Let’s admit it, we are in business to stay in business. If your customers don’t have a plan to stay in business, you will most likely create their final out of business paperwork.

Business Continuity is not hard. People have a perception that creating a plan is difficult.

Now, if you would like to make this process like government work, here is an equation from NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology – Department of Commerce:

Or

Use one of the plans listed on this site.

Many procrastinate working on a plan for any number of reasons:

1. It’s takes too much time
2. It’s too difficult
3. It’s too expensive
4. It will never happen to us
5. etc., etc., etc.

The reality is disasters happened every day to all types of people and businesses. The issue could be weather related, a fire in their building [even if it’s not in their business], loss of a key employees, loss of data or any number of things.

There is someone that can assist, and you have found the place!

Ok, I’m going to give away the locations for free, no charge, easy to complete packages to build a business continuity plan.

If you or your client would like assistance in reviewing the completeness of a plan, that can be done!

If you or your client would like assistance in building a plan – either using one of the plans in the next section or a custom created plan, that can be done!

If you or your customer just want to talk about plans in general, how and why to build a plan or where to start, that can be done.

Here are some no cost packages to use. I find these easy to use and some even have embedded pointers for creating a family plan. Thanks to the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety Get Prepared with Open for Business™ https://disastersafety.org/business-protection/ofb-ez/ for providing these pointers.

Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
In addition to providing the free business continuity tool kit, IBHS provides free disaster preparedness and property protection guidelines, recommendations and projects for small businesses. The Institute also offers post-disaster recommendations on repairing and rebuilding to make your building(s) stronger and safer the next time a disaster strikes.
http://disastersafety.org Form fillable PDF and IOS or Android apps available.

American Red Cross
Among other disaster preparedness and response services, the Red Cross offers a number of preparedness training programs and resources for workplaces, families, and individuals.
https://www.redcross.org

Business Civic Leadership Center – Disaster Help Desk
The BCLC Help Desk is designed to enhance community economic recovery after a disaster. The Help Desk provides on-the-ground coordination of information among businesses, local chambers of commerce, NGOs, government responders, and disaster recovery specialists. https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/site-page/disaster-help-desk-business

DisasterAssistance.gov
Provides information on how you might be able to get help from the federal government before, during and after a disaster. If the President of the United States makes help available to individuals in your community after a disaster, you can visit this site to apply online. http://www.disasterassistance.gov

Federal and Local Emergency Management Agencies
Even the largest, most widespread disasters require a local response. Local emergency management programs are the core of the nation’s emergency management system.
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-management-agencies

Internal Revenue Service–Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Businesses
The IRS offers audio presentations about planning for disaster. These presentations discuss business continuity planning, insurance coverage, record keeping and other recommendations for staying in business after a major disaster.
http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-SelfEmployed/Disaster-Assistance-and-Emergency-Relieffor-Individuals-and-Businesses-1

Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration provides loans, loan guarantees, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses following a disaster.
http://www.sba.gov/
https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage/prepareemergencies-disaster-assistance

Small Business Development Centers
The SBDC assists small businesses with financial, marketing, production, organization, engineering and technical problems, as well as feasibility studies.
https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/find/

Consulting fees. Click on the embedded link to receive a current fee schedule.

If you would like to consider a monthly retainer or an “Of Staff” position click on this link:

Who is this guy?

Howard Pierpont is a nationally [DRII] and internationally [The BCI] certified Business Continuity Professional. He is a member of ACP – The Association of Business Continuity Professionals – a trade organization with chapters throughout the United States.

The son of a weatherman and a schoolteacher, Mr. Pierpont has spent most of his life looking at issues and disasters while trying to find ways to reduce the risk and impact of a disaster.  Having travelled extensively throughout the United States and to multiple international countries have allowed him to see not only different issues, but differing approaches to resolving those issues.

For more than 35 years, Pierpont has worked in private industry, governmental entities and with small businesses and not-for-profits on risk reduction and planning. He spent many years with major computer companies before working for FEMA as Training Unit instructor and lead before moving to long term community recovery [LTCR]. In LTCR he was embedded in the communities and assisted them with creating their long to plans to return toward normal. After leaving FEMA Pierpont went on to assist governmental entities, businesses and not-for-profits as a co-presenter in a series of forums sponsored in part by the US Economic Development Agency.

Email: Howard.Pierpont@outlook.com
Phone: 970.397.5526