Disaster Preparedness Guide For Small Business

Step-by-step guide to prepare the small business for a possible disaster. Includes risk analysis, hazard planning, emergency response, recovery information, workplace violence prevention and employee family preparedness.

Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Small Businesses presents you with proven guidelines for your small or midsized business to effectively prepare for catastrophes.

Improve business efficiency, eliminate day-to-day mishaps, and prepare for the worst-with effective disaster contingency planning Working in lower Manhattan on September 11th, 2001, Donna Childs became keenly aware of the need for small businesses to develop disaster contingency plans and grateful that her own business had implemented such plans and would remain financially sound. Now, with the assistance of IT consultant Stefan Dietrich, she draws upon her unique experience to present proven guidelines for small and midsize businesses to effectively prepare for catastrophes in Contingency Planning and Disaster Recovery: A Small Business Guide. Childs and Dietrich take small business owners through every stage of disaster planning, from preparation to response to recovery. Specific issues addressed include: * What to do if the main office location is not accessible * Getting the business up and running again * Contacting third parties * Handling insurance claims * Adequate insurance for property, business interruption losses, and workers' compensation * Rebuilding an IT infrastructure Successful planning not only can limit the damage of an unforeseen disaster but also can minimize daily mishaps-such as the mistaken deletion of files-and increase a business's overall efficiency. Contingency Planning and Disaster Recovery is the only contingency guide that small business owners need to ensure their company's continued success.

Protect your company’s finances in the event of a disaster In the face of an environmental or man-made disaster, it’s imperative to have a contingency plan that’s mapped out your corporation’s strategy to minimize the impact on the daily functions or life of the corporation. Successful planning not only can limit the damage of an unforeseen disaster but also can minimize daily mishaps—such as the mistaken deletion of files—and increase a business's overall efficiency. Faster Disaster Recovery provides a 10-step approach for business owners on creating a disaster recovery plan (from both natural and man-made events). Each chapter ends with thought-provoking questions that allow business owners to explore their particular situation. Covers natural events such as earthquakes and floods Provides guidance on dealing with man-made events such as terrorist attacks Offers worksheets to make your contingency plans Includes several examples throughout the book There’s no time like the present to develop a business contingency plan—and this book shows you how.

Accompanying CD-ROM contains additional supporting materials, sample electronic slide presentations, and other resources.

The challenges facing a solo entrepreneur when calamity strikes are unique in the realm of disaster planning, and the only effective strategy for preventing a business failure after an unexpected major setback is to have a clearly thought-out emergency backup plan. This book guides you to being 100 percent ready for the worst-case scenario. Disasters are sudden, calamitous events that can bring about great loss and failure to a business. Some disasters can be prevented through good judgment and careful planning; others—whether "acts of God" such as flood or fire or a personal health crisis—cannot be. What will happen if the one person responsible for the day-to-day operations of a solo entrepreneurship is suddenly incapacitated and unable to manage the business? In cases of small businesses that do not have a clear backup or disaster recovery plan, the outcome is often the total failure of the business. This book is both a wakeup call and an action plan for small business owners. It will guide readers toward creating a backup system that will enable a business to "run itself" without the immediate presence of its owner—for a week, a month, or even longer. The author presents a tested strategy that has its roots in preparing for natural disasters, and replaces the all-too-common refusal to believe that bad things can and do happen with hard facts and realism. Clearly, solopreneurs cannot afford to take risks of failure when it comes to their businesses—the most important thing in their lives aside from family and health.