Disaster-proof your business!

If you live in the South, chances are you live in an area where you get tropical storms and hurricanes.

How do you design your business so that a disaster in your area doesn't mean your business grinds to a halt?

1. If you have a business that involves Network Marketing or you can build a team of distributors under you, make an effort to recruit people that are NOT in "Hurricane Zones." While most people we recruit and have as customers are those we know personally and locally, the Internet and other technology make it quite possible to have recruits and customers all over the US and the world! Try to make sure your business isn't too heavily concentrated in an area that is "prone" to hurricanes. (Translation: the East and Gulf Coasts!)

2. Don't be caught without a plan! With today's technology, there is NO WAY for a Hurricane or Tropical Storm to "sneak up on you." There is ample time to be prepared for a disaster! Make plans BEFORE you are in harm's way - I make a disaster plan every June 1st (the first day of hurricane season), and I have everything mapped out - where I will go, how I will notify my associates, alternate numbers for getting in touch with me, etc.

3. COMMUNICATE with anyone who will be waiting to hear from you! What do I mean by that? I know from experience (having dealt with hurricane evacuations my whole life - I was born and raised in Charleston, SC) that one of the things that makes people CRAZY is worrying about someone in the path of a hurricane! Just letting people know you are okay will do WONDERS for the morale of your team! Before you evacuate (or before the storm hits, if you are going to "ride it out" at home), make someone the "designated contact point" for your team. Ask one person (outside of the hurricane's path) to be waiting for your phone call (not email!) after the storm has passed to let him/her know you are okay. He or she can pass the info along to the others. You can have a "back up" contact in case you cannot reach the Primary contact person. (If you evacuate, this should not be a problem. Hopefully you would evacuate to a place out of the hurricane's path. LOL)

Why this procedure? Well, first, someone outside the hurricane's path is an obvious choice. Someone out of state is even better. Why? Because if the Hurricane is devastating, there is a better chance of reaching a person out of state than locally (as was the case after Hurricane Hugo many years ago). Not sure why - but that's the way the phone system seems to be set up.

Why phone calls instead of emails? Cell phones are more likely to work than Internet service. Your contact person can email others, if need be. (A Yahoo group for your team is great for this!)

Why only call one person instead of your whole team? Time and cell phone battery life. It is a LOT easier and faster to call one person than it is to call 10. After a hurricane, you don't know how long power will be out, so cell phone battery life might be an issue.

4. Make sure ALL of your records and business info are safe. This should be a no-brainer, but it isn't. Plastic bags (with zippers) should be used to protect all paper business records. Make sure all files are backed up and the copies are safely stored.

Even if you are evacuating, use plastic bags to store your info. Why? Because stuff happens, and if you accidentally drop a bin of documents into a puddle when you unload the car after you get home, you will be really sorry you didn't spend a dollar on plastic baggies. That's all I'm sayin'.

So, in closing, the most important thing to do is PREPARE. Make a plan and let others know of your plan and whereabouts.

And STAY SAFE!