Every business needs to have commercial insurance to stay protected in times of need. Small business insurance is imperative to help the business get through difficult times that may occur, as it helps protect the company in situations of liability claims, if it suffers property damage or in other unfortunate scenarios.
Without the right insurance in place, the startup could end up facing a very difficult situation if something unexpected happens. For example, you could be held liable for damages suffered by employees who had accidents on the job or against a claim by a customer or partner. That is why having the right business insurance is vitally important.
What types of insurance do small businesses need? These can be a large investment, however they have in their favor that they will help protect the business owners, the business, the finances and the assets. The type of insurance needed will depend on several factors, such as the type of startup business, whether it has employees, whether they drive vehicles, as well as what state and industry it is in. And while many insurances are not mandatory, there are some that you must have by law.
One of the most common types of insurance for small businesses include Liability Risk Insurance, which generally covers different forms of liability risks, whether commercial general liability, cyber liability, product, or other form.
A business owner's policy is a combination of general liability insurance and commercial property insurance, covering all of the above.
For start-up companies it is also advisable to take out Rep and Warranty Insurance whenever there is a sizeable M&A transaction relative to the company’s balance sheet. This insurance allows the granting of guarantees and/or reaffirmation of warranties within the purchase/sale agreement.
Likewise, in a scenario of mergers and acquisitions of companies, this type of insurance covers the risk that the inaccuracy of the statements of the selling party or the breach of the guarantees offered by the same to the buying party may generate a loss for the latter.
In these cases and in exchange for the payment of a premium, the consequences of the risk indicated are shifted to the insurer, which will indemnify the insured when the risk covered by the insurance policy occurs, and can be contracted by either of the two parties to the business sale and purchase because both have an interest in protecting themselves against these contingencies:
The seller intends to provide the buyer with a supplemental guarantee in the event of eventual breach by the seller of representations and warranties. The buyer obtains a supplementary guarantee in addition to the personal or actual guarantee that the seller may offer in the event that the seller breaches its representations and warranties.
Another type is D&O Insurance, which covers Management and Directors or those who are willing to run a company, which represents the acceptance of major responsibilities and functions. All of them require assertiveness so that the changes that are implemented adequately guide the objectives that the organization has set for its growth.
There is a possibility that mistakes may occur during the administrative management of the leaders, which may bring negative impacts for your company or one of its areas, to the point that some people may have to assume economic or legal consequences. How can you protect yourself against these risks without endangering your assets?
With this insurance, the management of those who are at the head of your processes will always have support. Your company will have our support to reduce the damage that may be caused by a decision or other actions perpetuated by your leaders.
In most cases it covers indemnifications derived from allegedly incorrect administrative decisions in which the members of the board of directors or administrators of your company are implicated, pays the defense expenses before any investigation or judicial process that is being carried out against a director or administrator of your company due to a coverage of this insurance and supports the claims of labor character that are presented by a real or alleged incorrect act against any worker of your company.
In short, having startup business insurance will ensure that you do not suffer too much damage in the long run. While insurance can sometimes be more expensive than desired, it is always a good financial decision to have.
