Picking up the pieces - a job for any owner...
While I’m not much of a gambler, I’m going to bet that a good portion of small business owners aren’t privy to the methods used by their employees. Fortunately, there are tools you can put in place should the need arise. Ignoring possibilities is a dire mistake.
Today, I write this column with great sadness. My employee (who also happens to be a great friend) lost her husband last evening. I knew the guy enough to know that his humorous takes on just about anything will keep many laughing for years. He leaves behind a 13-year-old daughter–a beautiful young lady who’s astoundingly athletic, mature and totally lovable to boot.
Philip had spent some time in the hospital, his wife by his side, and from a business perspective, it was not easy. I had to step up to the plate and do all I could to keep accounts up to date, respond to emails and messages…basically doing things I haven’t done since I first started my company on mere pocket lint. And though there are still some issues unresolved, they aren’t the types of things that are going cause the demise of a company.
There was a learning curve, but many things were logical. With the help of GoToMyPc, I gained access to her computer and all necessary files. Ever since this company lost a key developer earlier this year, we’d had in place a game plan, but not until you go through this type of experience do you learn what you didn’t think about.
Essentially, I did what I needed, and kept a document on the screen at all times, advising Judy of what was done and how (I wanted her to have an easy means to fix any mistakes). When she found a few moments she’d type in the same file - some responses to things I couldn’t yet figure out.
Looking back right now, it would make more sense to have a different backup procedure in place - ideally, one that zips files and uploads them to a protected server directory each evening. But I know that I was ahead of the game - the access via live connecting, though a more minimalistic approach, saved many headaches.
Fortunately, one need not have a standing account with Citrix (or any other remote admin service) in order to use it on the fly. Commonly the minute you sign up you have what you need to get rolling, and that’s a huge time saver. However, if you have remote employees who are unable to run the script on their computer, or worse, ones who are unwilling, you stand to lose quite a bit.
Today, I ask all small business owners to take a few moments to not expect the worst, but to at least have an idea of what you’d need in place should something detrimental cause a key player to take time away. Through the years I’ve spent time rebuilding data or redoing work specifically because of such situations, and it’s a costly, time-consuming practice. Aside from saving for a rainy day, figure out how you can keep that money should one of the worst of rainy days arise.
I’ll admit, my clients have experienced some delays and some discrepancies in billing, and the staff and I are working around the clock, but I take comfort in knowing that nothing’s so broken it can’t be fixed. And that, my friends, is the best we can really hope for.
