As fast as you can say business disaster, your business can go up in smoke. That's what happened a while back to Castle Carpet One. Gone were thousands of dollars worth of equipment and carpet, plus two smaller businesses that were housed in the same building. Luckily the owners, Larry and Diane Cox, had plenty of business insurance to cover their physical losses. But they lost their most important business asset - customer records - because of failed back up systems. Rebuilding their customer base will be tough and the long-term revenue impact is hard to measure.
With disasters like hurricanes, tornados, fires, floods and terrorism, to name a few, it's critical for small companies to have a disaster plan. And for companies with only one location, it's even more important. One location companies have the potential to lose the entire business if disaster strikes. For a home-based business, it's even worse. You could lose your home and your business in one swoop. Any small business owner can minimize the damage by simply having proactive strategies in place to deal with an emergency when it happens. What if:
* You arrive at your business to find it vandalized and all of your customer records missing?
* Your most critical employee becomes ill and requires an extended absence?
* Your computer hard drive (or network) crashes?
* You become the primary care giver for a sick family member?
* You become ill and can't manage your customer commitments?
* Your business becomes inaccessible because of an emergency on your street?
What would you do?
Would your business survive? What would you grab if you had to leave your business quickly? After the emergency, how would you communicate with your employees? Customers? How long would it take to get back to business as usual?
Without a disaster plan, you'll have a harder time getting back to work. Most businesspeople think it will just take two or three days. That's tough to do if you have no plan for action and little money to move forward. The reality, experts say, is more like several months and at least 25 percent of businesses that experience a disaster never reopen.
But most small business owners just don't make time for planning. We think it's "never going to happen to us." It could. The time to formalize a game plan for an emergency is before it happens. Do it now.
Denise O'Berry is a small business consultant located in Florida. For disaster planning tools and tips, visit http://www.myhurricanecenter.com
Indian Head Park taxi to Midway .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareRichard L. Daft one of the country's recognized academic leadership... Read More
I'm not talking about posting the HBO schedule on your... Read More
Many companies are reluctant to dive into outsourcing ocean because... Read More
Mobile auto detailing equipment becomes very inexpensive around March each... Read More
If you own a pressure washing business one of the... Read More
So what makes a vision successful? Everyday companies try to... Read More
In 1997, David Steele was making the transition from a... Read More
One of the quintessential parts to any business is your... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains serves mid-size and large clients... Read More
I've either been involved with or held a process-related role... Read More
How important is a vision statement to your company or... Read More
Note to Northwest Airlines ? It's not about fuel costsFor... Read More
Much of what we heard in the mass media about... Read More
Remember reading "Alice in Wonderland?"She asks the Cheshire Cat, "which... Read More
One of the key challenges for any business is to... Read More
No matter what business you plan to start in your... Read More
People often ask "What makes a good business plan? Or,... Read More
Most companies that are worthy of raising venture capital have... Read More
You might be thinking to yourself, "Why should I waste... Read More
Writing a business plan to help you direct and manage... Read More
I am surprised how few sales professionals, independent consultants, and... Read More
Ask Yourself three simple questions that affect your strategy planning...... Read More
To stop a computer virus you must understand how it... Read More
In today's rapidly changing and highly competitive markets, many privately... Read More
The time when a website was just a simple set... Read More
Bonnie Chicago charter limousine ..Want to become more strategic? Add these traits to your... Read More
Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and... Read More
ACTION PLANNING: Action Planning is a process to develop strategies... Read More
Every business experiences slower periods. For some, they sell more... Read More
Conventional wisdom has it that there are only three ways... Read More
For many consumers and producers, MSP is an acronym for... Read More
I'm not talking about posting the HBO schedule on your... Read More
People often ask "What makes a good business plan? Or,... Read More
Fun From The StartFor those with the will to start... Read More
How are you feeling today? Good, not so good, great?... Read More
Have you ever done a SWOT analysis? No, it's not... Read More
Entrepreneurs often give little if any consideration to their computer... Read More
You have invested a lot of time and energy on... Read More
If you are in the parking business and own or... Read More
Too much goal setting and strategic planning can leave you... Read More
One Research Scientist at the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Imaging Systems laboratory... Read More
Businesses tend to avoid doing their annual business plan thinking... Read More
I am surprised how few sales professionals, independent consultants, and... Read More
Experts estimate that 90 percent of Australian businesses are overspending... Read More
Business planning is widely acknowledged as one of the keys... Read More
If you are looking for a partner, funding, angle investor... Read More
If you've ever listened to Warren Buffett talk about investing,... Read More
Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word... Read More
The trick is to determine what uniquely identifies your best... Read More
There is so much small business information available today that... Read More
Strategic Planning |