A series of storms through the Pacific Northwest has created havoc in the Portland metro area. Week after week one weather event or another shut the city down for a day or two each time, and in one case, nearly a week. Without getting into the dialogue about why this happened, the reality is, it did happen. And because of it, many people who are paid hourly lost out on wages, businesses are teetering on the edge given the low level of business over the course of weeks and schools are now facing adding days to the end of the school year. This was not expected by any of the parties.
The situation brings to light the necessity for a plan B. If things don’t go the way you think they will, how can you adjust? Every business will experience a significant disruption at some point in time. The question is, are you prepared to address it when it happens? Have you thought about what may cause the disruptions and how you will handle each case if it happens? Businesses that are agile and move quickly to adjust to upturns as well as downturns outperform their peers. How are you getting ready to adjust to the inevitable turns in the market?