Chapter 1. Yes, You Should Sweat the Small Stuff!

Disasters occur more frequently than we realize. Research consistently shows that for small businesses, the effects of a disaster can be devastating:

• More than one in four businesses will experience a significant crisis in any year.^[]

  ^[] This was the finding of a January 2005 survey conducted by Continuity Insights magazine and KPMG Risk Advisory Services.

• Of those businesses that experience a disaster and have no emergency plan, 43% never reopen.^[]

  ^[] The Hartford's Guide to Emergency Preparedness Planning, The Hartford Financial Services Group, published in 2002.

• Of those that reopen, only 29% are operating two years later.^[]

  ^[] Ibid.