Table of Contents
I’ve been a business consultant here in Utah for over 15 years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the spirit of the pioneer is alive and well in our entrepreneurs.
We are a state of builders, innovators, and dreamers.
I’ve had the privilege of sitting across the table from hundreds of them, feeling the raw energy of a new idea, and helping them map out their journey to success.
One of the most promising was a woman I’ll call Clara.
Clara was a true artist.
She started a small artisan bakery in a trendy Salt Lake City neighborhood, and her creations were nothing short of magic.
We worked together on her business plan, secured a lease, and watched as her passion turned into a thriving local hub.
Like most new business owners, she was laser-focused on every penny.
When it came time for insurance, she did what so many do: she went online, found the cheapest General Liability policy that met her landlord’s minimum requirements, and checked the box.
She thought she was covered.
She thought she was safe.
Six months later, it all came crashing down.
A supplier was delivering a 50-pound sack of flour.
The floor had just been mopped.
He slipped.
It wasn’t a catastrophic injury—a broken wrist and some time off work—but it was enough.
The supplier filed a claim.
Clara, stressed but confident, called her insurance company.
The denial came a week later.
Buried on page 27 of her “bargain” policy was a specific exclusion for injuries to “vendors, suppliers, or their agents” that occurred during “loading or unloading operations.”
The lawsuit that followed wasn’t for millions.
It was for about $50,000, a figure that falls squarely within the range of moderate injury settlements in Utah.1
But for Clara’s fledgling business, with its tight margins and reinvested profits, it was a death sentence.
It wasn’t the accident that killed her dream; it was the illusion of protection.
It was the gap between
thinking you’re covered and actually being covered.
That failure was my wake-up call.
It forced me to question the standard advice we give entrepreneurs.
It revealed a fundamental flaw in how we approach risk.
This guide is the result of that painful journey.
It’s not a list of insurance products.
It’s a new framework, born from failure, designed to help you, the Utah entrepreneur, build a truly resilient business—not just buy a piece of paper that might fail you when you need it most.
Part I: The Common Trail of Tears – Why “Standard” Insurance Advice Fails Utah Businesses
Before we can build a better approach, we have to understand why the old one is so dangerous.
For Utah business owners, the path to an insurance disaster is paved with good intentions and bad assumptions, starting with a fundamental misunderstanding of the landscape.
The Utah Paradox: Legally Optional, Practically Mandatory
Here is the first and perhaps most dangerous trap for a Utah entrepreneur: with a few exceptions, the state does not legally require you to carry General Liability insurance.2
When a new business owner, already juggling a dozen other startup costs, hears the word “optional,” they often translate it to “unnecessary” or “something I can put off.” This is a catastrophic misinterpretation.
While the state legislature may not mandate it, the ecosystem of commerce absolutely does.
The “real law” governing your insurance needs isn’t written in the Utah Code; it’s written into your commercial lease, your client contracts, and your professional licensing requirements.
Landlords in Salt Lake City and across the state almost universally require tenants to carry General Liability coverage, often with specific minimum limits, and to name the landlord as an “additional insured”.5
Major clients, especially in business-to-business services or construction, will not sign a contract without seeing your Certificate of Insurance (COI).7
For many contractors, from electricians to plumbers, holding an active license is contingent upon proving you have adequate liability coverage.8
This creates a paradox.
The lack of a state mandate lulls entrepreneurs into a false sense of security, causing them to de-prioritize insurance and view it as a low-cost checkbox item.
They aren’t shopping for protection; they’re shopping for the cheapest piece of paper that will satisfy a landlord.
They fail to recognize the fundamental transaction that is occurring: the landlord or client is transferring their risk onto the small business.
The entrepreneur’s greatest threat isn’t a fine from the state; it’s facing a million-dollar lawsuit that they have contractually agreed to be responsible for, all while being barred from the very premises or projects they need to operate.
The path to failure is clear: the state says “optional,” the landlord says “mandatory,” the cash-strapped entrepreneur hears “optional” louder, they buy a cheap policy to get the keys to their new space, a simple slip-and-fall occurs, the policy’s hidden exclusion is triggered, and the business is now liable for a claim it can’t pay and is in breach of its lease.
