Utilizing Strategic Planning to Prepare Your Business for an Emergency

11/2/2020 (Permalink)

Being aware of the future risks that you face as a business owner can help you plan ahead for whatever comes your way—including a natural disaster.

Though there is no way to guarantee you will not be impacted by one, you can prioritize your own preparedness so you can make an effort to lessen the damages it can cause. By taking steps to plan ahead, you can be proactive against something that none of us can control.

Though there is a lot to consider regarding disaster preparations, we recommend breaking it up into three main tasks to help it be more manageable. This way, you can be sure that you are taking care of everything you need to be for your business and keeping your investment protected.

Making sure you have the right amounts of insurance coverage is always important, but especially when a natural disaster is a possibility. There are many business policies that do not provide adequate disaster protections. There will often be gaps in coverage or specific exclusions to certain scenarios to contend with if you try to file, so it is wise to be aware of what your policy has covered.

Quickly evacuating from your business if a disaster strikes is a great way to ensure the safety of you and your staff. You should always have an evacuation plan in place and practice it with personnel regularly to be sure everyone understands what to do. It is also smart to pack an emergency kit for your office, stocked with sufficient supplies in case you must stay put and wait for help to arrive.

Planning ahead for how you will go about restoration can be the single biggest factor in how quickly you are able to reopen. Being able to set the restoration process in motion quickly will be a big help, which is why we recommend working with a company in advance so that you know exactly who to call. It is also wise to look into the disaster assistance loans offered by the Small Business Administration as they can provide extra, low-interest funds for the recovery process.

If your business has been impacted by a disaster, you can contact us ²⁴⁄₇ for guidance on how to begin the commercial restoration process.