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Downsizer Forum Index -> Small Business Questions, Ideas and Advice

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Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 13 5:33 pm Post subject:

Tried that!

The annoying thing is that I just wanted house & contents insurance for the house & contents, not the business tools, not the stock, not the takings, not the floats.
But they are worried that unspecified miscreants might decide that we are rich beyond the dreams of avarice and that our stock is made from Gold, Silver & Virgins' Tears and we are therefore burglarable.

Of possibly just that we aren't as a friend put it "Mr & Mrs 9-5 living in a little box on an estate".

Honestly, I feel like giving up and claiming benefit. 'Twould be a whole lot easier and I'd have spare time to go to events and pose around with nice handmade things I'd made myself

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 13 5:40 pm Post subject:

I felt like that last week when wading through the new EU cosmetic regulations that come in as of June. Its all do-able, but I will need a solid week of paperwork to get all my stuff into compliance, and time is the thing I have least of at the moment. Almost threw up my hands in horror and decided to stop doing the soaps, especially as they only make us about �50 a year, but then took several deep breaths, had a stiff drink, and decided that locking myself into a room for a week with the paperwork was probably more fun than signing on.

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 13 5:47 pm Post subject:
What with last week's health scare and this week's insurance nightmare I'm not really certain that I want to carry on.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4630
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 13 5:52 pm Post subject:

Midland Spinner wrote:

What with last week's health scare and this week's insurance nightmare I'm not really certain that I want to carry on.

I hope it's just a cruddy week or two and things get back on track for you.

derbyshiredowser

Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 980
Location: derbyshire

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 13 9:34 pm Post subject:

Midland Spinner wrote:

What with last week's health scare and this week's insurance nightmare I'm not really certain that I want to carry on.

Well if it's any encouragement I think you've a brilliant well laid out stand with excellent products and I've never met anyone with such an inside knowledge of the construction of victorian pews as Hugh

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 13 9:47 am Post subject:

derbyshiredowser wrote:

Midland Spinner wrote:

What with last week's health scare and this week's insurance nightmare I'm not really certain that I want to carry on.

Thanks! That's what you get when a woodworker carefully takes apart someone else's work with a view to modifying it.

He's just gone out to the workshop to see if he can make a bed out of the offcuts of the cut down pews.

They started life at 10' so there's a fair amount of extra timber, and he thinks that it might make a nice bed.

mark

Joined: 14 Jul 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Leeds

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 13 1:51 pm Post subject:

There are benefits and setbacks to business from home.

The benefits include being able to claim against tax the cost of heating lighting, furnishing with deck computer etc any space you decide to set aside exclusively for business use.

One of the setbacks is insurance. If your business and home insurance is the same address you'll still pay less than if you had a separate business address - but more than if it was just your home!

Insurers compete on home insurance prices by making it standard - you just tick the box and they assume everyone is more or less the same risk. So they save assessment and actuary costs. But once you have a business you can't just tick the box for normal home insurance.

Every business is different - some make things using metal and gas welding gear. Some involve storing dangerous materials. Some involve visitors to the premises. Businesses that have nothing dangerous used in production and no visitors but use mail order may store flammable packing materials but in property not subject to fire inspections!

This means some insurers - aimed at budget domestic market will simply say we don't do that - we provide cheap domestic insurance to those who we don't need to spend money assessing.

Others will charge you because you are no longer "bog standard" but need a tailor made policy. They are only doing the same you do if you charge more for craft items than mass produced items when they do the same job!

The problem is that if you have a business they DO have to assess you even if they decide you are no extra risk and that assessment costs them.

If you go for someone like ecclesiastical or endsleigh you'll probably pay a little more but save yourself loads of hassle and stress and get the personalized service you now need.

earthyvirgo

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 7972
Location: creating prints in the loft, Gerlan

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 13 2:08 pm Post subject:

Midland Spinner wrote:

They started life at 10' so there's a fair amount of extra timber, and he thinks that it might make a nice bed.

That IS lovely.

EV

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 13 3:03 pm Post subject:

mark wrote:

We don't expect more for the same, but the blanket "We don't cover that" was a shock*. Especially as the next people I asked also just said "no, go away". It really sounded as if we just wouldn't be able to get any insurance on our home. I now have one quote for insurance which acknowledges our business activities,(but doesn't cover them). It's more expensive, but at least it's an offer of insurance.

*Particularly as they were starting to get a bit annoyed with us for "not telling them last year", until he went away and listened to the recording which proved that we had told them, but they hadn't noted it.

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 13 3:04 pm Post subject:

earthyvirgo wrote:

Midland Spinner wrote:

They started life at 10' so there's a fair amount of extra timber, and he thinks that it might make a nice bed.

That IS lovely.

EV

Thanks! Unfortunately it didn't sell at that event so will have to come with us to another.

Nell Merionwen

Joined: 02 Jun 2008
Posts: 16300
Location: Beautiful Derbyshire

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 13 4:02 pm Post subject:
It's stunning. If I currently had the funds I would have to give it a home

Paradise Regained

Joined: 22 Dec 2011
Posts: 63
Location: In a sand quarry

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 13 8:11 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the nice comments - its mostly the work of Victorians - My work was to shorten it from the original 10ft in a sympathetic manner.

If it doesn't sell soon and we run out of room in the van and house I'll lend it to you Nell!!

I'm now trying to make a bed out of the "offcuts" but the grey matter is a bit addled after all the insurance issues. Now that demon seems to be receeding perhaps progress will get better.

three ravens

Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Posts: 35
Location: aberaeron wales

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 13 9:40 am Post subject:
have you had a word with the N.M.T.F membership gives you public libility to trade,their van insurance has been the cheapest for the last 2 years they also do stock/van contents

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 13 9:42 am Post subject:

earthyvirgo wrote:

NFU do mine MidlandSpinner.
House and my Business combined.

When there was a business based here, they did mine too.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 13 9:47 am Post subject:

three ravens wrote:

have you had a word with the N.M.T.F membership gives you public libility to trade,their van insurance has been the cheapest for the last 2 years they also do stock/van contents

I used to use them for trading insurance, but as they don't cover any internet/distance sales, it became pointless when these days as much if not more sales come through email enquiries after an event rather than purely in face to face market situations.

These days I use the Ian Wallace Craftsman Insurance, which is incrediby sane and flexible and covers internet sales, teaching and lots of other things as long as you tell him exactly how your business tends to operate. He even covered me for the use of open fires near the public when demonstrating. About the same price as NMTF too.

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