As a business owner, your company is one of the most important things to you. You work hard to keep everything running smoothly and to continue meeting your bottom line. However, life can sometimes throw you curveballs. Everything could be going great one day only to be hit with a bit of crisis the next. Unexpected hiccups have the power to completely derail your operations and cause problems for your overall organization. It’s up to you to prepare for these situations and create contingency plans for your business.

While you can’t always expect disaster to strike, you can plan ahead to help minimize the damage. This involves all areas of your business. From your financial security to the physical storefront you operate out of to legal protection in case of a lawsuit, you need a full-scale plan to keep your business safe from unexpected incidents. Here are a few suggestions to help give you peace of mind that things will work out in any scenario.

Have power backups in case of an outage.

Natural disasters strike every day and they affect homes and businesses alike. Say you experience a power outage during critical times. This can affect your data recovery, operations, or other areas. Invest in a generator service that can help guarantee you will have power even during difficult situations.

With generator service contracts, you are getting the highest quality product that can power entire buildings. You should also look for continuing repair services to help make sure everything is in working order as a part of your service contract. Having reliability on your power will help you function effectively no matter what.

Train your staff in basic first aid.

Unexpected incidents can sometimes affect the health of your staff or your customers. For this reason, it can be helpful to train your staff in basic first aid or medical training. Depending on the job, you may just need training with an AED or a full class on CPR. You can also combine both in a CPR AED online course that you can take at your own pace.

Understand how to respond if someone is undergoing a heart attack or another medical emergency. New science is emerging every day, and successful completion of an online class will help you understand basic CPR training that can help you eventually save a life.

Employ backups for your digital data.

In the modern age, most of your sensitive data and information are located on digital databases. This also means things could crash or randomly be hacked. Look for an effective manner to backup and store your data so you don’t end up suffering from these unexpected situations. Think of your backups as a warranty to keep your data safe and secure.

Diversify your clients and finances.

An unexpected circumstance that is a bit harder to bounce back from is when you take a big financial hit. Say you lose a big client or a new initiative flops in a big way. This can be detrimental to your organization. The best way to prepare for this is to diversify your clients and make sure you have an emergency savings fund. This will help you maintain your other operations if something falls through financially.

Have a relationship with legal services.

Depending on the line of work you do, you may have instances where you have a lawsuit filed against you. This can be for worker’s compensation, intellectual property disputes, medical malpractice, or many other legal issues. The best way to protect against unexpected lawsuits is to maintain a close relationship with your legal counsel. Not only will they be able to clean up a mess, but they can advise you against dangerous decisions in the first place.