Introduction
Any business may fall victim to a disaster that may disrupt their business. The disaster may be an event such as fire, flood or earthquake, a creeping disaster such as drought or disease, or a disaster that impacts a single business such as a factory fire or computer virus.
Best practice for businesses is to have a continuity plan to assist them to respond to such disasters and support recovery. For further information on what your small business can do to prepare for a disaster visit www.business.gov.au and search for “when things don’t go to plan”.
Unfortunately, experience shows that many businesses do not have a continuity plan or, if they do, it is inadequate. This makes business recovery more difficult.
Download the CPA Australia Recovery Toolkit to assist you or your clients with the many elements of recovery.
DOWNLOAD TOOLKIT
This toolkit is designed to assist small businesses impacted directly and indirectly by a disaster – especially where they do not have a continuity plan, or their continuity plan proves insufficient. It is intended to help such businesses take a considered approach to the many elements of recovery following a disaster.
This toolkit focuses on business issues we believe those affected by a disaster should consider. It covers:
- What to do immediately following a disaster
- Taking stock – guidance on how to analyse and evaluate the state of your business
- A new business plan – guidance on developing a new business plan to help recovery and how to fund that new plan
- Long-term disaster recovery – guidance on additional activities that may help your post-disaster business operate better than your pre-disaster business.
The toolkit includes checklists and templates to assist in the disaster recovery process. It also includes a case study of how a caravan park owner evaluated their business model and changed the direction of their business after being flattened by a tornado. Read the case study.
In addition to working through this toolkit, CPA Australia strongly recommends that you speak to your accountant for tailored advice following a disaster.
This guide does not focus on the myriad of non-business issues that you may face, including mental health issues. For those issues, we encourage you to seek support from appropriate professionals and organisations.
Contact
Gavan Ord is CPA Australia’s Business and Investment Policy Manager.
[email protected]