One seemingly small decision creates a cascade of failure.
The Anatomy of an “Insurance Nightmare”
In forums and private conversations with business owners, the phrase “insurance nightmare” comes up with heartbreaking frequency.9
This nightmare is the direct result of the paradox described above.
It’s a state of crisis born from a handful of common, avoidable mistakes.
A recent survey revealed a shocking statistic: 90% of small business owners are not completely confident they have enough insurance coverage.11
That lack of confidence is justified.
The most common mistakes are a litany of poor risk management:
- Underinsuring: Choosing policy limits that are too low to cover the real cost of a potential lawsuit or disaster, often to save a few dollars on the premium.12
- Failing to Understand Exclusions: Like Clara, countless business owners are blindsided by what their policy doesn’t cover. They assume “General Liability” is a blanket of protection, not a contract with carefully defined boundaries.12
- Relying on Personal Insurance: Many home-based business owners or those who use their personal car for work mistakenly believe their homeowner’s or personal auto policy will cover a business-related claim. With very few exceptions, they will not.12
- Failing to Update Coverage: A policy that was adequate on day one can become dangerously insufficient as the business grows. Hiring new employees, buying equipment, or moving to a larger space all change the risk profile, yet owners often “set it and forget it,” leaving themselves exposed.13
The true cost of this “nightmare” isn’t just the final bill from a lawsuit.
It’s the immense drain on an entrepreneur’s most finite and precious resources: their time, their focus, and their emotional stamina.
When a crisis hits, the owner is pulled away from running the business—from sales, from innovation, from leading their team—and thrown into a vortex of adjusters, depositions, and mind-numbing paperwork.16
The business bleeds out not just from the financial wound, but from the owner’s diverted attention.
Ultimately, these nightmares are a symptom of a deeper problem: a transactional mindset.
Entrepreneurs are conditioned to treat insurance like any other expense: a commodity to be acquired at the lowest possible price.
This is a fatal error.
Insurance is not a commodity like office paper.
It is a complex legal contract that forms the bedrock of a strategic risk management plan.12
The failure to shift from a
purchasing mindset to a strategic one is the true source of these preventable tragedies.
Part II: The Handcart Epiphany – A New Framework for Understanding Business Risk
After Clara’s business collapsed, I felt a personal and professional sense of failure.
I had helped her build her dream, and I watched it crumble because of a single paragraph on page 27 of a document we both overlooked.
I dove into insurance law, policy construction, and risk management with an obsessive focus.
I needed to find a better Way. The answer, I discovered, wasn’t in a modern business textbook.
It was in our own state’s history.
A Lesson from the Past: The 1856 Handcart Disaster
The story of the Willie and Martin handcart companies is a cornerstone of Utah’s pioneer heritage, often told as a tale of faith and endurance.
But beneath the faith-promoting folklore lies a brutal lesson in logistics and risk management.18
In 1856, in a push to bring more converts to the Salt Lake Valley, church leaders promoted handcarts as a faster, cheaper alternative to traditional ox-drawn wagons.
But the program was rushed and poorly planned.
The critical failure came down to two factors.
First, the handcarts themselves were built from “green wood”—unseasoned, uncured timber.
While cheaper and faster to work with, green wood is weak, and it warps and cracks under stress.18
Second, the final two companies, the Willie and Martin parties, started their journey far too late in the season.
Leaving in August guaranteed they would face the brutal Wyoming winter storms on the high plains.
The result was not a random tragedy; it was a predictable catastrophe.
The green-wood handcarts fell apart.
Axles broke, wheels shattered, and the pioneers were forced to abandon precious supplies.
Caught by early snows, hundreds died from starvation and exposure.
Their journey wasn’t just a trial of faith; it was a testament to the deadly consequences of faulty equipment and poor planning.18
This historical disaster became my epiphany.
It was the perfect analogy for the modern insurance failures I was seeing:
- A cheap, flawed insurance policy is a handcart built from green wood. A policy bought online for the lowest price, filled with hidden exclusions, dangerously low limits, and misaligned coverages, looks like a real policy. It has the logo, the declarations page, the legal jargon. But under the first real stress of a claim, it will warp, crack, and collapse, leaving the business owner stranded and exposed.
