Higher risk is associated with the possibility of higher reward.
Much of history was written by those who dared to take risks.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where seemingly capable but ultimately dishonest people leverage the promise of greatness to defraud investors and manipulate the general public.
As the founder of Theranos, once valued at nine billion dollars, Elizabeth Holmes was named by Forbes as the youngest and richest self-made female billionaire in the United States. The following year, Fortune named her in their article, “The World’s 19 Most Disappointing Leaders.” In response to a bombshell report that the lab results of her blood testing invention were falsified, her now infamous words were, “This is what happens when you work to change things, first they think you’re crazy, then they fight you, and then all of a sudden you change the world.” Holmes was sentenced to jail for 11 years on charges of fraud.
As a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the son of two well-respected Stanford Law Professors, Sam Bankman-Fried had a fall from grace that also made headlines. Bankruptcy had been declared after it was revealed that the former director of an altruistic center had transferred billions of customer funds from his FTX trading platform towards exotic, high-risk investments at his quantitative trading firm Alameda Research—all without disclosure. He had apparently been all too comfortable with risk, mishandling funds without ethical discretion.
Nasdaq-traded and San Diego-based autonomous truck startup TuSimple lost nearly half of its valuation after an investigation revealed that its CEO may have breached fiduciary duties for their involvement in transferring financial and technical information to a Chinese startup. The news is shocking in an industry that is rife with challenges in the era of COVID and labor tensions.
The American economy relies on trucking. Trucking is a risky business—so much so that the United States Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires that fleets meet insurance requirements in order to operate. Risks of bodily injury and property damage are inherent and must be mitigated to insure or compensate parties in the event that losses occur. Commercial trucking fleets require specialty insurance, which can be found here. Without specific legal documentation and comprehensive insurance coverage, owners and operators are vulnerable to the risk of financial loss that has the potential to severely compromise the viability of the business.
“In addition to filing an application for operating authority, all applicants for motor carrier, freight forwarder, and broker authorities must have specific insurance and legal process agent documents on file before the FMCSA will issue the authorities.”
Only the future can tell what comes of today’s risk-takers. For those who take risks, it is important to remember that taking shortcuts to success may offer more immediate fame, power, and money, but rarely without ramifications. Without ethics and risk management, leaders put their businesses in danger of not only destroying their reputations but also the lives of all stakeholders involved.
We’re now halfway through 2022 and it appears as if the supply chain crunches that snared up shipping rates and caused soaring inflation has begun to finally even out. Southern California readers will vividly remember an ocean horizon filled with well over 100 massive cargo ships waiting for unloading during the pre-holiday rush, but the line to enter the Los Angeles harbor has finally slowed to a manageable trickle.
This slowdown has two major causes – a dramatic fall in demand thanks to markets responding to vastly increased shipping prices and the current port closures all over the Chinese seaboard. As fewer and fewer ships enter and exit Chinese ports, shipping rates have slowed dramatically, finally giving a beleaguered Los Angeles port a welcome break to clear out the buildup.
This situation is not to last, however. Chinese authorities have already begun easing some restrictions on some port cities, including some of the largest in the country near Shanghai. With 1/5 of the entire world’s shipping fleet stuck off the Chinese coast, once operations begin in earnest, we can expect a deluge of shipping containers making their way back across the Pacific.
This means that logistics companies need to start getting ready now to handle the huge influx of cargo coming our way. Companies that will be servicing the port need to ensure vehicles are well-serviced, new drivers are trained, and fleets are ready to hit the ground running once the vessels make their way into port.
A key part of this is making sure fleet vehicles are properly insured and that drivers, loaders, and logistics operators are fully aware of what paperwork needs to be filed quickly and efficiently once containers are picked up. This means finding a highly communicative insurance provider that can find you the best policies for your field of operation.
One southern California local insurance provider that checks all these boxes is S.W.A.N. Insurance. S.W.A.N. Insurance has been finding San Diego trucking companies great rates for Last Mile, Cargo, Auto Liability, and Inland Marine insurance coverage for the better part of a decade.
S.W.A.N. is best known by their clients for going above and beyond the line of duty to ensure that they know exactly what procedures and paperwork are needed to create an airtight claim in the event of an accident. Here it is in their own words:
Chris Mahlberg of Swan Insurance was recommended by a friend. At the time, I was searching for a knowledgeable, proactive agent that would find the best policies to fit my personal & business needs. I wanted a professional I could rely on to continually keep our policies updated with the right coverage and competitive rates. The top notch customer service and ongoing communication with personalized support that I have received has been absolutely AMAZING!! A major factor in my decision to retain this agency was the willingness that Chris provided to go above and beyond the customary practice. He is extremely competent, driven, and extremely passionate about his job and it shows. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for help in finding the best coverage for commercial auto, general liability, workers’ compensation etc. Swan Insurance values client relationships which provides outstanding, professional service along with competitive pricing. By far this agency is one great example of a local company demonstrating that capacity and aptitude!
