You may have noticed during your disaster planning that some disasters, like data loss, can be prevented and avoided. The same can be said for most issues, especially those internal that you have 100 percent control over. The act of creating a continuity plan will make for a much more resilient business because it’ll actually help you avoid many bad situations.
Buy the Right Insurance
Depending on the type of business you have, you can actually insure for many unexpected and possible problems. For example, if you live in a flood zone, not buying flood insurance for your home or business is a huge mistake, no matter the cost. If you cannot afford it, you may want to sell and find another place to be.
Invest in The Right Security
Whether backup and recovery software or password protection, using the right security for your websites, social media accounts, banks, and so forth is so important because hackers are going to hack, and you will be next if you don’t try to invest in the right security.
Use the Right Tools for The Job
Trying to cobble together too much free stuff to run your business is a huge mistake. Not only are the free things not guaranteed, but you’re also not really allowed to profit from them in some cases. It’s too risky. Invest in your business by using the tools to expand and contract as needed for the job you need to do.
Build Time Buffers into Your Schedule
It can take time to schedule your life properly, but you’ll get used to being more accurate in your scheduling with practice. That hour-long meeting may always take 1.5 hours if you’re both talkers. You may as well schedule it like that.
Be Realistic
Sometimes, new business owners still work with an employee mindset, which calls for being busy at all times. You’re a business owner now, and now it’s clear that busy isn’t the same thing as productive. Be realistic about how much you really can and should do during a given day and still enjoy your life.
Save for a Rainy Day
Just like your household needs an emergency fund, so does your business. What would you do if you did not have any revenue for three months? Could you still survive? Try to save three to six months of emergency operating cash so you can always meet your mission even if things go haywire.
Document Everything
It’s nice to think you’ll remember everything, but the truth is, you won’t. You have too much to remember, and honestly, you don’t need to because you have the technology. Document everything to have a reminder of what you want to do and how to do it.
Work with Experts
When you seek help, instead of going for the cheapest, go for expertise. When you work with experts, they will always do a better job than someone who is just doing what you tell them to do.
It’s true that you cannot avoid every disaster that might come your way, but it is also true that you can avoid many of them. If you are practicing due diligence, using the right tools for your trade, and investing in the right people, your business will become almost disaster-proof.
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