Profiling Insurefit RM and its founder/president Melvin Evans
“They say you don’t choose the insurance industry – the insurance industry chooses you.”
It’s a running joke among his peers in the business. However, the choice was made, and it turned out to be the right one for Melvin Evans, the founder and president of Insurefit RM.
Evans moved to Knoxville in 1996 to play football as a walk-on for the University of Tennessee. He played from ‘96 to ‘98 and left the team just before the start of the magical 1998 season, which is, of course, the same season when the Vols won their most recent national championship.
With a good-natured laugh, he admits that, in hindsight, that wasn’t the ideal time to leave, but he still counts the overall experience of playing as a great one.
After finishing his degree in 2000, Evans tried his hand at a few different jobs, from outside sales to customer service, while also starting a family. In 2005, he landed at a regional insurance company and began to learn the ins and outs of the business. It turned out to be a great fit, and over the next several years, he built up a large number of clients.
Things were going well, and in July 2012, he bought a house. But after years of success – and just two months after buying his home – Evans’ entire division at the agency was shut down, and he found himself out of a job at the worst possible time.
Scrambling, he contemplated several different courses of action, like going to another agency, changing jobs within the industry or even leaving insurance altogether. Everything was on the table. After a great deal of prayer and deliberation, though, with mentors like local business fixture Doug Minter, he decided to take the leap and start his own agency.
If this were a movie, that would be the moment where fireworks would go off and music would play while a big sign lights up, reading “Insurefit RM” in neon letters. Real life, however, is not that neat, and neither is starting a business.
For its first few years, the agency went by a different name that never quite fit Evans’ vision. It was often mistaken for a bank with a similar name, and its clients, confused, would frequently call his office. Eventually, though, he selected the name “Insurefit RM” because he wanted to highlight what makes his business stand out.
Eschewing standardized policies, Evans and his staff take into account a more comprehensive set of factors that allow them to tailor their offerings to meet the needs of the individual. Their goal is to make each insurance policy a perfect fit. As such, the RM stands for Risk Management. This exceptional degree of customization, along with a focus on customer service, has proven to be a winning combination.
Insurefit RM is a winner of the prestigious Erie Giving Agency of the Year award (2018), a two-time winner of the Big “I” Best Practices Agency Award (2019 and 2020) and was a 2020 finalist for the Pinnacle Business Award presented annually by the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to Knoxville, the company serves clients throughout Tennessee, including the Tri-Cities, Chattanooga, Nashville and Memphis. But now Evans has his sights set on an exciting project that he hopes will expand his agency’s impact within the immediate community even further in the coming months: He has partnered with Sanders Pace Architecture to design and construct a new space in the Happy Holler neighborhood.
The goal of the new space is to create an inviting environment where clients come not only to have their insurance needs met, but also to learn and collaborate. The technology-forward lobby space will feature free Wi-Fi to which guests can connect, tablets that are loaded with insurance-focused periodicals and even a driving simulator.
Additionally, the location will have areas dedicated to serving espresso and coffee, a Tennessee whiskey tasting room and a space with a rotating selection of one or two local taps that Evans plans to make available for small networking events. Despite these various amenities that will be offered at the new location, the focus will remain squarely on being a top-tier insurance agency.
Other elements are being put in place to support that mission while incorporating things of particular interest to their commercial clients, including several breweries, wineries and distilleries. On the commercial side of things, Insurefit RM also provides policies for construction companies, restaurants, churches and nonprofits. So while the insurance industry has been somewhat slow to adapt to new trends and emerging industries, Evans and his agency make it a point to stay ahead of the curve.
True to its motto of finding policies that are a perfect “fit,” even for unique clients, the agency has designed coverage for items of note and industries ranging from fine art (a recent collection of Beauford Delaney paintings, for instance) to independent contractors that work as handymen. Evans cites this high degree of flexibility as a primary benefit of working with his agency versus a national brand.
When asked what advice he had to offer others thinking about starting their own business, Evans provided the following tips:
- Be dedicated to your craft – whatever it is. And commit to being great at it.
- Seek out resources. Read up on everything related to what you’re trying to do, and don’t be afraid to talk to other people who also are in that field.
- Be ready to work. Don’t start your own business and think that it means you’ll be able to take time off. You’re always on the clock because when you’re a business owner, you ARE the clock.
- Remember that you can’t be an expert about everything. Don’t be afraid to hire/bring in people that are good at the things you aren’t.
- Have a growth mindset. Always be looking for ways that you can grow and improve your business.
Construction on the new space in Happy Holler is due to begin this December, and the plan is for it to be completed by late summer/early fall of 2022. For updates on its progress and information on what Insurefit RM can do for you, visit www.insurefitrm.com.
