Tales of the Unexpected

I recently lost my Gran.

After a long illness, at the age of 87 she finally succumbed to a rare brain tumor and passed away on the 1st August.

For two weeks now I have been adjusting to the loss. And to the rather strange feeling that, although we'd been expecting her death, it was still all too sudden. That I really wasn't prepared.

My Mum, however, who had been my Gran's carer for almost five years, had taken a different approach. Super organised, and mega-prepared, she handled everything with ease and grace. She knew it was coming. And in a bid to make the unavoidable easier, she'd prepared lists and taken action in advance. She'd even pre-paid the funeral!

Dealing with the unexpected is part of the day to day for any business owner. Change is the one constant you can expect in business. But even though it's expected, it can still have a catastrophic impact.

The key is to plan for what you know will happen so you can better deal with it when the time comes.

Know you're about to lose a client contract at the end of the year which will impact on cashflow and profitability? Then don't just sit there and wait for it to happen - start planning now: how will you get new customers to replace the lost revenues, speak to your bank and arrange an overdraft facility to smooth any short term cash flow difficulties.

Know that demand for a service or product is declining at a rapid rate? Then plan on how you are going to replace it. What's increasing in demand? Can you enhance the product to slow or reverse the decline?

My Gran was rarely fazed by any challenge. In her latter years she coped with complete loss of her sight without giving up her independence. In fact, just 4 weeks before her death she was toddling about her house, quite the thing. When my Grandfather died suddenly 30 years ago, she took over the running of his business: a butcher's shop.

But first she sat down with accountants and advisors and formed a plan of how it could be done.

She didn't even make her famous pancakes without following the recipe (a recipe which I've now fallen heir to - and the secret ingredient, which is NOT written down!).

The message is clear: want to survive life's ups and downs? Then you need a plan. No matter how small. It'll make all the difference.

This blog post is dedicated to my Gran:
Patricia Gavin Rattray, 1926 - 2013 RIP
PS: Nanny, I've got the message :-)