Must-Have Business Insurance For Startups

Outside of mandatory coverage, such as worker’s compensation, there are several types of insurance that practically every new business owner should invest in. Depending on whether you have employees, use office space, provide services, or manufacture products, you’ll likely need some or all of the following policies.

General Liability Insurance

All businesses need general liability insurance, which covers lawsuits initiated by third parties (non-employees) for bodily injuries and/or property damage that are directly or indirectly related to your business. It’s important to note that such coverage—and indeed most coverage listed here—is needed even if you aren’t at fault. Keep in mind, anyone can sue you for anything, and the lawyer’s fees can cripple your business, even if you win the case. The right insurance will cover your legal fees.

Commercial Property Insurance

Whether you own or lease your office space, property insurance is a must. Such policies cover damage to equipment, furniture, and signage from events like fires, storms, and theft. Some natural disasters, like floods and earthquakes, may not be covered, so be sure to check with your agent to add additional coverage if you live in a disaster-prone region.

Professional Liability/ Malpractice Insurance

Also known as errors and omission insurance, this covers lawsuits alleging your professional services caused a client to suffer damages, arising from actions like negligence, mistakes, and violation of contract. Such coverage can be essential for a wide range of businesses—accountants, lawyers, real-estate agents, consultants, IT firms, and others. Check with us, your Family Business Lawyer™  to find out if you should have such coverage.

Vehicle Insurance

If your employees use a company-owned vehicle to conduct business, those vehicles  should have comprehensive commercial auto insurance to protect against liability as well as any injury/damage to your employees, vehicles, products, and equipment. If your employees use their own vehicles, their personal insurance often covers them. But it’s a good idea to purchase “non-owned auto liability coverage” in case an employee fails to renew their insurance or has inadequate coverage.

Employment Practices Insurance

This type of policy provides protection from lawsuits initiated by your employees. While this is an often-overlooked coverage, it’s actually one of the most important, since employment claims are the most serious threat to your business, even if you think you are the best boss on the block. In fact, studies show that nearly one in every five small businesses will get sued by a team member at some point in their lifecycle.

Cyber Insurance

From websites and social media to e-newsletters and mobile apps, virtually every business has a digital presence of some type. Cyber insurance protects against damages from threats to your computer systems and databases, such as data breaches, hacking, and network failures. If your data is lost, stolen, or compromised, the cost to recover and restore this information can be exorbitant. Such coverage also protects you from lawsuits by customers, vendors, and others whose data is stolen from your system. It can also cover the cost of notifying affected parties of a breach, which is typically required by law; paying regulatory fines; as well covering lawyer fees, judgments, and settlement costs resulting from a lawsuit.

Umbrella Insurance

Umbrella insurance offers an extra layer of coverage, which would pay for any claims that exceed the payout limit of your other policies. Note that umbrella insurance is not offered as stand-alone coverage, and you must first have an appropriate underlying policy in place to qualify for it. In fact, you may not qualify for umbrella insurance if your underlying policy doesn’t offer high-enough payout limits.

Get Your Startup Covered Today

Every business has its own unique risks and assets, so there’s no way to know exactly what coverage your company needs without an evaluation. Before you sit down with an insurance agent, meet with us your Family Business Lawyer™ for an insurance audit.

We can support you by evaluating the specific risks your company faces at each stage of growth to determine exactly what kind of insurance you need and what levels of coverage will best protect your business assets both now and in the future. Contact us, your local Family Business Lawyer™ today to get started.

This article is a service of Sky Unlimited Legal Advisory PC, Personal Family Lawyer® .  We're not your traditional law firm, we stand apart from the rest by helping you make informed and empowered decisions on how to deal with your business throughout life and in the event of an emergency. We offer a complete spectrum of legal services, including a New Business Planning Session or an Existing Business Review Session, which includes a review of all the legal, insurance, financial, and tax systems you need for your business. You can begin by calling our office at (650) 761-0992 today or book online to schedule a Business Planning Session and mention this article to find out how to get this $950 session at no charge.