Posts

Risk

What does “continuity” mean to you?

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Well, the dictionary definition is: “the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over time.”

In business it means the ability to continue, with your income stream unaffected, through serious problems that would normally disrupt or halt activities.

These problems can fall into a number of different categories, but critically any number of things can not be insured and those are the ones you need effective plans to deal with.

These might include, competition, problems with suppliers or customers, changes in public policy and the law, equipment delays, infrastructure problems and the like.

Even the insurable risks only provide financial compensation after the event, and do not deal with “what you do” when the proverbial hits the fan.

BCP (Business Continuity Planning) is something every business should do, and the daft thing is, in small businesses its even more important and often quite simple.

The main steps are:

  • Policy & Programme Management
  • Embedding BC
  • Analysis
  • Design
  • Implementation
  • Design

Over the next few days, I will go through the 6 steps above to give you a taste of what it means to undertake meaningful BCP, #becauseaccidentshappen to nice people all the time.

If you like to have a chat about how a modest spend can give you almost complete peace of mind and savings elsewhere can often pay for it, just message me here, it might be the most valuable call you ever make in your business.

Have a great day 😊

SB Logo

Education, Education, Education!

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I always say my job is to educate clients to make better informed buying decisions, and if I get that right it means they should continue to place their business with us. That’s not condescending at all. There is no reason they should know the detail of what we do, unless it’s been explained.

That means I have to explain in simple, non-jargon terms:

  • Why we do what we do.
  • How we do it.
  • How we add value for our clients.

In very simple terms, how we support our clients by getting the correct technical solution, at the most competitive price available in the market, declaring our fee up front before a decision is made, so our clients can see that what we earn is reasonable. This often saves them up to 30% on their current insurance spend, and often enhances the cover they have.

This week I’m helping a variety of customers to get the vey best deal possible. They include:

  • A construction training company – Professional Indemnity
  • A mobile site guarding security business – Fleet Insurance & Liabilities
  • 3 Import / export businesses – Marine Cargo, Storage & Liabilities
  • A regional bakery with several shops – Fleet insurance
  • And an importer of plants and seeds – Engineering Inspection services

These are just a few of the clients we help and the solutions we provide and we’d love to see if we can help you?

If you’d like to know how we can save you up to 30%, using our fee only (nil commission) model I’d love to have that conversation.

Don’t leave it too late, the more time we have the more certain we are that we can get the result you want.

You can book a call at www.valuefirstbusinessinsurance.com or call 029 20 470 375 for a chat.

Have a great day 😊

Loss of Profit

Pardon the Interruption.

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Let’s Talk about Insurance basics 101 – Part 3

One of the most misunderstood parts of insurance cover is business interruption or Loss of Profits insurance, so may be a short explanation is in order?

For most business the cover will be based on “Gross Profit” and in insurance terms that is turnover, less the cost of sales and crucially with nothing else deducted, especially wages as you will need to pay staff as the business recovers.

For service businesses its “Gross Revenue”, which equals turnover and for landlords it can be loss of gross rental income. The key thing is when designing a solution to make sure that the correct measure of income is identified.

The next thing to understand is that in 99.9999% of cases you cannot have a claim for business interruption, unless and until physical damage has occurred. This has to be for one of the identified perils, such as Fire, Flood, or Storm. Crucially and much in the news, disease is not a peril, so could never have triggered a business interruption claim in this respect.

There are however a number of non-damage extensions, but these vary greatly between policies, in respect of what is covered and how much cover is given for each. In some cases the cover is as little as £25,000, but can be as great as £500,000.

These extensions always include the following:

  • Failure of public utilities
    • Gas, electric and the like.
  • Denial of Access
    • Damage at neighbouring premises or on access roads
  • Damage at supplier’s premises
    • Can’t supply you with what you need
  • Damage at customer’s premises
    • Stops buying from you
  • Murder, death or suicide
    • Premises closed whilst police investigate

In some cases, there are other extensions but these are not always present and the cover and amounts are generally very small and limited to events happening at the insured premises.

So, if you really want to know what business interruption cover you have, talk to a professional and take the time to understand the cover, #becauseaccidentshappen to nice people all the time.

Feel free to message me, or call the office on 029 20 470 375 for free, no obligation consultation.

It could be the most valuable phone call you ever make.

Building Fire

At your peril!

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Let’s Talk about Insurance basics 101 – Part 2

MATERIAL DAMAGE is the main concern of most clients in the first instance, that is damage or destruction of STUFF!

