However, you realise there is more to life and decide to go on your own. Having done this personally, there is nothing more liberating and it is worthwhile to be your own boss.

One of the many things you will need to do at the start, is to get yourself a small business insurance quote, if you are happy with this, it will then progress into a policy that will provide vital protection for your business.

Going back to all of the tasks that you undertake, one of these will be collection and delivery of stock and products you have supplied or manufactured. As you start and grow, it is unlikely that you will use a third party courier to do this for you. So, you will use your own car or van. If any of your stock is stolen or the vehicle is involved in an accident and the stock is damaged, then you will be out of pocket.

This is where you need to make sure that the business insurance policy that you get, includes cover for goods in transit. Many policies do, with a standard limit of £2,000, which can of course be increased if required.

The good thing is, that you do not need to specify the vehicle or the registration. As long as the vehicle is one that is used by employees, partners, owners or directors, then you will be covered. Watch out for the excess, anything more than £250 is too high and also check any terms regarding losses in unattended vehicles overnight.

So, fifteen minutes tops, can you get a small business insurance quote in that time? The answer, in 2010, is yes. But, you need to be selective about where you go, who you speak to and importantly, what information you have to hand. The best way to get yourself a decent, quick quote is to speak to an online business insurance broker. Make sure that they are independent (check their website) and that they have the ability to do a “whole of market” search.

For example, if you are looking for a shop insurance quote, if you spend more than 15 minutes on the phone discussing this for a quote then there really is something wrong. Most commercial and business insurance companies have standard packages for most types of business (pubs, hotels, shops, office’s etc). For this reason, they only need about 10 or 15 questions answered and this will give you the quote you need.

As a service standard, we aim to provide a full written quote, via email, within two hours of your call in 90% of cases.

So, we are not saying that you should look for a quote when you should be hiding and finding your Easter eggs, but when you are back at work, fully refreshed after the Bank Holidays, give us a call and see what we can do for you.

Most people know that there is no miracle cure, you just need to do two things, reduce your food intake and do more exercise.

If you are looking for a small business insurance quote, you will also have seen many adverts promising to save you money, guaranteeing to beat any other quote or offering to compare business insurance.

Buying insurance can be a confusing process to go through. Because it is not the most interesting of topics (except to those of us who work with it day in, day out) people don’t generally have the time to read through 10, 20 or 30 page quotations.

Yes, you may have got a better premium, but at what cost for cover. All policies, apart from the name and branding, physically look the same. They are pieces of paper with a cover. But, it is a legal contract between you, the business owner, and the capacity provider, underwriter or insurer. If the terms and conditions are not favourable (compared to others) you are stuck in the event of a claim because you chose the policy.

There has only ever been one way to get a great deal, speak to a broker. Don’t waste your time filling in pages and pages of web forms, get on the blower and speak to a human being. They will discuss what you need, what you can afford and what is available, then they will look around on your behalf to get the best deal.

When we are describing business assets, we mean tools, computers, stock and other equipment which the business has legal title to. You do not have to be a limited company,  this will apply equally to sole traders and partnerships.

A basic policy can provide you with your business liability insurance covers for a few hundred pounds. However, if you sit down and list all of the current business assets and their current replacement cost. Then, add up your current stock holding and you may be surprised at how much it would cost to replace the physical assets that belong to the business.

It depends on the type of policy you have whether you can additionally include portable items such as laptops, mobile phones and P.D.A’s away from business. These items are more likely to be damaged or stolen. If you do have the occasional business trip to Europe or elsewhere, make sure that you policy covers you for this.

As with all quotes and covers, speak to a professional broker and get some free advice and a few different premiums so you can decide what cover you will take out.

Basic economics was ignored in the pursuit of growth at all costs. The banking industry has had a wake up call, and the alarm bell continues to ring. Maybe in 2012 to 2015 things may get better.

But, there are other sides to the UK financial services industry, which are not at such a disdvantage. Commercial insurance has been a mainstay of British financial services, long before banking raked in the profits.

Some people consider the insurance industry as needing a shake up, but those if us that work in it, whilst we accept there are faults, are quite happy most of the time to work in an industry that plods along.

There are some innovations though and as young blood comes into the industry, these are happening more often and nearly always they are to the benefit of the customer.

If you are looking for a small business insurance quote, one of the main things you look at is the premium. You will usually also want to consider spreading the cost of this premium. One of the recent developments we have seen is that insurers are quite keen to allow you to spread the cost over 6, 10 or 12 months.

Many of the newer, more modern insurers, are prepared to provide credit to allow this to be interest free, so you do not pay extra. Unlike the banks, they are not giving away vast millions of pounds credit, without much chance of getting it back.

What they will do is allow credit for your insurance premium, they are able to do this because, if you default, the insurance is cancelled so there is no loss of money for the insurers.

So, if you are looking to spread the cost, look for the 0% option.