Idea Exchange: How Does Your Business Prepare for a Natural Disaster?

Getting back to business after a disaster depends on how prepared you are today. As a small business owner, you invest your time, money and effort to make a venture successful. Having an emergency plan in place before a disaster strikes can mean staying in business after a disaster, and in some cases, saving your company.  As hurricane season begins, disaster preparedness is critical.

Last month, we asked small business owners in the SBA Community for their advice on putting together a disaster preparedness plan, and for those that experienced a disaster, we asked about the steps they took to help their business recover after the disaster. Here are some of their tips:

Invest the Time to Make a Plan

inevolvesb advised businesses take a disaster scenario seriously and make the smart move to put together a preparedness plan, saying “it makes good business sense to have a plan. It doesn't require a huge investment to protect your company either.”

Test Your Plan Frequently

smallbusinesshelp recommended testing a recovery plan annually, or more frequently, in order to gage its effectiveness. They commented “by testing your plan each year, you ensure that the plan is still up to date and relevant to your present situation.”

Backup Your Files Electronically

rribeiro and LifeCube suggested businesses use a remote access system to backup valuable IT resources in the event of a natural disaster, or use an IT “Cloud”. Rribeiro commented  “if your business is able to operate remotely, while others around you aren't, not only will your data and operations be safe, but you'll be ahead of the game.”

About the Author

My name is Nico and I'm serving as a moderator for the Community.