You expect your business to be open and ready to serve every day. However, things do happen that can bring you trouble and close your doors. The quickest way to reopen your business after a tragedy is to have a disaster plan in place. Here are a few things to put in place to get back on your feet.
List the Important Things
To start preparing for the worst, you need to make a list of the critical things you need to stay open. This is more that your storefront and products. If your business is heavily computer driven, IT disaster recovery will be the first thing on your list. If your product is warehoused in one building then delivered to other location, protecting that storage space will be paramount.
Keep Critical Staff Busy
The second thing to analyze when setting up your disaster plan is who you will need to keep the operation going. The president and managers of each location will be far more important than a sales clerk or administrative assistant. You will need to evaluate each job description and see how much you will need that person to keep the lights on if something goes wrong.
Predict the Unthinkable
The next step to charting out your plan is to think of what dangers might cripple your business. Are you near a large body of water? You might consider that a flood could shut you down. If you are in a flood or tornado prone location, those might be disasters you will need to consider. If your building is several centuries old, you will want to think about whether outdated wiring could start a fire. Sitting down and thinking out worst case scenarios can help keep your place going.
Talking It Out
Communication is key at any point in business. If you lose your storefront or your warehouse, how will you reach your employees to let them know what they need to do? Keeping a accurate list of employees phone numbers and other forms of contact in your disaster plan will make it easier to keep everyone in the loop.
Make a Plan
Once you have determined the dangers that can affect your business, you need to map out how to escape the disaster and how you will recover from it. Appoint leaders to coordinate their groups in safety procedures. Plan drills for your employees and perform them on a regular basis to ensure their safety. Also, you will want to make sure your insurance policy covers the calamities that might occur.
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
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