Starting Your Business
Opening a business is exciting, but insurance is often one of the first hurdles you’ll encounter. Whether you’re launching an independent business or opening a franchise, lenders, landlords, and franchisors may all have insurance requirements before you can begin operating.
I work with new business owners to understand those requirements, explain them in plain terms, and help build insurance solutions that satisfy them while keeping coverage appropriate for your business.
Common situations
You may be:
Opening your first business
Purchasing an existing business
Opening a franchise location
Applying for an SBA loan
Signing your first commercial lease
Questions I can help answer:
What insurance do I need to open my business?
Requirements vary depending on your business, industry, landlord, lender, and whether you're part of a franchise system.
One or more of these parties will provide you documentation with detailed insurance requirements, including (but not limited to):
Required coverages
Liability limits
Named Additional Insured wording
Waiver of Subrogation requirements
Notice of Cancellation requirements
Depending on your business and its requirements, some of the most common solutions may include:
Business Owners Policy (BOP) Combines common property and liability coverages for eligible small businesses.
General Liability Insurance Helps protect your business against claims involving bodily injury, property damage, and certain other liabilities.
Professional Liability Insurance (E&O) Helps protect businesses that provide professional services or advice against certain claims arising from alleged errors, omissions, or failure to perform professional services.
Surety Bonds May be required by a landlord, government agency, licensing authority, lender, contract, or other organization as a guarantee that certain obligations will be fulfilled.
These are not the only coverages your business may need. Depending on your operations, you may also need workers’ compensation, commercial auto, property coverage beyond a standard BOP, cyber liability, or other specialized insurance.
I can review the requirements you’ve been given, help identify the coverages they call for, and work with you to explore appropriate insurance solutions for your business.
How do I know if my insurance meets my lender’s, landlord’s, or franchisor’s requirements?
Before we begin obtaining quotes, I can review the insurance requirements provided by your landlord, lender, franchisor, or other interested parties. Once we’ve selected an appropriate policy, I can coordinate adding the required parties as Additional Insureds or Loss Payees (when applicable) and issue Certificates of Insurance for each party.
If any requirements are unclear, I would be happy to communicate directly with the property manager, lender, franchisor, or their insurance representative to help ensure everything is addressed before your lease, loan, or franchise opening moves forward.
Let’s discuss your business
Every business is different, and insurance requirements can vary depending on your landlord, lender, franchisor, and industry.
If you’re ready to begin the conversation, please complete my insurance quote request form. I’ll review your information and contact you within two business days to discuss your options.
Business insurance solutions available in*:
California
Washington
Texas
*Carrier and product availability may vary by state.
If I am not currently licensed to offer the business solution(s) you are seeking in your state, I may be able to obtain the necessary licensing or connect you with a licensed professional who can assist you.
