Archive | November 2011
November 28, 2011  

Back To Work!

Happy Monday morning! I hope you all had an outstanding Thanksgiving.

I spent most of the weekend in Lake Arrowhead, CA with my family just as we have done traditionally for the past 30 years. My family has a place there, so we’re up there at least a handful of times a year to kick back and relax. It was great to get a few days to sit back, watch a lot of football (USC 50- UCLA 0), and eat more than we can handle. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

View of Lake Arrowhead from our balcony

My Family- from L to R: Me, Joanelle (my fiance), Dad, Mom, Julie (sister), Pat, Tom (brothers)

My fiance Joanelle and Me

What about you? How did you spend the Thanksgiving weekend?

–JK

November 22, 2011  

How Your Small Businesses Can Prepare For Small Business Saturday

Get ready, here it comes. Saturday, November 26, the day after “Black Friday,” is the Second Annual “Small Business Saturday.” Is your business ready? Included are some ideas to rally your customers to encourage them to Shop YOUR Small this coming Saturday.

 

What can you do to get ready?

Facebook

YourBuzz

  • Take charge of engagement: YourBuzz is a tool that allows users to read and respond to customer reviews and online mentions in one location.

Go Social

  • Coupon-less offers: Provide mobile-based deals to your American Express card-wielding customers.

FedEx

So go on, get the word out and bring in customers! Join the Day! #SmallBusinessSaturday #SmallBizSaturday

Source: Mashable Business

–JK

November 16, 2011  

Happy Hour Networking Tomorrow Night, 11/17, In Redondo Beach

Anyone in the Los Angeles area who’s interested in doing some happy hour networking in the South Bay, let me know. We have a small group meeting at 5pm in Redondo Beach at Bouzy Gastropub at Chez Melange. The address is:

1611 South Catalina Avenue
Redondo Beach, California 90277.
 
All are welcome. Please feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested. Thanks!
 
–JK
November 9, 2011  

Your Workers Compensation Insurance Premium Likely To Increase in 2012

Are you a California business concerned about your workers compensation insurance costs? Well get ready to see some premium increases in 2012.

On Friday, November 4, 2011, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones approved new workers’ compensation insurance advisory pure premium rates for policies that renew January 1, 2012 or later. This decision will likely mean a substantial increase in the price employers pay for workers’ compensation insurance compared to what they paid last year for identical coverage.

  • The average pure premium rate approved for January 1, 2011 was 4.66
  • The average pure premium rate approved for January 1, 2012 is 6.34
  • This is an average rate increase of 35.87%

Even though all of the rates for the 490+ standard classifications are increasing in 2012, it is important to know that not all rates will increase uniformly by 36%.

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California, which tracks trends in the workers compensation insurance market and advises the state, had recommended an average $2.33 per $100 of payroll in the summer. The state insurance commissioner can adopt what the Rating Bureau suggests or offer his own recommendation. Workers’ compensation insurers, in turn, use the recommendation as guidance when setting rates but they are not bound by it.

Pure premium or “base” rates reflects only the estimated cost of benefits and insurer loss expenses. They don’t account for other carrier expenses.

The insurance market as a whole has been very soft over the past several years with rates on the decline. Insurance industry professionals have been waiting anxiously to see when the tides will change and the pendulum will start swinging towards a “hard” market with increasing insurance premiums. There has been a lot of speculation as to when the market will turn, but this workers compensation pure premium increase is a good indication that the tides will start turning in 2012.

Against the theme of a terrible economy and many small businesses in trouble, it will be interesting to see how all this plays out.  Business owners- keep a close eye on your 2012 workers compensation insurance policy renewals.

–JK 

Sources: WorkCompare.com, Sacramento Business Journal