With our neighbours in the Blue Mountains going through extremely tough times, it can be difficult to keep focussed on normal routines. In the days, weeks and months ahead, there will be ample opportunity for business owners to assist those who have lost everything. In the meantime, evaluating our own situations in the light of a crisis is a positive thing to do.

There are plenty of questions you can ask in relation to your business in a crisis situation: what off-site backup/restore systems do you have in place in the event of total loss? What procedures do you have in place for disruption to staff availability? How much stock do you keep in store and how much of it is insured adequately? Is your business insurance up to date and reflective of the cost of full replacement of equipment and assets?

There are of course many ‘unknowns’ that cannot be answered in advance of a crisis. Not least of which, is the emotional toll that significant loss or disruption can have on your moral and decision making abilities. It can understandably be very demoralising to think about ‘starting over’, especially if you have also experienced personal loss in addition to loss of business.

But having contingencies, backup plans and adequate insurance (to name just a few strategies) can provide peace of mind in times of crisis. Even if in the early stages you are not ready to rebuild or get back to ‘normal’, the knowledge that things are in place can be valuable.

To those in the Penrith and Blue Mountains communities who have lost their homes and/or businesses: your community is behind you and will no doubt assist you in whatever ways we can to help you back on your feet.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Everyone is familiar with the phrase: ‘you get what you pay for’. This isn’t true in all situations, but there are many for which it definitely is. For example: • Nappies – buy the cheapest nappies and you generally make up the cost in washing wet clothes, bed sheets and anything else your child comes in to contact with • Tea Bags – if you are buying no name tea bags, you need to seriously consider if you are actually a tea lover or just someone who might as well drink dish water. The same applies in business. There are some aspects of running a business that you may be able to do ‘on the cheap’ (marketing is a great example: if you can find cheap or free ways to advertise your business, that doesn’t impact negatively on your business brand, then go for it!). But there are some areas you shouldn’t skimp on: • Domain Registration – you would choose the cheapest, right? Wrong. When you need to make changes to your domain you are likely to find out that the ‘cheap’ registration didn’t include access to all the areas it should. You either end up paying more than the ‘expensive’ option OR you can’t access your domain registration at all. • Graphic design – your neighbour’s cousin’s girlfriend loves drawing and has completed a 6 wk introduction to graphic design course. She’s only charging $100 for a logo – bargain! And yes, you may be lucky and get a great product. But more likely, you will find that you don’t get what you asked for and/or don’t receive the professional branding your business really needs. • Insurance – this is not something for which we like paying any more than necessary. However, finding the cheapest possible business insurance (or ‘cutting corners’) is a dangerous game to play. Make sure you are fully insured for all areas relevant to your business (including loss of income).

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender