Recently I sat down with Donna R Childs to talk about something that many businesses don’t like to think about: disasters. Actually, since Donna is a disaster preparedness expert, we spoke about how small companies can take steps to plan for all sorts of disasters.

When I think of disaster preparedness I think about what I might do in the event of a large scale disaster, like a hurricane or earthquake. Donna points out in our interview, and in her book, that while you should have a plan for those big disasters you should really think about the smaller disasters that could have a big impact on your business (think human error, or a small power outage).

One tip Donna shared that is easy, and cheap, to do is simple: call your insurance company and make sure they have your bank account/routing information. This way if you need to make a claim they can deposit the money directly into your bank account, no need to wait weeks (or longer) for a physical check.

For more information check out Donna’s free white paper called "Preparing Your Business for the Everyday Disasters" that she wrote for our Business Services group. You can find her book, "Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Small Businesses" online and in bookstores.