Ready for a disaster?

What would you do if you came to work tomorrow and there was nothing left of your small business except a big hole in the ground?

That scenario is not farfetched if you’ve ever seen what’s left after a structure fire.

So if your physical business was destroyed by a fire or some other disaster, would you shut down, or would you get back to work?

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month, the perfect time to work on your business continuity plan.

Scary as it is to think about, a small business can survive a disaster, as you can see in the accompanying video about the owner of an Orlando restaurant who was able to rebuild after a late-night fire destroyed his business. http://youtu.be/3_s9LG91vxA

How to start your plan:

1.    Invest in insurance that covers the physical plant, equipment, inventory and also offers business-interruption coverage. Don’t scrimp.

2.    Protect your proprietary information, such as customer lists, data bases, vendor lists, processes, strategic plans, etc. If possible, keep that information in a file-proof cabinet at the office and also in off-site locations. It makes the most sense to back up computerized information to the “cloud” so it can be accessed from anywhere.

3.    Hopefully your business has an active and lively Facebook page, Twitter feed and website. You need these digital communications tools after a disaster to let customers know what’s going on – to tell them that you’re still in business and how they can contact you.

4.    Hold disaster drills and discussions with your team so everyone knows what to do in an emergency. Make sure all employees have one or two call-in numbers so they can contact you to find out what they’re needed to do. Make sure you have phone numbers to contact your employees. Keep copies of that information at home, in your car, and in the “cloud”.

5.    Plan on where you can set up business temporarily if your main business location got knocked out. Sometimes other businesses will let you share space. Work out those arrangements now, not when you’re standing in the ruins of your business.

The information presented here only covers the very first steps. Disaster preparations vary, depending on your industry. Having a disaster plan can reduce that stress you’re bound to experience during an emergency. The plan will help your business survive. All large companies have continuity plans, so should your small business.

Click for more information.

This post was written by David Porter, principal/owner at www.davidportercommunications.com, a Orlando-based firm that provides public relations and marketing support to small businesses. That firm also produces www.b2bflorida.com and www.sunrailriders.com

Are you ready for Small Business Saturday?

In case you’ve been living under a seashell in Micronesia for the last few years, the Saturday after Thanksgiving has been designated “Small Business Saturday”. On that day shoppers are encouraged to spend money with locally owned businesses.

This year Small Business Saturday will be observed on Nov. 30.

Credit-card giant American Express deserves credit for leading the Small Business Saturday crusade. Three years ago Amex spent a fortune and launched a nationwide advertising campaign to promote Small Business Saturday. Now that’s what I call walking the talk!

Other major companies, government agencies and political leaders have joined the campaign to urge consumers to shop local on Nov. 30.

So Mr. and Ms. Business Owner, how will you take advantage of this magnificent opportunity?

Look around your sales floor. What do you have to sell?

Is it the same old same old? Or can you introduce a few new products to freshen things up?

Let’s face it, the Christmas countdown clock is ticking. Christmas season sales will make or break many retailers – both large and small.

If you expect people to spend money, you need inventory – especially items consumers are likely to buy. If you don’t know what’s hot, you better do some quick research.

By the way, what about some great discounts to sweeten the pot? Everybody loves a sale!

Since this is all about the Christmas sales season, please put up some holiday decorations in your store. The decorations you use are a personal choice, but don’t go overboard. I’ve been to shops that were so heavily decorated that it was difficult to tell the merchandise from the decorations. Remember, the goal is to make sales, not win a decorating contest.

And while you’re looking around the sales floor, does your shop need to be spruced up? Be honest! Some locally owned small businesses I’ve visited are cluttered and could use a deep cleaning. One of my pet peeves is storefront windows that are smudged and stained. If you’re too busy to clean, then hire a janitorial service, but get it done quickly!

Pay attention to your business exterior, too. Is there trash in the gutter? Does the sidewalk need to be power washed? Please encourage neighboring businesses to do their part because cleaning up benefits everyone’s business. If your business looks bad from the outside most prospective customers will drive right past you.

What American Express has done is wonderful, but please don’t rely on the national campaign to bring shoppers through your door on Small Business Saturday.

You need to take action! This week you should be sending a snail-mail letter or email to your customers encouraging them to make plans to visit your store on Nov. 30. Ask them to share the Small Business Saturday news with their friends. Shame on you if you don’t have a customer mailing list!

For those businesses with customer mailing lists, there are free resources available to help you prepare messages you can send out, post at your store, and on your Facebook page and business website. Search “Small Business Saturday” on Google and you can find all kinds of material, including logos and fliers to promote your business and Small Business Saturday.

If I owned a store, when Small Business Saturday arrives, I would have extra staff on hand, (everyone in clean pressed clothing with big smiles on their faces), and a nice platter of holiday cookies to greet shoppers. Remember the line from that commercial: You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

This article was written by David Porter, principal and owner at David Porter Communications Inc., an Orlando-based communications consulting firm that produces www.B2BFlorida.com