In light of the recent winter blizzards that have been slamming the Midwest and east coast, I’ve decided to write a post that focuses on what to do in case a winter weather storm or other natural disaster strikes and cuts off your business communication to the outside world (in other words—when your power goes out).
Instead of twiddling your thumbs for a few hours—or even worse, a few days—do something productive with your time. You’ll stay ahead of the game and won’t need to stay up late at night to catch up on emails and work you’ve missed.
So grab some candles, lanterns, or flashlights, take a seat, and open your Business Emergency Kit.
Here are a few items to keep in your Business Emergency Kit that will enable you to remain productive—even when bad weather strikes:
Accessories: Highlighters, pens, sticky tabs, and paper.
A Calendar: Have you wanted to host a webinar for over a year now but haven’t had the time to sit down and get the ball rolling? Perhaps you’ve wanted to follow up with some prospects or joint ventures but haven’t gotten around to it. Well, now is your chance. Brainstorm all the tasks that you’ve been putting on the backburner and start planning out the days when you will complete these tasks. Mark your calendar with a pen so that you can’t erase these tasks. Stick to it and your plate will become clearer, and, you’ll have less responsibilities weighing on you. Organization works wonders for reducing stress and creating a clear mind.
Business Strategy Book(s): Do you want your business to continue to grow and become more successful? Of course, who doesn’t? Always have a business success book on hand. For times when your Internet is out, this is a great way to expand your mindset and get clear on what you need to do to make your business more successful. Here are a few books that we suggest:
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Take the Leap . . . and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Flip the Funnel: How to Use Existing Customers to Gain New Ones by Joseph Jaffe
• The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
• Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web by Brian Solis
Your Business Model Documents: Take a long hard look at your business model. What can you do, right now, to make the way you run business more efficient and less stressful? You might find that simply by revising and tweaking a few of your business systems, you become more organized and efficient. I am a strong believer that efficiency is the key to success. If you can reduce the amount of time it takes to do a task, simply by changing the system you use, you’ll have more time to focus on other areas of your business.
When you’re met with the unexpected, is your business prepared?
If you like this post, you might also like:
- Are You Preventing Your Business From Growing to Its Full Potential?
- 7 Switch-It-Up Steps to Running a Successful Business and Living a Happy Life in 2011
- Is Your Business Development Experiencing a Stunt in Growth?
- Pay It Forward: Small-Business Owners Share Their Best Business Decisions
- Proof That Web Copy and Website Redesign Can Work Wonders for Your Business
