Business Insurance

You have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and have worked hard to create your business. We can help you implement the proper risk management strategy and insurance coverages to protect your hard work and ensure your business continues to have an opportunity to succeed and grow.

What is business insurance?

The term business insurance covers a wide range of policies available for purchase by businesses. There isn’t a single business insurance policy able to cover your entire range of risks. However, there is an upside. Because your business is unique, you can tailor coverage to best fit your business’s needs.

Who needs business insurance?

This answer can vary from person to person, but a good rule of thumb is “everybody with a business.”

Consider doing a brief self-evaluation by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Does your business have property you can’t afford to replace if it’s broken or damaged?
2. Is there a possibility you may be faced with a lawsuit for a substantial amount of money?

If your answer to either of these questions is yes, then it is strongly recommended you protect yourself and your business with a business insurance policy.

What does business insurance cover?

Business insurance coverage varies depending on the policy. However, there are six policies we strongly recommend for all business owners.

1. Commercial Liability

As a business owner, you are potentially liable for every product, service, and operation relating to your business. While sound procedures may be stressed throughout your organization, the fact remains that no person or machine is perfect. Despite your best efforts, harm caused to a third party relating to your business could lead to litigation. Commercial liability insurance is designed to protect business owners and assets from a variety of exposures.

2. Product Liability

Even though commercial liability and product liability sound similar, it is very important to know they are not the same. If your product may potentially damage a person or property, even if the product is properly used, then product liability insurance is essential.

3. Property Insurance

Imagine a fire breaks out and you lose your entire inventory. Or your business is burglarized causing physical damage and possibly lost assets. Your ability to recover from these incidents is dependent on your commercial property insurance.

4. Business Auto Insurance

Imagine you were involved in an accident in your personal vehicle while engaged in company business. Did you know your personal insurance may not cover you? What if you have employees on the road making service calls to customers? Commercial auto insurance provides valuable protection for your company-owned vehicles, leased or rented vehicles, and your employees' vehicles used for business purposes.

Read more about business auto insurance »

5. Workers Compensation

If you employ any number of workers who are not considered owners of the business, then you are legally required to maintain a workers compensation policy. You do your best to maintain a safe work environment, but if any of your employees are injured or become ill on the job, you are legally responsible. A workers compensation policy can cover the payment of your employee’s medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs.

6. Excess/Umbrella

Without an excess or umbrella policy, a catastrophic claim could deplete your future income and business assets. Every business is vulnerable to devastating losses and lawsuits that could exceed your primary insurance coverage. This is a critical coverage—especially for small to mid-sized businesses.

Other beneficial policies may include the following:

Flood & Earthquake

Your basic insurance policy does not protect you against damage from earthquakes and floods. Whether you are in a high-risk area or moderate-to-low risk area, you should consider adding earthquake and flood insurance to your business insurance policy. More than half of all flood claims occur in areas considered to have low flood exposure, and each year there are around 5,000 earthquakes in the United States.

When it comes to natural disasters, here are important things to keep in mind »

Inland Marine

Do you have business equipment, materials, or supplies in transit? Do you store business property in an off-site location? Protect your most valuable business property or equipment wherever it may be with inland marine coverage.

Professional Liability

If you or your employees are specialists providing services that may cause a client financial damage through any errors or omissions, then you will benefit from professional liability coverage. You work hard to perform your duties and responsibilities to the best of your ability, but if your customer isn’t satisfied you may be faced with a lawsuit. Protect your employees, your business, and yourself with a professional liability policy.

Cyber

In today’s digital world, cybercrime runs rampant. Data breaches are an all-too-common occurrence and are commonly targeted towards small businesses. If you store sensitive customer information, such as account numbers, driver’s license numbers, and credit card numbers, and you are the victim of a data breach, you are liable for any damages caused by the breached information.

Learn about the importance of cyber liability insurance and how to protect your business from cybercrime.

How do I find the right business insurance for me?

One of our experienced business insurance brokers can help you through the complex process of finding the insurance policy that best fits your needs. We can help you identify your potential risks and liabilities and then work with you to tailor a policy that will protect your business.

We would love to chat with you. Contact us today!

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who Needs Workers Compensation Insurance? 

  Every business does. Many business owners feel that if their employees are independent contractors because they get 1099's instead of W-2's. This does NOT matter.

  What matters is whether they do this type of work for anyone else (like a contractor who has their own insurance, vehicle, and tools), and the issue of control where the employer tells them how and when to do their job. 

• Do I need warehouse insurance? 

  Whether you need warehouse insurance ultimately depends on your business's ability to recover from financial loss. You can do a fast self-diagnostic by asking yourself the following questions: 

  • Can you afford to replace your clients’ lost property? 
  • If a client or prospect is touring your facility and is injured, can you afford their medical bills? 
  • Do you know the exact value of the items you’re storing? 

  If your answer to any of the above is no, then you may consider purchasing insurance for your warehouse. 

• What insurance does my warehouse need? 

  There are many coverages you can purchase, but there are a few types that can be beneficial for all warehouses.

