Insurance: Do You Need It?Insurance is a sore

Insurance: Do You Need It?

Insurance is a sore subject for most businesses. For the work-at-home entrepreneur with a virtual corporation, it is tempting to decide you don't need it. In many cases this is true: you don't need as many types of insurance as big corporations, nor do you need enormous policies. However, there are a few types of insurance you should consider investing in as the owner of a virtual corporation.
* Health insurance: Even if you don't have employees, you should still have health insurance for yourself. Many state governments offer affordable family health coverage for entrepreneurs and individual business owners-and whatever you end up paying, it will be far cheaper than the $5,000 to $10,000 in medical bills you would incur with an uninsured hospital stay.
* Content/property insurance: Your property insurance probably covers your home office, as it is located on your property. Check with your insurance company to be certain. If you have a lot of equipment in your home office, however, you should consider a separate content policy to cover it in case of theft or fire, flood, or other natural disasters.
* Disability and workers' compensation: If you're an individual running a business by yourself, or plan to hire only contractors, you don't need disability or workers' comp. However, if you hire permanent employees you will probably need both. Most states require employers to carry workers' compensation insurance. Check with your state government for their policies if you decide to hire an employee.
* Business interruption insurance: This is a great policy for the individual business owner. If your business is interrupted due to illness, injury, or a number of other factors, business interruption insurance will pay a percentage of your normal earnings while you get back on your feet. This can help to ensure you won't lose your business if your are forced to close temporarily.

Once you have your home or small business office set up, you can move on to the most exciting part of your virtual corporation-creating a big-time presence on a small-time budget! The following section discusses specific methods for making your business look and sound professional, even if you're running the show yourself. Let's make some magic!
BE A MAGICIAN

Running a virtual corporation is an amazing feat. Most of your customers will never meet you face to face or step into your office. The only aspects of your company the general public will encounter are your web site, and your product. Everything else happens behind the scenes.

Successful virtual corporation owners know that the bigger and more professional you come across to clients, the more impressed and likely to recommend you to others they will be. Word of mouth is the most powerful method of advertising in existence, and maintaining the virtual illusion is the key to generating powerful buzz that will elevate your corporation to success.

Why you must look bigger than you are

The power of professionalism cannot be understated. When consumers visit your web site, it is as vital to impress them with appearances as it would be for a brick-and-mortar establishment to maintain a clean, professional atmosphere. Because of the ease and accessibility associated with setting up web sites, anyone can put one up-and as a result, there are millions of sites that appear sloppy and amateurish, and therefore do not succeed.