Send us a text

Candles flickered, fog curled across the floor, and the crowd leaned into the mystery—until the room leaned back. A Halloween brewery show aimed for supernatural and bumped straight into physics, forcing a crash course on oxygen, liability, and reputation in real time. We walk you through the moment the vibe tipped into hazard and the exact steps that pulled it back.

We start with the setup: sealed doors, a rented CO2 fogger, and 400 guests primed for a live paranormal podcast. When people began to sway, then faint, the fix wasn’t a chant—it was airflow and fast triage. From there we unpack the insurance spine that keeps creative businesses upright: commercial general liability for bodily injury on premises, liquor liability when over-service complicates claims, and the special event endorsements that separate everyday taproom service from ticketed performances with third-party vendors.

Then we tackle the clause most owners overlook: pollution and indoor air quality. Many GL policies exclude gases and vapors, and CO2 qualifies, which is why an indoor air quality or pollution endorsement matters more than mood lighting. We cover workers’ comp for staff symptoms, crisis management coverage for social media blowback, and why an umbrella policy turns a $1 million conversation starter into real protection when multiple guests are involved. Finally, we map the fixes: ventilation plans, CO2 monitors, clear stop rules, vendor COIs with additional insured language, and incident logs that make renewals smooth and defenses credible.

It’s a story about turning a near miss into a playbook: fewer stunts, stronger airflow, smarter contracts, and a brand that owns the lesson instead of the headline. If you care about hospitality risk, event planning, or the business side of craft beer, you’ll leave with practical tactics you can implement tonight. Enjoy the tale, take the checklist, and help us spread the word—subscribe, share with a friend who runs events, and leave a review with your must-have safety move.

Send us a text

The room glowed with candlelight, the jazz was perfect, and the staircase looked like a movie set—until one selfie turned a black tie gala into a trending hashtag. We take you to the Bourbon Orleans Hotel for a story that blends haunted lore with very real liability, unpacking how a six-step fall spiraled into Ghostgate and what it actually takes to protect people, balance sheets, and reputations when the internet shows up before the ambulance.

We start with the setup: historic architecture, dim lighting, high heels, and high-proof cocktails. Then we map the chain of failure that risk pros recognize immediately—noncompliant lux levels, a single misplaced handrail, uneven treads, and bar logs that hint at overservice. From there, we break down the coverage stack in plain English: commercial general liability for the injury, liquor liability when pouring goes too far, special event endorsements to clarify who owns what, and the overlooked linchpin of modern risk programs—crisis management coverage that funds PR counsel, media monitoring, and message control when the story outruns the facts.

You’ll hear how documentation shifts outcomes: maintenance logs that prove vigilance, training records that show bartenders know the line, and contracts that add the client as additional insured to stop morning-after finger pointing. We share the practical fixes that pay off immediately—brighter bulbs, a second handrail, anti-slip nosing, clear signage, water stations, and designated photo zones—plus the renewal changes that stick, from higher umbrella limits to annual safety audits and a tested crisis response plan. Along the way, we keep the spirit of New Orleans intact: ghost stories sell rooms, but safe design keeps margins.

If you manage events, venues, hospitality, or just love a sharp risk breakdown wrapped in a good story, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with your ops team, and leave a quick review—what’s the one safety upgrade you’d mandate for every historic staircase?

Send us a text

The heist doesn’t kick in a door—it slips into your inbox, borrows your boss’s voice, and asks you to hurry. We walk through a Texas family business that lost $150K to a “new wiring instructions” email and another $50K after an uncannily perfect phone call that sounded exactly like the CEO. The setup felt normal, the tone was familiar, and the urgency was believable. By the time anyone paused, the money had crossed borders and the vendors still wanted to be paid.

From there, we zoom out to the bigger picture: deepfake-enabled fraud is accelerating, with losses climbing into the hundreds of millions and average hits per company reaching painful territory. We share how criminals scrape podcasts, social posts, and voicemails to build voice clones, then layer old-school social engineering on top for a brutal one-two punch. The takeaway isn’t panic—it’s precision. Awareness still beats any firewall when you pair it with simple, enforceable rules: verify payment changes via a known number, train often in short bursts, add out-of-band callbacks, and slow down urgent money movement with dual approvals.

We also break down the insurance that actually helps when things go sideways. Most standard business policies won’t touch cyber losses; you need cyber liability with both first-party and third-party protection. And for 2025, social engineering fraud and fund transfer fraud coverage aren’t optional—they’re the core. We explain limits, exclusions, and conditions like MFA, training, and offline backups that can decide whether a claim gets paid. Along the way we cover premium drivers, sector risks, and the practical steps to take minutes after a hit. Subscribe, share this with your finance lead, and leave a review with one safeguard your team commits to this week—what’s your out-of-band verification rule?

Send us a text

Send us a text

What happens when influencer culture collides with luxury hospitality? A catastrophic pink flood, $20 million in damages, and a masterclass in modern risk management.

Dive into the glittery chaos of the insurance world as we unpack a truly spectacular claim that's so quintessentially Los Angeles it hurts. Imagine a top-tier influencer with millions of followers deciding a Beverly Hills Hotel's soaking tub is the perfect stage for a skincare tutorial involving 1200 gallons of neon bath bombs, it's a disaster that strikes in technicolor. The resulting flood destroys a five-star restaurant, ruins designer handbags, and transforms the staff's pristine uniforms into cotton candy nightmares—all while being livestreamed to 8 million followers.

