Winter 2017 ConTInuITY PLAnnInG think the unthinkable Could your business still operate in the aftermath of a major incident? If your answer is I dont know, its time to make a continuity plan Flooding, fire, loss of utilities, prolonged staff absence, flu pandemic, severe snow and ice could your business survive the impact of one or more of these? Every year, one in five businesses suffers a major disruption and one in 10 of these ceases trading as a result. dont let that be you! Experience shows that businesses are far more likely to survive if they have thought about risks in advance and planned accordingly. Preparing a Business Continuity Plan is very straightforward and neednt be onerous or time consuming. As a small business owner, you are all things to all men, but taking time to put into place some very easy measures will help protect the hard work you put in every day. Lenders are increasingly asking for evidence that owners have thought about a continuity plan when attempting to access finance Your local authority website will have further advice and information on emergency planning. To check the risk to your premises from flooding and other weather-related conditions, click here. The FSB offers its members a free Business Continuity report. This will help you decide how to protect your business should the worst happen, and enable you to put together a tailor-made report for your business. To discuss emergency planning and business continuity further, contact Karen on 07917 628923 or via email. Survival guide A good continuity plan should form part of your general business plan; lenders are increasingly asking for evidence that owners have thought about a continuity plan when attempting to access finance. So follow these six steps to put your business in a much better position to survive if the unthinkable happens. 1. prepare a Business Battle Box This should include: n Your Business Continuity Plan your scheme to recover your business n List of employees, with contact details include email addresses and next of kin details n List of customers and suppliers n Insurance company details and certificate, plus copies of certificates for other business-related insurances for example, public/employer liability n Financial and banking information n Contact details and account numbers for utility companies n Latest stock and equipment inventory n Formulas and trade secrets n Headed stationery n Site plan, including location of gas, electricity and water shut-off points n Engineering plans and drawings n Local Authority contact details you should also include: n Computer back-up discs/uSB sticks, so you can plug and trade at a different location n Spare keys/security codes n disposable camera (useful for recording evidence in an insurance claim) Credit: Karen Woolley, FSB development manager for Staffordshire and the West Midlands Images: iStock.com / darthArt This is not an exhaustive list, but it should help you identify other items of importance. Make sure this box is secure and kept off site and review its contents every six to 12 months. Click numbers for more survival tips Survival guide A good continuity plan should form part of your general business plan; lenders are increasingly asking for evidence that owners have thought about a continuity plan when attempting to access finance. So follow these six steps to put your business in a much better position to survive if the unthinkable happens. 2. identify business-critical activities These are activities that need to continue during an emergency such as payroll. You should then identify the employees, or other input, needed to support that activity. Ensure the activities are not a Single Point of Failure that is, part of a system that, if it fails, will stop the entire operation from working. If necessary, train other staff in these procedures so they can act as backup when others are absent. Click numbers for more survival tips 3. Store data backups off site This will ensure that you have access to business-critical files and documents but make sure all staff know the secondary location of the backups. Click numbers for more survival tips 4. Check if staff can work remotely If bad weather or evacuation prevents your employees from coming to the workplace, would they still be able to access the company servers or their emails? Also ensure employees have access to each others work and stored documents, so cover can be implemented easily. Click numbers for more survival tips 5. discuss continuity plans with your suppliers Your organisation is only as good as those on whom it depends. discuss with your suppliers and subcontractors whether they have robust Business Continuity Plans, and how these may affect your business. Also discuss how they might support you if your business suffers an emergency for example, will they provide you with supplies while you get things up and running again. Click numbers for more survival tips 6. review these steps every six to 12 months This will ensure that your Battle Box remains current and in line with any changes that might have occurred within your business. Click numbers for more survival tips 1 2 3 4 5 6 For further information, please contact your local trading Standards Service