Starting a new business is incredibly exciting! Before the ribbon-cutting and opening the doors to the public, there is obviously a lot that has to be done by the business owner in order to make sure everything is ready. There is one factor, however, that escapes many business owners at the outset of their new endeavor, and it can come back to cause real problems later on.
Getting your commercial insurance needs squared away as soon as possible is the best way to make sure that you are ready to succeed, not only on day one, but long into the future as well, no matter what opportunities or challenges come your way.
General Liability Insurance
Perhaps the most familiar type of small
business insurance south carolina is general liability insurance. New business owners are usually aware of this insurance and their need for it, although their specific types of coverage and coverage levels will vary based on what type of business they are launching or buying.
Just as with an individual homeowner’s insurance policy, a business owner could end up wasting money over years paying for a policy that includes features and limits that they don’t need. Even worse, they could find themselves in a financially dangerous position if their insurance is not well matched to their business and an accident or other negative event occurs. It’s important to have an expert agent handling your business insurance needs, not just at the outset, but on an ongoing basis as the nature and needs of your business change.
Worker’s Compensation
The area of worker’s compensation insurance is very complex, and your business’s specific needs will depend on how many employees you have and what type of work they do. Once again, you need to have this insurance policy closely tailored to your unique organization, or you could either spend too much money on premiums or leave your employees and yourself vulnerable in the event of a claim.
Other Commercial Insurance Types
One type of commercial insurance that business owners don’t always anticipate needing is a commercial auto insurance policy. Having employees drive their own vehicles to accomplish work tasks may seem intuitive, but when an incident occurs, it quickly becomes clear that without the right type of insurance coverage in place, that is a disaster!
Most personal auto insurance policies actually specifically exclude use of the vehicle for commercial purposes. That means that if an employee is making a delivery or driving to a service call for your business and has an accident, their personal policy will most likely not cover the claim, leaving your business responsible for costs. A commercial auto insurance policy ensures that you have the right coverage for not only company-owned vehicles, but also for employees’ personal vehicles while they are being used for business purposes.
Cyber Liability Insurance
With more and more commerce, communication, and activities of all types happening online, cyber security is more important than ever before, particularly for a small business. Many hackers are well funded and have access to very advanced tools, and your business needs to be protected in the event that a network breach, ransomware attack, or other incident happens.
Adding cyber liability to your small business insurance in South Carolina is important. It’s not just for e-commerce retailers and companies that operate primarily over the internet; if you handle personal information for clients or customers, or if you process payments via credit card, that information could be targeted by a cyber attack. Avoiding the enormous costs associated with a data breach depends on having the right type of insurance.
Business Owners Policy Insurance
These aren’t the only types of insurance that your small business may need. As your agent assesses your business and explains what it will take in order to protect it, you may well start to feel overwhelmed. To simplify the process of insuring your business, and to save you money on your monthly premium, Priority Insurance offers Business Owners Policies (BOPs) that bundle many different types of insurance into a single policy.
As you work with your expert commercial insurance agent at Priority, you’ll get all the different types of coverage that your business needs, and at the optimal levels to keep you as the owner, your employees, and your guests cared for. As your business grows, expands into new areas, and adds employees, your agent will keep in touch and advise you on how your insurance policies should change along with your business.
Pitfalls to Avoid
Sadly, many new business owners jump into the process without adequately assessing what their insurance costs will be. It’s possible to go through the entire process of buying a business from a previous owner, for instance, without closely examining what the overall insurance costs are. Here at Priority Insurance, we have seen business owners shocked to discover what those costs are after the fact.
A very common situation involves a new
business owner seeking to contract with another business for services. As part of that process, the prospective business partner requests a certificate of insurance (COI) to verify that the business holds the appropriate insurance coverage. When the new business owner reviews that COI closely for the first time, the numbers on the sheet may not be what he or she anticipated!
Avoiding these and other issues is as easy as having Priority Insurance handle your small business insurance in South Carolina. Our agents will take the time necessary to learn about your commercial needs, then do the legwork of finding the ideal methods of coverage for you. You’ll be able to focus on developing your business and reaching new customers, rather than worrying about whether your company is protected and your employees have all the support they need.
Contact our office today to get the right insurance for your small business in Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, or elsewhere in the Upstate. We provide expertise in worker’s compensation, commercial auto, general liability, and other important commercial categories.