Beyond the immediate physical damage, we explore the complex web of liability that emerges when content creation goes wrong. Hotels today aren't just renting rooms; they're renting liability to guests whose social reach can make or break reputations overnight. We break down the essential insurance coverages that protect luxury properties—from general liability and property insurance to the unsung hero of business interruption coverage and the increasingly crucial cyber media liability protection.

The modern risk landscape doesn't just involve water damage; it involves eyeballs, hashtags, and the court of public opinion. With 40% of Gen Z preferring viral fame over lottery winnings, the incentives for outrageous behavior have never been higher. Can your brand survive going viral for all the wrong reasons? Join us as we decode the intersection of insurance, influence, and internet infamy that defines business risk in the influencer age. Remember—sometimes the risk isn't just financial or physical, it's reputational, emotional, and yes, completely meme-worthy.

Send us a text

Ever wondered what happens when a peaceful Saturday walk to brunch near a country club is interrupted by a rogue golf ball traveling at 150 mph? The aftermath isn't just about a ruined latte and shirt—it's a complex liability puzzle that could cost someone millions.

Golf balls are more dangerous than most people realize. These small white missiles break nearly 2,000 windows annually across neighborhoods near American golf courses and can reach speeds faster than most sports cars on open highways. When one of these projectiles leaves the fairway and causes damage or injury, a high-stakes blame game begins between golfers, courses, and unsuspecting victims.

The liability landscape is a minefield. Courts generally don't hold golfers personally responsible for normal slices, but reckless shots or alcohol-impaired swings? That's a different story entirely. Golf courses must design with safety in mind and install proper netting or face potential negligence claims. For the unlucky pedestrian or homeowner, understanding which insurance policy kicks in—from the course's general liability to the golfer's homeowner's coverage to your own auto policy—could mean the difference between financial protection and personal financial disaster.

The stakes climb even higher when alcohol enters the picture. Those friendly drinks on the course can void insurance coverage through alcohol exclusions, turning a fun day of golf into a potential six-figure nightmare. From shattered windows in River Oaks to damaged luxury vehicles at professional tournaments, the consequences of flying golf balls affect everyone from average homeowners to celebrities caught on live TV.

Have you checked your insurance lately to see if you're protected from the unexpected hazards of living, driving, or simply walking near a golf course? Remember, as we say in the risk management world: it's not the golf ball that hurts the most—it's the insurance you didn't buy. Share your close calls with flying sports equipment or ask us about unusual liability scenarios you've wondered about!

Send us a text

Pop the cork on luxury disasters! Jessica Villarreal dives into a spectacular champagne warehouse catastrophe that transforms from a climate control mishap into a multimillion-dollar sticky situation. When a tiny temperature sensor fails in a warehouse storing prestigious bottles of Dom Perignon and Cristal, physics takes over with explosive results.

Discover the fascinating science behind why champagne bottles are essentially ticking time bombs under pressure—each containing 90 pounds per square inch, three times that of a car tire. When temperatures rise, these bottles don't just leak; they explode at 24 miles per hour in a domino effect of shattering glass and wasted luxury. The aftermath? Millions in destroyed inventory, extensive cleanup costs, angry clients without their bubbly, and perhaps most devastating: inadequate insurance coverage that left the business high and dry when they needed protection most.

This episode uncovers critical insurance lessons that apply far beyond champagne storage. Jessica breaks down the differences between property insurance (which covers your building) versus stock spoilage coverage (which protects your inventory), equipment breakdown insurance (for those "boring but critical" components like sensors), and business interruption coverage (the financial lifeline during recovery). The most valuable takeaway? "In business, it's not always the party that costs you, it's the coverage you skipped." And for a shocking bonus fact: champagne corks kill approximately 24 people annually—making your celebratory bubbly potentially deadlier than sharks!

Join us every Friday for more scandalous claims that reveal the hidden vulnerabilities in business operations and how proper insurance coverage makes all the difference between a minor setback and a complete meltdown. Subscribe now to ensure you never miss an episode of Risky Business, where disasters become lessons in protecting what matters most.

Send us a text

What happens when a single forklift accident triggers a $10 million catastrophe? More importantly, what happens when that accident occurs in a bonded warehouse?

The story of Joe, our cigarette-smoking forklift operator, serves as a shocking wake-up call for warehouse operators everywhere. When Joe clips a rack after returning from his smoke break, he sets off a devastating chain reaction – racks collapse, pallets burst, and workers scatter for safety. But the physical destruction is just the beginning of this nightmare scenario.

Most warehouse operators don't realize that bonded warehouses create a uniquely dangerous financial situation. These facilities allow businesses to defer customs duties until goods ship out – a brilliant cash flow strategy under normal circumstances. But when disaster strikes and inventory is destroyed, customs authorities don't care about your misfortune – they still want their money. Suddenly, you're paying millions in duties for products that no longer exist and can never generate revenue.

This episode breaks down the complex web of insurance coverages necessary for proper protection: property insurance for physical damage, cargo insurance specifically written for bonded inventory, business interruption coverage to keep your company afloat during downtime, and the often-overlooked customs bond coverage that protects against duties owed on destroyed goods. We explore how cutting corners on these specialized coverages can transform a manageable accident into an existential threat to your business.

Ask yourself this critical question: If your warehouse operations suddenly stopped for 48 hours, would your current insurance keep your business moving forward, or would everything come to a devastating halt? Don't wait until it's too late to find out. Review your coverage today, because in business, it's rarely the forklift that kills you – it's the coverage you didn't buy.