1. Be honest. It may sound the most obvious statement but forgotten or inaccurate information could affect your insurance at a later date. Your motto should be, if in doubt, disclose it. Whether you’ve had a small bump in a supermarket car park or have made a claim against your liability insurance - tell your insurance broker or company up front or when it happens.

2. Use an insurance broker if you can’t spare the time to phone or shop around yourself. An insurance broker will search a large number of leading insurers for you so you could save money as well as time. When deciding which insurance broker to use things to look for are:

Are they well established?
Do they have facilities with the leading insurance companies?
Are their staff experienced and do they understand your industry?

3. Choose your insurance provider carefully. A recent survey conducted by Holden Pearmain, the market research company, showed that 63% of small and medium sized businesses (SME’s) preferred using a local supplier when it came to choosing their insurance provider. And 42% surveyed felt using an insurance broker was the best way to get the best deal. When choosing your insurance provider look for a company that understands your needs and has facilities with leading insurance companies to ensure you get the right cover, at the right price.

4. Make sure you are covered correctly. Insurance can be confusing so if you are unsure of anything, ask your broker or insurance company before taking out a policy. They are the experts so take advantage of their knowledge.

5. Increase your excess. If you’re looking to reduce your premium without sacrificing cover, you could opt for an additional voluntary excess on top of your compulsory excess. By increasing your excess you could reduce your premium.

6. Make sure your premises are secure. Many insurers will only offer cover on certain premises if they are fitted with a certain level of security. Find out the exact type of security your premises has as this could reduce your premium.

7. Consider putting all your insurance policies with the same insurance broker or company. Not only will this make your administration far easier, but you may also qualify for discounts for having more than one policy with them. Certain insurance brokers and companies also offer discounts for recommending them to your friends and family. If in doubt, ask.

8. The cheapest isn’t always the best. As insurance isn’t a "sexy" purchase, many businesses opt for the cheapest is best option. Don’t always assume this is the case. Make sure the policy you buy gives you the level of cover you require. Don’t leave it until you make a claim to find out if the policy meets your needs. Make a list of what you need from an insurance policy and make sure the policy you buy includes it.

9. Don’t forget the additional cover. When buying insurance for your business, remember that there are several types of additional cover that maybe offered to you. Whilst not all of these will be necessary, there are certain types of cover that maybe of real benefit to you. Some examples of these include:

-- Legal Protection
-- Personal Accident
-- Directors & Officers Liability
-- Public & Employers Liability
-- Business Travel
-- Key Person Insurance

10. Don’t worry. Buying insurance for your business can be a minefield with so many insurance providers and insurance policies available. However, there is no need to worry as providing you choose the right insurance provider, they should have the experience and expertise to guide you through your options and make sure you get the best deal.

Of course, you need to check with an accountant or lawyer for specific information, but in this article, you'll learn what small business insurance has worked for our computer consultants and customers in the past.

What Type of Small Business Insurance Do You Need?

You should definitely have both a general liability as well as a professional liability policy for your services. That professional liability should have the errors and omissions insurance rider folded into it as part of your small business insurance coverage.

How Much Will It Cost You?

This insurance will range in cost, but $3500 is about average. Typically, small business insurance companies will base your price on your size, in terms of employees, the sales volume you’re doing, and how they characterize you by risks.

Take time to carefully explain and look at the categories with your agent before they lump you into something that you’re not. A lot of times they might classify you into software developers which could be a very different risk category than network installers or resellers.

Do Your Subcontractors Need Small Business Insurance?

Yes, each of your subcontractors should definitely have general and professional liability and errors and omissions insurance. You should not be covering them. Otherwise what you’re doing is probably providing benefits that are more like what you would do for an employee as opposed to a contractor.

What's The Next Step With Your Small Business Insurance?

Talk to your attorney and talk to your insurance agent. If you have an insurance agent that takes care of your property and contents insurance needs, you should definitely sit down and talk with them. You might want to ask this question of your accountant also because they have a relatively similar business model in your same area.

Last month I had to drive down to London. I don't like driving at the best of times but the rain, spray and heavy traffic on the M1 made conditions difficult. Radio 2 kept me company and the heater kept me warm. Then I hit that queue - six miles solid and I was soon an hour behind schedule.

They were still clearing up the accident when I got there. It was nasty. A lorry and what was left of two cars. Made me think, after all that could have been me. Yep, my life insurance is up to date and my Will was renewed only last month. The family would be well cared for and the mortgage repaid. Had I missed anything?

The business. What would happen to that? We have two directors, 7 employees, an overdraft and lots of insurance. Public Liability, professional indemnity, vehicles and stock are all insured. We even have legal protection insurance. Had I missed anything? I got to thinking.

Thank goodness it wasn't George in that accident. A great guy and he's been with us five years. He's our top salesman. There again what if it had been my co-director who also owns 50% of the business? What would be the repercussions on the business?

Sales down, profits down, bank phoning all too politely to ask about the Directors guarantee on the overdraft. Then I'd have to try and buy his shares. I wouldn't want someone else to get hold of those. At some stage I'd have to recruit someone of his calibre to continue the company going forward - that wouldn't be easy! And recruiting top people doesn't come cheap. That's more time and more money. The personal problems …… the repercussions …….. the extra work ……… the extra stress ……..

Oh heck, I don't want to think about it all. Quickly, switch over to Radio 1 .

Does all this ring alarm bells with you? 95.2% of UK businesses employ less than 10 people and these are precisely the organizations most at risk from the impact of severe illness or death of a key person. The risks of a key person being stuck down with a long term illness or death are real. 1 in 5 men suffer a critical illness before their normal retirement age. Then there's the M1. The fact that it hasn't happened so far might just mean your business has just been lucky.

Now to those actuarial boffins in insurance companies, risk and luck are flip sides of the same coin. And they can provide insurance cover for most risks. After all they too want to increase sales. But they're scratching their heads about Keyman Insurance. Most of Britain's 4.1million small businesses should have it but few do. What can it do? It can be structured to:

Provide an income stream to the company whilst the key person is incapacitated (compensation for the lost contribution from the Keyman)

Provide a lump sum to the business in the event of death (pay off the overdraft or simply bolster cash flow?)

Provide money for remaining shareholders to buy the shares from the original shareholder or their estate.

You'll need to talk to a Financial Adviser about these issues but they are all insurable. Can your business afford to take a risk it doesn't need to?

Memo to myself – get Keyman Insurance!