- Reactive risk management is starting for the plains in August. Waiting for a lawsuit or a disaster to happen before you read and understand your policy is the equivalent of leaving for the mountains with winter fast approaching. You have already guaranteed a crisis. You have forfeited your chance to prepare.
From “Buying a Policy” to “Building an Expedition”
This epiphany led me to a complete paradigm shift.
I developed a new framework I call the Resilient Expedition Model.
The premise is simple: Utah entrepreneurs must stop thinking of themselves as insurance buyers.
They must start thinking of themselves as expedition planners.
Your business is the expedition—a long, arduous journey across a challenging landscape, filled with both opportunity and peril.
Your insurance portfolio is not just another item on your supply list; it is your handcart, your wagon, your critical equipment.
Its purpose is not just to exist, but to withstand the inevitable storms you will face along the Way.
The goal, therefore, is not to find the “cheapest” policy.
The goal is to build the most resilient one.
It’s about meticulously selecting seasoned, durable materials (coverages) and assembling them into a vehicle (a portfolio) that is perfectly suited for the specific trail your business is on.
This reframes the entire process from a cost-focused chore to a value-focused strategic investment in your business’s survival and success.
Part III: The Resilient Expedition Framework – A Step-by-Step Guide to Bulletproof Insurance
Adopting the Resilient Expedition mindset is the first step.
Now, let’s get practical.
This framework provides a structured, actionable process for building an insurance portfolio that won’t fail you.
We will map your route, build your handcart, check the wood for defects, and pack the rest of your wagons for the journey.
Chapter 1: Mapping Your Route (A Deep-Dive Risk Assessment for Your Utah Business)
No pioneer would set out without a map.
Before you can choose the right insurance, you must have a brutally honest understanding of the specific risks your business faces.
A proper risk assessment goes far beyond a vague sense of worry; it’s a systematic process of identifying and evaluating the threats unique to your operation.20
Step 1: Analyze Your Industry Risks
Every industry has a unique risk footprint.
What is a minor concern for one business is a primary threat for another.
- Contractors & Trades: Your biggest risks are causing bodily injury or property damage at a job site. A plumber flooding a bathroom, an electrician’s wiring causing a fire, or a roofer’s ladder falling on a car are all classic examples. This makes General Liability, particularly its “Completed Operations” coverage, non-negotiable.2
- Retail & Restaurants: Your primary risk is “premises liability”—someone getting hurt on your property. This is the quintessential slip-and-fall scenario in your Salt Lake City storefront or Park City eatery. For restaurants, foodborne illness is also a major product liability risk.2
- Consultants, Accountants, & Professional Services: Your greatest exposure isn’t physical; it’s financial. If your advice, design, or service leads to a financial loss for your client, you can be sued for negligence. This risk is specifically excluded from General Liability and requires a separate Errors & Omissions (E&O) policy.23
Step 2: Analyze Your Operational Risks
How you run your business day-to-day creates its own set of risks.
- Data Handling: Do you store customer names, addresses, or credit card numbers? If so, you are a target for a data breach. Under Utah’s Protection of Personal Information Act, you have a legal duty to protect that data and notify residents if a breach occurs.25 A standard GL policy will not cover the significant costs of notification, credit monitoring, and legal defense.12 This requires Cyber Liability insurance.
- Employee Activities: Do your employees drive for work, even using their own cars to run errands or visit clients? Your business can be held liable for accidents they cause. A personal auto policy will likely deny the claim because it was for business use, creating a massive gap that must be filled by a Commercial Auto policy with “Hired and Non-Owned Auto” coverage.6
- Physical Assets: Do you own or lease a building? Do you have expensive equipment, inventory, or computers? These assets are vulnerable to fire, theft, and vandalism, risks covered by Commercial Property insurance.14
Step 3: Analyze Your Contractual Risks
This is the step most entrepreneurs miss. Your contracts are a map of risks that others have legally transferred to you.
- Leases: Pull out your commercial lease. It will almost certainly contain an “Insurance Requirements” section that dictates the exact types and minimum limits of coverage you must carry, typically General Liability with limits of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate.5
- Client Agreements: Review your contracts with major clients. They often include similar insurance requirements and “indemnification” or “hold harmless” clauses, where you agree to pay for any legal liabilities arising from your work.
