In the late 1990s, Bruckman watched the tech industry explode with innovation.

"Technology felt like a catalyst that, ultimately, was going to affect significant changes to the industry," he says. "I felt there was an opportunity to make an impact, and I wanted to do something more entrepreneurial."

After a year with a tech company, learning how new software and other innovations could increase efficiencies and bring greater customer value, Bruckman started considering other opportunities. He and business partner, Mike Sullivan, now Digital's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, began exploring ideas that eventually blossomed into Digital Insurance.

"Our sense was that small businesses would never have access to some of the employee benefits services and solutions that large employers had," Bruckman explains. "We understood the potential impact of technology, but also knew the value of the relationships that brokers had with their clients. So the idea was essentially to partner with the existing broker distribution model to bring more services and innovation to the small employer market.

"Most agents and brokers didn't have the ability or time to focus on this segment of the market, and we saw an opportunity to carve out a niche," he continues. "There were a few iterations of our business model as we continued to evolve, but our commitment to both the small business owner and our agency partners has paid off.

"Innovation has always been an important component of our success. Our work on the technology side in the early days was a valuable experience – learning what to do as well as what not to do in terms of building a business. We realized the impact of technology in influencing change, and the importance of relationships to building a successful business was clearly evident," Bruckman says. "We use technology as an integral tool to effectively operate our agency and ultimately bring more value and better service to our customers."

Technology, however, is not the only thing that's made Digital Insurance an outstanding player in its field; the company has been listed eight times on the Inc. 5000, the prestigious annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States – every year since the list was established in 2007. According to Bruckman, the most valuable asset Digital Insurance brings to the table is its people and the company's commitment to the advisor-client relationship.

"Our customers are more tech-savvy than they've ever been," he says, "but ultimately, it's really about how to support your clients and provide value-added knowledge and information about an increasingly complicated topic. Our aim has always been to combine the best of both worlds. New solutions are important, but we're adamant that our advisors have to be experts in the business, learning as the industry continues to evolve.

"Twenty to 30 years of experience doesn't necessarily give you the right or the ability to represent a client. So much has changed, and you've got to be ahead of the competition by providing better client value as an advisor.

"We continue to develop new as well as evolve our current solutions and capabilities, but we're keenly aware that people are the most important part of the equation," Bruckman adds. "We realize we can't afford to rest on our laurels, and it's necessary to keep upping our game."

That's an uphill battle for new companies, as Bruckman knows all too well.

"It's very hard to start a business from scratch and even more difficult to stay in business and reach key milestones," he says. "I look back and think about some of our early customers with great appreciation and admiration. It's very challenging when you launch a business to get folks to trust you. Someone's got to be the first client, and once you reach a critical mass, it becomes easier."

Although industry changes have thrown many in the benefits arena off track, Bruckman's consistent eye on the market has helped his company thrive in an increasingly challenging environment.

"Things got a bit dicey when health care reform came along," he says. "But one thing that always has been a pivotal key to our success is that we're constantly looking at our business model and seeking ways to develop solutions for our customers or create new channels. We saw an opportunity to take the next step in our business with the advent of the Affordable Care Act, and not only help advisors and small businesses, but also build our own distribution and market to larger employers. This turned out to be a huge step as our new business model – Digital Benefit Advisors — is now the company's largest and fastest growing segment.

"One of the things I think we've done extremely well is continuing to be students of the business and of the industry," he continues, "and with every change has come tremendous opportunity. Looking back, an overarching component I'm most proud of is our ability to continually evolve and refine our business. We are cautious about allowing ourselves to become complacent, and rarely do we look back. We have built a top-notch team and created a dynamic culture that embraces change and is comfortable with the fact that everything doesn't fit perfectly in place all the time, because some things simply take time to work through."

Building such a culture has been worth every bit of time and energy that Bruckman has put into his team.

"Culture has always been a significant part of our formula," he discloses. "When we first started, it felt like a family business, and I like to think our employees have that same feeling today – as though they have a seat at the table. We have 600 employees now, and it's essential that they are comfortable with a fluid environment. We realize the importance of our people and have created a culture that embraces, as well as, reinforces our corporate values."

And those values can be distilled into two distinct tasks: focus on the customer and consistent delivery of value.

"Delivering value is one of the struggles that the insurance industry, in particular, has experienced," Bruckman notes. "I think folks in our business, in some instances, become too internally focused and get hung up on the way things used to be as opposed to doing the right thing today. We believe in exploring new opportunities to provide value while continuing to deliver on the promise to our customers. We strive to refrain from being static and continue pushing ourselves to the next level."