We could be talking about buildings, stock, equipment, machinery, fixtures and fittings, computers among other things, but what are the actual events for which they are covered?

These are called the PERILS!

They include:

  • Fire, Lightning, Explosion & Earthquake
  • Riot & Civil Commotion
  • Malicious damage
  • Aircraft and aerial devices
  • Impact by vehicles, animals
  • Storm or Flood
  • Theft or attempted Theft
  • Subsidence, Ground Heave or Landslip
  • Escape of water or oil from fixed appliances
  • Falling Trees
  • Accidental breakage of fixed glass
  • Breakage or collapse of television radios or aerials
  • Accidental damage to underground pipes and cables
  • Wider accidental damage
  • All Risks cover world wide

Even with the all-risks cover you must understand, that an event must occur. There has to be an identifiable event that causes the damage, destruction or loss. Gradual deterioration over time is never covered, neither is normal wear and tear or fouling by domesticated pets.

There are a few more general exclusions which include War, Nuclear Explosions, Sonic Bangs, Electronic malfunction risks and now communicable diseases. The first three, along with diseases, are all events that would be addressed by governments or existing laws as the costs and implications are too widespread for any insurer to afford.

There are of course other extensions to cover and other more specific exclusions, so always read your policy wording, understand what is or is not covered, #becauseaccidentshappen to nice people all the time.

Better still ask a professional for advice.

Have a great day.

Chat=reted Insurance Institute

Looking for a salesman?

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Honestly it never feels like that to me.

In society we generally consider the professional classes to include the following trades:

  • Solicitors & Barristers
  • Accountants
  • Architects
  • Surveyors

For some reason, maybe it’s the commission element, professionals in financial services, that is General Insurance, IFA’s & Mortgage Brokers, are seen as salesmen, hell bent on making the most money by inflating prices.

In 99% of cases nothing could be further from the truth. If you want to GAIN or RETAIN a client, inflating prices doesn’t work. They will go elsewhere.

That is despite holding formal and very rigorous qualifications from one of the oldest Chartered Institutes in the country, which is recognised around the world as the gold standard. Starting in 1873, a formal royal charter was granted in 1912. https://www.cii.co.uk/

The CII’s purpose, as set out in its 1912 royal charter, is to ‘Secure and justify the confidence of the public’ in its members and the insurance sector as a whole. It aims to do this through setting standards of integrity, technical competence and business capability.

To make the distinction more obvious in our case, we work on fixed fees, not commission and they are disclosed up-front before our clients make a decision, so they can see they are reasonable in the context of the work completed.

I would rather walk away from paid work if I do not believe the client understands what I’m trying to achieve for them and just wants a cheap job, solely on their terms. I simply won’t do it.

We make professional recommendations and if customers don’t want to accept that professional advice, they are free to go elsewhere. To act in any other way would show a lack of integrity and could be considered professionally negligent. That is #openhonesttransparent

Looking for a salesman?

You won’t find any of them here, but you will find professional advice you can trust, that will protect you and your business and you will develop a relationship with named individuals who will deliver real value for you over many years.

Be awesome, have a great day

Severn Bay Logo

Business Insurance Specialists

 

Defence

Where did my money go and how can I get it back?

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Just because you have a financial loss, doesn’t mean your insurance will pay up, so understanding what is and what is not covered is crucial in business, #becauseaccidentshappen to nice people all the time.

The first concept to understand about insurance, is that it centres around specific events, such as:

  • Fire
  • Lightning
  • Explosion
  • Earthquake
  • Aircraft
  • Impact
  • Riot and Civil Commotion
  • Storm, Tempest or Flood
  • Escae of water or oil from fixed equipment
  • Collapse of aerials
  • Theft or Attempted Theft
  • Subsidence, Ground Heave or Landslip

Even where cover is give including “Accidental Damage” or even on an “All Risks Basis” there must be a specific event, leading directly to the damage or loss. This is called the proximate cause.

Cover never includes deterioration over time, because of a lack of maintenance. If your roof gets old and leaky, or an old boiler ceases to function, don’t expect the insurers to pay. It is your responsibility to keep the property in a good condition.

Likewise, any damage caused by a “gradually operating cause” is also excluded, for instance pollution damage over several years from the local steel works.

Fundamental exclusions applying to the whole policy will always include:

  1. War
  2. Radioactive Contamination
  3. Sonic Bangs
  4. Changes in the Water Table
  5. Electronic Risks

Want some advice or guidance that is #openhonesttransparent, give us a call on 029 20 470 375 or email info@severnbay.com

Have a great day