Of course, we all think we are irreplaceable, whether we run a business or not.  In situations where you are the only employee of your business, however, you tend to feel like the business could not run without you.

Last weekend, my dad, who owns a small janitorial services company, had a massive heart attack. He is currently doing pretty well, but doesn't remember much about his business. Needless to say, it will be months before he is back to work. He wasn't as prepared as he should have been for someone to take over in his absence. Thankfully, I am his son and I specialize in just such situations! This entire process has prompted me to write a blog entry on the topic.

What if you get a medical issue and realize you wont be able to do any work for a period of 1 month. You will need the income after you get back to work, so what will you do? You will probably scramble like mad to get someone trained to do everything you do while you are out of commission.

What if you have no warning? If something happened to you today, what would happen to your business?

Somber thoughts, I know. But anyone can prepare to ensure that all those years of hard work don't vanish into thin air.

Here are some things to get you started:

• -Write a log of EVERYTHING you do for a month.
  
• -Write out a process that explains how to do anything you do that involves more than one step.
  
• -Make sure all your financial information is clear and easily accessible.
  
• -Put someone else on your business checking account.
  
• -Make sure all your business contacts are easily accessible and well organized.
  
• -Put all this information in a clear, accessible file and tell someone where it is.

Those six steps will put you a long way toward business security. Training a person and actually making a contingency plan will be next, but you will still be in good enough shape that someone could probably figure out the rest (especially a spouse or family member familiar with the business).

Enjoy the new found peace of mind!

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