September is National Preparedness Month and the Pennsylvania SBDCs are reminding all small business owners about the importance of business continuity.  As part of National Preparedness Month, small business owners are encouraged to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! on September 30, 2014 to take action to prepare for specific hazards that could affect their business including:

• Earthquake
• Flood
• Hurricane
• Tornado
• Wildfire
• Winter Storm

The goal of America’s PrepareAthon! is to increase the number of individuals and businesses who understand which disasters could happen in their community, know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage, take action to increase their preparedness, and participate in community resilience planning.

As part of its ongoing Business Continuity and Survival services, the SBDC is available to meet with businesses to discuss how they can adopt business resiliency strategies and prepare for future business interruptions.

As any experienced SBDC consultants will advise during confidential no-fee consulting session or training seminar – business continuity is about growing sustainable businesses that are resilient to any kind of disruption, be it force of nature, man-made, or technological business interruption. 

In addition, the SBDC recently launched four self-paced, on demand webinars designed to familiarize business managers with the contemporary realities of sustainable business continuity.  Webinar topics include:

• cloud computing and the related processes of choosing your cloud provider and transitioning your business to the cloud;
• establishing your online presence and the intricacies of the process depending on your type of business;
• expanding into the international, government, and e-commerce markets;
• preparing your business for any disruption by mitigating, avoiding, or sharing its risks.

To view the webinars, click here.

Compiling a business continuity plan is of utmost importance for a business of any size.  Being prepared ensures the survivability of a business after any disaster or interruption.  Small businesses that need more information regarding business continuity planning are encouraged to visit the SBDC’s Business Continuity & Survival services page or contact their local SBDC by visiting http://pasbdc.org/centers.