Make Your Business Disaster Ready
The world of business can be an unpredictable realm. One of the realities of commerce is that you have to prepare for the unexpected. This means making sure that your business is able to survive an occasional disaster. Experts like Jason Rowley have gone on record as providing new business owners with plenty of valuable advice on this subject.
Prepare an Assessment of Your Possible Risks
The first thing you need to do is make sure that you know all, or at least most, of the potential risks that you are dealing with. For example, if you deal with wholesale supplies, you need to have a deal with a reliable supplier. If this supplier should go bankrupt or face a disaster of their own, you need to have a backup to go to.
You also need to diversify your own portfolio of goods. This is crucial because you never know when a particular item may suddenly go out of fashion. Social media marketing involves the risk of “cancellation” at the drop of a hat. You need to be prepared to switch gears and begin selling other products to cover a sudden shortfall.
Put Together a Disaster Response Team
If you own a physical business, you need to have a secure location. Check the status of your entrances and exits to make sure they are safe. You should also perform a regular check of your fire alarm, burglar alarms, and other safety devices. These will keep you safe in case of an emergency. It will also help safeguard you from a liability suit.
Experts such as Jason Rowley have continually stressed the need for a team that can respond quickly to disasters. If you have employees, you can appoint some of them to this team. Their task should be to make sure that there is a plan in place to get everyone safely out of the building should it be struck by some sort of disaster.
It’s a good idea to conduct some mock drills that will test your readiness to respond to a disaster. This should include a procedure in place to conduct a series of routine fire drills. Knowing how to exit the building in an orderly fashion can save lives.
Make Sure Your Business is Insured
No one wants to be the one who registers a complete loss in the wake of a disaster. The loss is compounded by public embarrassment when you are forced to file for bankruptcy. To avoid such a fate, you need to be prepared in advance. A full policy of insurance will help you cover every base.
If you own a physical property, you may need to have such basics as fire and flood insurance. Depending on where you are located, you may need protection against tornadoes or earthquakes. You should also insure your business against burglary, vandalism, and the loss of your stock. The more secure you are, the faster you can get back on your feet.