Apr
14
2012
New Business Insurance and Risk Transfer
Author: Sirius GrantSeeing that every business operator should be aware start up expenses will always be a significant component and particularly after a company initially starts trading it is important to manage costs effectively and ensure that the company gets value for all money invested.
It is against this background that lots of small business owners disregard insurance just as one avoidable cost and a economic burden to a small company. This is usually economic folly and in a number of cases actually illegal.
For most new businesses the cost of an appropriate insurance coverage is actually relatively rather insignificant and offers such a substantial degree of protection for the business the business proprietor should be actually well advised to consider the protection.
The types of cover that are required by the business very much depends upon the business activities or occupation of the company or individual and the evaluation of this can be carried out by the business operator or else often, plus much more advisably, an insurance adviser ideally a professional insurance broker.
Specialist business insurance agents are relatively easy to find seeing that they’re extensively available across the world wide web. Many offer on-line quote services for a variety of standard products but the specialist business insurance broker will offer an advisory service from which you will be able to find independent cover advice that is suitable to your business.
As mentioned earlier there are some business insurances that are actually mandatory being required by law.
Firstly, there is obviously, motor insurance in respect of any motor vehicle that may be owned or operated by the business. At the same time as this may be a statement of the obvious, it is of course important to include this as the cost of the cover must be a part of commercial budgets.
Secondly, all companies that employ people in the United Kingdom are required by law to hold an employers liability insurance policy. This protects the policyholder against claims from employees in respect personal injuries or property damage suffered in the course of their employment. Similar legal obligations exist in other countries including the USA where workers compensation is usually a state requirement in all states.
In the United Kingdom the lawfully required minimum level of cover is 5 million pounds even though in practice insurers issue policies having a minimum limit of 10 million pounds.
In order that the new business can make an assessment of what insurances are appropriate and which of them are being bought you should understand the actual nature of what insurance actually is. This may seem obvious but many individuals don’t actually have a practical knowledge of what insurance is.
Insurance is at its most simple a risk transfer means. Accepting that businesses confront risks on a daily basis, and these may be threats to property owned through the businesses, claims of negligence against the company by third parties or claims from workers the company operator can decide to face these risks to their business, except for wherever such insurance is a legal necessity, and not cover in respect of these risks.
The more wise company owner will identify these risks, perhaps with the assistance of an insurance broker, and decide to transfer these risks to a business that specialises in accepting these risks i.e. an insurance company.
Thus by payment of your premium the risk is transferred to the insurance company who, at least theoretically, is much better prepared to face these risks.
So through an understanding of the basic background of insurance and its purpose, you should set about the process of identifying the hazards that your own business faces and deciding whether you are prepared to carry those risks or whether or not you prefer to purchase an appropriate insurance.
Then make a decision whether you would like to undertake this review yourself of whether or not to engage the services of an insurance expert that might prove to be the more competitive choice.
Blackfriars Group is a long established business insurance broker providing a highly competitive service to a wide range of business and organisations in the UK and offering excellent start up programmes for new business insurance.