When you start a business you don’t quite know the whole scope of what you’re getting into. You might have a basic idea of what you think you need to do to run a successful business…

But in reality, running a business is like an iceberg. There’s the part you see above the water (aka what you see on social media) and then a whole heap that goes on below the water and behind the scenes that you don’t see.

What’s going on below the water is often not shown or talked about enough but it is super important to be aware of. Insurance is one of these things.

I’m not an insurance wizard, but I do know one… I invited the magical Casey Fenton onto the How I Do Content Podcast to simplify insurance for you.

Let me introduce you to Casey Fenton

Casey is the Founder and Managing Director at Sparksure which offers Insurance solutions for millennials, by millennials. 

Casey is a self-confessed insurance nerd who loves getting into the nitty gritty of insurance policies. She’s been part of the insurance world for almost 10 years now and has a Diploma in Insurance Broking Services.

Casey gets a kick out of empowering business owners through education and helping them to free up their schedule, so they can focus on the important stuff – nurturing their business!

In 2019 Casey had a light bulb moment when she identified a gap in the insurance broking market – the millennial business owner. Over the past 4 years, she’s been on a relentless pursuit to close this gap, and earlier this year she officially launched Sparksure.

She’s focused on rewriting the old, boring rule book and is making insurance solutions accessible, impactful and aligned for motivated business owners. And, as a business owner now herself, she understands the importance of smart insurance solutions made simple.

Things You’ll Learn in this Episode of How I Do Content

• Why insurance is so important as a business owner
• The reason Casey created Sparksure and how they’re changing the game in the insurance industry
• How Casey is finding the transition from working for a company to running her own business

TL;DL version:

Business insurance doesn’t have to feel scary.

Finding the right insurance for your business doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. Having the right broker helping you means you don’t have to know all the ins and outs of lengthy insurance policies. They bring your attention to the important parts (and help you gloss over the not-so-important parts) so you can have peace of mind knowing that you have the right level of protection for your business and clients.

What insurance cover do small businesses actually need?

When it comes to the types of insurance policies available, Casey likes to categorise them for her clients into the insurance that is considered:

• The nice-to-haves

• The need-to-haves

• The must-haves

It’s not always possible to predict or estimate what you may be held liable for in the operation of your business – so it’s important to know you’re going to be fully covered in any worst-case scenarios.

Not every business requires the same kinds of insurance cover.

Different products and services will carry different risks. For example, as an insurance broker – the risk of Casey’s business causing personal injury or property damage to her clients is highly unlikely (but still not absolutely zero). Working with an expert will help you select the right insurance cover specifically for your business.

Whether you’re product or service-based, at an absolute minimum Casey recommends public and product liability insurance.

Top 4 small business insurance cover recommendations

1. Public and products liability insurance

This insurance is there to protect you in the event a third party (e.g. a client, customer, business owner etc.) holds you or your business responsible for personal injury that has occurred, or property damage as a result of your services or physical products.

2. Cyber insurance

Considered the ‘new kid on the block’ – cyber insurance is something that has been on the rise in the past 5-10 years. If your business heavily relies on the internet for income, or is at risk due to things like hacking – then cyber insurance is something that needs to be on your radar!

3. Professional indemnity insurance

This is mainly for the service-based business peeps and protects you regarding any advice (or lack of advice) you provide to your clients. 

4. Workers compensation

This is for any businesses that plan to employ staff – and in some cases, contractors can fall under this category too.

Make an informed decision.

Ensuring your business is protected with insurance, is not one of the ‘sexy’ things we often think about doing up front when starting out. However; Casey always recommends at the very least, chatting to a broker so you can make an informed decision, either way.

Choosing a generic insurance policy without doing proper research, can result in a level of cover that won’t actually be helpful in the event of an insurance claim. Which means it becomes a very expensive piece of paper!

Why use an insurance broker?

Having a good insurance broker means having someone to walk you through the important parts of insurance policies – like exclusions or terms and conditions in your insurance cover contract. They can also ensure you’re getting the right kind of protection you would actually need to consider for your business.

The world of insurance hasn’t evolved as fast as the world of small business. Some careers look completely different these days to what they did in the past. There are new job roles – like virtual assistants, that are popping up in the entrepreneurial landscape. It can be tricky to know just what category some businesses fit into when it comes to insurance and so it’s important to ensure you are receiving the correct type of insurance based on the work you do. 

Insurance tailored to millennials 

Sparksure was born when Casey perceived a gap in the market for millennial business owners. The small business owners who didn’t feel understood by some of the mainstream, bigger insurance corporations.

Starting her own business has given Casey first-hand experience in the life of a startup. And even though she would speak to many business owners, she didn’t truly ‘get it’ until she was in the same entrepreneurial boat.

Trailblazing in the insurance world

A big driving force in setting up her own insurance agency was for Casey to establish more work/life balance when it came to her career. From its inception, Casey implemented a 4-day work week at Sparksure for this reason.

She also knew that she wanted to provide innovation-tailored insurance solutions, especially for millennial and Gen Z business owners, but wasn’t going to have the ability to pursue this through her previous employer.

The road less travelled can feel a little lonely

In a traditionally very conservative industry, Casey encountered bouts of imposter syndrome when launching her business into the world. And in speaking with her psychologist – a successful business owner herself, she was reminded that going against the grain can often feel like a lonely experience.

In times like this, Casey leans into the things she knows to help her feel empowered and confident – like exercise. 

A big part of the Sparksure vibe is to find new ways of doing the usual things to make them feel more aligned and enjoyable. Whether it’s shaking up the client processes that can feel like a drag, or swapping social media engagement out for client work in the mornings. And this is something Casey wants to continue for all her employees as her business grows!

Connect with Casey Fenton

• Follow Casey on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseymfenton 
• Follow SparkSure on Instagram @spark.sure
• Book a Free Consult with Casey at https://calendly.com/caseyfenton-sparksure

Want More?

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