Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Are you prepared for an emergency? Not just for bad weather, a minor financial crisis, or a dead car battery, but also for career emergencies. Is your data backed up? What will you do if you get the “blue screen of death” and your computer refuses to cooperate for a week? Do you have a fallback plan in case the phone line goes out? Glitches happen, and it’s unrealistic to expect perfection at all times. However, the more prepared you are for emergencies, the happier you keep your clients and the better your track record of success is.

A friend of mine, Allen, recently went through some minor office emergencies of this kind, and though he wasn’t fully prepared, he managed to get through it OK with the help of some good friends and business partners who really came through for him. The hidden blessing was that the emergencies forced him to work on a plan to have in place in case it happened again. He also learned that all the work he’s done recently to build a support system was well worth the investment.

Preparing for emergencies is about as much fun as getting our teeth cleaned, but just as important in preventing much bigger trouble down the line. Naturally, we can’t prepare for every possibility, but we can cover most of our bases and minimize the risk of lost business and complications. Here are the areas where you should focus your efforts:

People. Not only does having friends and business contacts provide ongoing career, networking, and socializing opportunities, it gives you a little extra padding against the injuries and accidents of life. When I have faced trying situations, I have often been surprised at who has come out of the woodwork to provide exactly the help I needed. All the kindly acts you perform come back to you tenfold. Be reliable and helpful to friends and acquaintances in need, and your efforts will be returned in the form of assistance when you most need it.

Information. In addition to backing up your files and storing them offsite, make sure you have all your contacts and critical information stored in several places, in several formats—electronic and paper, and in your car, home, office, and at a friend’s place. Yes, it takes a bit of time to back up your information, but you will be infinitely thankful that you took the time for it when your whole business or well being is resting on those facts. Make it a habit. Put it on your calendar to duplicate and store critical information at the end of every month. Make a commitment and put in on your schedule now. Once you get into the habit, it won’t be a big deal.

Equipment. When your home Internet connection goes out, what will you do? What about when you try to send a last-minute fax at 2:00 in the morning and it’s not working? You can face your waiting client with a lame sob story and without a solution to her problem, or, if you’ve got your ducks in a row, you can deliver the goods in spite of setbacks. If you can’t afford to invest in backup equipment, work out a deal with a friend or business associate—or, better yet, a group of them—that you will be there for each other in case of equipment failure. Rock-solid reliability is a dying art. Distinguish yourself and cement your reputation for quality and dependability by having a solid set of fallback options in place in case of trouble.

Filed under: Personal Strategic Planning
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