While hurricanes Harvey and Irma are gone, Hurricane Maria poses a possible threat. And, that’s a warning because in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there were over 1 million insurance claims processed. The fact of the matter is, there are still businesses in Texas and Florida which are dealing with the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Although time has passed, simple supplies remain scarce. This isn’t to unnecessarily frighten you, only to serve as a stark reminder natural disasters are so disastrous to businesses of all kinds. Why Natural Disasters are So Disastrous to Businesses Dealing with a business emergency doesn’t have to be an exercise done on the fly. In fact, it shouldn’t be approached without an effective plan. However, too many businesses simply are not prepared. Statistics show that 94 percent of all small businesses in the U.S. do backup their critical financial information. But, only 4 in 10 backup off-site. From natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy to common theft and hardware malfunctions, small businesses are particularly vulnerable in times of crisis. “Disasters can wipe out a small business in seconds,” said the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Yet small businesses are often the most unprepared for emergencies. —Forbes This one figure is a peek into why so many businesses fail in the wake of natural disasters. Nearly 40 percent of all small businesses never reopen following a natural disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA. That’s not an insignificant figure to ignore. And, it clearly shows businesses are quite susceptible to natural disasters. How to Protect Your Business from Natural Disasters You shouldn’t have to endure more stress and worry than necessary. Your company can make it through a fire, earthquake, tornado, or hurricane. All you need is a plan and to be proactive. This way, you’re fully prepared and know precisely what to do. Here’s a few helpful suggestions for how to protect your business from natural disasters: Back up company records in the cloud. Not only should you routinely backup your company records, including your financials, on-site, but off-site, as well. There are many platforms out there and these provide an invaluable service. Focus on those which cater to business information as those will offer the best fit. Establish clear policies for employee, vendors, and customers. To keep your working relationships in good standing, you’ll need an actionable plan for team members, vendors, and customers. After all, if there’s going to be a delay in paying employees or delivering to your customers, you need a way to deal with such situations. Create a workable continuity plan to follow in the aftermath. Your continuity plan should identify key and essential operations. Basically, what your business can’t do without. You might need to cross-train employees. But, your goal is to put a workable continuity plan into place. Run drills from time to time and strive to make improvements. Even the best plan is useless if it’s never practiced. So, run drills periodically to keep everyone in practice. This will help ensure things run smoothly if the time comes. What’s your business’ plan for a natural disaster? How are you preparing your company to avoid losses? Are there any other precautions you would suggest taking? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group. [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]

Anxiety, stress, fear, and even anger. All these emotions result from a lack of control in a state of uncertainty. And, little else can describe the current state of events. It’s a time filled with unknowns and that’s not good for the human condition. After all, no one really relishes living in an environment of uncertainty. What Causes Fear and Anxiety This is precisely what triggers feelings of fear and anxiety — uncertainly. Having little to no idea of what to expect next or, being without any sense of control. It’s a combination of these two elements which cause anxiety, stress, fear, anger, and more negative emotions. For many people, the uncertainty surrounding coronavirus is the hardest thing to handle. We don’t know how exactly we’ll be impacted or how bad things might get. And that makes it all too easy to catastrophize and spiral out into overwhelming dread and panic. But there are many things you can do—even in the face of this unique crisis—to manage your anxiety and fears. —Help Guide International The good news is, even during the most uncertain and stressful times, you can do something to deal with such negative emotions. Better yet, once you begin to establish even a small sense of control, you’ll start to feel empowered and that by itself is a huge relief. 5 Ways to Cope with Fear and Anxiety To deal with anxiety and fear, you have to first accept your current set of circumstances. Fighting reality simply won’t work, because it can’t be changed. However, you can change how you respond to fear and anxiety by doing the following: Contextualize. Your first step toward conquering or at least coping with fear and anxiety is to contextualize. Here’s an example. Money is tight and bills are due. But, it’s only a temporary circumstance. It’s not an end-of-life situation. You will get through it and putting things in context is a big help. Take small steps. Next, you’ll need to take small steps in order to feel a sense of control. Sticking with the example above, you can reach out to vendors and ask what can be done. Just by communicating and better understanding the what’s actually going on will give you a sigh of relief. Limit news consumption. You’ve probably already heard this advice several times. So, take it to heart. Limit your exposure to news media, including social media, and other outlets. You only need to keep tabs on key developments but not bombard yourself with big doses. Revisit and revisit your goals. Now is a great time to revisit and revise your goals. This will help you to see and feel better about the future. And, it will also provide you with a sense of new possibilities, which is very empowering. Visualize and start to execute. It’s also a good time to visualize and execute. Although you may not be able to take things fully to fruition, you can at least start and that too, will help to give you a sense of control, accomplishment, and hope. What other suggestions do you have to combat feelings of anxiety and fear? Please comment and share your thoughts and experiences! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.