Commercial insurance prospects at the moment they need cover.
A newly licensed premises needs liability, property and equipment cover before opening day.
The problem
Timing decides who wins the client.
Landlords want a certificate of insurance before handing over keys. Licensing inspections can't wait. A new business owner needs general liability, property and often equipment-breakdown cover in a hurry — and they buy from whoever explains it clearly first.
Renewal-season prospecting means competing on price with an incumbent. A brand-new licence means no incumbent at all.
Signals that matter
Which records to watch, and why.
Restaurants & bars
Liquor liability, fire suppression, spoilage and equipment breakdown — multi-line policies with real premium.
Salons, spas & personal care
Professional liability for treatments plus contents cover; often underinsured when they start.
Auto repair, garages & parking
Garage liability and customer-vehicle cover are specialised lines many new owners don't know they need.
Specialty retail
Stock, glass, business interruption and product liability for anything they sell.
Weekly volume
last 4 weeks · Toronto112.4
new signals per week, on average, across these groups
| Category | Weekly average |
|---|---|
| Restaurants & bars | 38.3/wk |
| Take-out & food retail | 27.5/wk |
| Salons, spas & personal care | 19/wk |
| Auto repair, garages & parking | 9.8/wk |
| Specialty retail | 5.3/wk |
| Entertainment & nightlife | 5/wk |
| Patios & sidewalk cafés | 3/wk |
| Laundry & dry cleaning | 2/wk |
| Seasonal & temporary retail | 2/wk |
| Holistic & wellness | 0.5/wk |
Live from the FileSignal database: non-residential signals of type “new”, detected in the last 28 days ÷ 4. Includes ancillary permits (signs, patios) where they fall in these groups.
Example filters
Save it once, get it every week.
- signal_typenew
- category_groupfood-hospitality,automotive
- has_phonetrue
- signal_typechange
- category_groupretail,personal-services
The same parameters work in the web feed, digests, webhooks and the API.
Working the lead
How to turn a signal into a client.
- 01
Call early, before opening
The licence often issues weeks before the doors open. That's the window when the owner is assembling certificates for the landlord and the city.
- 02
Bring a checklist, not a quote
A one-page “what a new restaurant needs insured in Ontario” sheet earns the appointment; the quote follows.
- 03
Watch change signals too
A change of name or address on an existing licence often means a sale or a move — both are reasons to revisit cover.
See how many new premises open in your categories each week.
A 20-minute walkthrough of the live feed, filtered to your categories and territory.