Breakdown Backup

Breakdowns happen to all of us. Your car suddenly stops working on a busy street, your hair dryer fails right when you are getting ready for a big meeting, and your office equipment decides to malfunction as people being striving for an in-person meeting.

So, what can you do to stave off the pending doom of a professional breakdown? Well, it depends on the type of business you run.

If you make, produce, or sell a tangible product, seek out an alternative place for production well before you ever need it. It could be an arrangement with a much larger competitor, someone else’s home that can provide the necessary equipment or tools, or a warehouse that sits idle until its worth is called upon.

Losing production time to unexpected breakdowns can be catastrophic for a small business. So, invest in that backup computer, rent that extra warehouse space, source from multiple distributors, ask your largest competition if you can rent from them in times of disaster or peril.

The point here is to do something not nothing. And never imagine it can’t happen to you, because it will. If you provide professional services and need a backup computer, always have an updated proposal from your computer and IT firm. Have a credit card handy to be able to buy it at a moment’ notice, even if that card belongs to a family member.

Separate of your Disaster Plan, a Backup Plan is immediate and more of a stop gap measure. We all need help and support when we may least expect it. Make a list of immediate items and where and how you can purchase them if your computer breaks, your stove overheats, your retail shelves fall and break, your WiFi goes down.

Take a morning, write down your immediate needs for an unexpected backup plan. You likely may be surprised on who is willing to support you.

Be well.