Pandemic Insurance Risks for Retail and Brick and Mortar Business Owners

Insurance Brokers

Brick-and-mortar stores, a major player in the insurance industry for the past century, are on the brink of extinction. With the rise of e-commerce, stores like big-box stores, specialty stores, and small mom-and-pop stores are all closing down at an alarming rate. Additionally, brick-and-mortar businesses were some of the hardest-hit establishments during the pandemic. As a result, these businesses have increased pandemic insurance risks and require specific business liability insurance.

How to Safely Reopen

The pandemic has increased the need for business liability insurance risks for brick and mortar and retail shop owners. When reopening, businesses have to move forward responsibly by mitigating liability exposure. This means ensuring that the business stays compliant with government regulations and by paying extra attention to changing policies, developments, restrictions, and reopening timelines. As there are increased pandemic insurance risks, merely following the rules might not be sufficient. Businesses will be expected to uphold a higher standard of care due to the serious nature of the health crisis.

As businesses begin to reopen their doors, employers have to take the necessary steps reducing liability risks related to the pandemic.

Re-evaluating Exposure

With stores reopening, it’s time to re-evaluate your business’s exposure. Due to less customer traffic and closure, exposure may have diminished, reducing rates. However, general liability may increase as you begin to open up again. Either way, businesses must reopen according to COVID-19 guidelines, with safety and health in mind to reduce exposure and pandemic insurance risks. For example, businesses must ensure that their premises are as safe as possible, and to warn of the spread of COVID-19 if their business becomes aware of cases through their contact tracing.

Contact Prince Insurance to start planning your business insurance and for advice on how to mitigate pandemic insurance risks.

Mitigate Business Insurance Risks of Working From Home

Independent agent working on his laptop, researching the best insurance policies for independent agents in Colorado

With the increased popularity of remote work, companies are faced with a dilemma: do they allow employees to continue to work from home to save on overhead costs, or do they require employees to work in office environments? Either way, there are risks and benefits associated with both choices, and both choices require adequate business insurance coverage.

With remote working, there is a new wave of legal issues arising in regards to workers compensation and liability insurance for remote workers. For example, If your employees work from home, or at coffee shops, or in other remote locations, you need to make sure they protect themselves from hackers. They are more vulnerable than if they were sitting at their desks, and they need to know that their actions have real consequences.

An employer may still be found liable for events that occur to an employee in the course of employment. With the right business insurance accounting for remote workers, an employer can feel confident that their business is properly protected — regardless of where their employees are.

Working From Home Safety Risks

There are numerous safety risks associated with working from home, including the following:

  • Unsafe at-home work environments, such as environments vulnerable to events like fires, theft, and flooding
  • Injuries that occur in the home office
  • Cyber-security risks increased as remote workers may be viewed as soft targets to cybercriminals
office team
Unlike in the office space illustrated above, employers do not have control over the safety of an at-home work environment.

How to Mitigate Insurance Risks

There are many ways for employers to mitigate insurance risks and workers compensation claims:

  • Enforce at-home safety protocols
  • Instate cyber protocols to prevent cyberattacks
  • Enforce cybersecurity measures to prevent data from being compromised

Working from home for good? Discuss how to mitigate insurance risks and business insurance options with a trusted agent at Prince Insurance.

Insurance Plans Construction Companies Should Have

sillouhette of two men a construction platform.

Construction businesses are responsible for some of the biggest projects on the face of the planet. To successfully raise a building, a team must manage the delicate and lengthy process of planning, procurement, and building without flaw. It’s harder than it sounds! Sometimes an unexpected situation will raise additional challenges or even risks, delaying or throwing off the whole project. Insurance for construction companies is a great solution to keeping projects on track and protecting important assets. Here’s a brief overview of the types of protection you need and which threats you might face.

Best Options for Coverage

Law compliance is one of the key components of every construction project. The building must conform to regulations, whether it’s sidewalk size, the number of bathrooms per floor, or health and safety regulations onsite. Most places mandate the type of coverage required to be compliant. Large projects absolutely need strong coverage; otherwise, they put thousands of people at risk. The second key component of a construction project is employees. Employee protection is critical to attracting great talent and defending them from threats onsite. Finally, builders risk insurance is the bedrock of any major building project. It’s the insurance for construction companies that does the most legwork when it comes to protecting every aspect of the project.

