As you might already know, there are several risks inherent in starting and running a small business. When you are building your enterprise, it’s easy to get lost in the “fun” activities. Selling, marketing, and hiring a team are some of the activities that entrepreneurs focus on the most. While these particular activities are certainly important, you also need to make sure you’re dealing with some of the more “boring” aspects of running a business.
One of the most important factors you must focus on is making sure that you are prepared for events that may harm your business. It is rare that a small business remains active without having to deal with unfortunate occurrence that can slow things down.
Insurance for Small Business Owners
The best way to prepare for these eventualities is to make sure you have the right types of insurance. The types of insurance that you will need to purchase will depend on the nature of your business, but there are insurance policies that are necessary for most industries.
Property Insurance
Regardless of whether you own your space, or are leasing it, you will need to invest in property insurance. This type of policy covers damage to your equipment, building, inventory, furniture, and other parts. This is useful if you experience an accident, theft, or other type of calamity.
Typically, property insurance policies do not cover natural disasters like earthquakes or floods. You might consider buying a separate type of insurance if your business is located in an area that is vulnerable to these types of events.
Life Insurance
Nobody likes to think about life insurance right? Dealing with your own mortality isn’t exactly the funnest thing to do. However, it is extremely important to small business owners. Chances are, you started your business to support your family. Additionally, you might have obtained business loans that the rest of your family may not be able to repay if you pass away.
A personal insurance policy can help you protect your loved ones by providing the funds to pay off debts and ensure that their living expenses are taken care of. You might also consider key person insurance as well. This covers your business if an important employee passes away.
Worker’s Compensation
In most states, employers are required to have worker’s compensation insurance depending on the number of people they employ. This type of insurance covers workers who sustain injuries while on the job. It pays for medical care and lost wages.
Worker’s compensation covers the employee regardless of who is at fault for the injury. If the employee passes away, the insurance will compensate the surviving family members.
Data Breach
If your business stores sensitive information on your employees and customers online, you might need to invest in data breach insurance. This type of insurance protects you if an event occurs that causes you to lose important data.
Data breach insurance is very important. There are several mishaps that could happen with your company’s digital information. You could fall prey hackers, or your computers can unexpectedly shut down. Either way, you need to make sure that you are protected. Data breach insurance can compensate you for any losses you incur if you lose sensitive data.
Business Interruption Insurance
Every business should have interruption insurance. It’s a non-negotiable factor if you want to protect your company. There are many different events that could prevent your business from operating at normal capacity.
Let’s say a natural disaster occurs, or the power goes out in your office for an extended period of time. This would halt the operation of your company. This loss of time could cost your business thousands of dollars. Business interruption insurance will compensate you for lost revenue.
You Need To Protect Your Business
One of the keys to growing a successful business is preparing for the future. You can’t control every aspect of running your business, but you can make sure that your business is protected from the elements that you cannot control.
Business insurance is a necessity if you want to succeed as a small business owner. You must make sure you put the appropriate safeguards in place. Building a profitable enterprise means covering all the appropriate bases and business insurance is one of the steps you must take.
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This article, “Thinking about Insurance your Small Business Needs? Here are 5 Types to Consider” was first published on Small Business Trends