by David and Tracy Bell | Feb 21, 2022
Insurance is the backbone of every established business’s operation plan, offering reassurance of financial stability should the worst-case scenario come to fruition. But understanding the elements of an insurance contract can seem daunting when it applies to a business versus a person. Below is a brief guide to the components of an insurance contract that make it legally binding for both parties.
Offer and Acceptance. When you seek an insurance policy, you fill out an application that is legally known as an offer. Acceptance occurs when the insurance company formally issues the policy.
Legal Consideration. This refers to the dollar value of the premiums you agree to pay and the dollar limit of the coverage the insurance company provides in return.
Competent Parties. Insurance contracts are only valid if both parties are of sound mind and body, both parties are at least the legal age of majority and the insurance company is licensed in your state.
Free Consent. Both parties in any insurance contract must enter into the contract of their own volition, with no fraud, misrepresentation, intimidation or coercion involved.
Legal Purpose. The insurance contract must adhere to all state-specific laws that apply to the contract and cover only legal activities.
Insurable Interest. You have an insurable interest when you benefit financially from whatever is being insured (and you cannot get coverage for something in which you have no insurable interest).
Utmost Good Faith. This means that both parties have acted without any type of deception, omission or misrepresentation.
Material Facts. Material facts are those things the insurance company needs to know in order to insure your business.
Full and True Disclosure. Both parties are required to completely disclose all material facts pertinent to the insurance policy.
Principle of Indemnity. The insurance company will compensate you with a cash settlement if a covered loss occurs.
Doctrine of Subrogation. This says that the insurance company can pursue reimbursement from a third party that caused the covered insurance loss.
Warranties. Warranties are the promises specified in an insurance contract, such as conditions that can trigger a claim and the actions that will be taken by the insurance company as a result of the claim.
Conditions. Conditions determine whether a claim will be paid. They include you paying the policy premiums, notifying the insurance company in a timely manner and such.
Limitations. Limitations are the parameters of the insurance coverage, such as maximum amounts that will be paid for a specific type of loss.
As you might have gathered, insurance contracts are complex legal documents, and it’s best to have assistance when entering into one. Please call or email us today to get help with your commercial insurance coverage.
by David and Tracy Bell | Dec 6, 2021
With the new year around the corner, you’ll be reviewing how your business did this past year and reflecting on your goals and what you want to achieve in life and in business.
Here are three inspiring examples of those who managed to make it from humble beginnings and what we can all learn from them.
Jan Koum
Koum was born into poverty in a tiny village in Ukraine. After migrating to America with his family as a teenager, Koum became fascinated with computers and eventually began working for Yahoo!
In 2009, he had the foresight to predict the future success of the embryonic mobile app industry, so he founded WhatsApp. By 2014, he’d sold it to Facebook for $19 billion. Koum’s story shows that intelligent forward planning can be the key to reaching your goals.
John Paul DeJoria
DeJoria began his working life moving from low-paid job to low-paid job, from shifts as a janitor to delivering newspapers. Befriending Paul Mitchell while working in hair care, the pair took out a small loan of $700 and founded John Paul Mitchell Systems, today a global conglomerate.
Since then, he has helped to found Patron Sports and is worth over $3.1 billion, proving that strong drive and good friendships can take you farther than you think.
Kevin Plank Plank was on the edge of going broke when he decided to put his life savings together with a $40,000 advance on a credit card to fund a company selling clothing under his brand, Under Armor.
After making a $17,000 sale to Georgia Tech University, sales to 24 NFL teams followed, and in a few short years, it turned into a multimillion dollar company. Today the company is worth billions. Plank’s journey shows the power of investing in yourself!
by David and Tracy Bell | Nov 3, 2021
Reputational harm is one of the greatest business threats today. How can business owners best protect their companies?
Your business reputation is simply what others think and feel about your business. Those thoughts and feelings could be based on experiences with your business or on what people have heard about your business. And these experiences could be true or not.
Your reputation is important because potential customers don’t wait until they’ve verified accurate information about a business to decide whether to engage with it. They make decisions based on whatever information is available to them.
Your reputation can be created both online and offline. Online, it is created through your business website, your social media posts and online customer reviews. Offline, it is created through the appearance of your office or store, your events and your phone calls.
How can you maintain a good reputation? Carefully craft the appearance of your store. Maintain your offices. And think about how your behavior may be perceived. We hate to sound like a nagging mother, but if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
If you aren’t careful, more than your reputation could be at stake. Libel and slander claims are pervasive, and the average cost to defend and settle these types of claims is more than $750,000.
