Helpful tips for protecting your business from a disaster

Author: Melanie Fleury
Published: Jul 15 2013

Every business owner needs to take steps to protect their investment. After all, a natural disaster, fire or vandalism could occur at any time, and if you have not properly planned for it, you could end up losing everything that you have worked so hard to build. Therefore, it is vital that you take the time to analyze your current business structure and put all of the applicable protection measures in place. Once this has all been taken care of, you will be able to rest assured that your business will not be destroyed by a single event.

Tips for Protecting Your Business from Disaster

1. Obtain the Proper Insurance - There are several different types of insurance that every business owner should be aware of. For example, if you live in an area that is prone to flooding, you will need to protect yourself by buying a policy through the National Flood Insurance Program. Additionally, every business owner should strongly consider buying business interruption insurance to help them deal with the financial losses that are associated with a disaster.

2. Carefully Consider Your Location - Every area has different risk factors, and you need to keep these in mind before you sign a lease or purchase a building. After all, if your business is built in an area that is well-known for having a high crime rate, you should not be surprised if you end up dealing with vandalism, theft and arson. Although there is no place in the world that is safe from crime, you can reduce your risk by making a careful selection.

3. Install Safety Equipment - Even if you are not required to have fire sprinklers in your office, it is still a good idea to install them to help minimize your odds of losing everything in a fire. You can also place more smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in the building than the law requires. Make sure that all of your staff members have been trained how to use fire extinguishers, and put a safety plan in place to help everyone get out of the building quickly during an emergency.

4. Use Storm Shutters - If your business is located in an area that is prone to hurricanes, you should consider getting storm shutters. Although this will require you to spend more money than most business owners would be prefer, it will give you a lot of protection from window and interior building damage during hurricanes and other severe storms.

Even with all of the proper measures in place, it is still possible that your building will be destroyed. However, as long as you have all of the necessary insurance policies, you should be able to start your business again. Therefore, maintaining your insurance at all times is one of the most important things that a business owner can do.

Melanie Fleury is a self employed freelancer and knows the importance of protecting your business. Doyle Raizner, LLP attorneys at http://www.doyleraizner.com/business-interruption-insurance urge you to seek out assistance if your insurance company does not compensate you properly when your business is affected by a disastrous event.

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