A truly effective risk assessment doesn’t just list these threats; it begins to quantify their potential financial impact.
A “slip-and-fall” isn’t an abstract risk; in Utah, it’s a potential liability that can range from $10,000 for a minor injury to well over $100,000 for a severe one requiring surgery.1
This crucial step changes your internal calculation from, “Can I afford this monthly premium?” to the more important question, “Could my business survive writing a check for $50,000 to cover an uninsured claim?”
Furthermore, the most sophisticated risk mapping looks at second- and third-order consequences.
A data breach isn’t just the potential fine from the Utah Attorney General, which can be up to $100,000.25
It’s the cost of hiring forensic IT experts, the legally mandated expense of notifying every affected customer, the price of providing credit monitoring services, and the catastrophic, often uninsurable, damage to your brand’s reputation.24
Only by mapping these ripple effects can you grasp the true magnitude of your risks.
Chapter 2: Building Your Handcart (Deconstructing Utah General Liability Insurance)
Once you’ve mapped your route, it’s time to build your primary vehicle: the Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy.
This is the foundational coverage for most businesses, but thinking of it as a single product is a mistake.
It’s an assembly of distinct parts, each designed to protect you from a different kind of peril.
Let’s build our handcart.
The Frame & Wheels: Bodily Injury & Property Damage Liability
This is the chassis of your policy, the core structure that carries the load.
It protects your business if your operations, services, or employees cause physical harm to a non-employee (bodily injury) or damage their tangible property.2 This is the coverage that responds to the most common business accidents.
- Example: A customer is browsing your retail shop and trips over a misplaced box, spraining their ankle. Your Bodily Injury coverage can pay for their medical expenses and any resulting legal settlement.32
- Example: Your landscaping crew is mowing a lawn, and a mower kicks up a rock that shatters a neighbor’s large picture window. Your Property Damage coverage can pay for the replacement.32
The Cargo Bed: Products-Completed Operations Liability
This part of the policy is absolutely critical yet often misunderstood.
It protects you from liability claims that arise after your work is finished and you’ve left the premises, or after a customer has purchased your product.2 For many businesses, the risk doesn’t end when the invoice is paid.
- Example: You are a contractor who builds a new deck for a client. A year later, the deck collapses due to a structural flaw, injuring the homeowners. Your Products-Completed Operations coverage is designed to respond to this exact scenario.
- Example: You run a restaurant, and a customer gets severe food poisoning from a meal they ate. This coverage would address their medical claims and any subsequent lawsuit.
The Canvas Cover: Personal & Advertising Injury Liability
This part of the policy protects you from intangible harms—damage to a person’s or business’s reputation or rights.
It’s the canvas cover that shields you from the storms of modern communication and marketing.2 It typically covers claims such as:
- Libel (written defamation) or Slander (spoken defamation).
- Copyright infringement or misappropriation of advertising ideas.
- Invasion of privacy.
- Example: In a new marketing campaign, you use a photograph you found online without securing the proper license. The photographer sues your business for copyright infringement. This coverage can pay for your legal defense and settlement costs.24
The Temporary Shelter: Damage to Premises Rented to You
This is a smaller, but vital, piece of coverage for any business that leases its space.
It provides protection if you are found legally liable for damage to the property you rent, most commonly from a fire you negligently caused.33 Landlords often explicitly require this coverage in the lease agreement to protect their asset from tenant negligence.5
Understanding these distinct components is the first step to seeing your GL policy not as a monolithic object, but as a carefully assembled tool.
Each part must be present and properly sized to handle the specific challenges of your expedition.
Chapter 3: Checking the Wood (Mastering Policy Exclusions & Endorsements)
Here we arrive at the most critical stage of building our handcart: inspecting the quality of the wood.
This is where we uncover the hidden weaknesses—the policy exclusions—that can cause your coverage to collapse under pressure.
An exclusion is a provision within the policy that states a specific type of risk or circumstance is not covered.
Ignoring them is the single most common cause of a denied claim.
