Fire, flood, drought: how to rebuild your business after a natural disaster

It would be easy to think the worst of Australia’s devastating bushfire season is finally over, at least
for now, with most of the wild blazes that consumed towns and bushland now under control, or on
their way to being contained.

But the truth is that, for the tens of thousands of small business owners in the areas worst hit by the
fires, or the thousands more still crippled by drought, the real pain is only just beginning.

See, when a disaster ends, so does the news coverage. There are no cameras to catch the heartache
of a town enduring the long, hard slog towards recovery. No reporters with notebooks to see the
hotels and motels sitting empty, restaurants abandoned, or tour operations utterly devoid of tourists.

The huge impact disasters have on businesses, and on the mental and physical health of the people
that run them, can take years to fully play out, and many will find themselves driven to the wall by
circumstances entirely out of their control.

Sure, there’ll be donations (and happily in this case, there’s been a lot of them) but that money
won’t go anywhere close to putting business owners back on their feet. It will help to rebuild homes
and buildings, but it won’t produce customers, replenish savings or save everyone from bankruptcy.
For that, your business needs to have the right structure around it, one that will help it survive as
you rebuild, and that will defend it against future disasters.

If you’ve recently suffered from the fires, or are continuing to suffer under drought, you can use a
robust business structure to help you recover. But you need to act now – and I mean right now, this
very moment.

First, you need to evaluate your priorities and renew your finances. And you need to be brutal with
yourself. How long can you afford to continue at your current level? What do you do about staff?
How are you communicating with your clients, staff and contractors? What are the things you can
do today to get your business up and running again?

Next, it’s time to look for help. What insurance policies can you activate? Have you contacted your
bank or lender to discuss your short-term ability to repay your loans? What about cash flow? Do
you need to find money to help your business recover? And if so, do you know where you can find
it, whether from a lender or a government agency?

I know that’s a lot to take in, but I also can’t stress to you the importance of getting it right. Which
is why I’ve just launched my FREE Mentored Online Disaster Recovery Masterclass. It covers all
of the above and more, and I also call on expert advice on how to get the most out of your current
insurance policies, and what you might need in the future, how to talk to your bank or lender about
securing relief on your loan obligations, and how to secure short-term funds to keep your business
moving.

More importantly, the class is entirely FREE. Information like this is far too important to the people
who really keep this country moving forward, and I want it to find its way to as many business
owners as possible.

As the old adage goes, the very best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and the second-best time is
right now. And so it goes for protecting your business from unexpected disasters. I know it feels
overwhelming at the moment, but I promise you’ll get through this. Because if there’s one thing

Australian small business owners have in spades, it’s an unwavering strength and resilience in the
face of adversity.