Two brokers, two starting points. What year one really looks like with Momentum
If you’ve ever thought about starting your own insurance brokerage, you’ve probably asked yourself the same three questions everyone does. Can I afford it? Where will my clients come from? And if I join a network, will I still be the one looking after them?
At our October webinar, Momentum 101: Year One – The Reality, we put those questions to two brokers who’ve lived them.
Pete White founded White Choice in 2020 and has since grown it into an established brokerage. Mark Richardson set up CDR Insurance with his former colleague Clive in June 2026.
Both are at very different stages of their journey, but their stories have a lot in common.
Pete White: Building a brokerage without an existing book
Pete had been at his old brokerage for around 22 years when he decided to leave the industry and go into construction training.
After a couple of years, he realised insurance broking was his forte and started exploring his options for starting his own business.
Plenty of brokers leave their old employment expecting their clients to follow them, but Pete didn’t take that route.
Rather than relying on an old book, Pete built his business the old-fashioned way: through people he knew, networking and his local community.
Momentum’s central broking team and insurer relationships took care of much of the placement work, so he could spend his time with clients instead of being swamped with admin.
His story is an excellent example for anyone who thinks you need a ready-made book to make it work.
What you really need is a realistic runway, relationships to build on, and support that frees you up to sell.
Mark Richardson: From corporate broking to business ownership
Mark’s journey started differently.
After a long career with his previous broker, things changed following a private-equity deal. He spent some time at Close Premium Finance before deciding it was time to run his own business.
In June 2026, he launched CDR Insurance with his business partner Clive.
The pair funded the move from savings and redundancy money, which gave them around 12 months to work with.
They kept their early forecast deliberately cautious, and four months in, Mark is delighted to report they’re ahead of plan.
Why Mark changed his mind about central broking
What’s most interesting about Mark’s story is how his thinking on central broking support has changed.
He’d always valued his direct relationships with underwriters, so handing broking to a central team didn’t come naturally.
Once CDR was up and running, though, he saw it differently.
Having Momentum’s broking team behind him meant more time to put back into clients and ensure they received an outstanding level of support.
For anyone worried that joining a network means giving up the part of the job they enjoy, Mark found it gave him more time for it.
What can new insurance brokers learn from their first year?
Put the two stories side by side and the same lessons keep coming up.
Both put a lot of thought into their business plans, finances and the time they had to make things work, with Pete allowing six months and Mark twelve.
Neither counted on an old client list to carry them. Their clients came from relationships and hard work.
Both found that central broking protected their time with clients rather than taking control away from them.
And both had early wins that made the next step feel a lot less daunting.
Watch Momentum 101: Year One – The Reality
If you’re thinking about starting your own insurance brokerage but you’re not sure what year one could look like for you, watch the full webinar below.
Watch the full webinar on YouTube
Ready to explore your next step?
Every broker’s journey is different. Whether you’re just exploring the idea or already making plans, we’re here to help you understand what’s possible.
