We recently connected with Christian Fanetti, Sr. and have shared our conversation below.
Christian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
At the core, I sell insurance. The longer I spent in this business, the more I realized something important: insurance is not one-size-fits-all.
Every company has a different appetite. Some are great for one type of client and not a fit for another. One carrier may love a certain kind of home, business, driver, or risk, while another wants nothing to do with it. I used to think the job was simply to find a good company for a client. Over time, I realized the better question was: which company is the right fit for this specific person or even part of a person’s risk? Bundling isn’t always the best path…
That idea started with something my dad told me.
“If you want to win every horse race, you better own every horse.”
That stuck with me.
In insurance, the “horses” are the companies, the programs, the relationships, and the different channels available to place a customer. If I only had access to one horse — or even a small stable — I could only run the race one way. But if I built relationships across the industry, independent companies, direct options, even captive agents, I could give people more choices and a better shot at finding the right fit.
I started in a family Agency and working for family was very rewarding. It gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about the business and a unique perspective. In my opinion, respecting companies’ capital (risk) is not something many salespersons understand. Combining that knowledge with the desire to find the best options for customers is something that was ingrained in me early in my career.
I went out on my own because I wanted the freedom to do it differently. As the owner, I was not limited to one narrow path. I could leverage relationships built over years, including with captive agents, to create access to more solutions for the customer. The goal was not to compete with everyone. It was to connect the dots — to make insurance easier, smarter, and more convenient for the person buying it.
The problem I kept seeing was that most customers have no idea how fragmented the insurance world really is. They think shopping means getting a quote or two and picking the cheapest one. But behind the scenes, there are different underwriting appetites, coverage structures, and pricing models that vary widely by company. A person can be a perfect fit for one carrier and a poor fit for another through no fault of their own.
I believed there was real value in building a business that helped people navigate that.
What excited me most was the idea of being more than just another agent. I wanted to be a guide — someone who could look across multiple channels and help people understand where they fit. Not just sell a policy. Help them find the right horse for their race.
That is how it all came together: experience, relationships, independence, and a simple lesson from my dad that never left me.
If you want to win every race, you better own every horse.
I built a business around giving customers access to more of them.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have been in the insurance industry for over 20 years, and at my core, I am an insurance professional, educator, problem solver, and relationship builder.
I did not get into this business because I thought insurance was exciting on the surface. Most people do not wake up excited to talk about policies, deductibles, liability limits, or underwriting rules. I got into it because I realized how important insurance really is when life happens. It protects homes, businesses, families, employees, vehicles, livelihoods, and dreams people have spent years building.
Over time, I learned that insurance is not just about selling a policy. It is about understanding people. It is about asking the right questions, knowing the markets, respecting the carriers, and helping customers make decisions they can actually feel confident about.
My background is a little different than some people in the industry. Before and during my insurance career, I also had experience with computers and programming, earning Microsoft and A+ certifications. That taught me how to think through systems, processes, and problems logically. Later, as my insurance career developed, I earned my CLCS designation and taught insurance professionals through Don Rocco Seminars. Teaching other agents helped me become even better at explaining complicated insurance topics in plain language.
That has become a major part of who I am professionally.
Today, my work centers around helping people shop insurance smarter. Through my brand, [www.ShopWithChristian.com](http://www.ShopWithChristian.com), I help customers understand their options across different insurance channels, including independent agencies, direct companies, and captive agents. Most consumers do not realize how fragmented the insurance marketplace really is. Every company has different pricing, different underwriting rules, and different appetites. A customer who is a poor fit for one company may be a great fit for another.
That is the problem I try to solve.
I believe people deserve more than a quick quote and a rushed answer. They deserve someone who can slow the process down, ask better questions, explain the differences, and help them find the right fit. Sometimes that means I write the policy directly. Sometimes that means I help point them toward another solution. Either way, the goal is the same: to help the customer make a better insurance decision.
I work with personal insurance clients on things like home, auto, umbrella, and other family protection needs. I also have a strong background in commercial insurance, helping business owners understand coverage for their operations, property, liability, employees, vehicles, and long-term risk. I especially enjoy working with business owners because I understand that insurance is not just a required expense. It is part of protecting the business they have worked hard to build.
What I think sets me apart is that I try to look at insurance from all sides. I understand the customer’s frustration. I understand the agent’s limitations. I understand the carrier’s need to protect its capital and write profitable business. When you can respect all three sides, you can give better advice.
I am not interested in simply finding the cheapest price for one year if it creates problems later. My goal is to help people understand value, coverage, stability, and fit. Price matters, of course, but the cheapest option is not always the best option. The best option is the one that fits the customer, the risk, and the long-term goal.
The phrase I often come back to is simple: one size shoe does not fit all.
Insurance works the same way.
What I am most proud of is the trust I have built over the years. I have taught other professionals, helped families protect what matters, worked with business owners, built relationships with agents and carriers, and created a brand around making insurance easier to understand. I am proud that people often come to me not just because they need a policy, but because they need someone they can trust to explain the process.
I want potential clients to know that my brand is built around education, access, relationships, and honesty. I am not here to pressure people. I am here to guide them. I want clients to feel like they have someone in their corner who understands the insurance world and can help them navigate it.
At the end of the day, most people have an insurance agent.
