Types of Commercial Insurance Policies

 

Hey you!! Let’s talk about what types of commercial insurance you need.

You’re THRILLED, right??

(Yeah, riiiiiiiiiight.)

We know, we know, you would much rather go and check your Facebook or Instagram.

Your eyes are glazing over.  Well, that’s completely normal.

We will try to make it as fun as possible!

You are starting a business. You need to protect your business. Well, then you KNOW you need business insurance coverage!

We have searched the web for the best place to get your policies, no matter the types of business insurance coverage you might be looking for.

Later, we will explain a little about the commercial insurance policy types you may need.

But first, why do you need commercial insurance and what kind do you need?

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Have The Right Types of Commercial Insurance in Place

It is vital to your company to have the right types of commercial insurance in place. Liability coverage won’t cover you if a worker gets hurt.

Workman’s comp won’t cover damage or income losses if your business gets broken into.

Commercial auto won’t cover your business if you have a fire and lose half of your inventory.

See where we are going with this?

So who do you ask, to find the right types of business insurance for you and get quotes?  You ask Hiscox!

Why Hiscox??

First- Good for you, you made it this far! We haven’t bored you to death, and you know that you need to protect your business.

Here’s the deal: it is SO critical to have all of your bases covered!

By going to Hiscox, you will be connected to agents that know the right questions to ask to make sure you are fully covered. They understand things like limits, deductibles and all those other damn terms that are so freaking hard to understand.

Below is a compiled list of some of the most popular types of coverage available for the small business owner. We are not showing EVERY type of insurance because that’s not possible!

Please speak with your Hiscox agent about your specific needs.

However you choose to proceed, we must stress the importance of speaking to a live agent. As simple as we try to make this for you, insurance is inherently complicated. It’s not something you can risk getting wrong.

Consequently, you do NOT want to realize that you are not covered in a time of need. (Too late, sucker!)

Remember, you can request a FREE, no-obligation quote to compare your coverage options with Hiscox. There’s nothing for you to lose!

17 Commercial Insurance Policy Types

• Property Insurance – This protects what your business owns. Your office equipment, computers, documents, building, etc. It also covers losses such as fire, theft, vandalism, natural disasters, etc. It only protects what your company owns. It would NOT cover the building if say it burned down while you were renting it. That’s up to the building owner. (As long as you didn’t cause the fire, of course)There are two types of property policies available. 1. All risk and 2. Peril specific policies. All risk is very broad in what it covers. Usually, it excludes whatever may not be covered. Peril specific only covers what is named on the policy. It may provide coverage for something that is specifically excluded from all risk coverage.
• Commercial General Liability Insurance – This is insurance that protects your business from damages you may cause to third parties such as customers. You will be protected when your business is found guilty of things such as bodily injury, property damage, libel, etc. Smaller companies will usually do just fine with this general coverage. However, there will be companies that require additional, more specific coverage for issues not covered in their general policy.
• Home Based Business Insurance – You may not need a building for your business. Maybe you run your company out of your home. This does NOT mean you don’t need coverage. Your homeowner’s policy normally will NOT cover you for business activities. Some policies allow for you to purchase a ‘rider’ to your homeowner’s policy, so that’s something to check into.
• Business Owners Policy (BOP) – This is a very basic small business insurance. It typically covers the basics of what a small business would need such as basic property and liability coverage. This policy usually comes at a discount because it’s bundled together. If you are a very small organization, this could be all you need. Additional coverage types can be purchased to compliment this policy.
• Professional Liability Insurance – See Errors and Omissions Insurance below.
• Errors and Omissions Insurance – This protects you if you give any sort of professional advice or service where you could give bad information. This protects you against errors, negligence, poor advice, etc., when providing a service to customers. You may need this if you are an accountant, financial advisor or a computer programmer. (Computer programmer?? Yes, say you make an error in a client’s software that results in a loss, or downtime. This covers you.) In the medical world, this coverage is called medical malpractice.
• Product Liability Insurance – Do you sell products? If so, this insurance is for you. This offers protection against bodily harm or property damage that results from a defective product. If you have ANY part in getting a product to a customer, you need to be covered for this. The type of product that is being manufactured, distributed or sold will determine the amount of coverage you need. Say you sell cars- you will need more coverage than if you sold paper goods. The cost of coverage will be reflective of the amount of potential exposure.

