The reality is, there are two types of conversations that happen after a crisis, and the one you have depends entirely on the preparation you’ve done beforehand. Imagine this:
There’s a 24-hour blackout caused by a serious problem at a power facility. The chillers of your walk-in freezer have been damaged beyond repair, stock is lost, and your operations grind to a halt. A new freezer? Six figures and a three-month lead time. New stock? At the very least, you need to source forex, then two weeks minimum to order, import and clear, and your customers need their product. Suddenly, there’s panic and lots of questions:
- "Why didn’t we plan for this?"
- "How could we not have seen this coming?"
- “I thought we were safe.”
- "Who’s going to fix this?"
- “What do we do now?”
When there is no plan in place, there’s always a scramble to find a scapegoat. The blame game begins, and the financial and reputational damage can be devastating. Now imagine the same scenario where you had the right support in advance:
- Your business continuity plan anticipated the risk and effects of equipment failure.
- Your equipment was installed with layers of protection.
- Your facility segregated storage, carefully designed to offer extended hold times.
- Your well-crafted insurance programme covers the stock loss, freezer damage, and will cushion the financial blow.
- Your staff was trained to effectively respond to crises.
- You made preparations for fast-tracking replacement equipment, stock and alternative storage locations.
There is no confusion or blame, just an understanding of the exposures, situational assessment and deployment of considered solutions. You’ll still face challenges, but your business will be able to weather the storm with resilience and a clear path forward. That’s the power of risk management and business continuity planning.
At PRFC, we help businesses like yours turn hindsight into foresight, fostering peace of mind. We’re not here to tell you what you already know - we’re here to make sure you’re ready for what could hurt you. Don’t wait for a crisis to have the wrong conversation.
Call PRFC at 628-PRFC to build a plan that protects your business, before you need it.
