If you want your business to survive a crisis, you must take action.  Hopefully you have already taken action before the crisis and planned for the future.  If you haven’t, you must start now.

A positive attitude is important. Whenever a disaster happens, whether it be Covid 19 or Cyclone Harold or a personal disaster, the one thing we know is that at some time it will pass, and if we can stay positive, we are helping ourselves to survive and come out the other side stronger.  

At the moment, running a small business must feel like a really hard thing to do. A business owner’s head is full of questions like, where are my customers coming from, how will I pay the bills, how do I keep paying your employees, how do I pay my rent?  If you are in the tourism business, it must feel especially tough. If you are facing these challenges, you are not alone.

When any crisis hits, everyone behaves in different ways.  Some people panic and are frightened, others bury their heads in the sand and hope it will just go away, some blame others, some try to carry on as usual, and some take action.

It is natural to be confused when disaster strikes and do not know what do, but running round in circles is not the same as taking useful action! You will feel tired but make no progress. So, what should be done first? 
Follow these few steps:

1. Check that everything is safe and secure – Your people, your buildings, your money, your technology, your products, and your equipment and vehicles.
2. Talk to your family, friends and your employees – Engage them in the challenge.  They may have ideas that you haven’t thought about.  You need to get over your initial feelings of fear and despair in order to become more optimistic and focused on rebuilding for the future.  This is hard to do on your own.
3. Make a plan – Be specific about what you aim to achieve, what you are going to do by what date, and who is responsible for which actions.
4. Tell everyone that you are still in business and what you are doing.  You may need to change how you think about your own business and the way you do things.  For example, if you have a tourism business aimed at overseas visitors then you need to change your thinking to how you can attract people already in the country.  Talk to your suppliers. Find the hidden strengths in your business.  Work with your employees to pinpoint what you are all really good at and how you can sell those strengths to your existing and new customers.  
5. There are two key groups of people to look after – your staff and your customers.  Treat them all with respect and care – think about anything you can do to help them and to keep you in their minds.
6. Look after yourself.  You cannot do any of this if you do not pay attention to your health, eat well, take exercise, avoid unreliable information online, and spend time with other positive people.
7. Get help – Read the newspaper, listen to the radio, watch TV, monitor reputable websites and Facebook pages and talk to other business owners to find out what assistance is being offered to businesses like yours by Government, donor partners, chamber of commerce, business associations.  If you have an accountant, they will be able to help you manage your cashflow and talk to your bank about restructuring loans. Business advisors can help you see the situation more clearly and take practical steps to survive.

In the next few articles, I will focus more on these issues and also look at what you need to do to be ready for any future disaster.

Please contact me with your own experiences and comments and with any specific questions you would like me to deal with in future articles.

Business advisors have seen many examples of businesses, good and bad, and precisely because they outsiders and do not have prior knowledge of your business, they can be objective and provide impartial advice on the strengths and weakness of the business and identify opportunities and threats you may not have noticed.

All businesses will have financial worries at the moment. Accountants are financial advisors. They can help you manage your cashflow and talk to your bank about restructuring loans. If you do not have an accountant, do not ignore your financial situation. Take basic financial information to your bank and ask what they can do to help you. Go with a trusted friend or family member who will support you.

Business advisors can help you see the situation more clearly, and help you make simple plans and take practical steps to survive. They keep everything you tell them confidential. You do not have to take their advice, but it is always worth listening to.

We are encouraging all business owners to get the advice they need to take action to survive, and so we are so pleased to be able to offer businesses survival advice free of charge through Business Link Pacific, a New Zealand funded programme to help businesses affected by the economic situation created by the virus crisis and TC Harold.  Contact me for further details. Also find information on your local Chamber of Commerce and Industry or Business Association website.

Stay safe and take care.  Coming next – tip 2 – don't be alone. Seek help.

Tip Number 1 was: Don’t despair. Take action. However, during a crisis, taking action on your own is tough. You will not be the only one who is worried and even frightened about the future and these reactions are perfectly natural, but if you are going to survive and rebuild for the future, you need to be optimistic and focused on actions. You cannot do that on your own.

In a crisis like Covid-19, everyone is affected, and no-one really knows what the future holds. Your staff will be looking to you as the business owner to show leadership and to offer them guidance. Your customers will want to know whether you can still supply them, and your supplies will want to know whether you are still going to buy from them.

Talk to your staff, customers and suppliers about your challenges and work together to come up with solutions that benefit everyone. They may have some ideas you have not thought about.

Read the newspaper, listen to the radio, monitor reputable websites and Facebook pages, and talk to other business owners, so you hear about any help that is being made available by Government or donor funded programmes. The chamber of commerce and business associations exist to help businesses, so contact them and find out what help they are offering. You could even start your own self-help support group of similar businesses.

