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Is Your Business Ready for Unexpected Absences?

Let's be honest:
You’ve got a strategy for your taxes, a plan for employee recruitment, and a roadmap for your marketing initiatives.

But what happens when life throws a curveball at you?

What if you fall ill?
What if a family member requires urgent care?
What if your child has a medical emergency, or burnout hits hard, or the unexpected simply shows up?

The truth is, no one tells small business owners that you are the business, until you aren’t. If there’s no backup plan, cash flow stops, projects stall, clients might leave, all while your inbox continues to fill as if nothing happened.

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This Isn’t Dramatic. It’s Real.

Over the past year, we’ve worked with clients who:

  • Spent weeks in the hospital with no financial backup plan

  • Had no one else who could access vendor accounts or send invoices

  • Faced unexpected health diagnoses and rushed to “train” someone to handle payroll

  • Lost months of revenue—not due to lack of work, but because they weren’t available

Steps to Protect Your Business (and Your Peace of Mind)

1. Automate Where You Can, Document What You Must

  • Who else can handle your payments to vendors?

  • Can someone else issue an invoice if needed?

  • Do you have a written SOP (standard operating procedure) for essential tasks?

Even a shared Google Doc or password manager can provide temporary relief and prevent panic.

2. Build a Cash Flow Buffer—It’s Absolutely Necessary

Emergency funds aren’t solely for personal finances. Accumulate 3-6 months of critical business expenses—payroll, rent, software, etc., to serve as a safety net during pauses. Even if it’s not additional income, gradually spreading out routine payments or tightening non-essentials can silently build this buffer.

Pro tip: Reassess your retained earnings and owner distributions with your accountant while operations are stable.

3. Develop a Continuity Brief (Regardless of What You Call It)

At a minimum, record:

  • Key client contacts and project statuses

  • Access points for financial accounts

  • Locations for insurance, payroll, and vendor agreements

  • Who to contact in your absence

It doesn’t need to be formal, just accessible.

4. Assign a Brief Backup Person—Even If It’s Interim

While a full succession plan isn’t necessary yet, you do need someone to step in temporarily: a spouse, a trusted employee, a business partner, or a contractual operations specialist.

This isn’t about yielding control. It’s about letting your business continue to thrive without you, if needed.

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This Prepares You for Peace of Mind, Not Paranoia

We understand—this isn’t the fun aspect. It’s not growth or launch-day excitement. But it’s necessary. For the majority of small enterprise proprietors, it’s long overdue.

Planning for the “what if” allows you to concentrate on the “what’s next.”

Not Sure Where to Start? We Can Assist.

If this resonates, and you realize your business couldn’t operate without your presence, now might be the time for a cash flow review and initial continuity plan.

We can guide you to:

  • Map your existing financial dependencies

  • Enhance your operational cash flow

  • Establish a reliable, documented contingency plan

  • And transform “what if” into “we’ve got this”

Contact our office to discuss continuity, cash flow, or building a resilient business that can withstand the occasional need for a break.

Because you’re not just the business owner. You’re a person.
And people need the space to be people sometimes. 

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