Builders risk insurance is the best type of coverage for construction companies.

Threats to Buildings Under Construction

It’s scary to list them all at once, but smart project managers and developers know that it’s better to face the risks than turn a blind eye. Inclement weather could destroy part of a partially built property. Theft or vandalism could require expensive clean-up or generate bad news coverage. Faulty materials or shoddy workmanship could introduce errors that need fixing. People could fall, or materials could show up late to the site.

Insurance for production companies is important. Are you confident in your coverage? Get a quote from Prince Insurance and know for sure.

Liability Plans for Commercial Projects

open office spaced filled with people working at their latops

Don’t start a project without robust coverage! Commercial general liability can protect you from the risks that come with commercial projects. From delayed timelines to inclement weather and injury, there are simply too many risks to count when a major project is on the line. All project managers know that it only takes a single incident to throw off a well-laid plan. That’s where commercial general liability comes in.

Avoiding Commercial Risks

Of course, the best way to avoid risk is to plan ahead. You can’t avoid natural disasters with good planning, but you can prevent lots of painful and expensive problems with diligent preparation. Insurance should be there to catch you if you fall, but good planning is the best way to avoid commercial risks. Make sure that workplace safety regulations are clear to everyone involved. Guidelines should be prominently displayed, and team members should be required to be present at a meeting at least once per week to review regulations. It’s also wise to create a culture where people feel safe reporting potential risks. If they feel like they’ll get in trouble because a flaw could kill the timeline, then you won’t hear about problems until it’s too late.

Downtown Denver
Cover the important things with a commercial general liability policy.

Tips to Follow When Choosing Commercial General Liability

To protect your project, it’s equally important that you follow up a great plan with great coverage. You’ll need a policy that offers you protection from the unique threats that your project faces. This could be weather-related to the time of year, or specific risks associated with your industry or the type of project. You have some options to choose from when it comes to the financial limit of coverage and who will be covered. Go for as much business coverage as you can afford. If you need to make the case to developers, explain what could happen in terms of being liable if anything goes wrong. Great coverage could save the day for your commercial project.

Contact our team at Prince Insurance for help putting together a comprehensive commercial general liability package.

Risk Management Options for Large Businesses

Managing risk is a daily task for owners of large businesses. You’re in a constant balancing act, trying to meet the needs of your clients, while also growing your company and taking care of your team. Risk is that pesky, unpredictable element that can throw off your well-laid plans. That’s why it’s extra important for large businesses — with large teams and bigger assets — to explore risk management solutions.

Definition and Benefits of Risk Management

Although you can ward off some disasters by planning ahead, there are still some events that you can’t predict. Inclement weather could destroy your office building. Employees could have a freak accident on the job. Crops could fail, and your brand new equipment could give out unexpectedly. How will you manage your risk in these situations?

The definition of risk management is forecasting possible risks and then taking steps to avoid them and protect yourself. The right suite of insurance coverage is one of the best risk management solutions. You can carefully evaluate the risks you face in your industry and then protect your most important business assets.

office team
Protect the people who keep your business going—that’s smart risk management.

The Importance of Coverage

If you’re a business owner, then you know that your people are the most important asset in your business. After all, they operate the software, they interface with clients, and they show up to work each day with the skills and the mindset to support your growing business. If you’re looking for risk management solutions, make sure you pick the coverage that helps your staff be protected. In risky industries, this coverage is especially important for hiring and retaining quality employees. When you give them great protection while on the job, you will also benefit as a business owner. You can rest easy, knowing that your people are protected.

Keep your business competitive with the right risk management solutions. Ready to protect your business assets? Get a quote from Prince Insurance and see how easy it can be to grow your business with confidence.

Why Every Business Needs Disability Coverage

man welding with sparks flying out

As a business, your employees are your number one priority. As your number one priority, you need to assure them that they will be taken care of if they suddenly require extra assistance to be able to perform their jobs.

Equipping your business with the right Disability Coverage policy can provide exactly this kind of assurance.

How Does Disability Coverage Work?