Pride or a belief that no-one will understand your problems can sometimes get in the way, but you must swallow your pride and ask for help. You will certainly need someone to talk to, someone to share ideas with, and someone to seek advice from. If you need more expert advice than your family and friends can provide, use a professional business advisor.

Business advisors have seen many examples of businesses, good and bad, and precisely because they outsiders and do not have prior knowledge of your business, they can be objective and provide impartial advice on the strengths and weakness of the business and identify opportunities and threats you may not have noticed.

All businesses will have financial worries at the moment. Accountants are financial advisors. They can help you manage your cashflow and talk to your bank about restructuring loans. If you do not have an accountant, do not ignore your financial situation. Take basic financial information to your bank and ask what they can do to help you. Go with a trusted friend or family member who will support you.

Business advisors can help you see the situation more clearly, and help you make simple plans and take practical steps to survive. They keep everything you tell them confidential. You do not have to take their advice, but it is always worth listening to.

We are encouraging all business owners to get the advice they need to take action to survive, and so we are so pleased to be able to offer businesses survival advice free of charge through Business Link Pacific, a New Zealand funded programme to help businesses affected by the economic situation created by the virus crisis and TC Harold.  Contact me for further details. Also find information on your local Chamber of Commerce and Industry or Business Association website.

Stay safe and take care.  Coming next – tip 3 – look after your people and tell them what is happening.

Tip Number 2 was: Don’t be alone – seek help. Unlike a local disaster like a cyclone this current disaster is affecting the whole world and most business owners will be facing the same challenges.

While life is tough now, there will come a time when the disaster passes, and life begins to return to normal – it is already beginning in some countries.  When that happens, you will need the support of the people who supported you before the virus.

The first group of people to think about are your staff – the team that helps you run your business.  This group includes part-time staff, casual workers, volunteers.  You might not be able to afford to continue to employ them at the moment but make sure you find out what assistance there is – many countries have schemes to help with wage costs.  Even though your business might be closed your former staff will be wondering about the future and will they get their jobs back.  Keep in touch with them and, if you can, meet with them to get their ideas on ways in which you could increase your business even in this current situation.  If you take care of them, as best you can, they will always repay your care and consideration at a later date.  You could use this opportunity to work with your team to rethink the way your business is developing; take some time to discuss and brainstorm; think about those new ideas that you have always wanted to do but could never find time for!

The second group to think about now are your customers.  Now is the time to contact the most regular ones.  Let them know you are still thinking of them and take the opportunity to ask for any comments they have which could help you improve your business in the future. Are there any services you can still offer them now?  Are there new services or products that you could easily supply?  If you have a customer list or data base, take the opportunity to email them or direct them to your Facebook page.  Thank them for being a customer and let them know that you are looking forward to serving them again soon.  If you are in the tourism business your customers may not be able to return for a long time but by keeping in contact with them, at least they will remember you.  Maybe send them a photo to remind them of the good times they had.

The third group pf people to think about are the other people who help your business survive – your suppliers, utilities staff, growers and providers of goods, other businesses you cooperate with, members of the local community that you rely on, taxi and bus drivers, boat drivers, bank manager and accountant.  Take this opportunity when you are not so busy to spend time with them, thank them and talk to them.  They will also have views and opinions which might help your business in the future.

The final group includes yourself!  The majority of Pacific small businesses have a family or wantok connection.  Take time out with those closest to you; review and reflect on how well your business has gone over the past few years and then look ahead – try not to dwell on the current crisis!  Remember, it will pass! Think ahead two or three years when the crisis has passed; remind yourself why you are in business and what your goals and ambitions are; visualise an exciting future.  Use this time to recharge your own batteries.  If you are feeling frightened or worried, then it is really important to talk with others.  They will help you and you will help them.

We are encouraging all business owners to get the advice they need to take action to survive, and so we are  pleased to be able to offer businesses survival advice free of charge through Business Link Pacific, a New Zealand funded programme to help businesses affected by the economic situation created by the virus crisis and TC Harold.  Contact me for further details. Also find information on your local Chamber of Commerce and Industry or Business Association website.

Stay safe and take care.  Coming next – tip 4 – don’t bury your head in the sand – plan for the future.

Tip Number 3 was: Look after your people and tell them what’s happening.

As with all disasters, there will come a time when the disaster will pass, and things will return to near normal.

You have the opportunity at the moment to think about the future and to think about what you can do to be better prepared next time. Because there will be a next time - in the Pacific extreme weather-related events, and other crises, are part of the business environment yet often  planning does not take these into consideration.  Also, business disasters are not only the well-publicised cyclones or tsunamis or earthquakes – fire destroys many businesses, health issues close many other, localised events can impact negatively on local businesses.

All business owners should be aiming to have resilient organisations. Resilience is not just about getting through crises – truly resilient organisations do what they can to prevent potential crises emerging and they have the ability to turn crises into a source of strategic opportunity.

