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50 • AUGUST 2013 • WORLD FENCE NEWS THE HUMAN LINK by Jim Lucci Management Motivational Associates rvice and selection Over 30 years of super human se A B OV E & B E Y O N D Nationwide 800.767.7322 800.223.6879 888.850.5090 855.728.0683 Tampa Los Angeles Dallas Sacramento all other distributors of access control products. 7:30AM EST-4:30PM PST ElectronicEntryDistributors.com ALL MAJOR BRANDS & MANUFACTURERS COMPETITIVE PRICING KNOWLEDGEABLE TECH SUPPORT FAST RELIABLE SERVICE & SHIPPING Get Carried Away With Pete, Jake and the Boss! You'll Find Them Each Month in World Fence News! Many items in stock - caps, finials, rings, wall mounts, column bases ….. Custom made parts Short volume runs In-house tool & die shop Phone: 301-334-9100 Fax: 301-334-7846 www.cpalmerdiecastinginc.com How prepared is your business if disaster strikes? I have been asked to share a few thoughts with you about being prepared for a disaster that could strike your business. How many of us have really given any serious thought or consideration to a "what if" situation that could happen to us at any time? This could include natural disasters such as flooding and tornados, or incidents such as fire or vandalism. With that in mind, I will share a real life example of just such a disaster that happened to an acquaintance fairly recently. A company president and coowner of a business, a person whom we shall call Bob, arrived at his place of business in a Massachusetts town to find a large furniture truck wrapped around the utility pole outside the business. The building was pitch dark, without any power; the 15 employees of his distributorship couldn't boot up their computers or answer their phones. As luck would have it, just four weeks prior to this incident, Bob had drawn up an emergency plan for the business. He had lived through too many New England winters to take any more chances. He had recently signed on with a major internet company as a partner and couldn't afford any downtime. Immediately, the emergency plan was put into action. Incoming calls were re-routed to employees' homes; from there, employees could go online to gain access to copies of customers' records which were stored by an online provider of business applications, some 2,500 miles away. Clearly, while this was really a minor disaster as such things go, without a plan, it would have been a lot worse. The power was restored the next day, but as Bob said, "to stay in business, you have to have a plan in place at all times." He's absolutely right! However, most small business owners are woefully unprepared for emergencies, whether minor or catastrophic. As a result, 25% of small businesses that close because of fires, floods, tornados or other disasters never re-open, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety which is located in Tampa, Florida. And, Karlyn Carnahan, vice-president of commercial business at Fireman's Fund Insurance in Novato, California, says 40% of all businesses hit by a disaster close within five years. Why? Roberta J. Whittey, research vice-president of Gartner, which is a research firm in Stamford, Connecticut, says that most entrepreneurs' awareness of disaster planning is "pretty much non-existent." In my personal experience, as an example of a small business being hit by disaster, I will mention that lightning hit an office locally, followed all the electrical and telephone lines and literally fried them and the computer system. Another time, the same building was struck by a runaway automobile which knocked down the ceiling and destroyed the computer system, again. I am sure that all of us have similar stories, and somehow think that it "will never happen to me." Was that business owner prepared? I hope so! Here are some items that I think are extremely important for you to consider in creating your business' emergency plan. To protect your business, create an emergency plan that includes phone lists, alternative working spaces and processes, and, most critical, a procedure to back up vital data. Finally, make sure you have the insurance coverage you'll need to make up for lost revenues or re-building your business. Emergency planning begins with continued on page 52