INTRODUCTIONS TO BUSINESS RESILIENCE AND RE-EMERGENCE

Re-emergence

/rēəˈmərj(ə)ns/ | noun

1. The process of coming out of something you have entered

2. To enter a state of being seen or known again

Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our society, communities, small and micro-businesses, the path towards reopening businesses may seem daunting. But you are not alone. Let's build together, plan together, and prepare together.

If you are an owner or manager of a small business, operate a business with no more than 5-10 employees or are a start-up, you might consider this guide as a first step in your journey to building business resilience. In this guide, we'll share some strategies and considerations around business recovery and resilience that may be helpful. Use the Key Priority questions to begin thinking about your business' resilience needs.

Times of change can also be opportunities to evolve and optimise capabilities, create more effective operating models, develop a strong culture of trust and transparency, engage with your customers, and prepare for the next disruption.

This guide is based on a guide created by Facebook's Global Resiliency practitioners and industry experts in crisis management, business continuity, emergency preparedness, and business recovery. Resilience First has adapted the guide for use within the UK market but its central themes are relevant to SMEs globally and can be adopted in other markets.

Eight pillars to business resilience

Emergence will require simplifying your focus so you can make steady progres

Consider building resilience for your business through the lens of these eight pillars: prepare, people, process, patrons, profits, place, promotion, and practice.

Each of the eight pillars consists of an overarching goal, a checklist of key considerations, and an opportunity to reflect and create action items.

  1. Prepare – Commit some time, resources and ownership to go through the stages in this guide, to openly and honestly review your business preparedness so you can respond in the best way.
  2. People – Keep your workforce supported and engaged. They are your most critical and valuable supporters.
  3. Process – Adjust to the changing demands of your business operations. Identify what needs to be adjusted to help your business thrive post recovery.
  4. Patrons – Stay connected to your customers by keeping them informed and engaged. Reflect on customer feedback and adapt to new customer behaviours.
  5. Profits – Think about how you can keep your business profitable. Consider your cashflow and adjust the business plan and supply chain, as needed.
  6. Place – Think about any vulnerabilities associated with your physical business environment. Consider any physical security risks specific to your business in tandem with any wider socio-economic risks specific to your geographic location.
  7. Promotion – Seek out promotional assistance to increase your business presence so you are well positioned to move forward.
  8. Practice – Make reviewing your resilience a business-as-usual activity and feed back into any previous actions you have taken.

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Co-authored by Edward Persson, Executive Assistant, Resilience First, and Robert Hall, Executive Director, Resilience First, Mick Sanderson from The Crown Estate, Shona Blainey from PA Consulting, Catherine Thomas, Laxman Maharjan from ERM, and Neil Sinclair from the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.