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• Workers Compensation Insurance – Most businesses need this type of coverage if they have employees. The rules vary state by state. This coverage is called a ‘no-fault’ coverage. This means that regardless of who is responsible for the injuries, your employee can seek medical care and be compensated. In return, the employee is not allowed to sue you as a result of their injuries. Depending on the state, coverage may not be required.
• Employers Liability Insurance – Workers compensation insurance pays for the medical care and disability benefits for employees that are injured on the job. It doesn’t matter who was at fault. But, what happens when an employee is injured due to workplace conditions, rather than just a plain accident? Well, workers comp will still pay for medical coverage, but an employee, or their family, may seek additional damages. When you are sued by a third party because a worker was injured due to workplace conditions, employers liability covers you. These types of commercial insurance policies offer coverage when employees are injured, or become sick, due to workplace conditions. It is often times part of a workers comp package and may be a state requirement.
• Business Interruption Insurance – This insurance covers you if you cannot operate your business in the event of a covered loss. OR if the loss causes an earnings reduction. If you lose income after an event, it will cover the loss, minus the expenses you would have paid anyway. However, say you had to move your business to a new temporary location and the utilities are more expensive. The extra cost would be covered.

• Commercial Auto Insurance – This one is pretty straightforward. If you use a vehicle for business purposes, you need this. Your personal auto policy will not provide protection for business use of a vehicle, even if it’s your personal vehicle. Business auto insurance is tailored specifically to the needs of business operators.
• D&O Insurance – (Also commonly called Directors and Officers insurance.) If you have upper management (directors and officers) you may need protection. They may be held liable for their actions if they result in actual or perceived damages to a third party. This includes actions taken by management that results in a lower valuation of a company (i.e. stock price), or negligence while performing their duties. Competitors can also sue you if they feel that there are unfair business practices or anti-trust situations. This policy can protect the directors and officers of both publicly held companies, as well as privately owned businesses. Because of the potential for a person holding an upper management position to be sued for their actions, directors and officers insurance is often times used to entice, and keep the best talent. The policy is usually purchased by the company itself, but it benefits the directors and officers that run the business.
• Contractor Liability Insurance – Contractor liability insurance is generally considered to be coverage for companies or individuals in the construction business. It’s not for independent contractors that hire out their talents to different companies. As such, contractors insurance can include liability and property coverage. It can be specifically tailored to those in the construction field. It can also include bonds that many contractors are required to have before they are allowed to bid on a project.
• Surety Bond – Surety bonds are used to guarantee the performance of an individual or company. For example, a general construction contractor may use a surety bond to show that they will finish a remodeling job. Or, a professional may use surety insurance as a way to ensure they will fulfill their contractual obligation. This basically gives the customer the peace of mind that the job will be completed. This insurance will financially compensate the customer for the work not completed. Or, it will give the customer the money to have someone else finish the job. It is a reassurance tool so that companies or individuals feel comfortable entering into a contract with the service provider.
• Fidelity Bond Coverage – With employees, there is the potential to have a few bad apples who might do something dishonest. A fidelity bond guards against employee dishonesty, much like a property policy guards against damage to a physical structure. In the case that an employee causes financial harm to your business, the fidelity bond will cover the loss. This is especially important coverage if your employees are in a position to steal directly from the company itself. (Not to mention from your clients.)
• Key Man Coverage – Key person insurance compensates your company should the named insured die or become incapacitated and unable to perform their duties. Such a policy is usually taken out against a person who is vital to the success of your operation. This policy is intended to compensate your company for the costs associated with finding a suitable replacement. Or, to train a suitable replacement.

