The Hartford's Business Owner's Playbook Visits Minneapolis: Minnesota Business Owners Primed For Insights On Protecting And Growing Their Enterprise And Personal Assets At Local Stop For Nat

HARTFORD, Conn., May 01, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Accomplished Minneapolis area entrepreneurs joined distinguished panelists with business protection, personal finance and retirement insights when The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG) brought its Business Owner's Playbook seminar to the Twin Cities this morning. The program is designed to help local business owners chart a course for the long term success of their enterprise. At Jax Cafe in Minneapolis, Amy Langer, co-founder of SALO, LLC, and William Jurewicz, CEO and president of space150, shared their experiences with peers in the local business community. This morning's event, part of a national series making its first stop in Minnesota, was hosted by The Hartford in conjunction with the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. The discussion brought to life important considerations addressed in the Business Owner's Playbook: A guide to protecting your business, growing your assets and planning for your future. Created by The Hartford, the 40-page guide is designed to help time-stretched business owners address important financial and insurance matters - those which can have a tremendous impact on their business, their family and their future financial security. The Playbook also identifies the types of advisors - attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, financial professionals and others - who can provide more specific guidance based on particular circumstances and different stages of the business life cycle. "In today's rocky climate, small business owners often have many concerns but little time to properly plan," said Langer, whose business provides staffing solutions for high-level positions in human resources and accounting. "I have found the age-old principle of 'being prepared' to be the most effective way to handle important ownership issues, such as cash flow crunches and employee attrition. Proper planning and working with right advisors are critical to protecting your assets in the short term and positioning your company for growth as business picks up again." Langer and Jurewicz were joined on the panel by Ted Dyste, president of Dyste Williams, a Minneapolis-based business and personal insurance agency; and Bill Zimmerman, a retirement solutions consultant with The Hartford. "With the many demands business owners face in the day-to-day operations of their businesses, it's critical that they have a trusted bench of advisors focused on their various business protection and financial planning needs," said Dyste, whose agency works with small and mid-sized businesses. "It's also important for business owners to 'help their advisors help them' by keeping them apprised of new developments or changes to their business, whether it be expanding their facility, acquiring a key employee, or preparing for transition." An October 2006 survey by The Hartford of business owners with fewer than 100 employees found that nearly half (49 percent) wished they had more time to focus on personal financial planning. Moreover, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of business owners worry about having enough money for retirement and more than half (66 percent) agree that their business is their greatest personal asset and the primary source of family income. "The Hartford created the Business Owner's Playbook as a practical resource to help business owners identify and address the various business protection and personal finance issues they face and the types of advisors who can guide them based on their specific needs, said Jim Ketterson, branch manager for The Hartford's Minneapolis property and casualty operations. "We're pleased to bring this program to the Twin Cities, so that business owners in this region can benefit from the panel discussion and the insights and experiences of their peers." The Minneapolis event was the first of several Business Owner's Playbook seminars scheduled this spring, with additional events to take place in New York City and St. Louis in June. Launched in 2007, The Playbook was developed with input from business owners and advisors who typically work with them. It is organized into sections for emerging, growing and transitioning companies, and covers such topics as business structure, finance, compensation, benefits, insurance, retirement and estate planning, as well as a list of resources for additional information. Copies of the Business Owner's Playbook are available free of charge at www.thehartford.com/businessowner.