Most people don’t understand the amount of work that needs to be put in, in order to get a business up and running. Sleepless nights, stress and hard work that people put in so they can, one day, enjoy the fruits of their labor and be proud of the opportunities they created for themselves and the people working for them. Experienced business owners know how to watch their back and what common pitfalls they need to keep an eye out for.
If you have recently started a business, or you are thinking about doing this, than I suggest that you go through these basic ways to protect your business. I need to point out that these tips will not make your business an impenetrable fortress, but they will help you avoid some basic problems that start-ups usually encounter.
Background research before you hire
I can’t stress this one enough. A lot of people tend to get their family members and friends involved, which can work out well, but don’t just give away jobs to people you like. See if they have the necessary skill set to do the work you are hiring them to do. Also, responsibility is a big issue. People who don’t have the skills for a particular job but are willing to work will learn how to do it quickly. Irresponsible employees will only waste time, money and they tend to get on everyone’s nerves.
Trade Marking
This is very important if you are doing creative work, but can also come in handy for all other business niches since you don’t want to give some imposter a chance to take advantage of your hard work.
Think before you invest
This is kind of obvious, but you would be amazed how many people just run into investments without doing any kind of research and danger assessment. No matter how good an investment opportunity looks straight off the bat, make sure you check any possible downsides and that you have all the relevant information before you decide to give it the green light.
Software Security
No matter what kind of business you own, you will have to use some kind of software to exchange data and communicate with your employees. I take this as a given, since almost everyone is aware that this lowers the costs and facilitates the organizational side of things. Through this information exchange, a lot of sensitive and confidential data may be going back and forth and this is why you need to protect yourself from hackers, viruses, malware and so on. Leaking some important piece of information about your client can have tremendous consequences for your business and your client.
BYOD Protocol
Not all businesses that are starting up have the money to invest in the necessary equipment. The Bring your own device approach can solve this issue but can create more security problems since employees use these devices outside of work. This is why it is essential to agree upon a protocol which works and will adhere so as to avoid data loss and security breaches in case of lost devices or any other potentially dangerous situation.
Insurance
This one should be obvious. Some situations are just impossible to recuperate from financially and this is why we need insurance. I’m not going to advise you on what to insure since this largely depends on the niche and the situation a particular business is in. A lot of people are skeptical about insurance and, truth be told, there are businesses that spend a lot of money on insurance without ever needing it but in my humble opinion, it is better to have it and not need it to than need it and not have it.
Surveillance
Burglaries and thefts are not an uncommon occurrence and the only way you can protect yourself is by having alarms and proper surveillance, of course. This way, you can identify the culprit and, to put it bluntly, get your stuff back. Having an alarm won’t help you if the thief gets away before the proper authorities arrive at the scene of the crime – having a camera will!
I hope that these steps will help you sleep better at night. In all honesty, they’ve helped my boss sleep better and this helped his personality as well. Cheers.