We’re pretty sure that you heard about the hope for the best, prepare for the worst philosophy, but what is it all about? It means that the unexpected happens, no matter how much we want to believe the contrary to prepare your business .
Unforeseen events can happen anytime, anywhere, and since you cannot prevent them from occurring, the least you can do is prepare for them. When it comes to business, the same rule is applied. Of course, incidents and natural disasters can affect a business in an unimaginable way – from financial loss to emotional distress, an entrepreneur can experience severe damage after an unanticipated event.
And while large companies can recover relatively quickly after such an incident due to more resources, small businesses are more likely to deal with long-term damage. Luckily, your business can overcome an emergency, so there’s no need to get discouraged.
This article explores a few steps that help you prepare your business to survive the unexpected:
Get business insurance
You probably think you don’t need insurance since no damage has ever happened in your company. Well, don’t be so sure. You know the saying, better safe than sorry. In general, incidents happen, and you would better have coverage for an unpleasant situation. Whether you’re running a large or small company, some big storms can rock your business any time (we hope not, but it’s better to be realistic), literally. In this case, you’ll want to be financially covered.
Keep in mind that there’s more than one type of business insurance, from business interruption insurance to workers compensation insurance. Anyway, you need to choose the one that best suits your business’s needs. Business interruption insurance, for example, covers the loss provoked by a natural disaster, fire, or theft. On the other hand, commercial umbrella insurance will provide additional liability protection. Depending on the event that led to lost income, these kinds of insurance give different amounts of money as compensation.
Look for temporary solutions
As you already know, a business cannot function properly without the necessary equipment. Whether it’s about the heating system or any other vital systems in a company, if a piece of machinery breaks down, your business and implicitly your team members will suffer. In most cases, when such situations occur, entrepreneurs are forced to close their businesses, which inevitably leads to decreased profits. These accidents happen for various reasons: low-performing equipment, low maintenance, refusal to invest in high-quality systems, or emergencies like earthquakes or floods.
However, it doesn’t mean that you have to close your entire business. If it didn’t suffer significant losses but only some equipment malfunction, there’s no need to put a lock on the company. Suppose your boiler system stops working. In that case, you have to send it to a professional service. But instead of closing the business until this technical issue is fixed, you could rent a boiler that is a cost-effective and efficient solution. Whether you need a temporary steam or a hydronic boiler, boiler rental services offer temporary solutions adapting to your business’s needs. Renting a temporary boiler might be your salvation in times of emergency.
Create an emergency fund- Prepare Your Business
You probably think that your business couldn’t be the target of the next emergency – hope is good, but sometimes you have to be realistic. Our advice would be to be prepared in times of crisis, and one of the best ways to do that is to create an emergency fund. Now, we understand that you may have another plan regarding your corporate budget if we mention all the expenses that come with running a business, but a savings account never hurts. It’s also crucial to know when to use it because what might seem like an emergency for you can be just a quotidian problem for others.
Keep in mind that an emergency fund is of great help not only in emergencies but also in case you want to seek new opportunities for your business. Suppose you lose customers or sales drop. For this reason, your business may need a refresh – build other strategies, invest in things you think will make a change, work on a new project, etc.
Regularly train your employees to prepare your business
One of the essential things to consider when preparing your business for an emergency is training your workers. It’s crucial to teach your staff what to do in a critical situation because, as we already stated, the unexpected happens. It’s important to train your employees on health, safety, and preventive measures, especially if you live in a country exposed to natural disasters like hurricanes. If you don’t feel able to teach others, consider hiring a professional trainer specialized in emergency training. And don’t be sorry about the money invested – you’ll only have to learn. You couldn’t deal with an emergency event if you didn’t understand the consequences it might have for your business. Don’t forget that complete training should consist of both theory and practice – explain and also show them how to react to crises.
Develop an emergency and evacuation plan
You can devise an emergency and evacuation plan during the staff’s training – this will provide employees with valuable information while allowing them to practice the preventive measures. First aid, in this case, is imperative, so it would be helpful to always have an emergency kit (or more) at hand. You and your employees should be trained to perform first aid because it’s very probable that someone gets hurt or has respiratory problems in emergencies.
It would also be better to seek professional advice because an emergency plan is made according to the kind of activity in your company and the building where it takes place. As for the evacuation, ensure the exit routes are clearly marked so that everyone can leave in case of a catastrophe as quickly as possible.
Back up essential data
You should know that computers are also at risk when it comes to an emergency – and no matter how much you want to take them with you when evacuating the building, you cannot. Anyway, it’s not them that really matters, but the information on them. That’s why it’s highly recommended to back up essential data to access it again when your business is back on track.
You may refuse to think about an unfortunate event, but such situations cannot be foreseen. So, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry.