Emergency Planning For Small Businesses

How prepared are you for some natural or man-made disaster? Now that we are well into the 2008 tornado season here in the U.S., that's a question many small business owners should be asking themselves. Most people don't have the first clue as to how to prepare their business for a disaster of any size, but have no fear. By taking the kinds of hazard that might be faced one at a time, we'll show you how to plan for a disaster and get your company up and running again as quickly as possible.

An Overview of Disaster

Let's face it, as insulated as we may feel from vagaries and dangers of the natural world, they are still out there and occasionally they drop in, as if to remind us that there is something bigger and badder than we are lurking out there and to let us know that we had better watch our step. Our friends at FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency have listed the most common types of disasters and how you ought to prepare for them.

Fire

Fire is the most common of all the hazards. Every year fires cause thousands of deaths and injuries and billions of dollars in property damage. Knowledge is key so make sure your people know the fire procedures. Some other things you should consider include:

Meet with the local Fire Department to discuss the community's fire response capabilities and your operations, especially any processes or materials that could either cause or fuel a fire, or contaminate the environment in a fire.
Have your facility inspected and make sure you are up-to-date on fire codes and regulations.
Ask your insurance company for fire prevention and protection tips.
Educate your employees on how to prevent fires in the workplace, how to contain a fire, how to evacuate the facility and where to report a fire.
Keep evacuation routes including stairways and doorways clear of debris.
Assign fire wardens for each area to monitor shutdown and evacuation procedures.
Establish procedures for the safe handling and storage of flammables and to prevent combustible materials, including smoking materials, from accumulating.
Keep your equipment operating safely through preventative maintenance.
Place fire extinguishers where appropriate and train your employees to use them.
Install and maintain smoke detectors and consider installing a fire alarm that called the fire department automatically.
Consider installing a sprinkler system, fire hoses and fire-resistant walls and doors.
Identify and mark all utility shutoffs so that electrical power, gas or water can be shut off quickly by fire wardens or responding personnel.
Determine the level of response your facility will take if a fire occurs.

Hazardous Materials Incidents

Hazardous materials are substances that are either flammable or combustible, explosive, toxic, noxious, corrosive, oxidizable, an irritant or radioactive. They have to be properly labeled, handled, stored, produced and disposed of. All of which is laid down in the Federal regulations that apply to your company and the materials you are using. Consider the following:

Obtain material safety data sheets (MSDS) for all hazardous materials at your location.
Get help from your local fire department in developing response procedures.
Train employees to properly handle and store hazardous materials and to recognize and report spills and releases.
Develop a hazardous material response plan including:

Notification of management, employees and emergency responders.
Evacuation procedures.
Training and organization for an emergency response team to confine and control hazardous material spills according to regulations.

Identify nearby facilities that use hazardous materials and how an incident at one of them could affect your facility.Identify ways hazardous materials could be transported near your company and how an accident nearby could affect your operations.

Floods and Flash floods

Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters. Most communities in the United States can experience some degree of flooding after spring rains, heavy thunderstorms or winter snow thaws. Most floods develop slowly over a period of days. Flash floods, however, are like walls of water that develop in a matter of minutes. Flash floods can be caused by intense storms or dam failure. Some things you can do to prepare include:

Determine your risk. Are you in a location that floods?
Review the community's emergency plan to determine evacuation routes and where to find higher ground.
Develop a warning and evacuation procedure for your company.
Inspect your facility for areas that are subject to flooding and identify records and equipment that can be moved to a higher area.
Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm and battery backup and use it to listen for flood watches and warnings.


Flood Watch. Flooding is possible. Stay tuned to NOAA radio. Be prepared to evacuate. Tune to local radio and television stations for additional information.

Flood Warning. Flooding is already occurring or will occur soon. Take precautions at once. Be prepared to go to higher ground. If advised, evacuate immediately.

