Is Your Business Prepared For An Emergency Situation?

The last thing any business owner wants is a catastrophic circumstance that leaves his/her company in disarray. However, an emergency situation is something that every business owner needs to prepare for. Unfortunately, unexpected events come in all forms. We’re talking about everything from burglaries and vandalism to inclement weather that causes severe property damage.

What is the first thing you need to do to prepare for an emergency?

Quite obviously, a plan needs to be set in place. Not only should you create an emergency preparedness plan, but you should have regular meetings and drills to ensure that everyone on your staff is well aware of what they need to do in the event of an emergency. Fire drills, for example, are quite commonplace. Your team should be as well prepared for any other unexpected event as they are for a fire.

“Work with your employees to create an emergency preparedness plan and perform annual mock drills,” advises Bill Adams of Small Business BC, “Make sure that everyone can access the plan, understands his or her role and can execute the plan without you, if necessary. There is no point in having a plan if no one knows about it. Update the plan appropriately – this should be a living document.”

What steps should be taken after the emergency is over?

As they say after every tragic event, “life must go on”. Your business must go on as well. A business continuity plan is equally important to your emergency preparedness plan. As the City of Vancouver communicates on its website, “the ability to respond quickly to disruptive incidents is important. Having a business continuity plan could make the difference in the long-term to the survival of your organization.”

The site goes on to recommend such steps as creating plans to continue the delivery of critical services and products to customers, identifying necessary resources such as personnel, equipment and legal counsel, communicating with key stakeholders including staff members, customers, clients and suppliers, determining alternate workspaces and securing backup equipment and supplies.

“As you work on your strategy, always remember that good business continuity plans are flexible, clearly written, tested regularly, and understood by all staff, and integrated into your every day to day business,” says Vancouver.ca, “Your plan should outline when emergency procedures will be implemented, and who has the authority to activate the plan.”

Synergy Merchants is here to help!

At Synergy Merchants, we are dedicated to helping businesses get back on their feet following emergency situations. We know how it important it is for business owners who have endured harrowing incidents to get their hands on money quickly in order to restore normalcy for their companies.

We’re proud to say that our unique merchant cash advance program has assisted many a Canadian business owner with overcoming unexpected emergency situations. With our help, they secured business funding within 24 hours of their applications!

For more information about our merchant cash advance program or to speak with one of our licensed funding specialists to get a free, no obligation quote, simply call Synergy Merchants at 1-877-718-2026 or email us at info@synergymerchants.com.