What is Business Insurance?

May 30, 2012

Insurance is not a glamorous term, especially when business insurance is mentioned.  Regardless of what industry your business is in, you will probably need some kind of insurance to protect yourself against lawsuits.  For topics like this, we turn to experts in the field.  Once again, we happily present an article from out friends at Business Insurance.  In past posts, they have covered topics like common business acronyms and writing business plans.  Business Insurance presents a wealth of information on their website ranging from fundamental business ideas to business guides for kids.  Homepreneurs is very pleased to feature Business Insurance and their wonderful information.  All home businesses and small business should look at what their site offers.  More information is never a bad thing.

Business Insurance Overview

The term “business insurance” pertains to protecting against operational losses by a business. What type of loss is covered by a business insurance policy depends on the insurance company, the policy wording, and local limitations.

Common Coverage Types

There are several types of business insurance, each limiting coverage stipulations and restrictions. The most common types are:
1. Key Person Insurance: A business Key Person is considered so important to the company that loss the person could cause considerable damage to the company’s financial future. Benefits are paid if the Key Person covered experiences a disability that prevents working or if the Key Person dies. The remaining partners or owners can use the benefits only for legitimate business expenses, such as buying the disabled person’s stake in the business or hiring and training expenses for a replacement. Key Person Insurance is sometimes also called a Buy/Sell Agreement.
2. General Liability Insurance: This coverage protects the business against liability claims, negligence, manufacturing or personnel error, bodily injury, or even property damage. Liability insurance often covers the policy holders’ legal fees if the liability or event is covered under the policy.
3. Product Liability: Coverage protects against faulty products and damage, injury, or death from use of the faulty product.

Calculating Rates

Insurance companies use actuary tables configured from data using historical information and projected risks regarding similar businesses who have suffered covered losses and the costs incurred and quote an applicable rate per unit of coverage. The number of insurance companies who issue business insurance can influence business insurance rates as can the size and type of business, to name a few.

There are several categories of risk identification factors that combine into determining coverage approval and policy rates. Among them are business experience, operational hazards, and even location. Obtaining financing for business start-ups can sometimes rest on the business plan requiring purchasing viable business insurance.

Conclusion

Because business insurance spreads the risk costs among all businesses with coverage policies, a business may experience rate increases when no claim was filed against that business. However, the replacement costs for the individual business are generally considerably higher, making purchasing business insurance a wise decision for many business owners, whether involving a large, established business or a small business just starting.


Work At Home With These Jobs

May 28, 2012

Would you like a work at home or virtual job?  The companies listed here: Appen Butler Hill, Sutherland, Ceridian, and Checklist have many work at home positions listed on their websites.  For more information and work from home jobs, click on the company name links.  These companies are believed honest and trustworthy, but remember to research the company and position.  And never, ever pay for training or information from a company.  As an employee or contractor, they must pay you!

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Appen Butler Hill

Description

WEB SEARCH EVALUATOR

Be part of a global team to evaluate and improve search engine results for one of the world’s top internet search engine companies!  These positions are available in a variety of languages and countries.

WHO ARE WE

Appen Butler Hill (www.butlerhill.com) is a linguistics services technology company that is focused on helping our clients reach new international markets by leveraging our expertise in over 50 languages and dialects.  Our client is one of the world’s top internet search engine companies and is currently seeking internet-savvy freelance Web Search Evaluators.

THE JOB

Web Search Evaluators will review and evaluate internet search results based on specific search terms and provide a rating depending on the relevance of the search result to the search term. The evaluation work is done using an online automated tool.

For most projects, you will be allowed the flexibility to choose the hours you wish to work each day, however you must work 20-22 hours per week, 4 hours per day Monday to Friday (no weekend work at this time).  The freelance work is expected to extend through August 17th, 2012, possibly beyond.

Requirements

- Personal computer with Vista or Windows 7

- High speed internet connection

- Avid internet enthusiast with excellent web research and analytical capabilities

- Basic aptitude for solving technical/software issues independently

Do you meet this requirements?  This position may be for you!  For US citizens, Appen Butler Hill annually reports consultants’ earnings via an IRS 1099 form.  Contractors are also responsible for supplying their own computing equipment.

