On top of all the other things which you need to consider when you begin your business, is whether or not you need to have business insurance. Most all businesses have some risk of liability, and because of this, business insurance should be a priority. As with everything else in your business, insurance for your business is full of differences, as well as options, and of course, cost. What is business insurance? It is your safety net, of sorts. Within the overall term of business insurance, there are numerous kinds of insurance which you would need to consider. The first being liability insurance, the second being worker's comp insurance, and possibly business auto insurance, errors & omissions liability, and umbrella insurance. Each of these types of policies will insure your business's liability for different liabilities within your field.
The most common type of insurance is liability insurance. Often, this sort of coverage consists of a policy that also covers any business personal property, such as your computer, and office equipment. The objective of liability insurance is to cover any losses you may have that damage a person or their property when you're conducting your daily business operations. A good example of this could be if you own a small grocery store, and a customer slips and falls on a wet floor. Your liability insurance would cover their medical bills, any physical treatment they may need, and even additional payments for psychological stress. Needless to say, in case you've got no contact with your customers, then you may not need this sort of insurance. You'd need to speak with a licensed, experienced insurance broker in your area to determine if you will need this kind of insurance. Another important type of insurance is worker's compensation, which covers any injuries your employees incur while working for you.
If you employ a cashier in your supermarket, and she slips and falls on the exact same wet floor, this policy will pay for her medical bills, in addition to pay some of her earnings for the time that she is from work on work-related injuries. It's even possible that you would have to have worker's compensation insurance, even if you don't employ anybody. Every state has their regulations and may enforce the requirement for worker's compensation insurance on any business that has three or more people working inside the business, including any officers, owners, members, etc.. Again, you'd want to talk with an agent to determine if this is needed for your business. Other kinds of insurance include business auto insurance, which is ensuring any vehicles you use specifically for your business like a truck you use for grocery delivery to your customers.
Professional liability insurance is designed to cover any mistakes you make during within your work. For example, if you are a lawyer and neglect to disclose back taxes owed on a property, your professional liability insurance will cover any costs you incur as a result of the resulting legal actions. Umbrella insurance for businesses is exactly the same as it is for personal insurance. It is simply an extra layer of liability coverage that will kick into action if your other coverages are exhausted. If your legal statements from needing to disclose the back taxes exceed your fundamental policy limit, your umbrella policy will cover the excess. There are lots of different kinds of policies, as you can see, and even more choices within each policy, and every company that can greatly help your business in case of a loss. Just like you would ensure your life or your health, you need to insure your business. The concept of insurance is to put you back in precisely the same place you were before the loss occurred. Even if you don't like paying the premiums, you will be glad you did if you ever have to file a claim. So call your agent now.
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