What is a business resilience action plan?
The business resilience action plan records what you will do BEFORE there is a disaster, preferably as soon as possible, to make sure your business is more resilient, prevents disasters where possible, and is as prepared as possible to deal with a disaster if it happens.  Think about these areas and make notes:

Your priority products and / or services
Make a list of your products and / or services.  Which of these are priorities to maintain existing contracts and customer relationships, including within your local community, and also provide to new customers?  Keep the list focused on essentials.  What products and/or services could you stop providing, even for a short time?

Priority tasks and key people
List the tasks that will be essential if you are to deliver the priority products and/ or services and identify the people capable of taking responsibility for these tasks.

Priority equipment
List the equipment that is essential to delivering your key products and/or services and the options available if this equipment is unavailable.  List the actions that you will take in the next 3 months to make your business more self-reliant in equipment in the event of a disaster

Priority stock and resources and key suppliers
Make a list of the stock and resources that are essential to delivering your priority products and/ or services, suppliers, alternative supply options and alternative resources.  List the actions that you will take in the next 3 months, to make your business more self-reliant in priority stock and resources in the event of a disaster

Priority customers
Make a list of your priority customers.  List the actions that you will take in the next 3 months, to find out more about what government departments or NGOs might buy from you in the event of a disaster, and to make connections with those organisations.

Priority property
In a disaster the property or properties you operate your business from may be destroyed, become unsafe or inaccessible.  List all the possible options where you could relocate your business.  Note any advantages and disadvantages associated with each option.  List the actions that you will take in the next 3 months, to make your property less vulnerable to destruction or damage in the event of a disaster

Delegation of authority
List your essential business processes, who has authority for them now, and one or two people who you trust to have authority to run the business in your absence.  List the actions you will take in the next 3 months, to train and prepare someone to be able to take over from you in the event of a disaster.  You should seek advice from a lawyer about how to give someone legal powers to act for you

Priority business records and systems
Write down your methods for backing up your business records and vital information.  List the actions you will take in the next 3 months, to put your business records and key information in good order, protect them from destruction or damage in the event of a disaster, and be available remotely

Critical communications channels
Identify your usual communications channels, potential problems and alternatives.  List the actions you will take in the next 3 months, to have the best chance of having working communication channels in the event of a disaster

Information, advice and assistance
Make sure you know how to contact the organisations that will be most useful to you in the event of a disaster – e.g. NDMO, Chambers of Commerce, NGOs, industry and sector groups.  List the actions you will take in the next 3 months, to check on local disaster preparation and response plans, and find out more about which organisations can help you in the event of a disaster. For information about insurance options, contact your industry organisation or local chamber of commerce.

Collaboration
List the businesses around you that you could help, and that could help you, in the event of a disaster. List the actions you will take in the next 3 months, to work with other businesses around you, to make plans to help each other in the event of a disaster

Immediate response – disaster response checklist
Can you say Yes to each of the statements below? If not, decide what actions you need to take to be able to say Yes to every statement.

• Our staff know where to evacuate to if there is a fire in the property  
• Our staff know the procedure when they feel an earthquake  
• Our staff know where to evacuate to when there is a tsunami warning or after feeling a long or strong earthquake
• Our staff all have get-away kits at work in case they must evacuate in a hurry or cannot get home
• Our business has stored supplies of fresh water and food   
• Our business has adequate first aid supplies  
• Emergency instructions for staff are prominently displayed  Emergency instructions for guests are prominently displayed  
• We have at least one competent first aider
• Our staff have emergency plans for their own families

Contact details
Keep all the contact details of critical people in more than one accessible location. Keep the information up to date. You need contact information for employees and their families, emergency services, other local businesses you will work with, bank  and insurance company, priority customers, key suppliers, owners of alternative properties and utility services.


We are encouraging all business owners to get the advice they need to take action to survive, and so we are  pleased to be able to offer businesses survival advice free of charge through Business Link Pacific, a New Zealand funded programme to help businesses affected by the economic situation created by the virus crisis and TC Harold.  Contact me for further details. Also find information on your local Chamber of Commerce and Industry or Business Association website.

Stay safe and take care.  Coming next – tip 5 – be prepared to do things differently.

Tip Number 4 was: Don’t bury your head in the sand – plan for the future. As with all disasters, there will come a time when the disaster will pass, and things will return to near normal.

After any disaster it is tempting to look forward to when things will go back to the way they were.  If you do that you are possibly missing an opportunity.  A disaster, like bad news, is often the catalyst for change.  We may not like being told by the doctor that we need to lose weight but, like it or not, we have the choice to make different decisions for a different result in the future.

Unlike many disasters, Covid 19 has had an impact on everybody and gives us all the opportunity to do things differently.

Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone.  Comfort zones are really important to everybody – they are where we feel safe and comfortable. They might be somewhere physical like home or a favourite chair or our car or they might be certain people – friends, families, loved ones.  Life without comfort zones would be intolerable.  Yet the downside is that it is easy to become too comfortable.  The current Covid 19 disaster has forced everyone out of their comfort zones and, for most of us, we still don’t know what will really happen in the end.

Lack of confidence, being too comfortable, being unsure, fear, desperation, lack of self-belief can all lead to paralysis – just not knowing what to do so we don’t do anything.  Do not do this on your own – team up with friends or family or other people you trust and help each other.  Set some goals that will push you to move out of your comfort zone.  Small steps are best and celebrate each one!  Have fun moving forward – your confidence will grow and you will keep moving!

During Covid 19 habits are changing – handwashing, social distancing, the way we do business.  Take this opportunity to review your own work habits, decide which ones you are going to change and commit to make the change – tell others so they can hold you to account and keep you on track.

Work with your team to make decisions about the future of your business and decide what you are all willing to do differently.  Pay attention to the way you communicate with each other and with customers; can you plan better; how can you improve teamwork; how do you deliver better services and products to your customers; how can you make more money in the future?  Is now the time to focus on your technology and learn new skills?

Doing something different also means being prepared to stand out in the crowd.  Use a business advisor to help you develop the skills and confidence you need to stand out.  An advisor will help you develop your own self-confidence and self-belief by encouraging you, helping you to set goals and take new steps, guiding you along a new path.

Whatever you do, keep learning – it is easy to go back to old ways especially when the pressure is off, and life returns to ‘normal’.  

We are encouraging all business owners to get the advice they need to take action to survive, and so we are  pleased to be able to offer businesses survival advice free of charge through Business Link Pacific, a New Zealand funded programme to help businesses affected by the economic situation created by the virus crisis and TC Harold.  Contact me for further details. Also find information on your local Chamber of Commerce and Industry or Business Association website.

Stay safe and take care.  Coming next – the final tip in this series -  you are not the only one affected by the disaster.

Tip Number 5 was: Be prepared to do things differently.

My final tip in this brief series is just to remind you that everyone has been affected by the current Covid 19 disaster.  It is true that any disaster affects people in different ways, but no-one is left untouched.  Life has changed for all.  This presents a number of opportunities.

During a disaster we are forced out of our comfort zone, often reluctantly, but nevertheless we have to do things differently.  We have learned to wash our hands more often, not to touch our faces, stay 2 metres away from others, use technology to communicate widely and stay away from crowds. Behaviours have changed quickly.
Look at your business through the same lense – all SME business owners will have to make changes to the way you do business in the future.  The opportunity here is that it is everyone – not just one or two.  Take advantage of this forced change to create a new normal for your business.

Sit down now with your team and brainstorm all those things you have talked about doing but have never done – you may have ideas for new products or services or for new ways of communicating with customers, suppliers and staff.  You might want to rearrange your office or shop or factory. You might want to learn how to make better use of online communication tools like zoom or skype or develop your knowledge of social media and how it could help your business.

Because everyone has been affected by Covid 19 it is OK to talk about the last few weeks and discuss your hopes and fears.  People have been brought together by sharing the common experience of the disaster.  All SMEs will face challenges for months to come so take the opportunity to share with others.  Perhaps you can share resources like machinery, vehicles and buildings; consider joint teams so that staff can be fully employed; team up with others to share the costs of marketing products and services; maybe provide better services to customers by collaborating with others; you might even create a whole new business.

Finally, now is the time to make sure you have a plan in place for when the next disaster strikes.  Get your staff together and put a plan in place. Practice it and encourage staff to have a plan for their own families and communities.  Make a list of the lessons you have learned this time and think about how you are going to avoid the same problems happening again.  Seek help from your local Chamber of Commerce or business organisation.  Ask your customers for their views.

At this stage you have two main goals – to make sure you come out of this crisis in the best way possible and to be better prepared for when the next crisis hits.  Everybody is in the same position – use this amazing opportunity to help others and to get other people to help you.

We are encouraging all business owners to get the advice they need to take action to survive, and so we are  pleased to be able to offer businesses survival advice free of charge through Business Link Pacific, a New Zealand funded programme to help businesses affected by the economic situation created by the virus crisis and TC Harold.  Contact me for further details. Also find information on your local Chamber of Commerce and Industry or Business Association website.

Stay safe and take care.  Watch out for a new series aimed at small businesses coming in a few weeks.

Breadfruit Consulting specialises in ‘business continuity planning and action’, helping businesses to survive in a crisis.  As a registered Business Advice Service Provider with the Business Link Pacific programme Breadfruit Consulting can offer eligible businesses up 100% fee subsidy.  Contact us for more information.