Obtain flood insurance. Regular property and casualty insurance does not cover flooding.Consider flood-proofing your facility.Participate in community flood control projects.Make advance plans to move records and equipment in case of flood.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are severe tropical storms with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or greater. Hurricane winds can reach 160 miles per hour and extend inland for hundreds of miles. Hurricanes bring torrential rains and a storm surge of ocean water that crashes into land as the storm approaches. Hurricanes also spawn tornadoes. Hurricane advisories are issued by the National Weather Service as soon as a hurricane appears to be a threat. The hurricane season lasts from June through November. Here are some things to prepare:

Obtain your local evacuation plans from the emergency management office in your community.
Develop comprehensive shutdown procedures for your facility, warning and evacuation plans, and communication plans for you and your employees.
Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm and battery backup and use it to listen for hurricane watches and warnings.


Hurricane Watch. A hurricane is possible within 24 to 36 hours. Stay tuned for additional advisories. Tune to local radio and television stations for additional information. An evacuation may be necessary.

Hurricane Warning. A hurricane will hit land within 24 hours. Take precautions at once. If advised, evacuate immediately.

Make plans to protect outside equipment and structures and to protect windows. Permanent storm shutters are best, but covering your windows with 5/8" marine plywood is a second option.Consider whether you need the following backup systems:

Portable pumps to remove flood water.
Alternate power sources such as generators or gasoline-powered pumps.
Battery-powered emergency lighting.

Be prepared to move records, computers and other items to a safe location within your facility or to a different, secured location.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are incredibly violent local storms that extend to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 mph. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms; tornadoes can uproot trees and buildings and turn harmless objects into deadly missiles in a matter of seconds. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Tornadoes can occur in any state but occur more frequently in the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest. They occur with little or no warning. Consider the following when planning for tornadoes:

Find out about your local tornado warning system from your local emergency management office.
Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm and battery backup and use it to listen for tornado watches and warnings.


Tornado Watch. Tornadoes are likely. Be ready to take shelter. Stay tuned to radio and television stations for additional information.

Tornado Warning. A tornado has been sighted in the area or is indicated by radar. Take shelter immediately.

Develop a way to inform employees when tornado warnings are posted.Have a structural engineer or architect help you designate shelter areas in your facility. Your local emergency management office or the National Weather Service office can help with this. Consider the following:

Healthy adults require about six square feet of space each; patients need more.
The best protection in a tornado is usually an underground area. Alternatives include:

Small interior rooms on the lowest floor and without windows
Hallways on the lowest floor away from doors and windows
Rooms constructed with reinforced concrete, brick or block with no windows and a heavy concrete floor or roof system overhead
Protected areas away from doors and windows

Auditoriums, cafeterias and gymnasiums with flat, wide-span roofs are not considered safe.

Train your employees in what to do in case there is a tornado both before and after they get to the shelter.

Severe Winter Storms

Severe winter storms bring heavy snow, ice, strong winds and freezing rain. Winter storms can prevent employees and customers from reaching or safely leaving your facility, leading to a temporary shutdown until the roads can be cleared. Heavy snow and ice can also cause structural damage and power outages. Here are some things you can do to prepare:

Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm and battery backup and use it to listen for the following weather information:


Winter Storm Watch. Severe winter weather is possible.

Winter Storm Warning. Severe winter weather is expected.

Blizzard Warning. Severe winter weather with sustained winds of at least 35 mph is expected.

Traveler's Advisory. Severe winter conditions may make driving difficult or dangerous.

Develop procedures to shutdown your facility and release your employees early.Collect and store food, water, blankets, battery-powered radios with extra batteries and other emergency supplies for stranded employees and customers.Install a backup power source for all critical operations.Arrange for snow and ice removal.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes can seriously damage buildings and their contents; disrupt gas, electric and telephone services; and trigger landslides, avalanches, flash floods, fires and huge ocean waves called tsunamis. Aftershocks can occur for weeks following an earthquake.

In many buildings, the greatest danger to people in an earthquake is when equipment and non-structural elements such as ceilings, partitions, windows and lighting fixtures shake loose. Earthquakes occur most frequently west of the Rocky Mountains, although historically the most violent earthquakes have occurred in the central United States. Earthquakes occur suddenly and without warning. Some things you can do to prepare for the next "Big One" include:

Obtain recent and historical seismic information for your area.
Discussing with a structural engineer thing you can do to strengthen your building, including:

Adding steel bracing to frames.
Adding sheer walls to frames.
Strengthening columns and building foundations.
Replacing unreinforced brick filler walls.

