Home-Based Business Owners, You Need Insurance Coverage

When you start a home-based business, buying insurance may not be your first priority, but you cannot afford to ignore it either. When the unexpected happens — and it will — having insurance coverage may mean the difference between the success and failure of your home-based business.

You may not require all types of insurance listed here, but taking some time now to consider your insurance needs can save you money and headaches in the future. Ultimately, after reading this article, the best way to determine your complete needs is to consult with your insurance agent. Explain to them the details of your home-based business and he or she should be able to determine the best insurance coverage for you (and any employees).

Health Insurance

Health insurance should be the first consideration for yourself and any employees you may have. If you have just left your current job to start your own business, you may be eligible for COBRA, which will provide temporary interim coverage. This will keep you covered while you search for the best health insurance policy.

Disability Insurance

Disability insurance will guarantee that you have some income should you suddenly become unable to work because of injury or illness. Having this extra peace of mind is almost always well worth the extra money you pay.

Life Insurance

Life insurance will help ensure that your family has the money it needs should you meet with an untimely death. Some lenders require that you have life insurance before they’ll issue a loan; this guarantees that the loan will be repaid if you meet with an untimely end.

Business Property Insurance

Business property insurance helps protect you against loss of inventory or equipment. If your business equipment or inventory is damaged in a flood, fire, or other disaster, this type of insurance will allow you to recoup your losses.

General Liability Insurance

Comprehensive general liability insurance is necessary for your home-based business if you plan on having clients or customers visit your home. Whether you plan to hold meetings, allow customers to pick up merchandise, or have members of the public enter your home for any other reason, this insurance will protect you if someone is injured while on your property. This insurance will typically pay for your legal defense should you face a lawsuit as the result of a fall or other damage that occurs on your property.

Business Interruption Insurance

Business interruption insurance will help your business recover from natural disasters. It will cover you for income lost during the disaster, and will pay for operating expenses that continue to accrue, even though your business isn’t up and running.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Workers’ compensation insurance is an absolute necessity if you plan on having employees working out of your home. Without workers’ comp, you’ll be responsible for any medical expenses arising from injuries employees sustain while working for you. Many home-based business owners mistakenly believe that this type of insurance is only required by businesses that have a retail or separate location, but that’s not the case. Another mistake is assuming that only ‘dangerous’ employers (such as construction or movers) need this type of insurance. But what if your employee slips on the stairs or their chair breaks? While those are both unlikely, they are possible and the less risky your business, the cheaper the insurance will be.

These insurance plans can help ensure that you are prepared to face any eventuality that might occur while you are running your own business. Disasters, accidents, and crises can strike at any time. By preparing now, you may be saving you and your company significant financial loss, wasted time, and difficulty.

Shop for Insurance Online = Save Precious Time and Money

Your time is valuable, so save it! Between shuttling the kids to soccer practice, mowing the lawn, finishing that huge research project that’s due in tomorrow’s political science class or just finding a few minutes to simply take a break and unwind, it can be difficult to find time to shop for affordable insurance coverage. Wherever you are in life’s many stages, why dig through the phone book when the insurance quotes you are looking for are at your fingertips?

How will shopping for insurance on the Internet save time?

1) ONLY ONE FORM. When you shop online for insurance quotes, you only have to complete ONE brief form. When you search for quotes by phone, you often have to complete quote applications for each individual company from which you would like to receive a quote – that’s A LOT of time spent repeating the same information over and over. Searching for quotes online eliminates that hassle. Fill out ONE quote form and let the agents come to you, rather than vice versa.

2) INSURANCE AGENTS COMPETE FOR YOUR BUSINESS. Shopping online for affordable insurance means multiple insurance agents will compete for your business. THEY call you. Don’t go around banging on doors when you can sit back and let someone else do all the work for you.

3) COMPLETE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. Requesting insurance quotes through insurance shopping portals allows you to compare multiple quotes – putting you in the driver’s seat and giving you a complete shopping experience.

How will searching for insurance online save money?

Time is money, right? Shopping for affordable insurance coverage online saves time, so that means you’ll automatically save money and have more time doing things you WANT or NEED to do. PLUS, most online insurance shopping sites provide you with multiple, FREE insurance quotes. Why should you spend money on something you might not use when you can compare insurance quotes for free?

Recent studies show that most insurance consumers want to receive at least three insurance quotes when shopping for auto coverage. At Hometown Quotes, not only do we offer free, multiple insurance quotes to consumers looking for affordable insurance, we also offer reliable customer service, insurance information and resources and access to several insurance professionals.

Don’t let searching for affordable insurance consume valuable time when your to-do list is nowhere near completed. We know you have other things competing for your time. When you let HometownQuotes do the work for you, finding insurance that fits your needs won’t be one of them.