Solopreneur Continuity of Business Cheatsheet

Have you ever considered what would happen to your business if your house caught fire? If a tornado or earthquake damaged it? Continuity of business operations is very important to plan for when you work from home.

I live along the Gulf of Mexico coast and keep an eye out for hurricanes for almost six months a year. I even have a hurricane meal plan having now gone through three hurricanes in three years, two of them without power for 6 days.

As a work from home solo entrepreneur all the weight of responding to and recovering from an event like a house fire or hurricane are on your shoulders. By preparing your business in advance you can reduce downtime and keep needed income coming in.

5 Solopreneur Continuity of Business Cheatsheet

1. Back Up Your Computer

Back up your computer at least monthly to either a fireproof external hard drive or purchase a more affordable fireproof waterproof box store your external back up in.

2. Write Out a Plan

Make a written plan of what you will do in an emergency so that its easy to refer to and it doesn’t take a lot of decision making to implement. In the middle of a crisis is the worst time to plan for one.

3. Keep a Password List

Keep a list of your key passwords, named something totally not guessable, on your external hard drive. If your computer is unusable, you’ll still have easy access to all of the sites and the passwords you regularly use.

4. Create a How To Cheat Sheet for Your Business

Create a simple administrator manual or cheat sheet for your business. What if you were to catch a bad flu or even worse be in a bad car accident?

Make it easy for a trusted friend of family member to step in and do your banking, set an out of office reply on your computer or notify your clients of your unexpected absences.

5. Pre-plan an Alternative Work Location

Before you need it find an alternative location to work from that is not a coffee shop. If your pipes bust and your house has to be renovated for three weeks do you know where you will work from? Construction noise, dust and the needs of a solo entrepreneur don’t mix well.

A co-work space or even reserving a small meeting room at your library are possible alternatives. You can read more about my great experience at my local co-work space here.

Conclusion

No one wants worst to happen sometimes it just does.

The same way moms leave the babysitter an emergency contact list you can create one for your business.

Keep your most important passwords in a safe place and have a back up of your most important documents along with a back up place to work from.

Being prepared makes the unexpected more manageable, reduces downtime and allows you to bounce back faster.

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