Champaign, Ill. (Chambana Today) – For small business owners, insurance is often a checkbox—something they know they need, but rarely revisit until it’s too late. Graham Tennant, a commercial insurance specialist with InsureChampaign Hilb Group, is urging business owners to look closer at their coverage before disaster strikes.

“Business owners are busy, and I get it,” Graham Tennant, a Commercial Insurance Agent, said in this month’s Ask the Experts feature. “They buy a policy and think they’re good to go. But the details in that policy are what matter most when a claim hits.”

He shared an eye-opening example: a customer twisted an ankle inside a local business, a seemingly minor incident. But the claim spiraled into a $1 million lawsuit, far beyond what most business owners expect from a simple fall.

“It went from putting ice on an ankle to a devastating legal battle,” Tennant explained. “If the business hadn’t had the right liability coverage, it could have shut them down.”

His top advice for business owners? Review your liability limits now. Too often, companies carry the state minimum or lowest-cost options, not realizing how quickly legal and medical costs can add up if someone is injured on-site or by an employee driving a company vehicle.

“Insurance shouldn’t just check a box—it should protect your livelihood,” Tennant said. “Ask yourself: If something major happened tomorrow, would your current policy actually cover it?”

The commercial lines team at InsureChampaign Hilb Group works with a wide range of businesses—from boutiques to contractors—to help ensure the unexpected doesn’t become unmanageable.

For more information or to schedule a coverage review, local businesses can contact InsureChampaign Hilb Group directly online at Meet Our Team – Insure Champaign, or call 217 356-3111.