Follow safety codes with any new construction or major renovation.Inspect, assess and develop measures to prevent damage to non-structural systems such as air conditioning, communications and pollution control systems.Move large and heavy objects to lower shelves or the floor. Hang heavy items away from where people work.Secure shelves, filing cabinets, tall furniture, desktop equipment, computers, printers, copiers and light fixtures.Secure fixed equipment and heavy machinery to the floor. Larger equipment can be placed on casters and attached to tethers which attach to the wall.Add bracing to suspended ceilings, if necessary.Install safety glass where appropriate.Secure large utility and process piping.Maintain copies of the facility design drawings so that its post-quake safety can be assessed.Review and update the handling and storing of hazardous materials.Obtain earthquake insurance and discuss damage mitigation with your insurance company.Conduct earthquake drills and educate all personnel on earthquake safety and procedures.

Technological Emergencies

Technological emergencies include any interruption or loss of a utility service, power source, life support system, information system or equipment needed to keep the business in operation. Such emergencies can be easily planned for:

Identify all critical operations, including:

Utilities including electric power, gas, water, hydraulics, compressed air, municipal and internal sewer systems, wastewater treatment services
Security and alarm systems, elevators, lighting, life support systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, electrical distribution system.
Manufacturing equipment, pollution control equipment
Communication systems, both data and voice computer networks
Transportation systems including air, highway, railroad and waterway

Determine the impact of service disruption.Ensure that key safety and maintenance personnel are thoroughly familiar with all building systems.Establish procedures for restoring systems. Determine need for backup systems.Establish preventive maintenance schedules for all systems and equipment.

The Bottom Line

What it all comes down to is preparedness. By the time the water is around your ankles, it is too late. A small expenditure now will ensure that you can stay in business later so consider it an investment. If you do nothing else, investing in the following items will put you well on the road to being prepared for anything.

A NOAA Weather Radio (www.weatherradiostore.com).
A fire inspection and a risk assessment for the other hazards mentioned above.
Specialty Insurance (flood or earthquake).
Data back-ups and off-site file and data storage.
Uninterruptible power supplies for critical systems.
Preventative maintenance for all equipment.
Flashlights, batteries and fire extinguishers.

For more information on disaster preparedness, visit http://www.fema.gov

Charles Cooper is the Web Editor and blogger for http://www.gowithabc.com, the Web site for America's Best Companies. He is also a staff writer for America's Best: The Magazine for Small Business Owners.

Auto-Enrolment - A Cloud on the Horizon for Small Businesses

The UK currently has a pensions crisis caused by an aging population, longer life expectancy, inadequate saving for retirement and decreased pension fund values following a period of unprecedented financial instability. The UK governments 2008 Pensions Act outlined the Workplace Pension Reforms intended to increase the number of people saving adequately for retirement.

The key feature of the reforms is the requirement that all employers must automatically enrol their employees in to a workplace pension scheme. The phasing in of auto-enrolment will begin in 2012 with businesses employing more than 30,000 people, then those with more than 350 staff in 2013 and finally those with less than 350 staff from 2014. The date when a business must begin auto-enrolment will be determined by the last two digits of the PAYE reference code.

Auto-enrolment will be mandatory for staff over 22 years of age who earn in excess of £5,035 per annum no matter how long they have been employed. Those aged between 16 and 22 and earning less than £5,035 can request that their employer enrols them. All employees have the option to opt out of auto-enrolment if they wish but must then be re-enrolled every 3 years.

The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) is the Governments own defined contribution pension scheme and will be the default pension scheme for employers who do not provide an alternative scheme meeting minimum requirements set out in the legislation.

In the long run minimum contributions will be set at 8% of qualifying earnings between £5,035 and £33,500 of which 3% must be from the employer. This level of contributions will be phased in starting at 2% in 2012, rising to 5% in 2016 and then 8% from 2017.

