Do You Have a Plan for the Unexpected?

If something unexpected happened in the blink of an eye, would you be able to run or close your business in the way you want?

If your answer is anything but a resounding “yes I have all those bases covered” you need to keep reading…

You spend years tending to your business and clients with the utmost care. Like most people, you roll through the days, weeks, months, years and never really think about “what if”.

What if you could not run your business in the:

• Short-term (a few days/week)
• Mid-term (a few weeks or months)
• Long-term (multiple months/year)

Or, unfortunately had to shut it down due to retirement, illness, or death?

Last year I lost two dear friends and clients in the span of less than a month. Both were kind people who meant a lot to me. They had primary responsibilities to serve their organization and clients. They did what they did for so long that every bit of knowledge and information was in their head or stored cryptically in some dusty corner of their computer.

Then one day with no warning, they were gone.

There was a gaping hole in the heart of those who cared about them.

As if that was not painful enough, amid the immense grief of losing loved ones, family, friends, clients, and colleagues were faced with trying to piece together the puzzle of Now What?!

Have you created a roadmap of relevant details and your heartfelt intentions about what you want to see happen?

• Who do you want to handle business responsibilities when you cannot?
• Where can this person find all the relevant information? (logins, procedures, client information)
• What you want them to know and do?

Remember the people you love most and your personal power of attorney designated in your estate planning are likely not versed in your day to day business dealings. They are also unlikely to possess the expertise needed to understand your line of business and what to do.

They are dealing with grief and how to manage your end of life and estate affairs.

What about your clients, partners, and business affairs? When you are your own boss, there is no guide to this unless you create one.

Otherwise they are left scratching their heads and wondering:

• How were things done?
• Where did they keep their passwords?
• Who were their clients?
• What the hell do we do now?

While these were worst-case scenarios (sudden illness and death), they are not uncommon.

The probability of experiencing some mid-to-long term hiatus or disability is high (One in four 20-year olds will experience a year or more disability before reaching retirement age (Council of Disability Awareness))?

Disability aside, what if you need to care for an aging parent, deal with the death of a loved one, or caretake a sick spouse? Sometimes this requires stepping aside and delegating in a new way.

Maybe you want to go off the grid for a month or a year and do a long-trail, travel, or take a sabbatical. The circumstances are different but in determining the logistics you need similar information in the hands of a trusted person (not just “all in your head”).

 If you run a solo or small business you need to get things out of your head and onto (digital) paper. “I know how it is done.” Or “I know where I keep that.” does not cut it if the “I” is unable to provide that information.

This is for you to:

• Plan for a contingency when you will not/choose not to be actively running your business.
• Use as an “In case of emergency break glass” roadmap.
• Plan for succession, retirement, or a “next chapter”.

It can be easy to put this type of task off. I am here to tell you it does not have to take a ton of time. The benefit will exponentially exceed the effort and you will find it creates a positive ripple effect you did not even expect.

I can tell you that completing this foundational business step will give you peace of mind. You will know without a doubt that your clients can be taken care of without missing a beat. Your loved ones will breathe a sigh of relief as well.

You can do this hard thing!