If an employee gets injured, becomes sick, or suffers some form of general disability that hinders their job performance, Disability Coverage works to get that employee the help he or she needs to be able to continue doing his or her job. Or, if that employee can’t return to work, Disability Coverage can make sure they’re covered even when they can’t work, such as with Workers Compensation.

doctor holding someone's arm in a cast
Disabilities don’t always result from just physical injury in the workplace.

Without Disability Coverage, it can be you or your business that has to pay out of pocket to help that employee. Many businesses are more than happy to support their employees this way, but it can nevertheless pack on a substantial financial burden that some businesses, especially newer ones, aren’t able to sustain long-term.

Therefore, the best way to support your employees is to offer Disability Coverage. This way, even if an employee can’t return to work after an accident, they can rely on their Disability Coverage to provide a large portion of their income (usually 50-70 percent) and maintain their standard of living until they get back on their feet

How Do You Get Disability Coverage?

Getting the right Disability Coverage for your business requires working with an insurance company that is familiar with your industry, your type of business, and the needs of your specific employees.

This is why getting coverage from Prince Insurance Group is a great choice. With over four decades of experience working with all kinds of different businesses, we can quickly provide you with a tailor-made policy perfect for your business and employee needs.

Get in touch with Prince Insurance Group today to start setting up your business with the perfect Disability Coverage.

Commercial Property Insurance for Your Colorado Business

open office spaced filled with people working at their latops

After years of deliberation and saving, you finally made the jump and opened up your business in Colorado. Congratulations!

Now that it’s up and running, to make sure that a simple accident doesn’t result in your dream business coming to a screeching halt, the best thing you can possibly do is invest in quality Commercial Property Insurance.

What is Commercial Property Insurance and Why Do You Need It?

You can think of your Commercial Property Insurance policy as your saving grace in the event that your business suffers an unforeseen accident, however major or financially impactful.

Instead of you having to dig into your or your business’s pocket to recover from such an accident, potentially putting your business and employees at risk in the process, you can simply rely on your insurance to help you recoup your losses instead.

More specifically, you can expect Commercial Property Insurance to cover such things as:

open office space with a long working table in the middle
Commercial Property Insurance can help you quickly recoup from costly mistakes or accidents.
  • All office equipment, including computers, phone systems, and furniture (whether owned or leased)
  • Accounting records, business data, and other important company documents
  • Inventory
  • The building your business is housed in (whether owned or rented) (see Builders Risk Insurance for even more coverage)
  • Manufacturing or processing equipment
  • Exterior items such as fences, signs, and satellite dishes

Finding the Right Commercial Property Insurance

In many cases, it’s not necessarily that businesses don’t have Commercial Property Insurance, but rather they don’t have the right kind of coverage for their needs; there’s nothing worse than realizing after the fact that your destroyed office equipment that isn’t actually covered under your policy after all.

That’s why taking the time to find an insurance company that’s familiar with your industry and understands your business’s specific needs is so important. Fortunately, Prince Insurance Group can help speed up the process, as we work to provide businesses of all shapes, sizes, and industries with tailor-made Commercial Property Insurance they can count on.

Learn what kind of coverage we can provide for your business by contacting Prince Insurance Group today.

The Importance of Insurance Programs for Businesses

group of young people standing in a field smiling

The people that work for your business are more than employees – they’re family. Because of this, they deserve the same level of protection and coverage you would offer your family.

With the right insurance program for your business, you can offer them just that.

What is a Business Insurance Program?

You can think of a Business Insurance Program as something that keeps your employees healthy, motivated, and assured to be able to pursue their job effectively, knowing that they’re covered at every angle.

4 people talking in a circle smiling
The right Business Insurance Program can improve employee loyalty and productivity.

A comprehensive program will often include such things as:

How is a Business Insurance Program Beneficial?

Other than promoting better work from your current employees, these types of programs also help attract new, top-tier talent to your business.

After all, employees want to work for businesses that give them all the necessary coverage and support they need to do their job well. This is often why you’ll see businesses publicly advertise exactly what is included in their insurance program in job ads, right alongside salary and vacation time.