In June 2010 the newly elected UK coalition Government ordered a review of how to support the auto-enrolment process. The terms of reference of the review suggest amendments will be made to the 2008 Pensions Act following a downturn in the economic outlook. The minimum earnings level for auto-enrolment may be increased, the age for enrolment may be increased,a minimum number of employees for enrolment may be introduced,a minimum length of service is likely as is the use of basic earnings to determine contributions instead of qualified earnings. However, the magnitude of the pensions crisis and the scale of the UK Governments budget deficit dictate that concessions are likely to be modest at best.

Approximately 40% of the UK's economic output is produced by small firms meaning the Government will put their role in addressing the crisis at the heart of its reforms. Currently, cost and administrative burden mean small businesses are unlikely to offer a pension scheme to employees and when auto-enrolment finally forces them to do so many will need advice and support. The complexity of setting up then running a pension scheme is considerable and small firms with modest human and financial resources will almost certainly need some assistance from either a public or private entity. The Governments budgetary predicament means it is unlikely that significant public assistance will be provided aside from making the NEST scheme relatively straightforward. Small businesses will most likely seek assistance from their accountant to help with the auto-enrolment process. The benefits of being able to avoid the day to day administration of a pension scheme will outweigh the extra accountancy costs. An accountant will have the skills and experience to set up and administer a scheme considerably quicker and to a higher degree of accuracy than most small businesses.

Outsourcing pension scheme administration will reduce legal risks associated with running a scheme and ensure accurate contributions are made. Payroll processing is often done in house by small firms and will need modification to accommodate deductions of pensions contributions. Outsourced payroll processing will greatly simplify auto-enrolment and will be more cost effective in the long term.

Copyright (c) 2010 Richard Barlow

Richard Barlow works at McGregors Corporate an accountancy firm with offices throughout the East Midlands. For further information about cost effective pension and payroll outsourcing come to: => http://www.freepayroll.org.uk

Women Start Businesses in Record Numbers in 2009

The United States has produced many women making it to the top and becoming successful leaders. This is despite the fact that the environment these women grew up in might not have facilitated their direct access to the business world or provided these women role models in which to emulate. Nevertheless, many women have managed to learn enough about conducting a business and leading a team through education and mentoring.

Although in most cases women are still the ones who manage the household and would not normally have the time that running a business requires, many have set their priorities straight and have successfully entered the business world. Recent statistics show that women are starting businesses in record numbers and bringing significant changes to an environment which, not too long ago, seemed to be structured primarily for men and their ways of thinking and working.

Until recently, very few women have managed to succeed as business leaders. Be it for the disturbing lack of flexibility, men's solidarity in business or women's lack of confidence in their skills and abilities as leaders, the reality is that not many women have succeeded to in leadership roles. Moreover, in the absence of any grants from government agencies, women have to turn to private and non-profit organizations for assistance in starting a business. And, unfortunately, such grants often address minority women or women that come from economically disadvantaged communities. In spite of a nationwide network of programs and centers that offer business training, assistance and educational resources specifically for women, the actual business opportunities women are presented with are not too numerous.

Despite all these major drawbacks, what we are witnessing today in the business world is something that many would consider surprising, to say the least. Things are changing and evolving rapidly to an unprecedented presence for women in the business environment. Statistics show that over 23 million people in the United States (approximately 16% of the workforce) are now employed by women-owned businesses. This is almost double the number of employees that the biggest fifty companies in the U.S. have altogether. In addition to this, women-owned businesses generate $3 trillion in revenue and are tantamount to the fifth-largest gross domestic product on a global scale.

The first question that comes to mind is "Why are women starting their own businesses?" The most obvious reason would have to be "Because they want to be financially independent." We all know that depending on someone else for everything you need, from the food you put on the table and the clothes you wear to going on vacation or buying gifts for the holidays can be frustrating at times. All women feel the need to indulge themselves on their whims every now and then, and not all of them have the chance to do so, as long as they depend on someone else for money.

