SUCCESS IS A GOOD FIT FOR CROWN SHOPFITTERS

English translation, article originally appearing in the Vision China Times, Melbourne (11 November 2015)

Alison is a self-made success.  Originally from Hong Kong, she arrived in Australia in the late 80’s with two young children, little English, and no building experience to speak of.   The thriving shop fitting business that she has built up over the past 23 years is testament to her determination and astonishing work ethic.  
 
Alison’s business, Crown Shopfitters, supplies and installs kitchen and shop fittings in retail and department stores, domestic and commercial kitchens, restaurants, cafes and supermarkets.   From humble beginnings installing kitchenettes in small apartments, Alison proudly tells us that she can now walk through every major shopping centre in Melbourne and be able to point out a shop, café, or stall that was installed by her business.
 
Her story isn’t without challenges – in a male dominated industry, Alison had to prove herself over and over again dealing and negotiating with tradesmen, contractors and supplies to make sure that her clients receive the very best product. 
 
“There aren’t that many Chinese women in the construction industry in Australia!” Alison laughs.  “It was hard to be taken seriously at first”. 
 
By the looks of things, Alison no longer has any problems being taken seriously.  With her daughters now both grown up (one an architect, and other an engineer), she’s ready to tackle her next big challenge – expanding her business interstate.   
 
Crown Shopfitters and Great Wall Insurance Services
 Great Wall has been assisting Crown Shopfitters with their insurance since the mid 1990’s.  If you own a similar business (shop fitting manufacturing and installation, cabinet making, kitchen manufacturing and installations), you should consider the following types of insurance:

• Material damage to general property: Fire is a major hazard for this type of business because of wood, sawdust, adhesives, paints and solvents.  Make sure that your business adequately insures its physical assets (for example, the building and the contents, including machinery, tools, stock, raw materials, and office equipment).
• Business interruption: Downtime could be extensive if your business relies on machinery and equipment for its operations.
• Machinery breakdown: This could be required for various tools and equipment situated in your factory, or taken to sites.
• Public Liability:  If your business installs fittings on site, public liability could be a major risk due to injury to third parties by work activities, machinery or falling materials.
• Product Liability:  Your business could suffer a loss if you’re faced with a claim about the use of lower quality materials, not following specifications or building codes, and defective work. 
• Professional indemnity:  If your business incorporates consulting and designing services clients, professional indemnity insurance would be appropriate.  This would provide the business cover for a “breach of professional duty”.