Painting a New Future

Janet Grace, Program Manager
Captive Division
Connecticut Insurance Department

You’ve seen those ads selling you the new “paint color of the year”. They show a clean fresh space with the right accents placed perfectly, no clutter of actual day-to-day living in sight and a bowl of fresh lemons or oranges on the table. They appeal to us. They portray what we all secretly desire, a better start - a fresh perspective that builds on the bones of our homes’ architecture and furnishings. To achieve the look one needn’t empty the house and fully remodel the space. A simple coat of paint, well applied, and just a few tweaks to the furniture or throw pillows and you’ve got a transformation.

A small business captive won’t drastically alter your existing company but, like that fresh coat of paint, it can inspire a whole new way to view and use risk to enhance your business. It won’t become your business but will amplify your success the same way as if you choose the right color and properly prep the walls before painting that room. Choose the wrong green, slap it on, and you’ll have nothing but angst until you strip the room and start over, which can be draining and expensive. Done right, with the help of professionals and heeding expert advice to use the right tools and prepare, you can be sitting pretty for a long time into the future.

The captive industry is full of old soothsayers - professionals who have been in and around captives for a very long time. They’d have you believing captive insurance isn’t for the faint of heart: that it’s really only of benefit to the biggest and brightest companies. That your little bungalow can never be as beautiful as their penthouse. They’re right, to a point. But I’m here to tell you that your cottage make over can make the cover of Better Homes and, done well, a captive insurance entity can be an integral tool for your small business.

Did she just say small business?

As a matter of fact, I did. There are rules that level the playing field for small Insurance companies, allowing them to compete more effectively with the big companies those soothsayers ramble on about. Together, with a sound risk management program and the sound regulatory climate in Connecticut, they are the foundation for the small business captive initiative in Connecticut. Our climate is just right for painting your future using the small business captive tool kit to utilize captive insurance effectively for your small to medium size business.

There will be more about the Connecticut Small Business Captive Tool Kit revealed at this month’s Collaborative on Captive Insurance presented by the Connecticut Captive Insurance Association. You won’t want to miss it!  It’s being held October 25 and 26 in Stamford.

Click here to register for the Connecticut Captive Insurance Association’s 2017 Collaborative on Captive Insurance; or here to learn more about how you can become part of the Connecticut captive scene.

Janet Grace 

Connecticut Insurance Department 
Program Manager, Captive Division