Insurance Dilemma....

Hey everyone,

I've been getting paid for face painting for about 7 months now, and everything seems to be going fine, but I'm not insured. I would love to be but I feel like I've invested a lot of money into my business within 7 months and I kinda cringe when I think of spending another $350... I'm on mat-leave and I was a fast food cashier so I don't get much as it is, and I was wondering if I should wait until I register my business so I can write the insurance off.

I have every intention to be a licensed, insured painter... But I'm wondering if the insurance is absolutely vital at this stage. I don't have gigs every weekend and my rates are super low. I just want to make sure I do things in the right order.

Join World Clown Association & insure through them.

You do not need to be registered to write off the expense! I claim on my personal return, always have.

As to, is it worth it? Well... if someone made a claim against you and you don't have insurance...? It is your decision. Personally, I did not accept money for work until I had insurance. I am not risking my house and personal assets!

In Canada you can join Clowns Canada ($45/yr) (don't have to be a clown) and the insurance is around $150. My insurance this year (INCLUDING $10000 kit replacement) is only $250.

Specialty Insurance is $220.00. You'll mostly need insurance if you do fairs and corporate events. I think less reactions from painting and more tent flying, chair failure, twisted ankle, slipping, etc.

D.

I haven't got any fairs lined up yet but I'll be working with facetheart soon and she'll be helping me get big gigs.

What I meant to say is should I wait until I'm off mat-leave to get the insurance so the write-off doesn't affect my benefits. I've got 4 months to go and I would hate to get into some crazy tax shinanigans at the end of the year...

My other reply didn't go through... I check the WCA site and if I'm not mistaken the insurance costs $40?!

Toronto Clown Alley also has insurance, and you don't have to be a clown. They sponsor Clowning/Twisting/FacePaint jams every other month.

I doubt it. When I checked it was about the same as Specialty. Maybe that's the membership.

D.

So hold on... I have to pay every year to be a member. I have to be a member to get insurance. I have to pay every year to get insurance...

I know that's probably standard all around but what a money grab!!!

It's actually not a money grab! The organizations that over insurance in Canada are

Clowns Canada, CAFABA , and if you are in Ontario the Toronto Clown Alley.The CAFABA may seem a little more expensive BUT it insures 2 people under your business, which is a huge plus once your business starts to grow . As well we are insured to do henna,some of the others do not cover that.

This spring alone I have 5 events that have requested a certificate of insurance from me. I have 2 big festivals that I do in the summer that require it ( as well as a cipic) and another big event later in the summer. The total that I make from these events is in the thousands of dollars ..so yes it is worth it to me !

WCA, you have to join, which is the 40ish--and then add on insurance, which I think is another 130 or so...

Question: Does anyone know (or are you yourself) a painter who has had a claim against them? Just wondering what went down with the whole process.

I know of some close calls! It is just a part of running a professional business, just another expense

I painted a little girl recently who'd been in the ER a week before because whoever was face painting her jabbed her eyeball with a loaded brush...Her dad told me about it as I was working on her.

Oh wow... I'm surprised she ever went near another face painter again!

I will get insurance eventually, I'm just not sure I need it right now. I'm 90% birthday parties and nobody has asked about it yet. Not even the company who subcontracted me and they're apparently huge.

Malls, Festivals, Corporate Clients all ask, or you can use it as a selling point. I went years without it until I HAD to get it for a gig series. WCA is pretty fast if you find yourself in that scenario, though.

This year I have an annual venue offsetting my cost by adding in to their checks what it would cost them to insure per artist. (Balloon twisters would cost $150 per day, face painters $45. Me adding them as "additionally insured" costs me $30 each--so collectively we are saving a bundle!)

(You should tack on a fee for it if a client wants to be named as "additionally insured".)

it really is a HUGE marketing point

I really don't believe it has any marketing point value at all...at least not here in my area.

To me, if you advertise that you have insurance for your face painting business then you are making potential customers think that there must be danger and risk involved in getting your kid's face painted.

It's essential to have but not essential to shout it from the mountain tops...

In my area it is , you see they then know that they are hiring a professional , and since the creepy clown in my area was busted for child porn last year, the clients who are asking for insurance has DOUBLED this year. It shows that you are running a proper business, if you want your business to grow and want bigger clients ...it's a must have . It also shows that what you do use is proper products, as you could not get insurance if you were not using the proper products.

If you are happy doing just birthday parties, that's fine , but I have been doing this for 7 years now, and I am telling you ,the big clients ALL require it

Shelley, that is nice. If I got Emma insured it would be another $220...no discount.

D.

Most of the festivals I've applied for have all required it... just another business expense. I personally would not operate a business without insurance as there are far too many litigious people out there just looking for a mark

The one person I know who had a claim was from a birthday party.

Being a member of an organization that offers insurance to it's members is usually because they negotiated a group policy that is a better deal than trying to get it individually. The insurance companies will offer group packages as the risk is spread out over the membership. You aren't paying the insurance premium to the organization - you are paying it directly to the insurance company. The membership is for membership paid to the organization. Not a money grab.

Hmm... Didn't think about it like that. Is the insurance generic all around or is one company better than another? I would assume Cafaba is top of the category because it deals specifically with face painters right?

The underwriter is HUB International for the Clowns Canada policy. They are pretty similar with CAFABA but I don't know who their underwriter is (Shelley?)

Mine, which is $250/yr is for 2 million public liability and $10,000 contents (kit replacement). It also covers my assistants, and I can get certificates as required for events at no extra charge.

But this company will NOT cover henna. Which is fine - I just don't do it (there is no demand anyway! LOL) if someone want a henna design I'll do it with inks.

And you're with Cafaba?