My goal is for my clients to feel like they have a friend — someone who will tell them the truth, explain their options, and help them find the right fit.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think my reputation has been built less by what I say about myself and more by how people have experienced me over time.
Insurance is my profession, but relationships have always been the foundation of my business. I have been fortunate to work with people from many different backgrounds — families, business owners, agents, carrier representatives, coaches, parents, and kids in the community. Over the years, I learned that reputation is not built through one big moment. It is built through consistency. It is built by showing up, doing what you say you are going to do, treating people with respect, and being willing to help even when there is nothing immediately in it for you.
A big part of who I am outside of insurance is coaching kids in the community. Coaching has taught me a lot about leadership, patience, accountability, and trust. When you coach young people, you quickly realize that they are watching more than they are listening. They notice whether you are consistent. They notice whether you care. They notice whether you hold them accountable because you believe in them, not because you want to criticize them.
That same mindset has carried into my business.
I try to treat clients the same way I would want someone to treat one of my athletes, my children, or my family. I want people to feel heard. I want them to feel respected. I want them to know that I am going to be honest with them, even if the answer is not always the easiest one. In insurance, that matters because people are often making decisions about things they do not fully understand, but that can have a major impact on their life, family, or business.
I also think working with people from different backgrounds has helped me grow. Everyone has a different story, different concerns, different goals, and different pressures. A business owner does not look at insurance the same way a young family does. A contractor has different concerns than a teacher, a retiree, or a parent buying a first home. The ability to listen to people, understand where they are coming from, and adjust the conversation to what matters to them has been a major part of building trust.
I have never wanted to be known as someone who just sells policies. I want to be known as someone who explains things, tells the truth, and helps people make better decisions. Sometimes that means finding a better option. Sometimes that means telling someone to stay where they are because what they already have is the right fit. I believe those moments build reputation because people can tell when you are acting in their best interest.
The relationships I have built in the insurance industry have also played a big role. Over time, I have developed relationships with carriers, independent agents, captive agents, referral partners, and other professionals. Those relationships allow me to better serve clients because I can see the market from more than one angle. But they also matter because this industry is still very relationship-driven. People want to work with people they trust.
What helped me most was staying grounded in the idea that business is still human. Technology is important. Access to companies is important. Product knowledge is important. But at the end of the day, people do business with people they believe in.
I am proud that my reputation has been built through both my professional work and my involvement in the community. Coaching kids, helping families, supporting business owners, and building relationships with people from all walks of life have all shaped the way I approach my work.
To me, reputation is not about being the loudest person in the room. It is about being the person people know they can call when they need help, advice, honesty, or direction.
That is what I have tried to build — a reputation based on trust, relationships, and showing up for people.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Several books have genuinely shaped the way I think about business, leadership, discipline, creativity, and relationships.
*Atomic Habits* by James Clear reinforced something I had already seen in both business and coaching: success rarely comes from a single breakthrough. It is built through small, consistent actions repeated over time. In insurance, in entrepreneurship, in coaching kids — the little habits compound. Following up, doing what you said you would do, preparing well, asking better questions, improving a little every day. That philosophy has had a quiet but significant influence on how I try to build my business.
*Think and Grow Rich* by Napoleon Hill shaped how I think about mindset, belief, and persistence. Entrepreneurship requires a lot of faith before the results show up. You have to believe in the idea, keep working through uncertainty, and stay focused when things are moving slower than you want. That book reinforced something I have come to know firsthand: success starts with how you think and what you are willing to consistently pursue.
*Influence* by Robert Cialdini has also stayed with me, because so much of business is about trust, communication, and understanding people. I do not look at influence as manipulation. I look at it as learning how people make decisions and how trust is earned. In insurance, people are often navigating something complicated and important. If you can communicate clearly, establish credibility, listen well, and help people feel confident in their choices, you serve them better — and they remember it.
*A Wrestling Life* by Dan Gable speaks a language I have lived. Wrestling has always been a big part of who I am, and Gable’s mindset — discipline, toughness, sacrifice, preparation, accountability — carries directly into business. There are no shortcuts. You have to put in the work when nobody is watching. That has shaped how I coach kids and how I approach building something from scratch.
*The Creative Act* by Rick Rubin affected me in a different way. That book reminded me that creativity is not reserved for music or art. Building a business is creative. Solving problems for clients is creative. Finding a better way to connect people with insurance is creative. It helped me think more openly about my brand, my message, and how to communicate insurance in a way that feels human rather than transactional.
I would also include *From 10 to 25* by David Yeager, because working with young people has been a major part of my life. Understanding how they think, grow, and respond to leadership has made me a better coach, parent, and communicator. When you work with kids, you learn quickly that real leadership is not about telling people what to do. It is about meeting them where they are, understanding what motivates them, and helping them grow into who they are capable of becoming.
These books are different in subject and tone, but they share a common thread: discipline, mindset, influence, creativity, trust, and the long game.
Those ideas show up in how I run my business. I believe in building strong habits, thinking long-term, communicating clearly, and staying creative enough to solve problems differently. I do not want to build something that is only about transactions. I want to build something based on relationships, education, and genuine service.
That is probably the deepest impact these books have had. They helped me understand that success is not just about what you sell. It is about who you become, how you treat people, and what you consistently build over time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ShopWithChristian.com
