give 120% in whatever I do.” He wants to transition from ‘007’ to ‘Mr. Big’ because he plans to build his empire and help people at the same time.
Dean wants to present the opportunities that Senior Life provides to many people as possible. He wants to help other agents in any way he can and step into a higher role. Launching out his agency, Blake Insurance Group ‘BIG’, is his main mission for 2020 and he plans to take it to the next level.