• Small Business Health Insurance – Whether your company has 1 or 100 employees, health insurance coverage is a factor. This coverage can be an individual policy that covers just yourself or a group plan for multiple employees. The number, and type, of eligible employees, will determine the coverage that should be purchased. For example, a one-person operation will not be eligible for group coverage purchased through the company. Because there is no group to cover, they would need to purchase an individual plan. However, a company that employs multiple people (other than immediate family members) may consider offering a group health plan as an employee benefit that is much appreciated and much sought after.

Here is the SBA’s take on small biz insurance coverage.

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Additional Commercial Insurance Policy Types to Consider

Other types of commercial insurance an entrepreneur might need are below. Noteworthy but not traditional are business coverages. They do represent important policies a business owner should consider for the financial well-being of their families.

• Disability Insurance – Disability insurance can provide money if the policyholder is unable to work due to a sickness or injury that leaves them disabled. There are different types of disability coverage, including short-term disability and long-term disability, that will pay out for a specified amount of time, or after the insured is out of commission for a certain time period. If a family relies on an individual to be working, then disability insurance can provide a source of income should something happen where that individual is unable to work on a permanent, or temporary, basis.
• Life Insurance – If someone other than yourself depends on your income to survive, consider purchasing life insurance. These commercial insurance policy types pay the amount specified in the policy upon the death of the named insured and can allow survivors to continue the lifestyle they are accustomed to. There are different types of life insurance including term, whole and universal life insurance, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Consider a life policy if your family would be at a financial disadvantage if you suddenly died. This is especially important coverage for an entrepreneur that is yet to build up a large enough nest egg for their family to survive on should something tragic happen.

Specialty Types of Commercial Insurance

• Yoga Teacher Insurance – Professional liability insurance covers your behind if someone gets hurt because you didn’t do your job properly. If you were negligent, or you are accused of being negligent, you may be covered by this insurance. General liability is the most basic yoga teacher insurance you need. This yoga instructor insurance protects your business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs and damage to property.
• Personal Trainer Insurance – Professional liability personal trainer insurance covers you for performing your services. Your general liability personal trainer insurance protects your business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs and damage to property. If you start a personal training business you are going to need this kind of insurance for sure.
• Massage Insurance – Massage general liability is the basic stuff you have to have. If you want to be protected from a claim that you hurt someone, this is your insurance. You also need professional liability insurance (also called errors and omissions insurance)… if you are a professional and you mess up by doing something incorrectly (an error) or you FAIL to do something (omissions), this insurance covers your butt.
• Hair Salon Insurance – There are two commercial insurance policy types for salons that you will need to have. The first is called general liability salon insurance. It’s the most basic and necessary. Next is professional salon liability insurance. They are both necessary due to the types of incidents that can happen at a salon.
• Esthetician Insurance – General liability, the most basic coverage covers three areas. Bodily injury, property damage and data loss, and personal injury. These professional commercial insurance policy types cover you if you screw up while performing your services on someone.
• Child Care Insurance – There are quite a few different insurance coverages available and that may be necessary for you. Please see our Child Care Insurance page for more details.
• Special Event Liability Insurance – This insurance can cover you in the event (pun intended) that your venue cancels on you and you lose your deposit. Or, it covers you for injuries that occur to third parties at the event.
• Wedding Liability Insurance – You plan months for your big day. You pick the perfect dress. The perfect cake. The perfect venue. Your perfect partner (hopefully!). Don’t forget the wedding insurance in case things go sideways in a big way at your event (and I’m not talking about doing the electric slide)!

In conclusion, there are many types of commercial insurance policies out there. It’s so vitally important for you to find out what you need specifically for your business. Simply contact the agents at Hiscox now. They will get you and your business covered!

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