How to Choose the Right Business Insurance Program

There are a lot of moving parts to your business, with different types of employees, across different industries, having different types of insurance needs. This is why when pursuing the right Business Insurance Program for your business, it’s essential to work with a company that is familiar with your industry, can understand your employees’ specific needs, and accommodate them appropriately.

That’s exactly what we at Prince Insurance Group have spent the past 40 years mastering – providing the best protection plans for businesses and their employees.

Learn more about setting up your business with the perfect insurance program through Prince Insurance Group today.

Why Data Backup Insurance is Right for Your Business

Computer parts with wires exposed, emphasizing the importance of data backup insurance for protecting business information in a disaster.

As a business, you naturally want to make sure that your data is kept as private and secure as possible.

However, even the most secure businesses experience accidents. An employee can spill his or her coffee; the wrong hard drive can be formatted; malware can make its way into your system. Any of these scenarios can happen to your business, which is exactly why recuperation measures like Data Backup Insurance are a smart investment.

The Benefits of Data Protection and Why It’s Vital for Businesses

With data protection insurance in place, in the unfortunate case that you do experience data loss, whether from human error, a data breach, or any other means, you can quickly access necessary resources to patch up, replace, and retrieve lost data as quickly as possible.

a computer screen of code.
Data breaches are just one way for your data to become compromised.

Not only can this minimize the spread of such things as advantageous proprietary information to competitors, but, more importantly, it can also help ensure that personal information about your clients doesn’t make its way into the wrong hands.

Consequently, you can advertise the fact that your business has Data Backup Insurance in place as an additional security measure to potential clients.

How to Choose the Right Data Backup Insurance

Naturally, different businesses will require different insurance needs; a consulting firm’s needs will be different from a farm owner’s needs. This is why it’s important to only work with insurance companies that understand your specific industry, and therefore, can provide the kinds of specific coverage you need.

That’s exactly why we work tirelessly to pair you with only industry-specific insurance. Whether you’re an accounting firm, craft brewery, publisher, construction company, water well driller, or anything in between, we’ve got the right industry-tailored insurance for you.

Learn more by getting in touch with Prince Insurance Group today.

Why You Need Builders Risk Protection

sillouhette of two men a construction platform.

After finally seeing your new home, office, or general property fully constructed, it’s a natural impulse to want to protect it from the elements with insurance – you don’t want something as simple as a flash flood to ruin what you’ve waited so long for.

But what about insurance for your property during its construction, as well?

Construction Risks and the Importance of Builders Risk Insurance

Although people tend to neglect insurance for their property during its construction, the reality is that properties are often more susceptible to damage during construction.

For example, a lack of complete coverings and security features makes properties being constructed much more susceptible to weather damage from wind, hail, or rain, as well as theft and vandalism.

This is why if you want to increase the chances of your property coming out exactly the way you imagined and save money in repair, replacement, and labor costs along the way, protecting it during construction with a Builders Risk policy is a very smart move.

A construction project filled with half built red platforms.
Given the in-progress nature of structures around construction sites, they’re much more susceptible to potentially dangerous elements like weather.

This type of policy can provide the following types of coverage:

  • Structural Coverage: Protects the buildings and other structures associated with the project.
  • General Liability: Protects the at-risk people working on the project.
  • Equipment & Materials Coverage: Protects the equipment and materials being used for construction.

Of course, these are simply the most common forms of coverage that go into most builders risk policies; what ultimately ends up being covered in your policy will depend on the needs and features of your specific project.

In some cases, you may need more comprehensive coverage, such as that found in contractor insurance or construction insurance.

Who Should Get Builders Risk Insurance?

Because of how many moving parts are typically involved in a construction project, it’s very normal for more than one name to be on a Builders Risk policy.

For example, while it’s most common for Builders Risk insurance to be taken out by those funding or managing construction, it’s also just as common for landowners, architects, engineers, and any other specialized professionals involved with the project to sign their names as well.

Getting Set Up with the Right Coverage

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all Builders Risk policy. That is why it’s so important to prioritize working with insurance companies that understand not just how to protect construction properties, but that have enough expertise to be able to provide a tailor-made solution to your specific coverage needs.

Fortunately, these are exactly the types of policies that Prince Insurance Group can help you with.

To learn more about getting the perfect Builders Risk policy from professionals you can trust, contact Prince Insurance Group today.