Disasters aren’t necessarily always tornadoes or hurricanes, but preparing for those is important, too. In the business world, anything that poses a risk has disastrous or fatal consequences on your business’ infrastructure, processes, and serviceability. Some can and certainly should be prevented, and others you can only prepare and brace yourself for. Remember that your staff’s safety and well-being should be on your list. Here are the disasters that can plague small businesses into extinction.
Cash Flow Problems
The downfall of many potentially great small businesses is the inability to create a consistent cash flow. Businesses need money to survive and thrive. (Otherwise, what is the point, right?) Contrary to popular belief, invoice factoring.
• Insufficient gross margins – When you sell your product/ service for such a low amount (because of a highly competitive industry), Audit your products/ service to determine the real cost.
• Surplus inventory – when you have too many products manufactured that are now just taking up shelf space and tying up your cash flow. Do a proper monthly sales forecast and work from that in the future.
Actual Disasters
This can include natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, fires, etc., or accidents from human error such as chemical spills, pollution, or blackouts. Here, preparation, contingency, and continuity are vital as they could cost you your life or your business’s future (or both) if you don’t have these plans in place. Above and beyond your staff and business, if your business is resilient and can manage a respectable level of serviceability throughout natural disasters, it could help countless others. Think of something as simple as a food truck; once a disaster warning is issued and you evade the initial onslaught, you could help feed people who have lost everything. Preparedness is how you protect your business and its assets, and here’s how to go about it. Assess potential threats.
• Where possible, these kinds of assessments should ideally occur before deciding on a building and an area.
• What kind of natural disasters are common in the area?
• How much rain does the area get?
• Is the building and its supporting infrastructure capable of handling the type of weather without damage to your business?
• Are there lots of blackouts in the area?
• Are you near a freeway or other heavy pollutants?
• Freeways and airports also add noise and potentially life-threatening risks like car wrecks, terrorism, etc.
• Which assets, data, programs, and processes are vital to your recover your data and programs fast?
Considering these things would help when compiling an emergency and disaster mitigation plan.
Formulate an Emergency and Disaster Mitigation Plan
Learning how to design a proper Emergency Plan that meets regulations is important. It will include an actual evacuation plan, marked emergency exits, and a dedicated evacuation plan. A disaster mitigation plan should also entail a detailed plan for business continuity, data recovery, and designated personnel to assess business serviceability during a disaster. When the dust settles, it’s imperative to get back to full functionality as soon as possible because downtime is a massive threat many small businesses cannot recover from.
Cyber Threats.
If you think your business is too small or insignificant to be of value to cybercriminals, think again. Automating and simplifying processes using software, applications, and the internet rapidly increases cyber-attacks on any business. And the truth is, Cyber Attacks may be the worst of all of these.
Why?
Because if criminals were to access sensitive security information, what’s to stop them from turning off your system, stealing all your money, and covering their tracks with a fire?
Of course, it’s a bit of a leap, but these things do happen. Any type of information can be useful to someone who knows how to twist it to their advantage, so it’s best not to give them a chance if you can help.
Here are some of the most common types of Cyber Attacks to look out for:
• Ransomware – This is essentially malicious software that makes its way into your systems by tricking someone into accessing it, like in an email, and once you open it, the virus/ software can do what it’s meant to do.
• Hacking – gaining access to your system and files by basically ‘breaking in’ without physically gaining access to your premises or computers.
• Phishing – a way to get access to information or harass someone for payment (that isn’t legitimate) by posing as a trustworthy contact.
Defenses against cyber attacks:
• Backups – your system and files must be constantly duplicated and protected. Have we mentioned how important fast data recovery is?
• Anti-malware protection – protects against dodgy emails, ransomware, and viruses.
• Firewalls, security procedures, and constant improvement thereof.
• Staff awareness – IT should continually find new ways to deal with threats and share those in monthly meetings.
• Software updates – Software that is not properly up to date will become vulnerable to cyber threats.
