Do you have an emergency preparedness plan that can be quickly implemented in your absence?
September is National Preparedness Month so we need to make sure that our families and our businesses can survive in the event of an emergency. The best time to prepare is before the emergency arises.
An emergency preparedness plan often falls into that “important but not urgent” area of our to-do list that gets pushed off time and again. And you probably have one for your family but not for your business.
But tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone.
Life can change very quickly and those unexpected changes can have long lasting, even devastating effects.
The harsh reality of life is that when you least expect it, a personal crisis can implode and create a business crisis. You run your business alone, therefore there isn’t someone that can step in to fill your shoes. Therefore, you need to create an emergency preparedness plan to reduce the collateral damage done to your business when, not if an emergency arises.
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned in 2020 is that we must have a healthy fear of the unknown. I mean who would have thought we would be dealing with a global pandemic…no one right?
So this needs to be a strong motivator that moves you to take action and protect your business which supports your lifestyle.
According to the Small Business Association, an estimated 25 percent of businesses do not reopen after major disasters like loss of data or security breaches or even after natural disasters and electrical fires. This doesn’t even include the things we experience when working from home like power outages, sickness or router that isn’t working so you don’t have wifi.
So while your mind is clear you need to prepare your business for the unexpected. here are three tips to help you create an emergency preparedness plan for your business so that it can thrive in case of an emergency.
Create a notebook for your emergency preparedness plan
This binder should include all of the details someone will need to keep your company operating while you are away. So be sure to keep it in a location that can be easily found when needed.
- Your detailed company information
- List of your business accounts and passwords
- Your business expenses
- An organization chart that identifies all of your teammates, their roles and their contact information
- Your brand information (colors and fonts)
- Client list with contact information and contracts
- Standard Operating Procedures
Document your standard processes and procedures (SOP)
Create your SOPs as simple checklists and include a copy in your emergency preparedness notebook. If you would like a simple process and template to help you with that, be sure to check out this blog post.
Your standard operating procedures should include a process for handling e-mails, blog posts and comments, project management, social media, and any other tasks related to running your business. Be sure to create a specific process that explains the immediate actions to be taken in your absence including notifying your clients.
Designate one point of contact
This enables you to make one phone call and they can step in and take over from there. While they can’t do everything that you would do, they can notify your clients of the situation, postpone your meetings and respond to e-mails as needed according to your emergency preparedness plan.
This needs to be someone that you trust and someone who is dependable because your emergency preparedness plan is basically the operations manual to your business. It’s like handing over the keys to your empire! So choose wisely!
And don’t forget to keep your plan updated!
Now I know this may be a new concept for you or it may be something you’ve thought about but you don’t know where to start the process. Let me help you with this!
Click here to schedule a 30 minute strategy session with me so we can map out the details of what you need to include in your emergency preparedness plan. We will identify what pieces you already have ready to go and what you need to work on to make your plan complete. You will leave that call with 2-3 things you can do immediately to get a basic plan in place.
If you would like to here the expanded version of these three tips, tune in to episode 28 of the podcast. Be sure to listen closely for a special offer!
Links Mentioned In This Episode
Episode 13: 4 Steps to Create Business Systems as Checklists to Increase Your Productivity
Episode 16: 3 Steps to Declutter, Create a Digital File Systems and Save Some Time
Join the More Than Capable Mompreneur FB Community: If you would like to connect with me and other mompreneurs that can support you and help you deal with real life as a busy mompreneur, join my FREE Facebook community! We collaborate with each other, learn from each other and cheer each other on in life and in our business!
Connect With Me On Instagram: @the_shannonbaker
