9 Ways To Avoid Disaster In Your Business Day To Day
You can’t always avoid mistakes and issues within your business day to day. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. There are a few different things you can do to ensure the day to day running of your business is as smooth as possible and that any ‘disasters’ are dealt with as quickly as possible to avoid even bigger issues later on down the line.
Below, you’ll find 9 ways to avoid disaster in your business day to day. Take a look and see what you should be doing:
1. Take Your Time Putting A Team Together
First of all, when you put your team together you should take your time. This ensures that you’re actually picking the best people for the job, and not just settling for the best of a bad bunch. It does take time to hire people who are actually going to do the job well and be worthwhile, loyal employees. This is why you should allow as much time as you need for the interview and hiring process, perhaps asking potential candidates to show they have passed a drug test near me within a certain time frame, and ensure that this process is a positive experience from start to finish.
2. Consistently Invest In Training
Training your team again and again is one of the best ways to ensure mistakes are minimized and everybody is working to the highest standards. You don’t always need to train them on things relevant to your business, either – allowing them to choose training for themselves and develop their own skills can keep them engaged in the role, loyal to your business, and show them that you care.
3. Back-Up Your Data
Make sure you have backup copies of all of your data to avoid disaster – off site if possible, just in case anything happens to your premises. Having multiple copies across various sites ensures protection no matter what happens.
4. Protect Sensitive Information
You also need to do your utmost to protect the sensitive information of your employees and customers, too. You have their home addresses, bank details, and other information. If any of this gets out, you’re going to have big problems on your hands and a lot of upset people.
5. Get The Correct Insurance From The Start
Having the correct business insurance right from the beginning is another crucial step for business owners. Looking at business general liability insurance could help to protect you in a number of instances. Ensure you read the small print and that your insurance protects you, your team, and your customers if needs be. It’ll all depend on the type of work you’re doing and where you’re doing it.
6. Have An Emergency Plan
Having an emergency plan in place ensures you can bounce back faster if something does go wrong. Downtime can cost even small businesses thousands, so make sure you know what you need to do if this happens to you.
7. Protect Your Cash Flow
As well as protecting your employees and having an emergency plan in place, protecting your cash flow should be a priority to you. Once a disaster has taken place, your expenses are likely to shoot up, making your cash flow more important than ever. Contacting your bank early and explaining everything to them could help, but you may also need to extend a line of credit to cover various expenses.
8. Have Experts On Hand To Help
Having experts on hand to help you get back on track can also be key to avoiding too much downtime and keeping emergency situations under control. Computer support may be especially important if you do a lot of your work on computers or online. Making sure you have these experts on hand or at least have an idea of who you go to could make a big difference in how quickly an emergency situation is dealt with.
9. Prioritize The Health and Wellbeing Of Your Team
Prioritizing the health and wellbeing of your team can help them to keep their stress levels at bay, as well as fight off illnesses like depression, and other things that can keep them off work or low on productivity. Suggesting mental and physical health tips, as well as providing resources and incentives to use them, could ensure your team is healthy and happy most of the time. It also shows your team that you actually care about them, which can go an awfully long way! Encouraging activities like meditating, eating healthy snacks, at-home exercises or fostering positive thinking could make a great start. Health events, subscriptions and allowances are also popular ideas for business owners. Having an open door policy can also encourage them to speak to you if they need to.
8 Comments
heather
Boy this post is full of some great tips and some I had not thought of thanks for sharing.
Kate Sarsfield
Plan for the worst! Easier to do when you’re older!
Kate Sarsfield
ALWAYS have a Plan B! Sometimes it pays to be a pessimist and prepare for the worst!
Lisa DT
I can’t think of an emergency plan with an Insurance Company, maybe.
Tamra Phelps
It sounds like good advice to me. I’m surprised by the number of businesses that just don’t think about things like cash reserves, etc.
Shannon
These are all great tips. I love the back up plan.
Renee T
Great tips and reminders. As stated before, back up your data.
Dana Rodriguez
These are fantastic tips. Backing up date is real important!