Help Your Business Blossom with Florist Insurance

Stopping and smelling the roses isn’t just a concept to you — it’s a way of life. As a florist, you bring color and joy to your clients’ events, as well as help customers let their loved ones know they’re thinking of them. Running your business isn’t all buttercups and baby’s breath, though. You’ve worked hard to grow your shop, and it needs to be protected.

That’s where Simply Business can help.

Simply Business offers business insurance to protect your floral shop from accidents that could wilt what you’ve grown. Not sure what policies you may need? No worries — we’re here to help you every step of the way. Simply answer a few questions about your business to receive free, customized quotes from some of the nation’s most trusted insurance companies.

The best part? The whole process takes only a few minutes.

Here are three types of business insurance available to florists:

• General liability insurance
• Professional liability insurance
• Workers compensation insurance

Each type of policy covers different scenarios, but all insurance offers the benefit that:

• It can protect your business from certain claims.
• It can cover damages caused by your negligence.
• Proof of insurance can help clients feel good about your work.
• It may be required where you’re located.

What Types of Florist Insurance Do I Need?

If you know flowers from azaleas to zinnias but aren’t sure how to make sense of policies and premiums, you’re not alone. Fortunately, business owners don’t need to study insurance to get a policy that fits their needs. Here’s a primer on the three main insurance policies you may need to bundle into your overall florist insurance.

General Liability Insurance

If you’re looking for a policy that works in various scenarios, such as a white rose in a wedding bouquet, then you’ll want general liability insurance. These policies cover third-party bodily injury, property damage, and other third-party accidents. “Third-party” accidents can refer to your clients or vendors.

So, what mishaps could a florist encounter? Imagine you’ve just received a shipment of flowers and are working on reorganizing your store. A customer comes into the shop, and as they’re browsing, they trip over a rug and break their arm.

The customer could sue you for their medical bills and time off from their job, and as the business owner, you’d have to pay for those claims. Without insurance, damages and legal fees will come out of your bank account. However, florist business insurance could help cover the cost of the medical bills. The average claim for customer damage or accidents in small businesses is $30,000, which means having coverage can save you from a hefty bill down the road.

So what does general liability insurance usually cover in your florist business? Here’s a recap:

• Third-party property damage (aka clients or vendors)
• Bodily injury
• Medical expenses
• Personal and advertising injury
• And more

General liability insurance does not cover:

• Personal property damage
• Professional services
• Employee injury and workers compensation
• Damage to your work
• Motor vehicles during business use
• Intentional injury or damage
• And more

Professional Liability Insurance

It’s amazing how something as small as a flower can have such a significant impact on someone’s day. While that means you’re in the business of spreading joy, it also means you may have to handle unhappy customers. Professional liability insurance can help protect your business from negligence claims. This type of policy covers if a client claims that you, your employees, or your business were negligent in providing your services.

Anyone can make a mistake, and unfortunately, it can lead to bigger business issues. For example, imagine you’ve been hired to supply flower arrangements for an upcoming wedding, and you mark it in your calendar. However, you inadvertently marked the wrong date, and the flowers won’t be ready for the event.

Your client is upset, and they may even sue you. Without professional liability insurance for your floral shop, you’d have to pay legal fees for your defense and damages to your client. If you had professional liability coverage, though, the scenario would unfold differently. Your insurance could help you pay costs up to your policy limit, and your business bank account could be spared.

Let’s review the scenarios that professional liability insurance typically covers:

• Legal defense costs
• Omissions or alleged omissions
• Negligence or alleged negligence
• Claims and damages
• And more

Having professional liability insurance does not usually protect you from:

• Property damage
• Intentional acts and omissions
• Bodily injury
• Medical expenses
• And more

Workers Compensation Insurance

The other type of insurance available to florists is workers compensation insurance. This type of policy covers medical bills, lost wages, and legal costs associated with an employee who gets sick or hurt on the job. While business insurance laws vary between states, it’s likely that if you have employees, you’ll be required to have workers comp coverage.

Every type of business has potential unexpected dangers for employees. The average cost of a workers comp claim is $40,051, and a slip or fall averages at over $46,000. With prices like these, it’s easy to see the benefits of carrying a workers comp policy.

Workers compensation insurance for florists may cover:

• Medical payments
• Lost wages
• Rehabilitation expenses
• Death benefits

Why Should You Get a Flower Shop Insurance Policy?

Running a business takes creativity, perseverance, and hard work. You’ve already made it this far, and investing in florist insurance can help ensure you’re in business for many years to come. While you work hard to provide the best service for your community, there are no guarantees in business. Forty-three percent of small business owners have reported being threatened with or involved in a civil lawsuit.

Perhaps the harshest reality is that you don’t even have to do something wrong to be hit with a negligence case. A single disgruntled customer could sue you, and even if you prove you weren’t negligent, you’ll likely have to pay legal fees. If an accident happens, it could cause a serious setback in your finances.

The average claims small business owners can be are exposed to include:

• $30,000 for property damage or accident claims
• $39,000 for work injury claims
• $50,000 for reputational harm claims (e.g., slander or libel)
• $20,000 for a customer slip-and-fall case

Having florist insurance could mean the difference between an accident being a thorn in your side and the cause of bankruptcy. It’s understandable if you’re unsure about adding a monthly expense. The good news is that each policy is customized for your business, which means you won’t be overpaying for unnecessary coverage. Factors such as your location, business size, and employee status all factor into your monthly premiums.

Now for some encouraging news — insurance is useful on your good days, too. Having proof of coverage comes with advantages, including being able to:

• Rent out a room or space for your business
• Convince other people to work with you
• Earn a client’s confidence
• And more!

You can request a certificate of insurance (COI) when you purchase your policy through Simply Business, which you can use to provide proof of coverage.

Florist Insurance FAQs

Why Choose Simply Business?

Choosing the right florist insurance can feel like a daunting task, especially when you have a lot of choices.

At Simply Business, we make it easy to choose an affordable insurance policy that’s tailored to you. We’re an online insurance brokerage that helps small business owners like you to find and compare policies from the country’s most trusted insurance companies.

We’re also one of the fastest-growing online providers of small business insurance, thanks to the thousands of customers who trust us to protect their growing businesses.

So why choose Simply Business? It’s, well, simple:

We’re fast and affordable. There’s always something to do in your business, so we won’t waste your time. You can get free quotes and get covered in under 10 minutes.

We’re flexible with coverage. We’re here to help whether you’re preparing for your first day, first employee, or a growth spurt.

We get your business. Forget one-size-fits-all insurance. You deserve a policy that’s as unique as you are.

You’ve worked day in and day out to establish your floral shop. That’s why we’re committed to offering the best coverage to protect your business.

This content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal, tax, accounting, investment, or any other form of professional advice.