Does your business have a plan in case of an emergency? Natural disasters and other emergency situations can leave business owners scrambling. And that’s a lesson that Lisandra Pagan, PhD learned the hard way in her first business venture.
Contingency Planning Help for Businesses
But that lesson led to a new business idea — Deliberate Plan Consulting. The company helps business owners create contingency plans in case of a variety of different emergencies. Read more about the business below in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Helps businesses create contingency plans for disasters.
Pagan told Small Business Trends, “I created a step by step method to help business owners plan. I help them plan during “peace times” before the strategy is needed and this way we avoid making last minute decisions, influenced by emotions.”
Business Niche
Helping businesses plan for a wide range of possible disasters.
Pagan says, “I am known for helping other business owners plan, prepare and recover from events that can range from a day to day emergency to a major disaster.”
How the Business Got Started
After experiencing a disaster in a past business venture.
Pagan explains, “After failing my first business due to a natural disaster, I learned that I was not the only business owner that didn’t plan for disasters. I spent years researching the topic of small businesses and disasters and found that contingency planning is not taught in business school, or that many business owners hear about.”
Biggest Win
Finding the strength to share her story.
Pagan says, “My biggest win was realizing that my failure experience and research could help others prepare for disasters and help them avoid similar situations. It meant that I would have to share my losses and failure publicly for other business owners to realize that I was not approaching planning them from a theoretical background but from failure, lived experiences, and from also being a business owner. That was super difficult because where I come from failure is not a badge of honor, its shameful, and I had been carrying debt, collections and all legal implications of a failed business. However, I found strength on knowing that others could benefit from my shameful experience.”
Biggest Risk
Investing in that previous business venture without a strategy.
Pagan says, “My biggest risk was to keep investing, taking loans and trying to get back on my feet without a clear strategy. The worst case scenario was loosing a business deal after taking loans and investing everything on recovery. The end result was exactly that, I failed. The buyer was replaced and there was not a signed agreement.”
Lesson Learned
Plan, plan, plan.
Pagan says, “[Now] I would never invest without a clear plan, without a signed agreement. I would develop plan b, c, and d to cover all my bases. I would never, ever run any business without planning for contingencies.”
How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000
Outreach and marketing.
Pagan says, “I think this is a very important message that needs to be shared. I would go from town to town providing educational workshops for small and medium size business owners. I would raise awareness of the importance of contingency planning. I would create a low cost educational program to reach many and continue to offer my consulting to those that want comprehensive plans for their businesses.”
Office Environment
A baseball field.
Pagan explains, “I am not athletic whatsoever but most of my business is run from a baseball field (my son plays travel baseball).”
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Images: Deliberate Plan Consulting, Lisandra Pagan
This article, “Spotlight: Deliberate Plan Consulting Helps Businesses Plan for Emergencies” was first published on Small Business Trends