These are the most significant exclusions you will find in a standard General Liability policy:
- Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions): This is the “big one” for service businesses. A GL policy is for tangible harms (bodily injury, property damage). It explicitly excludes liability for financial damages resulting from your professional services, advice, or failure to perform a service.2 An accountant who makes a costly error on a tax return or a consultant whose strategy fails is not covered by GL. This gap must be filled by a separate Professional Liability (or E&O) policy.34
- Automobile Liability: Any claim “arising out of the ownership, maintenance, use, or entrustment to others of any auto” is excluded. If you or an employee gets in an accident while driving for business, GL will not respond. You need a Commercial Auto policy.28
- Employee Injuries (Workers’ Compensation): GL insurance covers injuries to third parties (customers, vendors, passersby). Injuries to your own employees are strictly excluded and fall under the purview of a Workers’ Compensation policy.2
- Cyber Liability: Nearly all standard GL policies now contain broad exclusions for claims related to the loss or theft of electronic data. The costs associated with a data breach are not covered.12 You need a dedicated Cyber Liability policy.
- Intentional Acts: A GL policy covers accidents and negligence. It will not cover damages that you or your employees cause intentionally.
- Pollution: Claims related to the release of pollutants are typically excluded and require specialized environmental insurance.
It’s crucial to understand that exclusions are not inherently a sign of a “bad” policy.
They are a necessary part of how insurance is structured, preventing multiple policies from covering the same loss and keeping coverage focused and affordable.
The mistake is not in their existence, but in the business owner’s ignorance of them.
The strategic approach is to use your knowledge of these exclusions to identify the specific gaps in your protection.
You then fill those gaps methodically with other, specialized policies (your other wagons) or by adding “endorsements” (also called riders), which are modifications that add back specific types of coverage to your policy for an additional premium.
The complexity here cannot be overstated.
The interpretation of these clauses is a matter of law, often clarified only through court cases.
A landmark Utah case, Gibbs M.
Smith, Inc. v.
United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co., illustrates this perfectly.
A Utah publisher (Gibbs) lost valuable photographic transparencies belonging to an author.
Their GL insurer (USF&G) denied the claim, citing a “contractual liability” exclusion, arguing that Gibbs’s liability arose from their contract with the author.
The Utah Supreme Court had to delve into the fine-print definition of an “insured contract” within the policy to ultimately rule in favor of the publisher.36
This case is a stark reminder that simply reading the policy is not enough.
Understanding the legal precedent and the precise, technical meaning of its terms is paramount, highlighting the immense value of an expert guide who has seen these disputes play O.T.
Chapter 4: Packing Your Other Wagons (The Essential Insurance Portfolio Beyond GL)
A single handcart, no matter how well-built, is not enough for the entire journey.
A resilient expedition requires a fleet of vehicles, each designed for a specific purpose.
Your General Liability policy is your main wagon, but you need others to carry specialized cargo.
Here is the essential insurance portfolio every Utah business must consider.
1. Workers’ Compensation Insurance
This is not optional.
If you have one or more employees in Utah (full-time or part-time), you are legally required to carry Workers’ Compensation insurance.4 This policy provides two primary benefits: it pays for an employee’s medical bills and a portion of their lost wages if they are injured on the job, and it protects the employer from being sued by the injured employee for those injuries.
2. Commercial Auto Insurance
If your business owns any vehicles, this is also mandatory.
Utah requires all vehicles, including those owned by a business, to have liability coverage with minimum limits of $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $65,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $15,000 per accident for property damage.23 However, the far more common and dangerous gap is when employees use their personal vehicles for work tasks.
As mentioned, their personal policy will likely deny a claim.
To close this gap, your business needs a Commercial Auto policy that includes
Hired and Non-Owned Auto (HNOA) coverage.
This protects the business when it is sued for an accident caused by an employee driving their own car or a rented vehicle for company purposes.6
3. Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions) Insurance
As discussed in the exclusions chapter, this is the essential “other wagon” for any business that provides services or advice.
It covers claims of negligence, mistakes, or failure to deliver the promised service that result in a financial loss for your client.23 For consultants, architects, IT professionals, accountants, and many other service providers, this is arguably more important than General Liability.
