Any business like any individual needs to get insured as there is always a risk of loss either intentional like miscreants raking havoc or unintentional like natural calamities. Business insurance is different from personal insurance in the aspect that while your residence may have assets, it doesn't have employees or machinery like a business house nor do residences have liabilities. So, it is important for a businessman to get those insured.
Business houses are not a standalone entity like your car or house. In most of the cases, business houses serve the public. That brings an expectation of responsible conduct to the business owner and their operations. Any disappointment, brought upon by the seeming lack of this conduct can lead to a lawsuit against the business house. No matter how well you plan, after all "to err is human" and even trivial apparent misconduct can bring a lawsuit against you. And if not insured, you may have to pay for the lawsuit from your own pocket.
The most basic type of business insurance covers basic areas of your business. The common example is commercial lines insurance. Many business houses go for this type of insurance. The other common type is professional liability insurance which is very helpful, especially if you are offering services to public. This second type of insurance is rather costly and is optional for business houses, offering products. Along with these two, most common policies cover basic needs of any business house. But even then you may not be sufficiently insured if you are offering some unique service or product. It is also not sufficient if you are shifting your business domain which will lead to change of risks involved and assets probably.
Professional services can be included in this as a professional is someone who sells his expertise and knowledge of some specific area. Like products can cause harm or machinery can get stolen, professionals are prone to make an error or omit something mistakenly which may lead to malfunctioning of services and can bring on a lawsuit. One should be sufficiently covered against this.
Thus, it is very important to know what type of insurance your business needs. Depending on the business domain, you may need commercial liability insurance or an "errors and omissions insurance". It is also important to find the correct insurance agent who can help you with his knowledge and know-how of insurances. Unless you cover your business properly, you are risking not only your business but the dreams and livelihood.
