Brett Fulmer on Becoming an Influencer Broker, Cyber Insurance
Brett Fulmer, also known as “Broker Brett”, has built a reputation in the insurance industry as a trusted resource and community leader. From running the 2,500-member Insurance Nerds community to hosting Broker Brews (a monthly happy hour for brokers) to speaking on insurance podcasts, Brett is widely recognized as a thought leader and influencer among insurance brokers.
Brett sat down with 1Fort to share more about his background and experiences.
How did you first get started as a broker?
I have been licensed just over 8 years, and it's been a learning journey the whole time. Insurance is one of those industries where the more you know, the more you know you don't know. I got started because I have always liked B2B sales, and the level of relationships you get to build with companies and the annuity nature of the business is very apealing.
Tell us about Insurance Nerds – how did you get involved and what are your plans for the community?
Insurance Nerds is a community of enthusiasts, passionate about the industry and their profession, bordering on an obsession with personal and professional development.
InsNerds has been around for a while, it's been fun instigating some marketing and affiliate offers lately. We're planning on partnering for some smaller events, getting more books out, and we have a few other fun things up our sleeves.
What's your experience been like as a content creator?
The content creation has been borderline easy. It was a little uncomfortable being on camera at first, but you just try and make others look good. I have been involved with InsNerds for years, and people know I tend to try and come from a good place.
On the community manager side, I have been involved with Insurance Nerds for years, and people know I tend to try and come from a good place. I am not always great at it, but I try and hop in and help keep things cool. Luckily, we don't have issues too often.
What have you been seeing in the cyber insurance space?
I tried to lean into cyber 3-4 years ago (pre-COVID) and it was hard to get people's attention. Right now the earlier policies are getting flushed out – controls are gonna tighten and costs are gonna rise. We are moving from the Wild West of cyber to establishing intelligence and best practices around the field. I’m excited for 1Fort to contribute to the next wave of cyber offerings.
What's the most helpful piece of advice you've received as a broker?
"Get rich in your niche!" And it's a "get rich slow" game." Insurance is hard – don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I came in thinking I'd run circles around incumbent brokers, but I didn't realize the level of relationships and the lethargy of change you're fighting on the client side. You really do have to provide 5-10x value to get people to move.
If you could invite a dream guest to Broker Brews, who would it be and why?
I have a bunch of UK insurtech friends. I gotta get back to Lloyds of London sometime and actually go in, last time I thought I was too cool to go in as a "tourist." If you twisted my arm Nigel Walsh who works for Google and is their Insurance guy seems awesome, but there are a lot of great people in our industry I'd love to meet in person.
