How, in spite of fire disaster, a business increased it multi-million pound turnover, Nwes explains

Chatting with a CEO over dinner a few years ago he recalled the 2am call that woke him telling him factory was on fire and the industrial estate had been locked down.

The following morning when they opened the charred filing cabinets, personnel and other records had turned to ash. Finished stock ready for customers, mainly supermarkets in the UK and EU had been lost as well as most of the production facilities.

However, that year they increased their multi-million-pound turnover. How?

Whilst they had some disaster planning (and good backups) in place, this amazing recovery was attributed to the way he encouraged staff and dealt with the shock they had also felt. By prioritising this he was able to bring together incredible support for him, the business and everyone’s future. Arguably the business is stronger and wiser today and many of those junior staff years ago now hold senior positions.

Ironically one day some months later when I visited the fire engines had just left again after a contractor set fire to part of the roof in the rebuild! Not surprisingly the staff had it well under control.

Whilst in this case the phoenix did rise from the ashes, could your business do the same?

More recently we continue to read about the destructive impact of cybercrime and the exploitation of human and system weaknesses. Running a business is far more than just finding and keeping customers.

So it’s never too early – or late – to start planning. You’ll find we’ll talk through some ideas on our two-day First Steps to Start Up course that we run free of charge across Norfolk and Suffolk. Our next one in Lynn is on Wednesday and Thursday, June 12 and 13, at KLIC or Fakenham Racecourse on Thursday and Friday, June 20 and 21.

So if you’ve thought of going self-employed or starting a business, we’ll also explain the key information you need on tax, bookkeeping, marketing, research, financial planning and much more. Plus you’ll find out how a Government Start Up Loan might also help get you the money you’ll need to get going.

For full details and to book a free place visit www.nwes.org.uk/events or call 01603 227840.