Danny Boyd, Google Review
With a new port logjam likely coming up on the horizon, logistics companies need to be ready to take advantage of yet another spike in demand for their services. Being ready means making sure your fleet is properly insured, and for that, you need S.W.A.N. Insurance. Call now:
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, once said “The only constant in life is change.”
If there is any universal truth in existence, it is that life, despite our best efforts in planning, will rarely go according to plan. Sometimes, no matter what preventative or proactive measures we take, it is always impossible to eliminate risk.
Whether you are an individual or a business owner, risk is incurred in every facet of life. For instance, you must first sign a lease, if not purchase a car, in order to be the owner of a vehicle. Car accidents are always a looming possibility on the roads, which is why car owners or lessees purchase car insurance. In business, no matter what industry you are in, every entrepreneur or corporation takes on a certain degree of risk in starting a new business. There is additional risk that carries through the lifetime of the business itself. This is why enterprises have business insurance.
The best way to mitigate risk is to be prepared for the tragedies of life.
David Weber has owned and operated a small distribution chain in California for the past ten years. “I have anywhere between five to ten trucks going out at any time throughout the day. Our drivers are on the road 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through alternating shifts, in order to ensure that our shipments are delivered on schedule,” he says. For nine of those years, his business ran smoothly, without any hiccups or accidents. However, on one evening, three months ago, one of his trucks had been hit by a drunk driver at around midnight on the highway. “It was a complete shock. Highway accidents might be common in the trucking industry, but it just had never happened to us. And you tend to hear these things on the news and think, ‘Oh, but it won’t happen to me or my company.'”
Luckily, Weber had business insurance. His company was able to recover the cost of the damages to the truck, and his driver received compensation for the physical injury and trauma.
Everyone should be insured in the event of any unforeseen personal or business incident. We wanted to highlight Byron Galindo, a State Farm Santa Monica Agent that offers home, renter, auto, and business insurance. Team Galindo has a focus on commercial trucking workers’ compensation insurance, landlord insurance, and earthquake insurance.
If you are contemplating whether or not you need insurance, consider the cost of doing business or living life without preparation for all of its uncertainties. The harsh reality is that—yes, anything could happen to any of us. No one is universally safe from the laws of nature. We are all human, and life is fragile. We should never take life for granted or assume only the best case scenarios.
If you are looking for an insurance agent to discuss the best form of coverage for you, you can give Byron Galindo’s office a call.
Byron Galindo – State Farm Insurance Agent 214 Pier Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90405, United States
Safety and security are important to us as human beings. The more things we earn in life, the more we want to protect whats ours and not lose what we’ve gained. This very mindset led us to birth an industry that is now one of the biggest in the world. Insurance. Good ol insurance that we have all come to love and hate depending on the situation and the insurance service you are using. With such a booming industry, many companies were founded all trying to be a little different by providing better insurance with more coverage at better rates. You’d think the competition would make for a buyers market right? Well since insurance is all but required to be a functioning citizen, insurance companies have an advantage. They get to compete with each other to an extent but they know the demand will never get too low. Where has this led us? Into a world where 4 or 5 big companies that all have appealing rates with less coverage seem to be the only options.
People are getting tired of being left with only the big companies that seem to offer “free” benefits yet the premiums increase. Instead, people are willing to lose some of the benefits for cheaper coverage.
“In J.D. Power’s 2017 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study, price has become a more influential factor in brand consideration and quoting, surpassing the importance of a good past service experience. For small insurers to compete with their larger competitors, some of the lowest rates can be found with the lesser-known and smaller companies. And while these smaller companies may not be able to offer all the frills and extra benefits of the larger companies, with less overhead, they may be in position to offer lower rates.”
While this new trend has opened the door for smaller insurance companies to flourish, it has also flooded the market with options and options and more options. There are only so many benefits that a small insurance company can offer and only at so low of rates. Luckily for the consumer, this makes client agent interaction become more important. People want to be insured by someone they feel they can trust. So where do you start searching?
As much of our readership is in Southern California, we recommend starting at Chrysalis Insurance Agency. They are an established agency that is owned by a family that’s been in business long enough to make you feel comfortable. They can cover almost any of your insurance needs and make sure your plan is tailored just for you. They cover all kinds of insurance like business, auto, drone, life, and full home insurance in Newport Beach! Yes even for the multi-million dollar houses.
So start your search! Start where you want of course. If you do start at Chrysalis, you may find that your search will be pretty short.
Chrysalis Insurance Agency
Address: 3001 Red Hill Ave Suite 2-226, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
