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Being prepared helps small businesses stay viable in difficult times
Published on Monday, Nov 19, 2007
It is crucially important for businesses of all sizes to prepare for the possibility of disasters. Not doing so could be a disaster in the making for your enterprise and future! Don't put it off. The resource partner of the Akron SCORE chapter, the Small Business Administration, offers the following excellent practical tips to develop a plan. Start the plan by identifying what your operation needs to do to protect itself in the face of a natural or man-made disaster. Even if you don't own the building where you do business, take steps to protect your assets. Determine what production machinery, computers and other essential equipment is needed to keep your business open. Store extra supplies off-site and make a plan for temporary location, if your company is forced to relocate after a disaster. Be ready for utility disruptions with a portable generator.
Find escape routes from the business and establish meeting places. Make sure everyone understands the emergency plan. Designate a contact person to communicate with other employees, customers and vendors.
Review your insurance coverage to make sure you understand what is not covered. Most policies won't cover flood damage.
The National Flood Insurance Program provides coverage to property owners. Go to the program's Web site athttp://www.floodsmart.gov.
Consider business-interruption insurance. It covers operating expenses such as utilities, and it compensates you for the income lost after a temporary closure.
Make backup copies of all tax, accounting, payroll and production records and customer data on computer hard drives. Store the records at least 100 miles away. Important documents should be saved in fireproof safe-deposit boxes.
To protect your property from wind damage, installimpact-resistant windows and door systems or plywood shutters. Hire a professional to evaluate your roof to make sure it can weather a major storm.
Develop a post-disaster communications strategy. Keep current phone numbers for your suppliers, employees, customers, utility companies, local media and emergency agencies. Appoint a spokesperson to get the word out that your company is still open and on the road to recovery to dispel rumors of business failure.
More preparedness tips for businesses, homeowners and renters are available on the SBA's Web site at http://www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/prepared/getready.html. The federal government's Preparedness Web site at http://www.ready.gov is another helpful resource.
An alternative might be to arrange a sharing plan with another small business in case of emergency. Make sure the partner is far enough away from your place of business. Test the backup plan to be sure that the computers have capacity and that communications work between the businesses. There also might be companies that can handle backup plans for your business.
For disaster advice or questions on any business matter, contact Akron SCORE via e-mail at http://akronscore.org or by calling 330-379-3163. The service is free and confidential.
It is crucially important for businesses of all sizes to prepare for the possibility of disasters. Not doing so could be a disaster in the making for your enterprise and future! Don't put it off. The resource partner of the Akron SCORE chapter, the Small Business Administration, offers the following excellent practical tips to develop a plan. Start the plan by identifying what your operation needs to do to protect itself in the face of a natural or man-made disaster. Even if you don't own the building where you do business, take steps to protect your assets. Determine what production machinery, computers and other essential equipment is needed to keep your business open. Store extra supplies off-site and make a plan for temporary location, if your company is forced to relocate after a disaster. Be ready for utility disruptions with a portable generator.
Get the full article here.
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