Insurance Insights

Convenience stores, also known as corner shops and bodegas, are stores selling a variety of everyday items. The types of items sold vary bases on the store, but most of them sell toiletries, groceries, snacks and soft drinks, tobacco, newspapers and magazines, and alcoholic beverages. Some also provide additional services like the use of a fax machine, money orders, check cashing, or wire transferring. Convenience stores can guarantee your cash flow for many years, but the risks are high, especially concerning crimes like theft and vandalism. Business insurance for convenience stores is the only way to protect yourself from losses.

The simple truth is that all small businesses are at risk of lawsuits. If you have customers or employees, the risk is there. As a small business owner and/or manager, it is up to you to make sure your small business is adequately equipped to defend itself when it becomes necessary to do so, with as little risk as possible. These are a few of the things you can do that will help your business weather the storms potential lawsuits present.

A masonry contractor is responsible for installing various masonry materials including stone, brick, and concrete, around a home or commercial building,. Masonry is typically  used on patios, siding, driveways, veneer and retaining walls. It is a highly laborious job that poses risks to the masonry contractor, as well as the property he is providing work for. Risks range from bodily injury to damaged property, all of which should be covered by proper business insurance for masonry contractors.

Heating and A/C contractors, also called HVAC contractors, provide services, as the name implies, relating to heating and air conditioning. HVAC contractors are responsible for installing, repairing, or maintaining air conditioning units, heating units, and ventilation in homes and businesses. As a heating and A/C contractor, you are well qualified and trained for your position and should protect your risks. With this profession, your liability risks range from making a mistake while rendering repairs to harming yourself or your employees while performing HVAC services. Heating and A/C contractors insurance will help protect these and other risks.

If you have a passion for fitness and/or working out and want to open your own gym or fitness center, you’ll find many rewards. You get to do what you love, help others reach their fitness goals, and work with people who share the same interests in physical fitness. However, you should also be aware of the risks of this type of profession, including personal injury, general liabilities, financial, and general business risks. By educating yourself on the risks your fitness club may be exposed to, you can prepare for them and maintain your business.

As a type of specialty beauty salon, nail salons provide an assortment of nail care services including acrylic nails, manicures, nail painting, pedicures, air brushing, nail repairs, and other cosmetic nail applications. Nail salons need to be careful when it comes to sanitation as this type of business poses risks relating to customer and client safety. Bacterial and fungal diseases can be spread if improper sanitation practices are kept. Sanitation is important not only for your clients, but your employees as well. Risks of operating a nail salon include liabilities related to infections or hygiene violations, along with typical business risks. Nail salon insurance can protect your nail salon from these and other types of risks.

It may be surprising to learn that online behavior can be just as risky, or even more risky in some cases, than what is experienced in the real world. When you aren’t protecting yourself online, your sensitive, personal information becomes exposed to hackers who may use it for identity theft and much more.

Businesses rely on market research for improving their business potential and customer base through collected data. This is the service market research firms provide. Market research firms use surveys, polls, interviews, and more, for gathering data about a business’s potential market. This includes identifying customers, finding out what customers want, helping them prepare for expanding their business, and improving products and services. While operating a market research firm can be a lucrative profession, it also hosts a number of risks. Ranging from legal liabilities in regards to the work completed and possible errors to general business risks, insurance is vital. Market research firm insurance includes a number of different policies that help cover risk exposures.

A recent ADP Research Institute Survey revealed that most U.S. employers are not being diligent in their efforts to curb absenteeism in the workplace. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics credits unplanned absences in the workplace for 2.8 million lost work days each year. This lost productivity costs employers more than $74 billion dollars each year. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), losses in productivity related to personal health problems as well as the health of family members costs employers in the U.S. $1,685 per employee each year. Knowing how much absenteeism has the potential to cost businesses, it’s important to take active steps, such as these, to combat it.

Flooring contractors are professionals who repair, maintain, and install flooring in residences and commercial buildings. As a flooring contractor, you are responsible for safely installing flooring the customer has requested, along with making minor or large repairs, whether it is hardwood, carpet, tile, stone, laminate, linoleum or other flooring materials. As a flooring contractor, your biggest risks are bodily injury when installing or repairing flooring, as well as potential damage to the customer’s home or place of business during the installation process. Flooring contractors insurance will help cover risks associated with your profession.