Preparing for a disaster is simply good business. It could be the difference between your business being out of action for a few days or never reopening. The Office of Small Business Commisioner has developed a range of resources to help small business owners both prepare and recover from disasters.
Get Ready Business – five step guide to preparing for disasters helps business owners prepare for disaster in five simple steps.
Prepare for the unexpected – Build a Business Continuity Plan provides practical advice in managing disruption, as well as a series of easy to use templates that enables small business owners to develop a personalised Business Continuity Plan.
Get Back to Business – a guide to recovering from disaster is a step-by-step guide for business owners dealing with a disaster. It outlines how small businesses can recover and even bounce back better than ever. The guide provides information on the five phases of disaster recovery – from the moment disaster hits to the days, weeks and months ahead. There are action checklists on how business owners can work through each phase of recovery. There are also several case studies highlighting lessons learned by other small businesses who have been faced with disaster.
The Insurance claims for small business guide also helps small business owners in the recovery phase, guiding them through the often complicated insurance claims process and providing advice if they encounter issues with providers. If your business has been affected by an event and is having issues dealing with your insurance company then you can contact the Financial Rights Legal Centre. It is a community legal centre specialising in financial services, particularly in the areas of consumer credit, banking, debt recovery and insurance. It is the only such Centre in NSW, and one of the only centres in Australia that fully integrates telephone assistance and financial counselling with legal advice and representation. The Financial Rights Legal Centre also operates the Insurance Law Service, a national specialist consumer insurance advice service, Mob Strong Debt Help, and the Credit & Debt Legal Advice Line.