Emergency Planning Tips for Small Business Owners
How to Create a Disaster Plan for Your Small Business
Whether you’re running a bakery, retail store, or interior design practice, a natural disaster or an emergency may seem like the last of your worries. As a small business owner, you’ll likely be tasked with everything from daily operations, management, sales, and more. However, you don’t want to let all that hard work go to waste by not properly protecting your business. Use these emergency planning tips to help your business overcome a disaster.
Understand potential problems.
In order to know where your business is vulnerable, you must first identify what disasters are most common in your area and how your business is at risk. Whether it’s hurricanes, wildfires, or otherwise, be sure to know what your business faces. Start by preparing for the most imminent weather threat first and work your day down from there.
Determine operation essentials.
Small business owners should decide what is absolutely necessary for their small business to start operating again if a disaster or emergency should force the business to close. Think about equipment, files, and inventory that your business will need to continue and determine a way to ensure that these essential resources are quickly available if needed. Securely back up essential business data, too. Remember to do this often!
Establish employee responsibilities.
A good way to respond to an emergency efficiently is to hand out roles to trusted employees. Create a step-by-step list of actions to take post-event, and assign specific duties to an employee or a team. This will help staff to pick up and continue working if you are absent.
Prepare evacuation routes and shelter.
Establish a plan for getting everyone outside of the building and to a safe location. Make sure to consider the needs of employees with medical conditions and disabilities.
Secure reliable insurance.
From fires to natural disasters to cyber breaches to business interruption, your company faces a whole host of risks. Luckily, you can secure insurance to protect your business from financial threat and loss. Talk to a trusted advisor to learn how to properly safeguard your business.
Help to protect your company with the right business insurance coverage. Get started on your tailored policy with the team at Massive Insurance today!