This is a guest post from Halifax Partnership
(Member since 1996)
In 2019, no one anticipated or was prepared for a pandemic. And yet here we are, just over a year later. So, what could your business have done to prepare for this crisis?
With the hands-on experience of the COVID-19 pandemic so far, how is your organization or business protecting itself against the next wave, the next virus variant, the next disaster or the next unexpected opportunity that could disrupt your operations?
I wish I could tell you there is one easy magic bullet to safeguard against risks and disasters. There isn’t.
Industries and businesses have been affected in different and distinct ways by this pandemic. Restaurants, retailers, hotels and entertainment businesses have been slammed with lockdowns, while online food delivery platforms, video conferencing tools and gardening centres have boomed.
Many businesses are somewhere in between, surviving, pivoting and scratching their heads over what to do next.
Even businesses experiencing growth because of the pandemic have been confronted with the serious problems of meeting supply with demand.
In a disaster, companies – large and small – don’t have the luxury of time. The ability to launch a rapid response and make informed decisions comes from planning ahead. If there is a fundamental takeaway to be learned from COVID, it is this.
Over the past year, Halifax Partnership’s SmartBusiness team has supported over 830 Halifax businesses in dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 and reopening and operating safely.
We’re also helping businesses prepare now for what’s next. This is why Halifax Partnership has developed the Business Recovery and Continuity Toolkit, in partnership with our Investor KPMG, to help small and medium size businesses plan for continuity in a crisis, whether it’s a pandemic, a natural disaster or an economic downturn.
This starts by taking a look at your business as it stands now and identifying risks, such as over reliance on a single supplier or client and mitigation strategies. With this information in hand, you can develop emergency response and management plans to increase the likelihood your business can continue operating, survive and perhaps even thrive.
This free toolkit is designed as a do-it-yourself resource and is available on the Partnership’s website. It includes webinars with business experts and leaders, guides, templates and risk-assessment resources. It covers key topics such as operations, human resources, technology, sales and marketing. It also provides tests and measurements to monitor plan effectiveness and employee engagement.
So, don’t wait for the next crisis. Now’s the time to future-proof your business.
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