Running your own business can be a rewarding experience.
You can make your own decisions, avoid the daily commute and choose to work only with those people with whom you feel compatible.
That is not to say that it is all plain sailing. You may have to deal with unhappy clients or customers, there will always be one or two that don’t pay your invoices and you also bear the costs of both buying, maintaining and replacing equipment.
There are several types of insurance that can take some of the potential worry out of being your own boss, depending on the nature of your business and its location.
If you are providing services primarily from an office, are you working from home? Do you have customers or clients coming to see you?
If you are working from home and do have visiting clients, you may have to consider taking out some form of public liability insurance since you might be liable to a claim if they suffer an accident or injury while on your premises.
While you may do your utmost to provide the best service possible for your clients, problems can occasionally arise where a client is dissatisfied with the work. Professional Indemnity insurance is offers professionals with the protection they need against liability as a result of such claims.
Whatever the type of business it is likely that you will have to provide your own equipment to do the job. This can be anything from IT equipment to the tools of a trade. Setting up with the right gear can be costly and if anything is either damaged or stolen the consequences if you are self employed can be considerable if it means you are unable to continue earning a living.
It is particularly important to those whose business means they have to visit customers’ premises to carry out work, meaning they will have to have a van and carry their equipment and tools with them.
In some cases loss of or damage to essential equipment can be added to a professional indemnity policy but it may be that the limit on the value of what is covered means that it would be better to take out separate cover for expensive tools and equipment, as well as van cover.
Specialised professional insurance for anyone who is running their own business can take away a lot of the worry and uncertainty that comes with the territory.