When running a small business or working as a solopreneur, disaster preparedness is crucial yet often overlooked. And as I found out, even when you think you’re prepared, something may come along that stretches beyond what you’re ready for. Our recent experience with hurricane Beryl highlighted the importance of being ready for extended disruptions – those that go on for much longer than you would expect. Let’s explore practical strategies and lessons learned to help your business remain resilient in the face of unexpected challenges.
The Importance of Being Prepared
Being prepared for a disaster goes beyond having a plan; it requires thorough testing and real-world adjustments. I believed I was ready for hurricane Beryl. In addition to preparing emergency food and water, plus downloading some shows on my iPad and making sure that every device was fully charged, and I had plans to mitigate work interruptions.
Yes my husband thought I was silly to have a case of emergency food rations, water filtration straws, tabletop mini fire pits (we’re strictly limited by our condo association), and multiple collapsible 5-gallon water containers. I even bought a rechargeable fan that could be charged up from either my solar battery bank or my vehicle (after all, it gets hot in Houston).
I was a good Girl Scout … I know how to be prepared.
My work plans had been well tested over the past couple of years, and I already knew what tasks I could handle using only my cell phone, or using my mobile hotspot tethered laptop or tablet. However, the reality of the disaster exposed significant gaps in my preparations.
But …
Real-World Experience: Lessons from Hurricane Beryl
Despite extensive preparations—stocking up on water and food, having a super solar-powered charger, and setting an indefinite out-of-office email—unforeseen challenges arose.
We travel to Puerto Rico often, and were well aware of the issues the island can struggle with after a major hurricane with extended outages of water and power. However, living in Houston – the fourth largest city in the US – and one of the largest in the world. Past hurricanes have meant relatively short power outages in the past, so we weren’t very worried, especially considering that it was projected that the city would only be getting the fringe rain and winds.
But the storm turned, and Houston was hit with the eye. The electricity was completely off for ten days, affecting not just my home but the entire city … so it’s not like you can just run down the street to Starbucks or a co-working space because none of them had electricity either. Infrastructure and equipment was damaged across the entire region. And of course, no electricity also means no internet.
Even after power returned, the internet was still down for several more days, and when it did come back, it was slow (like 1/4 the speed we should get) and unreliable. Trying to use my mobile hotspot was also nearly impossible since tens of thousands of other people without electricity and internet were trying to do the same thing at the same time, overcrowding the networks.
These extended disruptions revealed the necessity of an even more robust disaster plan.
- Electricity and Internet Dependency: The hurricane caused severe damage to both electrical and internet infrastructure. When electricity returned, the internet was still out for a few more days. Even when it resumed, we only received a quarter of the usual speed with significant lag. I couldn’t work.
- Cell Service Limitations: With the internet down, everyone turned to their cell data, causing network overloads. This made it nearly impossible to use cellular data for anything, including work, further complicating my ability to stay connected and productive. Even sending and receiving calls was questionable at times.
- Adaptation to Long-Term Disruptions: With work severely restricted for almost a month, I had to prioritize tasks, focusing on the most critical work. For example, a website being entirely down (thankfully this didn’t happen) would have to take precedence over editing an email. This experience underscored the importance of a flexible and adaptable plan.
Proactive Measures Already in Place
Before diving into some of the insights I learned, it’s essential to highlight some proactive measures I already had in place that helped mitigate the impact:
- Data Storage in the Cloud: Ensuring all data is stored in the cloud allows for easy access from any location and device. 100% of everything on my computer (other than software) is in the cloud and has cloud-based backups as well.
- Multiple Ways to Work: Having the ability to work from any device, whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or phone, provides flexibility in various situations. If my laptop were to completely break today, I can fairly easily work from anyone else’s computer, from my iPad for most things, or go purchase a new computer and be back up and running within a couple of hours.
- Backups: Following the 3-2-1 backup rule—three types of backups, stored in two different locations, with one offsite—ensures data safety. Thank my brother’s experience in cybersecurity for that tip.
- Crisis Communication Plan: Having a plan for communicating with clients and team members during a crisis is essential to maintain trust and transparency. While my ability to communicate in real time was drastically cut, I had proactively set a few things in place before the storm hit:
- I set an out of office message on my emails (which responded to incoming emails once per day);
- that OOO message would also respond to texts that came to my phone;
- I set a voicemail noting that availability would be limited;
- I added a note to the Client Lounge page on my website;
- and I posted on social media with a few updates as I was able.
- Between all of these, hopefully it should have covered at least 99% of any inquiries during that time.
Understanding Disaster Variability
Disasters come in many forms and can have varying impacts on your business. Some may only cause temporary disruptions, like a brief power outage, while others, like a hurricane, can result in prolonged interruptions.
Being prepared for both short-term and long-term disruptions (longer than you might think) is crucial to maintaining business continuity.
Five Tips for Disaster Preparedness
Based on my experience with Hurricane Beryl, here are five actionable tips to ensure your business is prepared for a disaster that lasts longer than you expect:
- Diversify Communication Channels: Relying solely on one form of communication, such as the internet, can be a significant risk. Ensure you have multiple ways to stay in touch with clients and team members, including phone calls, text messages, and even social media platforms.
- Invest in Reliable Backup Power Solutions: While generators might not be an option for everyone (they are not allowed by our condo association), consider investing in solar-powered chargers and battery backups. These can keep your essential devices running during prolonged outages. My super handy crank and solar-powered charger kept my phone and one computer running, which was invaluable.
- Regularly Update Your Emergency Plans: It’s crucial to keep your plans updated. Because like many things in life, plans are only valid until they’re implemented, and then you often find that things need updated.
- Prioritize Critical Tasks and Clients: In a disaster, not all tasks are created equal. Determine which clients and tasks are most critical to your business and focus on those first. For example, addressing a website crash takes precedence over minor graphic changes. During the hurricane, I had to focus on the most critical work, ensuring that essential client needs were met despite the limitations.
- Schedule Work Ahead of Time: Whenever possible, work and schedule tasks as far ahead as feasible. This buffer can help you manage unexpected disruptions more smoothly, ensuring that your business operations continue with minimal interruption. Most of our repetitive client work is scheduled out a month in advance. This allowed most work to continue flowing and handling of the disruption better, although some tasks still faced delays, and of course post-disaster requires playing catch up!
Implementing a Comprehensive Disaster Plan
To further enhance your disaster preparedness, consider the following components:
- Data Management: Ensure all your data is securely stored in the cloud. This provides flexibility and access from any device, anywhere.
- Backup Strategies: Implement the 3-2-1 backup rule to safeguard your data. This involves keeping three different formats of copies of your data, storing it in two different locations, with one offsite.
- Crisis Communication Plan: Develop and regularly update a crisis communication plan to keep clients and team members informed during a disaster.
- Flexibility in Operations: Ensure your business operations can adapt to different types of disruptions, whether short-term or long-term. This flexibility can be the key to maintaining continuity.
Disaster preparedness for small businesses and solopreneurs is not just about having a plan but ensuring that plan is robust, tested, and adaptable. By learning from real-world experiences and implementing these tips, you can enhance your resilience against prolonged disruptions. Remember, the key is to be proactive, flexible, and always ready to adapt to new challenges.
