Business Insurance by Industry
Pick your type of business to see the insurance questions that come with your work, the coverage worth discussing and a clear next step toward a quote.
Construction and Property Services
Retail, Ecommerce and Manufacturing
Beauty and Personal Care
Fitness and Wellness
Real Estate and Property
Professional and Creative
Startups and Technology
Care Services
Automotive
Hospitality and Venues
Nonprofits and Community
Starting with a coverage question?
Use our new-business guide for opening milestones, or browse business insurance by city.
- General liability
- Professional liability
- Workers’ compensation
- Business Owner’s Policy
- Commercial auto
- Product liability
- Cyber insurance
- Crime bonds
- Commercial umbrella
- Employment practices liability
- Commercial property
- Tools and equipment
- Contractor and surety bonds
- Liquor liability
- Directors and officers
- Contractors pollution liability
Find the guide closest to your daily work
Each industry guide starts with what actually happens in your business: who visits, what you sell, the equipment you rely on and where the work takes you. That makes it easier to walk into an insurance conversation with the right questions already in hand.
Some businesses span two categories, such as a groomer who also walks dogs or a café that caters. Start with the closest match, like the groomer and dog walker guide or the childcare center guide, then add the rest of your services when you reach out.
Pairing an industry guide with your city
An industry guide explains the work; a city page adds the setting. A cafe in a San Francisco lab building, a contractor on warehouse jobs in the Inland Empire and a food truck near Fresno each start from their industry guide, then pick up local resources and questions from their city page.
If your business is missing from the list, choose the guide with the closest daily routine. A dog trainer can begin with the pet groomer and dog walker guide, a bookkeeper or tutor with consultants, and a mobile detailer with auto repair plus commercial auto. Then describe the differences when you reach out, so nothing about your real work gets lost.
Questions every industry guide asks
The guides differ in detail, yet the same core questions run through all of them. Answering these for your own business is a strong head start before any quote.
From guide to quote
After reading your guide, jot down the parts that match your business and the parts that do not. That short list is exactly what an insurance conversation needs, and it slots neatly into the business insurance quote checklist.
Eligible businesses can also begin with an online quote and keep personal help close by through the inquiry form. Whichever route you take, the notes from your guide make each question on the screen or on the phone easier to answer.
A few useful answers
Common questions
What insurance does a small business in California need first?
Workers’ compensation is required in California as soon as you have an employee, and any vehicle the business owns needs auto liability coverage under state law. Most businesses then start with general liability, or a Business Owner’s Policy when there is property to protect, and add commercial auto if vehicles are used for work. A lease or client contract may name others.
Can I discuss insurance before deciding which policy to buy?
Yes. Share a concise description of your business and the coverage questions you want to discuss.
What if my business is not listed?
Start with the guide closest to your daily work, then describe the differences when you reach out. The questions about premises, people, vehicles and contracts apply to every business.
Can Mithril1 quote a business that does several kinds of work?
It can, when an insurer accepts the mix. Read each guide that matches part of your work first, and we describe each activity on one application; some insurers write all of it in one package, and others need a separate policy for one part, such as a catering arm or a delivery van.
Which coverage page should I read after my industry guide?
Start with the policy your guide mentions most. For many small businesses that is general liability or a Business Owner’s Policy, followed by workers’ compensation once the first employee joins.