INtouch
Disaster Preparedness for small business PO Box 7577, Columbia, SC 29202
May 2023
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID COLUMBIA, SC PERMIT 168
A good disaster plan means fewer days out of business, better communication with customers, and a better settlement from your insurance company. Add it all up and your plan could be the reason your small business beats the odds.
HOspitality Leaders
Golf TOurnament
Reserve Club @ woodside plantation
Visit scrla.org/events to await details!
SCRLf to Host its annual Hospitality leaders golf tournament in september
The annual Hospitality Leaders Golf Tournament will be held Monday, September 11 at the The Reserve Club at Woodside Plantation. Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 11:00 a.m.
Step 1: Identify risk. Which one of these large-scale disasters is a threat to your business? • Covid-19 • Hurricanes • Winter weather • Earthquakes • Tornadoes • Wildfires • Floods
Monday, September 11
This friendly competition is a great opportunity to have some fun on the greens, network and raise money for students seeking careers in the hospitality industry. All proceeds from the golf tournament benefit the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization for the sole purpose of advancing hospitality education and workforce development.
Running a small business is hard enough without having to rebuild after a natural disaster. Many businesses all over the world make the mistake of not properly preparing for disasters and are left to suffer the costly consequences. However, small business disaster preparedness planning is easier than you might think. We scoured the internet and interviewed risk management experts to bring you the best tips and resources, so you can finally check “disaster plan” off your to-do list.
We offer numerous open spots for teams or individual golfers as well as sponsorship opportunities, so secure yours today. Don’t miss out on what promises to be a great time as we raise money for hospitality scholarships benefiting South Carolina students! The essence of The Reserve Club is the Reserve course, a superb Nicklaus Design. Upon its completion, the course was named by Golf Digest as one of the “Top Ten Best New Private Courses in America in 2003.” It has continually been named one of South Carolina’s top courses ever since. Event registration will open soon on scrla.org/events.
If you have a single location, you already know the answer. But what about any additional areas that are critical to the success of your business? Think about where computer servers are located, where goods are stored - even areas where your employees commute from or work remotely. A risk assessment table offered by FEMA can be found in the article linked below. Step 2: Develop a plan. The key to developing any good plan is to put a single person in charge of it. This is your disaster plan coordinator. They decide how to develop the plan – but you, as the business owner or manager, should be clear about what they need to include. some questions to think about when you assign this important task. If your business is large enough that it has separate departments, then the plan coordinator may need a supporting committee. Each internal department will have its own unique assests, systems and requirements. Next, think about the entire scope of your operations. Do you ship hundreds of packages a day? Then you want to have someone at your shipping company as part of the supporting committee. Any
vendor, supplier or government agency that you use on a day-to-day basis should be represented on your committee. They can explain their own disaster preparedness planning and how that will affect your post-disaster operations. That may mean you need a 100-page guide, or you may just need a simple series of reference sheets. Either way, your planning coordinator needs to know the scope of your plan before they can properly develop it. The goal of a disaster plan is to help ensure the well-being of your employees, the stability of your location’s environment and, last but certainly not least, your ability to keep the business running. Step 3: Implement and train. Your disaster plan coordinator, their supporting committee, and you, as the business owner or manager, should approve the final plan - but your work doesn’t stop there. A disaster plan isn’t something you dust off when the red warning stripe comes across your TV screen. You’ll have action items as soon as your plan is complete. The idea is to identify things you can do now so you won’t have to do them in the days or hours before a natural disaster. Every employee in your organization has a role to play during an emergency – even if it’s just getting themselves out of the building safely. Your plan should identify which employees are responsible for which roles. Businesses of all sizes should have a person or team responsible for business continuity and crisis communications. Visit business.com to read the full article.
Get technology that works the way you work
WE DO FRESH BETTER
• Increase revenue • Streamline operations • Manage & retain staff Visit Syscofoodie.com Preferred Technology Partner
spoton.com/scrla