How to Protect Your Business in a Crisis: A Five-Step Survival Plan

Send us Fan MailMost businesses do not fail during a crisis because they were fundamentally bad businesses.They fail because conditions change, leaders become paralysed by uncertainty and important decisions are made too late.Recorded in March 2020 as the scale of the coronavirus pandemic was becoming clear, this solo episode captures Peter Boolkah’s immediate advice to business owners facing an unprecedented disruption.Although the original context was COVID-19, the five-part framework remains relevant to almost any serious business crisis:PeopleSupply chainCashStrategyMarketingPeter explains why business owners must prepare before disruption reaches its most serious stage.That means educating employees, testing remote-working arrangements, protecting access to information, identifying alternative suppliers, understanding how long the company can survive without revenue and speaking to banks or creditors before payments are missed.You’ll discover:Why waiting and hoping is not a crisis strategyHow indecision can destroy otherwise viable businessesWhat would happen if most of your workforce became unavailableWhy remote-working systems should be tested before they are neededHow dependence on one supplier creates operational riskWhy do you need to calculate your cash-survival periodWhen to approach banks, lenders and tax authoritiesThe difference between your circle of concern and circle of influenceHow to identify new demand when customer behaviour changesWhy every stage of a crisis needs an execution planWhy completely stopping your marketing can make matters worseThe importance of talking to other business owners instead of becoming isolatedThis is both a historical snapshot and a practical business-resilience episode.The central lesson remains highly relevant: you cannot control every crisis, but you can control how early you prepare, how clearly you think and how decisively you respond.HISTORICAL CONTEXTThis episode was recorded on 17 March 2020. References to public-health restrictions, isolation periods, statutory sick pay, travel restrictions and government support reflect the situation at that time and should not be treated as current guidance.CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAHWebsite: https://www.boolkah.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkahInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoolkahX: https://twitter.com/boolkahABOUT PETER BOOLKAHPeter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:Do you own the business, or does the business own you?Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com