Of course, it's not a question of housewife versus business leader. Women are now almost half of the nation's workforce, which means that most of them have a steady income source and are able to provide for themselves and their families. But this is not the kind of financial independence I'm talking about. I am referring to the cashflow that a profitable business can generate, to no longer depending on a monthly paycheck and to not being forced to give up on many of your wishes and ideals. And if we take into account the fact that a woman's average salary is around 75 percent of that of a man's, it makes all the more sense for women to consider owning a business.

Could it be that women business owners saw a challenge in starting their own businesses and being successful like so many men before them? This too is a plausible reason. Now that equality between sexes is no longer an issue (except for maybe some remote parts of the world), women have the opportunity to prove that they are just as capable as men when it comes to setting up and fueling the growth of a profitable business. Many have succeeded and a lot more are attempting to.

Flexibility at their workplace and family-friendly benefits are yet another reason why women are considering business ownership. It is very difficult for a working mom to find the perfect balance between family life and career. Very few companies allow for family leaves or sick days, and even fewer provide their employees with high quality childcare. It is only natural that women try to relieve these burdens and attempt to set up an environment where such benefits would no longer be an issue. Given the minuses of the current employment market, it is safe to say that many women have chosen to start a business as a lifestyle choice. Everyone would like to have the flexibility that comes with being self-employed. Under these circumstances, there is little wonder why the number of women-owned businesses has seen such an astounding growth over recent years.

As I stated earlier, most women are the managers of their household and families. Statistics show that approximately three quarters of the decisions regarding purchases for the household are made by women. And in most cases, they do a great job managing everything around the house. Many women have decided to take a step forward and use this innate talent or acquired skill of juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, with the purpose of running a business of their own. The number of women starting businesses nowadays is almost three times the rate of men. Whatever the reasons for this growth may be, I am certain of one thing-we should all welcome this rise in the number of women-owned businesses for several reasons.

For one, women are more oriented towards communication than men and more likely to build stronger relationships with everyone around them, including the people they work with. Women feel the need to be part of a community more than men do, and a working community led by a woman is therefore more likely to be based on friendship and support.

Moreover, in most cases, women-owned businesses are closer to the kind of company that respects its employees' needs. All the benefits I was mentioned earlier (sick leaves, daycare and family leaves) are more likely to be found in women-owned businesses.

All in all, not everyone might think that the days of women as housewives are long gone, but the statistics beg to differ. Women start businesses in such record numbers that it is safe to say that women-owned businesses will play a major part in the recovery of the economy.

Christine is an independent marketer with The Trump Network. She is a mompreneur and lives with her four children and boyfriend in Malibu, California. For more information, please email Christine@ChristineSyquia.com.

Dialing for Dollars: Memorable Phone Numbers Can Boost Sales for Small Businesses

Like most car dealerships, Maroone Honda of Hollywood, Fla., wanted to drive more business to its showroom floor. So the dealer added a catchy, easy-to-remember phone number to its ongoing print and radio ad campaign. Maroone was soon flooded with a thousand additional phone calls from prospective buyers each month and enough additional sales to make it one of the nation's top 10 Honda sellers.

"The reason we got this number is simple: If someone in the South Florida area wants a Honda, all they need to know or remember to call is 1 800 NEW HONDA," says general manager Bobby Yoxall. The company added the vanity number three years ago. "Other (local) dealers are just ticked off because they didn't think of it first," Yoxall says.

Easy-to-remember, toll-free numbers such as Maroone's are a "cash register" for businesses, especially "vanity numbers" using a word associated with the company or its service, says Judith Oppenheimer, an industry analyst and president of ICB Toll-Free Consultancy in New York. But with the pool of toll-free 800 numbers all but drained, and buying and selling phone numbers illegal, snagging a memorable number can be an exercise in futility. There are a few tricks that can help small businesses find a magic number, despite the competition.

Ringing the Cash Register

Vanity numbers such as 800-FLOWERS and 800 CALL ATT are known to generate a minimum of 40 percent more calls than non-memorable numbers, says Oppenheimer, who believes the average is much higher.

The pool of 800 numbers available to companies is fairly small at any given time. Telephone carriers have attempted to accommodate growing demand by introducing other toll-free prefixes. But those prefixes - 888, 877, 866 - typically produce less traffic. "Some will tell you that 877 and 866 are fine. They're not," Oppenheimer says.