  • Commercial Property
  • Workers Compensation
  • General Liability
  • Commercial Auto
  • Inland Marine
• What does winery insurance cover?

  An winery insurance policy most commonly covers property, specifically processing buildings, warehouses, tasting rooms, and offices.

• What kind of insurance does my property management company need?

  Your policy will vary depending on the services you provide and whether you're purchasing insurance for yourself or your business. Potential coverages you should consider may include:

  • Professional Liability/Errors & Omissions
  • Cyber Liability
  • Commercial Liability 
  • Business Auto
  • Hired & Non-Owned Auto
  • Workers Compensation
• What types of insurance do water well drillers need?
  The exact insurance you purchase depends on your needs. Not every water well drilling business is the same, meaning no two water well drilling business insurance policies will be the same. However, there are general coverages any well-drilling company should consider.
• Is the drilling equipment on my truck covered under my auto policy?
  Unfortunately, many tools and equipment located on your truck are not covered under your commercial auto policy. As a good rule of thumb, your commercial auto insurance won't cover anything that's not bolted down to the vehicle but it still needs to be listed properly. To adequately protect your tools while they're in your car, you'll want inland marine coverage. As mentioned above, inland marine insurance covers business property that can be moved or transported.
• What is Workers Compensation Insurance? 
  Workers compensation insurance provides coverage for medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and lost wages for employees who are injured or become ill at work. This coverage is required by most states and can be the most expensive line of insurance for most employers. 
• What is an e-Mod factor? 
  An e-Mod factor is a rating number that is calculated based upon your workers compensation premiums and workers compensation claims payments and is designed to show what risk level your company is based on similar companies in your industry and location. There are many factors that are gathered and used in the calculation of this factor, but the two specific factors that a business owner or executive can manage and affect are the workers compensation premium and the workers compensation claims payments.  Costs of Workers Comp Claims  An effective risk management program goes beyond simply purchasing an insurance policy and paying an annual premium. No matter the size of your organization, there are steps you can take to improve the safety of your employees and take control of costs.  According to the National Safety Council, the average cost of workers compensation claims is $40,051. In addition to the medical costs, wage replacement, and indirect costs associated with a claim, there is also the negative impact that a claim can have on a company's experience modification (or e-mod) which can significantly increase workers compensation insurance rates for the next three years. 
• Do you think you might need Workers' Compensation Insurance?
  Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment. Workers' comp insurance is required by law in almost every state. Workers' comp laws are designed to ensure payment by employers for some part of the cost of injuries, or in some cases, of occupational diseases, received by employees in the course of their work.
• What is warehouse legal liability insurance? 
  Warehouse legal liability insurance also known as warehousemen's legal liability or warehouse operators legal liability insurance  is a special type of liability insurance that safeguards against inventory loss and property damage due to employee negligence or lack of facility maintenance. 
• How much does well-drilling insurance cost?
  Earlier, we mentioned that no one well drilling contractor insurance policy looks like another. The same can be said for your premium as well. Because there's so much variation between well-drilling businesses, there's no precise estimate you can expect for your premium. However, we can tell you what factors can influence your premiums.
• How much does used car dealership insurance cost?
  You run a unique business with a lot of different factors affecting your premiums.
• Is product liability insurance included in general liability policies?
  In many cases, you can get product liability insurance as part of your commercial general liability insurance policy. CGL policies apply to numerous injury and property damage risks associated with the business, not just product liability coverage. Often, you'll be able to get the general liability coverage as part of your business owners policy (BOP) or commercial policy package (CPP).
• Do I need used car dealership insurance?
  In all fifty states, you are required to have a surety bond before you can even obtain your used car dealership license. The required amount varies from state to state, but the need for a surety bond does not change.
• What is covered by errors and omissions insurance?
  Some risks where your professional liability insurance can cover any legal or associated costs include: Wrongful or negligent eviction Discrimination claim Faulty maintenance done by you Break of contract Failure to protect property Subcontractor errors
• What is product liability coverage?
  Every manufacturer, in every industry, makes products that could run the risks of harming others.
• How much does property management insurance cost?
  On average, smaller property management companies pay $395 a year for basic insurance coverage. This estimate increases when you add in property managers liability insurance. Other factors that affect the cost of property management insurance are: The amount of coverage you have Business size Business location Claims history Number of employees
• What is the cost of product liability insurance?
  Your policy's premiums will vary considerably, based on numerous risk factors. However, an insurance premium is always going to be less costly than a product liability lawsuit for a company that has no coverage. That's why you should always carry this policy, no matter how big or small your business.
• Are you protected against all medical recall costs?
  Product recall is one of the leading risk exposures to pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies. It is of critical importance to understand and correctly insure these risks. Our product recall policies are designed to increase financial protection to these industries. Our Solution The financial impact of a product recall in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries can be significant. Our solutions are designed to protect your company and your bottom line. Our solutions include: Insurance coverage designed to better protect you and your supply chain vendors. Timely and actionable intelligence and support services through our strategic partner network. Expedited claim payments, legal advice for contractual risk transfer, quality control, and other services.