For small businesses without proper coverage, these suits can prove devastating, so make sure you have the right insurance in place for your agency and your clients.
by Syndicated Insurance Resources | May 3, 2018
Allied Healthcare Professionals are among the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. With a projected growth of 18 percent between 2016 and 2026, there will be more than 2.4 million new jobs created.
This non-physician healthcare group includes anesthesia technicians, nurses, dentists, massage therapists, physical therapist, technicians, and even yoga instructors.
No matter what type of allied healthcare service an individual provides, most are contractors or self-employed. Their focus is on creating, growing and expanding their business.
While these optimistic, entrepreneurial careers sound amazing, there are also potential risks they encounter daily. Putting things in place to mitigate the risks is where you come in.
Help Your Clients Get Peace of Mind
Most allied healthcare professionals know they need some type of insurance to reassure clients and to protect their business. But they may not be sure what kind of coverage they need. And some practitioners need reminders about why they need this type of insurance coverage.
Here are some compelling insights you can share with prospective allied healthcare customers who need a general liability policy.
Liability: When complaints are filed against the services an allied healthcare business performs; the business owner is financially liable. The potential risks sometimes seem abstract and unrealistic. For example, unexpected accidents can happen. A simple trip or fall could result in unforeseen medical expenses the allied healthcare provider has to pay.
Statistics: According to The Hartford: 10 percent of small business claims come from customer slips and falls. Insurance Journal cited that 35 percent of all general liability claims results in a lawsuit. With 22.2 percent of small business owners experiencing a client complete or dispute, the potential adverse financial impact is staggering.
Selling: Customers are more likely to hire allied healthcare contractors who are insured. In addition to the right license, general liability insurance tells customers they are working with a business-savvy professional. Part of selling customers is putting their mind at ease and reassuring that your work is fully covered by general liability insurance.
Protection: A simple, general liability policy can make the difference between staying in business or closing the doors. When an accident happens, the policy covers damages and medical expenses. If a lawsuit occurs, the insurance covers any defense costs or attorney fees. The protection gives peace of mind while ensuring protection from unexpected incidents.
Provide Your Allied Healthcare Customers General Liability Protection
You can quickly offer general liability policies tailored to your employer client’s specific business needs. In fact, you can get a quick quote when your customer answers a simple questionnaire.
With two simple steps—fill out our form and click submit—you can receive a confirmation email with instructions to bind.
Learn more about our General Liability program. See sample GL classes.
You can even set yourself apart from competitors by signing up to offer the general liability application on your website.
Don’t let your prospects become another failed business statistic because they didn’t take the necessary steps to protect their business. Proactively share with customers how you can help them ensure their hard earned money and business is never at risk.
by Syndicated Insurance Resources | Feb 12, 2018
Many allied healthcare professionals aren’t aware that the hidden risks they are exposed to every day could create significant liability and financial issues for them. This post shines the light on what allied healthcare providers need to know.
If you’re an insurance agent or broker, feel free to share this post with your clients. If you’re an allied healthcare provider, you’ll want to read this.
You’ve written your business plan, filed the appropriate paperwork, and set yourself up to manage your own business as an allied healthcare provider. You are accepting clients who pay for your specialty services from the get-go. You are well on your way to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
No matter what type of allied healthcare service you offer—from yoga instruction to massage therapy to social work—your focus is on creating, growing and expanding your business opportunities.
You keep reading all the lists to make sure you’re doing it right. Google has become your best friend as you research and absorb all the advice from the “Top Five Ways to Grow Your Business” to “Lessons for Independent Business Owners.”
There is so much to focus on when you run your own business, even if the only person on your payroll is you. Your checklist of things to accomplish is long. But you are confident and focused on creating a unique and genuine business model that is sure to succeed.
Your immediate reaction is to run out and find many clients as quickly as you can. At the same time, you need to create your website, print business cards, and find opportunities to market your services. As you seek opportunities to build your brand and customer base, you discover that you can offer your services by plugging in as a contractor through existing businesses.
Part-Time Opportunities Can Grow Your Client Base
There are many ways to grow your business opportunities as an independent contractor or small business with a handful of employees. Perhaps you’re a yoga instructor or massage therapist at your local gym two days a week. Or maybe you’re a nutritionist or life coach that provides counseling support one day per week at an existing clinic. You could be a licensed independent social worker working as a contractor at a senior living behavioral health center. You may create opportunities that connect your small team of employees with any of the part-time jobs.
Whatever the case may be, you’re on your own and experience the many freedoms of being your own boss. It is glorious to have the flexibility set your schedule and earn more money while you maintain a work-life balance. If you have a small team supporting you, you’re probably enjoying passing along work-life balance to them, too.
