What’s that I see out my window this morning?
    A dusting of snow on the ground?
The news is on and everyone’s stuck.
    Delays and closings all around.

OK, so I’m no Robert Frost (or even Dr. Seuss), but I try. It’s snowing today in the Triangle and all around North Carolina. Having lived the first years of my life in the great Northwest and then moving across country and growing up in Buffalo, NY, I must admit a certain inner voice crying out to my fellow citizens … You call THIS snow?

Where I grew up, snowfall was measured in feet, not inches, and things didn’t really get bad until there was a “minus” somewhere in the “wind chill” equation. (For Southerners not familiar with “wind chill” … think “Heat Index” in reverse).

But I’m sensitive guy and I understand why everything shuts down in North Carolina at even the hint of snow. There is no infrastructure to handle the mess. Drivers aren’t accustomed to the rigors of negotiating the roadways in “inclement weather.” It doesn’t make economic sense for state and local governments to purchase a lot of snow removal equipment that may only be used once or twice a year (if that much).

And that got me thinking about business.

What are the areas of our businesses that could potentially suffer from a “snow day” effect … events that could delay or stop revenue for a period of time? Maybe these are events that happen so rarely that it doesn’t make sense to have a full contingency plan in place (i.e. you have one employee in a key position and it doesn’t make sense to have an additional employee there as backup). Maybe it’s something that you could never expect, such as an abrupt change in your industry or sudden legal or PR changes involving your product or service.

Whatever the “snow day” factor is for you, there are three general principles that can help your business overcome those issues:

1. Continuity Income. Want to make sure that your business makes it through ups and downs and unforeseen events that could cut your short-term cash flow? Develop continuity income … get paid regardless of what’s happening outside. One great example that comes to mind is GKIC Gold Chapter Member (and Info Product Quick-Start group) Karl Murphy who operates Carolina Auto Spa in Cary, NC. His VIP Wash Program allows customers to pay a small monthly rate and receive unlimited car washes. The customers get a great deal, and Karl makes sure that revenue is coming in regardless of whether it’s snowing, raining, “hurricaning”, whatever….
2. Standard Operating Procedures. Let’s face it – employees are not always reliable. Your business is not their top priority. Certainly the good employees do a good job most of the time, but there are always events and circumstances where even the best employees are not able to fulfill their duties (or they, gasp, leave for another job). This is why it’s so important to document every aspect of your business operations. The easiest way to get started with this is to have employees write down what it is they do, as if they are going to train someone else for the job. If it’s something related to computer work, have them record a screencast of what they are doing on the computer to complete a certain recurring assignment. Then have employees cross-train so that everyone has at least a basic understanding of what’s going on.
   A prime example of a practitioner of this philosophy is GKIC Gold Chapter/Mastermind Member Jonathan Munsell, a local restaurateur who owns Bakehouse Bistro, Jumpin’ Jonny’s, Premiere Catering and a new product all about restaurant operations called Restaurant Success System. Jonathan thoroughly (some say “obsessively”) documents all of the systems and processes in his business. A great example to follow.
3. Relationships. When there are sudden changes in your business you will likely be left “high and dry” UNLESS you have built a solid relationship with your customer base. Once customers have developed an affinity towards you personally, they will stick with you even when market forces unexpectedly change. Dan Kennedy tells of how Disney CEO Michael Eisner called all of the company leaders together after 9/11 … this is when air travel had drastically dropped nearly overnight and destination-based businesses were feeling immediate pain. Eisner announced that all Disney building projects would move forward as planned, without delay. His reason? Disney trusted their customers. They had developed a deep enough relationship that they knew their customers would return sooner rather than later, even amid new uncertainty about travel safety. Score one for the Mouse.

What are your potential solutions to the “snow day” factor? Do the strategies I listed above work in every business? How about yours? Let me know what you think.