On the surface, growing up in Hawaii would seem like a dream come true. Many may think that days would be spent at one of Maui’s golden beaches, schools would offer surf and paddling as their district sports, and weekends would be spent amongst friends in the sun.

While Nick was no stranger to have some good time at the beach with his buddies on the weekend, his reality of growing up on the Valley Isle was a lot different.

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Looking at Nick Ponte today, the founder of 2 businesses that have generated multi-millions of dollars in profit as well as the recent recipient of Pacific Business News’ 2020 Business Leader of the Year, you probably wouldn’t recognize the man he was five years ago.

Growing up, Nick Ponte didn’t have much by way of money or direction. After losing his mother at a young age and getting into a near-death car accident at nineteen; Ponte was almost wholly committed to the belief that he lacked a bright future.

While most of his friends were either going to the states for college or starting their induction into family businesses, Nick was floating through a series of dead-end jobs.

This was until a mentor stepped in. Instead of studying Business or Computer Code in STEM classes, Nick was whisked away to Switzerland by this mentor who gave him a real-world education where Ponte would learn about classical structures of art, government, and society.

Upon returning to Maui, he set his sights on becoming a certified Porsche mechanic. His father had been an expert technician and Nick was good with his hands. With the right credentials, certifications and skills, a guy who works on German sports cars can make a lot of money.

However, when he wasn’t working as a skilled mechanic on Porches’, Nick’s thirst for knowledge was now focused on how to build websites. This new hobby came to fruition when Aaron, owner of Krank Cycles and Nick’s good friend needed a website. Having this newfound interest in web design, Nick offered to create one for him. The only problem was Nick didn’t have a computer.

“Aaron, bought me my first computer to build him a website. That really was the start of it all.” Ponte said.

What started as a project for a friend has grown into Nick Ponte Marketing, the leading digital advertising and web development agency in Maui. In just under four years, Nick Ponte’s dedication and innovation have meant that his agency not only dominates the local industry, but Ponte himself has been named someone to watch out for by Forbes, INC, and the Young Entrepreneurs Council.