View this position

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Sutherland at Home

Sutherland at home currently has openings for the following positions:

- Technical Support Associate Positions
- Customer Service Associate Positions
- Back Office Associates Positions
- Inside Sales Positions
- Management and Supervisory Positions
- Headquarters Positions
Requirements
You will need to have a PC that meets our minimum requirements and a high-speed broadband account that meets our throughput tests.
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Ceridian

Ceridian has openings for the following virtual positions:

Client Process Improvement Specialist

Director, Product Management – Product Management & Technology

Health Coach – HPS Operations

InView WFM Solutions Consultant – Western U.S. – Workforce Management

Workforce Management/HCM Enterprise Account Rep -Workforce Management

Workforce Management/HCM Enterprise Account Rep – Workforce Management

Job Description:

Come work with great people and be challenged to reach your potential at Ceridian. We depend on highly skilled and enthusiastic achievers like you to provide innovative solutions for thousands of companies and twenty five million employees worldwide. By fostering values that promote freedom, flexibility and creativity we encourage professional growth and offer rewarding career opportunities. Ceridian provides comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, 401K with match, paid time off as well as a host of other world class benefits. Innovate, lead, and grow by doing what you love to do at Ceridian.

Ceridian Corporation is a leading business services company that uses reality-based KnowHow to help companies maximize the power of their people, lower their costs and focus on what they do best. Providing a full portfolio of services from human resources, payroll and payment solutions to benefits and health and productivity services, Ceridian helps organizations maximize their human, financial and technology resources.

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Checklist.com

Expert Writers
Checklist.com is a destination site for people looking for checklists and getting things done. We offer checklists on ANY topic together with USEFUL tips on how to complete each checklist and task as effectively as possible. We are building the world’s largest database of checklists. You should be able to think of any topic and we should have a checklist for it!

We are looking for additional experts to further develop our site. As an expert you will be given responsibility for a section of the site and be asked to develop checklists in that field. You will also be responsible for developing tips to help our users get things done: these tips should support the user on every task on the checklist. We need your expertise to show and each tip should bring value to the reader! This is an ongoing job: we will ask you to contribute regularly and stay on top of what’s happening in your field.

What we offer you
We are looking for expert candidates on a long term basis. Beyond the payment, we offer a VERY flexible working environment: you can work from anywhere in the world as long as you get things done! You can further develop your name as an expert and could be seen by millions: the content you write will be linked on our website to your personal profile where you can boast your accomplishments and link to your home page, twitter or Facebook page. Beyond that: the satisfaction of helping people get things done!

Compiled by Dion D. Shaw

Dion D. Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs.

Homepreneurs. New Day. New Opportunities

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed. Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions. Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012, All Rights Reserved

Image Credit: http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-preview/ehow/images/a04/6p/pt/paycheck-legitimate-work-home-jobs-1.1-800×800.jpg


5 Tips for Home Biz Startup Planning

May 23, 2012

Considering a home business?   Ongoing economic issues and technological advances have created an ideal environment for new entrepreneurs.  Some notable recent start ups have experienced tremendous success: Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Pinterest are examples.  Each company is a household name and a dominant in its market niche.  Each also started in a small apartment or college dorm room, not in a huge office space with lots of resources.

The founders of these companies were young – several were college students – inexperienced, and not especially wealthy.  Their success is partially a timing and location issue.  But much more contributed to the incredible accomplishment of Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), Jack Dorsey (Twitter), and Ben Silbermann (Pinterest).  These entrepreneurs along with millions of other business success stories share some common characteristics while avoiding major mistakes.  Here are 5 key tips to get you to think like an entrepreneur:

1) Identify a target market.  This is a key first step early in the business planning process.  Think about the demographic you want to target: ages, gender, ethnicity, and profession are examples.  You may not hit the target when starting out, but thinking this way will help you focus your product or service offering to a narrow group of consumers.

2) Pleasing People.  Yes, making customers happy is important, but so is getting feedback about what clients don’t like.  Think intermediate and long-term here, not short term goals.  Each and every bit of information – good or bad – you gather is a plus and helps for the long term.  As the well known quote states: you can please all people some of the time and some people all of the time…

3) Location, location, location.  A pizza place in the middle of farm fields probably won’t get many customers, but a Chicago-style pizza place in Miami may be a big hit.  A boat store in the middle of Nevada?  Maybe not, but located on either coast could be lucrative.

4) Budget.  New entrepreneurs don’t realize how quickly money is spent.  It is very tempting to buy the best technology, new offices in high rent buildings, and give out bonuses.  We suggest tempering enthusiasm with practical spending.  Save money by working out of your house for starters, use existing or low-end computers, and save the bonus for special occasions.  Create a budget and stick to it.  You wouldn’t live beyond your means, your business should follow the same rule.

