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If You Aren't Experienced, You Waste Time
This is just a fact. I'm not ashamed to admit I almost never eat fast food. The last time I had Wendy's was 2015 and I can't say when...
Erika Andresen
Nov 18, 20242 min read


The Agony of Post-Election Business Continuity
Not business continuity being in the news...but of course no one is calling it business continuity (although that's what it is). I...
Erika Andresen
Nov 11, 20242 min read


Annual Known Disruptions
Disruptions don't always have to come in the form of a surprise. Annual events - as in on this day every year X happens - can be either a...
Erika Andresen
Nov 4, 20243 min read


Valuing Your Assets Appropriately
Part of business continuity is figuring out what your most important processes are for operations - to keep things running, even at a...
Erika Andresen
Oct 28, 20242 min read


How Restaurants Survive No Utilities
I have some stories of just harsh truth, paths ahead, and amazing hope in this blog entry. The reality for many Asheville-area...
Erika Andresen
Oct 21, 20243 min read


"They Didn't Tell Me!" - Why You Need an Expert to Survive Helene
I am continuing with my experience surviving Helene in Asheville, NC. I didn't think there was anything I could have done to help the...
Erika Andresen
Oct 14, 20243 min read


Hope for Businesses After a Disaster: Asheville and World Central Kitchen
If you haven't been paying attention, I live in Asheville, NC. Business continuity is difficult after a catostrophic event has occurred...
Erika Andresen
Oct 7, 20242 min read


Why Small Business Survival IS important
I talk a lot about how small businesses and their survival are key components to community resilience. It can be from just tax purposes...
Erika Andresen
Sep 23, 20242 min read


Win or Learn
Win or Lose? Nay. Win or Learn. I say it a lot – it’s never too late to learn what you wish you knew earlier (it’s even on the back cover...
Erika Andresen
Sep 16, 20242 min read


Regulatory Compliance - The Right Amount (?)
What are regulations? Do they have the same standing and effect as a law? What does it really mean to comply or not? What does compliance...
Erika Andresen
Sep 9, 20242 min read


How Down? Shortcomings of Exercises
I had a leader regale me with his management style regarding when employees came in to complain. Them: “I’m mad!” Him: “I get that you’re...
Erika Andresen
Aug 26, 20242 min read


An extreme analogy of failing to do business continuity
I’m going to give you an example of something you are glad – very glad – failed. And tell you why it failed. Spoiler alert: it’s the same...
Erika Andresen
Aug 19, 20242 min read


The Blessing and Curse of the Business Survival Pivot
Starbucks is having a problem with changing too much for the times. They were a coffee shop where they wanted people to go to spend time...
Erika Andresen
Aug 12, 20243 min read


All Eyes Are on YOU: Business Continuity on the Global Stage
We know that I specialize in the small business space when it comes to business continuity. A lot of the time the business owners I meet...
Erika Andresen
Aug 5, 20242 min read


Smaller Aspects of Succession Planning
I’ve been on a succession planning panel. The other panelists were a HR specialist and an M&A advisor. When – last in the sequence –...
Erika Andresen
Jul 29, 20242 min read


Hurts So Good: Why Exercises Are Important
2400 years ago, Aristotle wrote: “for the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” He was talking about...
Erika Andresen
Jul 22, 20242 min read


Bias Requires Crisis Communication
This is coincidentally timed as I plan my topics out weeks in advance. I was teaching my Emergency Management graduate students about...
Erika Andresen
Jul 15, 20242 min read


Advanced Business Resiliency at MIT
I try to impress upon small businesses that business continuity is an important field, one they are left out of for no good reason. I...
Erika Andresen
Jul 8, 20242 min read


Small Business Optimism Doesn't Have to be Small
Small business optimism is at 12 yr low. The National Federation of Independent Businesses conducted their annual study and it’s looking...
Erika Andresen
Jun 24, 20242 min read


Ecosystems, Political Costs, and a Black-ish Swan
I’ve previously written about the costs associated with political maneuvers. If you don’t remember it, it’s here. I am going to show how...
Erika Andresen
Jun 17, 20242 min read
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