I'm new to this list but it seems like an awesome community of shared knowledge!
Here is another question that our shop is dealing with - insurance and liability questions. We have recently expanded to a substantially larger space; in the past we operated out of a large garage/warehouse area, with very low rent, one paid staff member (hired as independent contractor), and no insurance. We are growing substantially and we want to make sure we protect all of our customers/volunteers/clients from issues if someone was hurt on one of our bikes or at our shop.
But - it seems really expensive, how do community bike shops pay for it? How much do you pay per month for liability insurance? Do you have volunteer lawyers giving legal advice? Do you pay workman's comp for your staff, or do you hire staff as independent contractors? We want to make sure we do this right and protect our people, but it's expensive and hard. Any information is helpful!!
-Jason