With the many freedoms you’re experiencing being your own boss, there is no reason you could fail. Or is there?
When you—or members of your small business—go work with other people you’re offering expert services to others. But no matter how carefully you or your team members work, there are risks that your business can encounter daily.
Liability Incidents Could Potentially Ruin Allied Healthcare Providers
Consider what could happen when you or your employees visit a client’s offices or use a third-party location for any business-related activity. Unexpected accidents, such as trips and falls, could result in unforeseen medical bills that you have to pay.
In today’s lawsuit happy society, you could find yourself needing an attorney because someone sues you for libel or slander. Without even trying, you could find yourself in uncertain situations which create unanticipated financial risks that could leave you bankrupt or at least in a world of hurt.
Most business owners are already aware of the hidden risks. So you shouldn’t be caught off guard when you are required to show proof of insurance to an existing business which you discuss offering your services.
Not convinced yet? There is proof in the numbers…
Small Business Disaster Facts & Numbers
You can have everything aligned for your allied health business to succeed. But, if you get sued or have to pay medical expenses, your business could unexpectedly close the doors. As an independent contractor or small business owner, here are some statistics to consider:
50% of small businesses survive five years or more (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2016)
10% of small business claims come from customer slips and falls (Source: The Hartford)
22.2% of small business owners experienced a client complaint or dispute. (Source: Insureon’s 2016 Survey)
If that isn’t enough, Insurance Journal cited the following top most costly liability claims for small businesses: reputational harm ($50,000), customer injury or damage ($30,000), customer slip and fall ($20,000), and struck by an object ($10,000). They went on to share that 35 percent of all general liability claims results in a lawsuit.
So what should you do?
Get Peace of Mind With A Cost Effective Easy Solution
Don’t become another failed business statistic because you didn’t take steps to protect your business. Get a general liability insurance policy so when a lawsuit or unexpected medical claim arises, your hard earned money isn’t at risk.
The minimum cost for a general liability insurance policy can bring you peace of mind and potentially save your business from financial ruin.
Are you an independent contractor or small business owner that provides allied healthcare services? You can enroll online in about 3 minutes and receive a policy by email the same day you sign up. If you’re still not sure, learn more here.
Are you a broker who wants to offer general liability to your clients? Learn more or get a quick quote. You can even add the application on your website.
by Syndicated Insurance Resources | Jan 9, 2018
General liability insurance can seem like a vague and nebulous thing. It sounds important but who needs it and why? The bottom line is general liability insurance provides protection to cover the assets of a business. It also pays for financial obligations that arise from business-related injury costs to lawyer expenses during a suit.
Most independent contractors and small businesses need to have general liability insurance in place to protect themselves from lawsuits, mishaps, and third-party damage. When one manages their own work or business, they need to take steps to cover the safety of their clients and the quality of the products and services they provide.
In basic terms, general liability coverage protects the financial health of a business when something goes wrong.
From property damage to bodily injury and medical expenses – it is smart to make sure business assets are protected should an accident or lawsuit occur. You’ve heard the saying “better safe than sorry,” and that certainly applies with general liability insurance. It is critical to ensure independent contractors have the appropriate coverage – for those “what-if” situations, especially in today’s lawsuit-happy world.
Liability insurance protects a wide array of business classifications that include yoga teachers, social workers, behavioral, and healthcare professionals. Each of these types of professions has the potential for unique risks to occur. Liability insurance protects the businesses and individuals of these occupations from potential claims made against them.
- Clients can unexpectedly get hurt while attempting a yoga pose.
- Clients might sue for malpractice when they “see themselves” in a case study a social worker wrote and published.
- Allegations of negligence, misconduct or breach of confidentiality might unexpectedly arise for behavioral or healthcare professionals.
Industry experts agree that liability insurance is an essential – if not the most important – part of any business plan.
No matter how many safeguards one takes, there is no way to eliminate the risk of a lawsuit. Sadly, lawsuits can occur even if the party isn’t in the wrong or negligent. Liability insurance gives financial protection when a suit arises, so a business owner’s hard-earned money isn’t at risk.
If one doesn’t have liability insurance, the hefty fees of a lawsuit could put an independent contractor or small business owner out of business.
At the end of the day, the minimum cost for general liability insurance brings peace of mind, so one can stop worrying about risks and focus on their business.
Are you an individual who needs coverage? Learn more about general liability coverage. Complete this simple form to get coverage now.
Are you a broker who wants to offer general liability to your clients? Learn more or get a quick quote. You can even add the application on your website.
