Excessive liabilities can destroy a business. Leaving too many liabilities unattended to is an easy thing to overlook, but to run a successful business, it is something you need to be cautious of. You can have a lawsuit brought against your business for any number of reasons, which will risk you losing time, money, and public standing. However, there are a few basic things to keep track of, especially when first starting a business, that will keep your business safe from potential liability risks.
Lawyers
Hiring competent lawyers of all types to defend your business is a good first step. It is impossible to eliminate all liability entirely, so having a line of defense in place in the event that you do have a lawsuit brought against you is important. Contract lawyers, litigators, and even personal injury lawyers can all be useful assets for your business to have. Be prepared for any situation that requires your business to defend itself, no matter how unlikely the circumstances might seem. It is better to over prepare than be blindsided and lose a case that could cost you your business.
Insurance
Purchasing the kind of business insurance that applies best to your situation is another safety cushion for you to land on if you do find yourself being sued. Be sure to research what kind of business insurance you need. If your business is based out of your home, your homeowners' insurance will not cover any losses your business may suffer. In addition, certain types of insurance specific to liability can be important assets. Depending on your needs, you could look into general liability insurance, product liability insurance, or professional liability insurance.
Triple Check Everything
Everything that anyone in your business puts in writing must be accurate. This applies to marketing statements, contracts you sign, and even social media posts. If your business promises something that it cannot or does not deliver on, lawsuits are imminent, especially in situations involving legal documents. This is another use that lawyers will serve. Run every public statement your business plans on making through a lawyer first to check that you aren't unintentionally doing or claiming something illegal. They should be able to aid you in crafting your statements to represent your business in the best way possible.
Safety
Take steps that attempt to protect everyone who happens to be on your business's property. Even if an unfortunate accident that results in an injury occurs, if your business has taken steps to reasonably ensure the safety of people on the property, your case will be much stronger. Research the laws and guidelines enforced by OSHA, and make sure that your property complies with all of them. Not only will this make your property safer, but it will also prevent you from having to pay thousands of dollars in fines for failing to meet workplace safety requirements.
Quality Assurance
If your business is one that sells physical products, quality assurance is one of the best ways to keep customers happy and keep lawsuits out of their minds. Listen to feedback from customers and prevent them from voicing similar concerns in the future by using quality assurance to fix the issue. Quality assurance in conjunction with customer service makes customers feel valued and feel like their voices are heard. It is a great way to retain customers even if they are dissatisfied at first. If they feel like their concerns are heard, they are more likely to return.
There are two main parts to dealing with liability issues: preventing liabilities in the first place and having safety nets to fall back on when those initial measures fail. Both are necessary. It is impossible to predict everything that is going to happen, and it is impossible to entirely remove all liabilities. So, knowing how to keep everyone safe, and knowing how to deal with the consequences if everyone does not remain safe is an important business skill to possess.