Every business opener has that one story, you know the one, about the time that everything went wrong. The power went out five minutes before you were due to deliver a big pitch to important backers, or half of your employees went down with the flu just before the big holiday rush.
It’s real life, and everything doesn’t always go smoothly, especially when you run a thriving business, right? But you know what? When it doesn’t matter if or when the storm comes, as long as you are able to weather it.
That being the case, let’s take a look at a few key things that will help your business weather pretty much any storm that comes its way.
Build a Team That Can Bend, Not Break
Rigid structures do not make for the most successful businesses. No, if you want your business ot be successful even when things go a bit sideways for a while, then you need flexibility, and that is especially true when it comes to your team.
If your employees are the kind of people who can go with the flow and not lose their heads when they’re thrown a curveball, then your business will obviously find it much easier to get through disaster days.
So, be sure to encourage things like cross-training, which will mean they will be able to adapt, step up and take on other roles if half the staff get sick, share knowledge, and basically just create a culture where asking questions and teaching one another new tricks is the norm.
Have a Back-Up for Your Back-Up
Technology is pretty brilliant at helping you to run a successful business…until it isn’t. Technology can fail and power can fail, so it is really important that you always have a backup available, whether that’s a backup server that will keep your business online or a backup generator for disaster recovery that will keep the power on and all of your most vital systems running when you need them to. Cloud storage, external drives, and duplicated files are all sensible things to have in place, just in case, too.
Streamline, Streamline, Streamline
Clutter creates chaos, and chaos attracts storms like seagulls to a bag of chips. The more streamlined your processes are, the easier it is to weather trouble.
So, take an afternoon to list everything you do in a typical week – admin tasks, customer communication, scheduling, invoicing – and look for the bits that feel messy or time-wasting. Could you automate invoices? Batch content creation? Use software that does in twenty minutes what you normally spend two hours on? Small tweaks make massive differences, especially when life decides to chuck unexpected obstacles your way.
And, while you’re at it, tidy up that desk drawer. You know the one.
Cash Flow Cushions Are Your Friend
A lot of business owners think that having a cash flow buffer is less exciting than investing every penny in new products or new marketing strategies that they are sure will see their business grow, and maybe it isn’t, but it beats running out of money and struggling to continue with the basics, let alone bringing in new business, right?
You don’t need a dragon’s hoard of gold, just a sensible amount of cash to see you through any slumps in sales or those times when things break down, and you need a bit of money to get them up and running again.
Keep Your Customers in the Loop
People are surprisingly forgiving when things go wrong, but only if you keep them in the loop, explain what is happening, and keep them posted until the trouble is over. If you leave your customers in the dark, then they are going to get annoyed and frustrated when their order doesn’t go through, or they can’t access their account.
So, be proactive: send updates quickly, offer alternatives, and keep your tone human. A friendly “Sorry folks, the storms took out half the electrics, but we’re still here – just operating on a slightly chaotic level today!” goes a long way. Transparency builds trust, and trust keeps customers loyal even when things go wobbly.
Take Care Of Yourself
When things go wrong, it is really important that you do not panic or let yourself get overly stressed out because that will only make it even more difficult for you to get things back on track. So, take a deep breath, drink some water, and make sure that you have help and support to get you through.
Here’s to weathering any storm and building a stronger business as a result
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-man-holding-black-eyeglasses-3760137/