Beginner’s Guide To General Liability Insurance For Newbie Pet Groomers

So you want in on the $72 billion pet grooming industry? You’ve gone through the training; you’re certified; you’ve sorted the legal mumbo jumbo (LLC? Sole proprietorship?); you have the space (mobile or fixed storefront?), and the equipment.

Phew.

You’ve done the marketing, and, from word of mouth, you already have a few clients lined up.

It’s time to jump in, right?

No, not just yet.

The Next Step Is to Get Insured. Why?

The long and short of it is, you want to give your clients (and yourself) peace of mind. There’s no need to get into the long (long, long) list of reasons why you need coverage. Just get it; then everyone’s covered, and you look professional.

There are enough pet grooming insurance options to make your head spin. Let’s simplify and take a look at General Liability Insurance.

1. What Kind of Insurance?

General Liability Insurance, sometimes known as Business Insurance or Commercial General Liability Insurance, helps cover bodily or property damage related to the running of your business (that does not directly pertain to your services).

2. Who’s It for?

It’s for small and big business owners alike—for anyone that deals directly with customers.

3. What Does It Cover?

• Property damage: An owner walks their dog in when the pup lunges at another client, causing them to drop and break their cell phone. The new phone would be covered.

• Third Party Bodily Injury: Your client’s walking their dog in, and they fall. It’d help cover medical bills.

• Reputational Harm: This includes slander, libel, wrongful eviction, false advertising, or misleading claims.

• Advertising Injury: One of your ads incidentally looks exactly like the one down the street. You thought you’d woken up with the idea, but it turns out you’re not that creative. In the case of copyright infringement, you’re covered.

4. What Does General Liability Insurance Pay for?

• Legal fees
• Medical expenses
• Judgments
• Settlements
• Property damage

5. But, What Will It Cost You?

It depends. There are exceptions on both ends, but US pet groomers spend, on average, between $300 and $700 per year on general liability coverage. Here are some factors to consider that could affect your bottom dollar:

• bigger business = higher cost
• more employees = higher cost
• business is in a highly populated area = higher cost
• higher revenue = higher cost

6. What It Doesn’t Cover

General Liability Insurance does not cover anything incurred during the rendering of your services. For that, you’d need to contract Professional Liability Insurance.

Nor does it cover you should anything happen to your employees while they’re on the job. For that, you’d need to add-on Workers Compensation.

These are policies you can tack onto your General Liability policy or buy bundled as a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP).

Still Not Convinced?

But it’s just a pet grooming business, not an ammunition factory. What could go wrong?

Take a look at our list of reasons to get liability insurance for your pet grooming business: legal fees, medical expenses, judgments, settlements, property damage. Can you afford to pay these expenses?

References:

1. Agency, B. I. (2020, May 01). General Liability Insurance. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.boltinsurance.com/solution/commercial-general-liability-insurance/

2. Insurance Company, H. F. (2020). General Liability Insurance. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.thehartford.com/general-liability-insurance

3. Muir, R. (2016, May 18). 13 Reasons Why Groomers Need Pet Grooming Insurance. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.petcareins.com/blog/13-reasons-why-groomers-need-pet-grooming-insurance

4. Pet Products Association, American. (2020). Pet Industry Market Size & Ownership Statistics. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp

5. Solutions, V. I. (2019, January 31). Pet Groomer Insurance. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.petcareins.com/pet-groomer-insurance