5 Reasons Why Florists Need Business Insurance

Every rose has its thorn, as they say. And every flower shop has its ups and downs. Some days are full of fragrant blooms, thrilled customers and perfectly balanced bouquets. Others are full of tight deadlines, cranky clients and unforeseen accidents.

For the latter, business insurance for florists will have your back so you can do your job with confidence. Here are five scenarios that demonstrate how a policy can make or break your company.

A client slips in some water spillage while visiting your shop

A vase full of newly cut stems dribbled as you were carrying it across the store. You were just about to grab your towel and wipe it up when—someone wipes out instead. General liability coverage helps protect your business in the event that you’re responsible for an accident. It can help with court costs, medical bills and damages.

Your commercial vehicle breaks down on the way to an event

You’re halfway to a baby shower when smoke starts billowing out from underneath the hood of your van. You’re going to be late, if you can still make the event at all.

Of course, your client already paid for all your painstaking arrangements and they expect them to show up at a certain time. If you can no longer fulfill your agreed-upon contract, professional liability insurance “provides protection for you in the event that an error or omission on your part has caused a financial loss for your client.”

A customer claims you ruined their wedding

As a florist, you can only control so much. Sometimes you’re at the whims of growers, weather patterns and Mother Nature. Let’s say, the week before your client’s big wedding, there’s a local shortage on freesias. Usually, that wouldn’t be the end of the world. There are other white flowers you could substitute. But in this case, your clients chose freesias because they were the star of their junior prom corsages, which was their first date. When you explain that you won’t be able to fill the bouquets with freesias, they flip out and threaten to sue.

Again, professional liability insurance is clutch here. Even if they don’t win the court case, having this type of coverage will ensure that you’re not drowning in legal fees by the end of it.

A burst pipe damages your inventory and specialty equipment

A burst pipe in the ceiling has flooded your store, rendering your flowers soggy, your refrigerators waterlogged and your carpeting moldy. It’s a mess. Fortunately, it’s less detrimental if you have property insurance to replace your inventory and equipment. Optional business interruption coverage can cover your finances during downtime.

Your employee nicks themselves with a sharp cutting tool

Your assistant is trimming a tree you have for sale when the pruning shears slips and cuts their thumb deeply. They wrap it up and head to the emergency room for stitches. Unfortunately, due to the depth of the cut, they won’t be able to return to work right away, and may even need physical therapy to use their hand properly again. In this case, workers’ compensation will kick in to cover their medical costs, time off work and rehabilitation costs.

Find business insurance for florists using CoverHound’s easy comparison tool today.