4. Cyber Liability Insurance
In today’s digital world, this is rapidly moving from a niche coverage to an essential one for almost every business.
If you handle any sensitive customer data—even just names and email addresses, but especially credit card or health information—you are a target.
This policy covers the specific, and often massive, costs of a data breach, including forensic investigation, customer notification (required by Utah law), public relations, and legal defense.12
5. Business Owner’s Policy (BOP)
For many small, lower-risk businesses (like a small retail shop or a consultant’s office), a BOP can be an excellent and cost-effective solution.
A BOP is not a type of coverage itself, but a package that bundles three key policies together: General Liability, Commercial Property, and Business Interruption insurance (which covers lost income if you have to shut down due to a covered event like a fire).3 Buying them in a bundle is almost always cheaper than buying them separately.
To help you apply this information, the following table provides a quick-reference checklist for different types of Utah businesses.
| Business Type | General Liability (GL) | Workers’ Comp | Commercial Auto | Professional Liability (E&O) | Cyber Liability | Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) |
| General Contractor | M | M | M | C | C | No (Higher Risk) |
| Retail Store | M | M | C | N/A | HR | HR |
| Restaurant | M | M | C | N/A | HR | HR |
| IT Consultant | HR | M | C | M | M | C |
| Home-Based Sole Proprietor (e.g., Graphic Designer) | HR | N/A | C | HR | C | C |
Key: M = Mandatory (by law or universal contract), HR = Highly Recommended, C = To Consider (based on specific operations), N/A = Not Applicable.
Part IV: Choosing Your Guide and Getting on the Trail
You’ve mapped your route and planned your expedition fleet.
The final step is to choose your guide and acquire your supplies.
This is where strategy turns into action.
Finding a Trustworthy Trail Guide (Choosing Your Insurance Partner in Utah)
How you buy insurance is as important as what you buy.
In Utah, you generally have three options:
- Direct-to-Consumer Carriers: Companies like NEXT Insurance or Hiscox allow you to go online, answer a series of questions, and buy a policy directly in minutes.6 This can be a fast and efficient option for very simple, low-risk businesses, like a solo freelance writer.
- Captive Agents: These are agents who work for a single large company, like State Farm or Allstate. They know their company’s products inside and out but can only offer you those specific products.
- Independent Agents & Brokers: These agents are not tied to any single insurance company. They represent multiple carriers and can shop the market on your behalf to find the best combination of coverage and price.30 In Utah, you can find many such brokers, from larger firms like Beehive Insurance to smaller local agencies.2
For any business with even a moderate level of complexity—employees, a physical location, client contracts, valuable equipment—the independent broker is your “trail guide.” Their value is not just in finding a competitive price; it’s in their expertise to help you navigate the treacherous terrain of exclusions, endorsements, and policy language.
They are the ones who have seen the Gibbs M.
Smith case play out in real life and know which carriers have the best claims service.36
They should be a risk management partner, not just a vendor.12
The best way to select a broker is to interview them as you would a key employee.
Don’t just ask for a quote.
Ask them to explain the professional services exclusion in a sample policy.
Ask them to tell you a story about a difficult client claim they helped manage.
Their ability to translate jargon into plain English and demonstrate real-world experience is the best indicator of their competence.
This approach transforms you from a passive price-taker into an empowered, informed leader of your own expedition.
What to Expect on the Utah Trail (Costs, Requirements, and Real-World Scenarios)
Protecting your business doesn’t have to break the bank, but you need realistic expectations.
The cost of insurance in Utah is highly variable, depending on your industry, size, location, and claims history.20
A high-risk construction business will always pay more than a low-risk accounting firm.
That said, we can establish some useful benchmarks.
For a sole proprietor in a low-risk industry, a basic General Liability policy can be quite affordable.
For LLCs and businesses with employees, the cost increases to reflect the greater risk.
Estimated Monthly Cost of General Liability Insurance in Utah
| Industry | Sole Proprietor (No Employees) | LLC with 20 Employees |
| Software Development | ~$31 | ~$54 |
| Cleaning Services | ~$73 | ~$1,450 |
| General Contractor | ~$642 | ~$2,903 |
Source: Data synthesized from 2025 market analysis by MoneyGeek.20
Costs are illustrative estimates and will vary.
