Give your support partners a break, without missing a beat

Unless you work in the North Pole with a bunch of elves, you’ll probably have some sort of shutdown period coming up soon. Even if your business stays open for most of the holiday period, many of the partners you rely on might not.

Is there anyone you rely on that might not be available when you need them over the break? Do you have plans in place to deal with problems if they’re away?

Here are some small business partners you might want to touch base with before they shut down for the year:

• Your “IT Guy” is there for you throughout the year but what will you do if they’re on a beach somewhere right when you need them?

• Is your website critical to your business? If someone decides to attack it or there’s a critical vulnerability that needs patching, who will help?

• Does your office have security guards or a concierge? Will you need more or less help from them if you’re not going to be around?

• If you do experience a cyber attack over the break, will the other trusted partners (e.g. lawyers, PR, HR, etc) be ready to swing into action?

Reach out to those you rely on, wish them the best for the new year and ask them about their plans. Don’t wait until things have hit the fan and they’re nowhere to be found.