5) Consider the launch date.  Launching a business too soon can mean a product is not complete and may turn off customers.  Launching too late costs money in development, provides no income, and may miss a hot trend.

There are many other factors to consider when considering a business, but the above 5 are potentially make or break.  Plan carefully and do the research needed to assure as smooth a start as possible.

By Dion D. Shaw

Dion D. Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs.

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunity.

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed.  Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions.  Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012, All Rights Reserved

image credit: image belongs to public domain


Staples Gift Card Winners

May 19, 2012

This post is a bit tardy and Homepreneurs apologizes for the delay.  We’d like to announce the winners of our Staples Gift Card contest run at the end of February in conjunction with our radio appearance on Kayrn Pettigrew’s Beyond Blind Spots radio show on UnityFM radio.

The winners, chosen by random.org from the dozens of entries:

John B. from Illinois

Aubrey F. from Oklahoma

Lala R. from Oregon

There is also a fourth winner – Marci H – that we need to hear from.  Marci, if you read this, please email us at Homepreneurs@gmail.com.  Thank you!

Thanks again to everyone for reading Homepreneurs blog, checking us out on Facebook and LinkedIn, and following us on Twitter!  We very much appreciate your readership and will continue to write about starting and running a home business.

Best regards,

Dion


Starting a Pop-Up Shop

May 11, 2012

Pop-up shops are temporary businesses that set up shop, sell their services and then ship out. From your summertime lemonade stand to a brick-and-mortar bakeshop, pop-up shops come in all shapes and sizes. Here is a guide to starting a pop-up shop — however big or small.  A good resource for pop-up stores is popupinsider.

Plan your concept
Since pop-up shops only have a limited time to generate a customer base, you need an extra effort to help your store stand out. After all, a pop-up shop is an event, so you should make people excited for a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. This does not mean you have to turn your shop into an amusement park. Simply choose a central and unified concept, such as holiday crafts or environmental sustainability. This will keep you focused when planning decorations, inventory and marketing.

Melissa Gonzalez, the founder of Lion’esque Media, which specializes in helping clients open and market pop-up businesses, says when it comes to a concept, ask yourself what story you want to tell in the shop. “What is the lifestyle message of the brand?” asks Gonzalez.

Consider your shop’s purpose
Depending on the purpose of your pop-up shop, you may already have a concept in mind. If you want to start a pop-up shop to sell remaining inventory, you might even be able to design a concept around the items. Some businesses open pop-up shops to try out a new idea or test a neighborhood’s demand for a particular product. In this case, the concept may already have germinated inside the pop-up shop’s purpose. Inspiration can strike any number of ways, and the important part is having a strong, cohesive plan–much like a mini business plan.

Gather inventory
You may already have inventory to sell, or you might need to start completely from scratch. Whatever your situation, gathering and organizing your stock will take a good deal of legwork. The amount of stock you will need depends on the size of your retail space and the length of time you will be in that pop-up shop. Remember that you might be in a small space for a short time, so anticipate moving inventory and supplies in and out of your space.

Rent a space
Pop-up shops generally appear in spaces that would otherwise be vacant, such as a store that is in between a lease. When considering a space to rent, make sure all of your business needs are met. For example, if you wish to open a pop-up bakery, you may need a refrigerator on the premises. As with any business, location is a central feature of a successful pop-up shop. Try choosing a place with a lot of foot traffic. Shopping centers often have transitioning shops that are temporarily empty, or you can seek out a store front on a main street. If you intend to start a private pop-up shop for exclusive customers, you should opt for a more discreet location.

Consider your neighborhood carefully, as you may find yourself deciding to stay for the long-run. “You have more leverage if you could become a potential long term tenant,” Gonzalez says.

Spread the word
Start marketing for your pop-up shop before it even opens. Drum up excitement for the store. Gonzalez recommends having a wine and snack sponsor, hosting a VIP blogger night or having a charity event.

You can also use social media to heighten the excitement by creating a Facebook event, starting a Twitter account or giving people discounts for signing in on Foursquare. Maybe use your local newspaper, fliers or a newsletter. When you do open, have business cards ready so happy customers know where to direct their friends.

Article Source:
http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/sbc/2012/04/02/how-to-start-pop-up-shop/?intcmp=obinsite

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