A Go-Fund-Me is not a Resilience Plan

Don't get me wrong - setting up a Go-Fund-Me if your business is located in an area that has just been hit by a disaster is great to help out, especially for staff wages. It is a great "also," but it in no way should be THE plan to help you recover.

I'm all about setting your business up for success to face disasters before the disaster strikes, so your losses are less to begin with. It is one thing to ask for donations to help staff make ends meet with reduced hours, it's another to make it your everything because you didn't plan in advance. A lot of things that happen in a disaster are out of your control, but there are plenty of things that are within your control and zone of influence.

First and foremost, do you have a business continuity plan? That puts you miles ahead of where you are standing now. You first learn about what risks are around that may actually impact you. You then figure out what you need to prioritize so you can invest wisely in shoring up those aspects. You minimize your vulnerabilities and prepare for your worst day before your worst day...so it is less worse when it happens.

Second, part of your business continuity plan is emergency management and crisis management. You figure out who is in charge of stemming the bleeding (if there is any) and what they need to do. You also enable yourself to take care of your team if they are physically threatened in any way plus know how to get messaging out to your staff, stakeholders, and clients.

Third, everyone needs to be trained on this and exercise it. This is why actors rehearse and professional athletes attend practice and run the plays they expect to on game day: familiarity creates a higher chance of success.

Lastly, everything I just told you means very little for your chances at recovery and resilience if you don't know what external actors are going to be there (or not) to help you (or not) after you've been impacted by a disaster. The best cure for any issue is having information in advance. Most of the time, however, you don't know these things because you never had to. And even if there is nothing you can do to change what will happen, knowing so you can brace for contact is better than being hit out of nowhere.

What are the external factors?

~All levels of government (local, state, and federal): their laws, rules, experience, and resources are likely an unknown entity to you when it comes to responding to disasters and recovering from them. Not all localities are created equal.

~Non-profits: some are there to help but sometimes you need to qualify for that help with paperwork. Is that something you have saved and ready in the event you need it?

~Insurance: most people do not know the ins and outs of their insurance policy or the details of what needs to happen for things to get paid. Reliance on this lifeline can be dangerous.

~First responders: they are humans who live in the area that has just been impacted, too. You are going to have to be your own first responder for a bit if things are really bad.

Do you see how Go-Fund-Me doesn't even scratch the surface? Again, allow it to be an assist, not your lifeline. Also, if you do prepare in advance, you'll get money more easily from other resources...for free. The Readiness For Resilience grant will proactively reach out to businesses that have been hit by a disaster to give them $5,000 to recover. All you need is to register in advance...and show them your business continuity plan when you register.

I go over all of this and more in my new book, When The Sh*t Hits The Fan: Business Survival Guide to Thrive, Grow, and Keep Your Cash Flow After Disasters, available on March 6th on Amazon.