Most business owners buy commercial insurance to help them out of tough financial situations. But besides benefiting the business itself, coverage can also benefit others. It can help business owners compensate others when they accidentally harm them. It can go a long way towards making your business more reliable and responsive to client needs.
The coverage that will help you create this stability is general liability insurance. Below we've outlined five reasons why this coverage is mandatory for almost any business. Get covered today, and you will have a better safety belt in case you ever make mistakes that impact others.
What is general liability insurance?
In your line of work, if you ever make a mistake that harms someone, then you might have to pay them back. You might not have intended for an accident to occur in your business. Still, simply failing to take care of safety risks could make you responsible for someone else’s losses.
With general liability insurance, you can compensate a third party who sustained harm due to your mistakes. It might cover losses from bodily injuries, property damage, acts like libel, slander or copyright infringement, or losses caused by a business’s products or completed operations. It applies to losses claimed by people like your clients or other non-employees.
The Benefits of General Liability Insurance
Your general liability insurance usually doesn't pay your business directly. However, it does still provide significant assistance, even if it is indirect. It’s a huge stabilizer for your long-term business outlook for five critical reasons:
You are Required to Have it
Liability risks exist in all businesses, even home business or sole proprietorships. It’s not a special type of coverage that some businesses need and others don’t. All businesses need it, and often they must have it. Clients sometimes require businesses to carry coverage before they will work with you. This is particularly true if you offer contracting or subcontracting services. Other parties in your deal will want to know that you have the resources to help you take responsibility for your own mistakes.
You Have a Way to Protect Your Business if You Make Mistakes
Though your mistakes might mean you have to pay up for your losses, you shouldn’t have to face significant hardships to do so. Someone’s liability claim against the business might demand thousands of dollars in medical bills, lost income and other costs. That is a significant cost you might not be able to handle on your own.
If you don’t have liability insurance to address claims, then you won’t be able to fall back on it. Trying to repay dissatisfied customers on your own could cause you a big financial blow. Some businesses can’t even survive such challenges. You’re often better able to keep your long-term financial outlook in check simply by having liability coverage in place.
It Protects Your Company from Legal Losses
Liability claims arise because you are responsible for harm done to someone else. As a result, such claims often come accompanied by lawsuits. Both involved parties might face significant legal fees as a result.
General liability insurance can help the policyholder cover their own legal fees along with the legal costs of the person who brings the lawsuit. You won't have to worry if you can even afford counsel to help you fight the suit. Some insurers will even provide a lawyer to represent you in your fight.
Coverage Benefits Your Long-Term Reputation
With liability insurance, you create a vessel that will protect your business’s stability over many years. Even when liability claims arise, you will still be able to respond to them. This can help you avoid placing undue stress on your business, employees or others. Therefore, you’ll be able to streamline and stabilize your operations. Clients like to work with businesses that can respond to their problems professionally. By having general liability coverage, you can safeguard your reputation.
It is Adaptable to Your Needs
Since liabilities exist in every business, then you can work with your insurance agent to make your general liability policy fit your particular operation.
First, most policies offer you the ability to update your policy limits both to meet requirements and satisfy your own desire for adequate protection.
Additionally, policyholders can expand their protection with the aid of policy endorsements. With endorsements, you’ll gain more coverage than what standard policies will provide. Some of the endorsements you might need include:
- Errors & omissions coverage
- Cyber liability insurance
- Directors & officers liability protection
- Employment practices liability coverage
What’s more, you can often increase your standard coverage beyond the highest limits offered on the policy. Commercial umbrella insurance is separate protection you can buy that will protect you if you ever face a claim that exceeds the limits of your standard coverage. It’s a great benefit to have because you never know what kind of costs a liability claim might trigger. With a little attention to detail, you can make your general liability policy provide the highest amounts of protection.