This table helps ground the conversation in financial reality.
For many small businesses, the cost of essential protection is comparable to a software subscription.
For higher-risk businesses, the premium reflects the significantly higher potential for costly claims.
In almost all commercial contracts, the required liability limit will be at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in aggregate.5
Let’s bring this to life with a few quick scenarios based on real-world claims:
- The Slip and Fall: A customer at a Provo retail store slips on a wet floor, breaking her wrist. Her medical bills and a settlement for pain and suffering total $35,000. The store’s GL policy covers the entire amount, preventing a devastating out-of-pocket loss.1
- The Contractor’s Mistake: An Orem electrician’s team completes a rewiring job at a new office building. Two months later, a faulty connection sparks a fire, causing $80,000 in damage. The “Products-Completed Operations” coverage in the electrician’s GL policy responds to cover the repair costs.8
- The Slander Suit: A business consultant, trying to win a new client, makes false and damaging statements about a competitor. The competitor sues for slander. The “Personal & Advertising Injury” coverage in the consultant’s GL policy pays for the expensive legal defense and the eventual settlement.24
Conclusion: Thriving, Not Just Surviving, in the Beehive State
Let’s return to the trail.
Remember Clara, the brilliant baker whose dream dissolved because of one paragraph of fine print? Her story represents the tragic, yet common, outcome of a journey undertaken with faulty equipment.
Now, consider a different story.
I worked with a general contractor I’ll call Mike.
He was launching his own construction firm in the fast-growing southern part of the state.
He’d seen friends get burned by insurance issues before.
Together, we used the Resilient Expedition framework.
We meticulously mapped his risks—from job site injuries to subcontractor liability and vehicle accidents.
We built him a “fleet” of coverage: a robust GL policy with high limits, a Workers’ Comp policy for his crew, a Commercial Auto policy with HNOA coverage, and a Commercial Umbrella policy for an extra layer of protection over everything else.
It cost more than the cheapest option, but Mike understood he wasn’t buying a policy; he was investing in resilience.
A year later, a freak accident happened.
A subcontractor’s error led to a partial wall collapse, causing significant property damage and injuring a passerby.
The claims were complex, involving multiple parties.
But Mike’s insurance portfolio worked exactly as designed.
The GL policy covered the property damage, the Workers’ Comp policy handled his own employee’s minor injuries from the incident, and the umbrella policy stood ready to cover any excess liability.
The claims were paid, his business was protected, and he was able to finish the project and move on to the next one, his reputation intact.39
He was able to thrive, not just survive.30
This is the power of the Resilient Expedition framework.
It’s about shifting your perspective.
Insurance is not an expense to be minimized; it is a strategic asset that enables you to take calculated risks, secure better contracts, and build your business with confidence.
By mapping your route, building a strong handcart, checking the wood for flaws, and packing the right wagons for the journey, you ensure that when the inevitable storms of business arrive, you are not stranded on the plains.
You are prepared.
You are resilient.
And you are ready to continue your journey toward building one of the incredible businesses that make our Beehive State strong.
Works cited
- Average Slip and Fall Lawsuit Settlement Amounts in Utah: What to Expect, accessed August 12, 2025, https://durhamlawfirm.com/slip-and-fall-settlement-amounts/
- General Liability Insurance in Utah (Cost & Coverage) | Elemental Risk, accessed August 12, 2025, https://www.erm-ins.com/general-liability-insurance/utah
- Utah Business Insurance | Progressive Commercial, accessed August 12, 2025, https://www.progressivecommercial.com/business-insurance/utah/
- Utah General Liability Insurance – EINSURANCE.com, accessed August 12, 2025, https://www.einsurance.com/insurance-guide/utah/general-liability-insurance/
- Insurance Requirements for a Utah Commercial Lease Agreement, accessed August 12, 2025, https://www.anderson.insure/what-insurance-requirements-should-a-commercial-lease-agreement-include/
- Utah Business Insurance: Buy Commercial Insurance Online | NEXT, accessed August 12, 2025, https://www.nextinsurance.com/business-insurance/utah/
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