Kevin Bull

Kevin Bull is a busy guy. He owns Bull Insurance, a growing agency in Lamar, Mo., which is already enough to fill his days, but he also juggles being the father of four, an avid musician, and a devoted community volunteer. He needs to manage, and value, his time to accommodate all of it — because all of it is important to him.

Bull grew up on a Missouri farm. But in 1992, the family added the insurance business to the farming. And even though he didn’t know it at the time, his career path was being paved.

“I grew up around the table hearing conversations about claims. Naturally, I had no interest in doing insurance after hearing that all the time,” Bull said.

“Yet here I am. When I went to college, I knew I wanted to get a business degree and I had some connections in the insurance world. So I thought maybe I should leverage that.”

Bull studied insurance and risk management at Missouri State University and graduated in 2004.

In 2005, Bull started his insurance career working in claims with Farmers Insurance, joined the family business in 2010, and purchased the agency in 2012 when his parents, Sam and Shirley, retired.

Fast forward

Bull Insurance celebrates its 30th anniversary this April, and has expanded into 10 states as the family business continues to grow.

But life isn’t just about work. Bull is also pursuing his lifelong interest in music — he got his first fiddle in second grade — and currently focuses on the guitar after having played bass, six-string guitar,  mandolin, and dabbled in other instruments.

And now, Bull is passing that interest to the next generation of Bulls. He recently got his oldest son, Vance, his first instrument, a ukulele, to help start him on his journey into discovering and appreciating music.

Four children means Bull always has his hands full. His other children, Sadie, Silas, and Henry, are all interested in sports, so Bull spends a good deal of his time in the gym or on the field.

If he’s not busy with insurance, music, or youth sports, Bull is helping out in his community and currently serves as president of the Lamar Metro Club. The group supports local causes and offers a scholarship for graduating seniors in Barton County high schools. He also sits on boards of directors for numerous nonprofits. And if the off-chance Bull isn’t busy doing any of those things, you can find him tending a barbecue grill.

Working smart

When Bull is at work, his focus is on offering his clients the best products and services. But he’s also learned to leverage tools and organizational skills to help balance work with life, with family, and with fun. And he’s always willing to pass on the tricks he’s learned for handling a busy schedule onto new agents.

“They’ll see a shiny object they want — like a piece of technology — and then they see how much it costs and say, ‘Well, I don't know if I can afford that.’

“I would say, ‘Figure out what your time is worth. And then figure out how much time that piece of technology is actually saving you,’ ” he said. “ ‘You're going to find out that it is the cheapest thing you could probably ever buy, because there's no way to re-create your time.’ ”