Your small business is your bread and butter. If it were ever rendered inoperable, you would lose a vital income stream. For this reason, it is critical for small business-owners to take great care to ensure that, even during an emergency, they will remain operational. While many small business-owners are busy thinking about how to generate more cash flow, it is easy to overlook the equally critical problem of protecting their business from being the victim of a major disaster. For this reason, these business-owners are encouraged to take a moment to consider the many possible threats to which their business may be left vulnerable. The following are a few of these threats for which a business-owner should be mindful.
Robberies and Vandalism
It is never pleasant to return to your store in the early morning hours and find that the windows have been smashed or the door kicked to the floor. Sometimes this is only a result of people doing physical damage to the structure of a building. In other instances, the person responsible has gone a step further and taken merchandise and equipment from your store. Either way, you can be certain that the resultant expense will more than likely come straight out of your pocket. To add insult to injury, you may have to incur a loss by keeping your store closed while repairs are made to your store. Using visible cameras, motion sensor lighting and a loud security system increases the chances of deterring such activities or that someone will witness the person attempting to do harm to your small business.
Power Surges
From computers to POS systems, your small business relies on all sorts of electronic equipment to run efficiently. In the case of a single power surge, literally thousands of dollars of equipment can be ruined in the blink of an eye. To protect your small business from this type of damage, using a UPS backup can help. Not only does a 700 VA-rated UPS device provide your business with the ability to continue operating if the power goes out, but it also serves as a means to prevent a power surge from reaching your vital equipment.
Disgruntled Employees
Treating employees fairly and paying them well is a policy that will serve a small business well. When employees become disgruntled, they are liable to do any number of things that could potentially cause serious damage to your small business. Breaking equipment, not minding the store with a watchful eye or simply driving customers away are among the many detrimental things employees can do to take out their frustrations on a business owner they feel is not treating them right. These types of problems often manifest as slowly bleeding the company of assets, customers, and funds until it is no longer able to sustain operations.
The Woes of Litigation
Most small business owners imagine the possibilities of being drug through court for one reason or another; yet, few of these business owners find themselves truly prepared for the experience. For this reason, it never hurts to keep a competent attorney on retainer for just such an emergency. The last thing a business owner wants to do is have to go hunting for an attorney at the last moment. Often it is the hours and days immediately following an incident of which the attorney needs to be made aware. The sooner the attorney can get their hands on the facts and study the most relevant evidence, the better the chances that a business will not be destroyed during litigation.
Conclusion
Running a business is often more complicated than marketing, selling products and counting profits. Businesses come with a wide variety of potential liabilities and setbacks. The ability of a business owner to anticipate and guard against such issues ahead of time will make doing business a far easier task over the long term. A good rule of thumb to operate by is that if it can go wrong, then it likely will at some point; consequently, it is always best to plan and prepare for the worse possible outcome. If a business owner has a plan to manage to get their business through the rough times, their business will be far more fit to survive in spite of any bumps in the road.