Few studies have been done, but plenty of anecdotal evidence supports that claim. Oppenheimer points to a client that included its toll-free 877 number in a series of radio ads. It also owned the 800 version of the same number, but didn't include it in the ad. But the 800 number received more than twice the number of calls as the 877 number.

Why? Consumers tend to remember vanity numbers as "800," no matter what the prefix. "It's not whether you know that 888 or 877 are toll-free prefixes," Oppenheimer says. "It's whether those numbers have been branded in your mind in a way that gets you to respond." So when a company uses an 888 or other toll-free, non-800 prefix, many of its calls - perhaps 40 percent - end up going to whomever owns the 800 version of the number, which may very well be a competitor, she says.

There are other reasons to hold out for an 800 prefix. "Across the board, when people call a vanity number, they are raising their hand to buy," says Oppenheimer. "They are not tire kickers. When you're dialing a word, there's a different mind set and behavioral process." People are ready to buy at that point, she asserts.

Yoxall won't reveal how many more cars he's selling with the number. But the dealership has moved from the list of the nation's top 20 Honda dealers into the top 10 during the past three years. Yoxall attributes much of that success to adding an easy-to-remember phone number.

Shared Use

In 1997, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that buying and selling phone numbers is illegal and reinforced its edict last December. The thinking, in part, is that phone numbers themselves shouldn't be profit-generating commodities bought and sold on the open market. But while snagging your own 800 number may be next to impossible, sharing one is a much more likely, affordable and legal alternative.

Next page: Pick a number, any number.

Here's how it works: Companies typically receive a listing of all the phone numbers that dial their 800 number. If most of their business is done in a limited region, they may agree to share their number with another company outside their region. The phone company configures things so that incoming calls are detected by area code and routed to the proper company.

It's the same technology used by big players like Pizza Hut to route customers to the nearest store when they call 800 PIZZA HUT. So the recycling outfit in New Jersey, which receives mostly local calls, can share with the surf shop in Los Angeles that sells on the West Coast and the boot maker in Dallas, all of whom need the same digits to spell out their vanity number.

Maroone Honda shares its number with Honda dealers in other parts of Florida that don't compete for the same buyers. How much should a company pay for the luxury? The price can be very reasonable, Oppenheimer says. "You could pay anywhere from about $40 to $200 per month," she says. "Or the company that owns the number might charge by the minute or $1 per call." They'll typically charge a little more than they pay per call, on top of a monthly fee.

Small businesses can start their quest by contacting a company specializing in making these number-sharing matches, such as Dial800 and Response Marketing, which set up the arrangement and then allow customers to track the number of calls, peak traffic times and other data online. Or simply call the number you want and bargain with the current owner, Oppenheimer says.

If all else fails, a local vanity number might be appropriate. If you have a pizzeria in New York and most of your business comes from the 212 area code, (212) JOES PIZZA could be a profitable phone number.

Another option for some businesses might include snagging a number with easy-to-remember digits, such as 654-4321. The most obvious easy-to-recall numbers are likely taken, but they're worth asking for, Oppenheimer says. It's in the phone carriers' best interest to make business clients happy.

Hide Your Cards

In either case, don't tip your hand, Oppenheimer says. Phone companies have been known to reserve such numbers for larger corporations with huge advertising budgets. They know the number will likely generate more traffic and thus, bigger profits for the phone carrier itself. Revealing the actual vanity number, whether local or not, may tip the phone company off that this is a good number for another business.

"Never ask them for a vanity number. Tell them the actual number you want (using numeric digits)," Oppenheimer says. And if AT&T says it doesn't have the number, go to MCI, Sprint or other carriers, including wireless and cable telephone providers.

What's considered a good number? The vanity number should reflect the company's brand name, if it's well known, or otherwise, the product or service itself. And numbers of more than seven digits after the 800 prefix won't work from cell phones.

By Lisa Plendl

Lisa Plendl is a highly seasoned freelance writer for small business, technology marketing writer and journalist. She writes marketing articles, web content, brochures, white papers, solution sheets and other promotional copy that drives traffic and gets results.

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