Whether your business is dependent on weather like nursery/landscapers, marinas, refuse haulers, or RV/auto dealers, or one dependent on utilities like real estate management or manufacturing, a disaster can occur that could seriously curtail or even shut down operations. Unfortunately, few businesses have plans to deal with such a disaster. Even companies that do have disaster or continuity plans in place often fail to update or test their plans on a regular basis.
Think Negatively, Then Creatively
An owner has to think about the many events that could either temporarily or permanently interrupt their business. In other words, consider what threats exist to their normal, profitable operations. The task may initially appear overwhelming but it ‘s just a matter of considering what the business does; where it does it; how it does it; and why it does it; then, examine what could happen to stop any of these things.
Natural interruptions could be caused by wind or rainstorms, flood, snow/ice storms, or extended or extreme temperatures. Human events may include fires, break-ins, or sabotage. Typically, a thorough consideration of problems involves identifying the worst possible things that could occur….even when the chance of their happening is remote. Remember that a single, unanticipated event could cripple or even terminate a business, so you need to have a plan that contemplates a wide variety of harmful situations.
Recovering from disaster depends upon many factors. Regardless the reason for a business suffering a serious interruption, the goal has to be on resuming normal operations as quickly as possible. Getting back into business often depends upon insurance, but other arrangements may be necessary and even be more important. Consider plans that include the following:
- Arranging use of another location to run the business
- Having duplicates of key business records (kept at another location)
- Arranging other sources of product supplies if a key supplier’s business is interrupted
- Having access to substitute production machinery
- Buying and maintaining generators/alternate sources of light and power
When considering how to deal with events that could threaten your business, the biggest disaster could be the failure to create a viable recovery plan. Insurance professionals at The Flanders Group can provide resources to help you develop a disaster recovery plan for your business.