Business4Moms

Here in Oklahoma, it’s spring. There are birds flying, flowers blooming, and the sound of tornado sirens in the background! And as my family and I emerge from our little safe spot – the thought crosses my mind – what if we ever do get hit? I can only imagine the devastation by losing your home, but if you work from home, a disaster can also mean the loss of your business and income, unless you create a Disaster Continuity Plan and a Disaster Recovery Plan for your home business.
While urgency in times of crisis is important, level-headed urgency is crucial. A tested way to make sure the business stays afloat is to put in a place an emergency backup plan, and now is the time to create such a plan.

A Business Continuity Plan and a Disaster Recovery Plan allows your home business to absorb the shock an emergency brings by focusing on the structure that is required to maintain your business.

A Business Continuity Plan is the plan to allow your business to operate in a "business as usual" form during the crisis. The Disaster Recovery Plan, is just that, the plan for your business to recover from whatever disaster has occurred.

Here are some basics to cover just to get you started:

• Make a list of all your vendors and customers and their contact information. Keep a copy of this list somewhere safe (like a safe deposit box.) This way if the disaster occurs at your home (flood, fire, tornado, etc.) you will still be able to contact your customers and vendors and let them know.

• Back Up your data regularly – OFFSITE. I’m sure you are already making a backup of your pertinent business data to prevent computer crash losses, however, you also need to store it offsite. There are many services available for you to use, you can also download onto a flash drive and include that in your safe deposit box as well.

Cover your legal assets. You will want to consult with an