Surviving the Storm – How to Protect Your Business During the Pandemic

Establish a 72-hour emergency continuity plan for your facility and IT systems today. This concrete action sets ownership, prioritizes critical operations, and gives you a real playbook to recover across electrical and data assets. It isnt enough to rely on a single response; you must define which teams lead each step and how you switch gears as conditions change.

Addition to your plan, map your suppliers and logistics across regions, including china, and create duplicate backups for critical materials and components. This moves you from a single-source risk to multiple safe paths. Experts say redundancy reduces downtime and lowers costs in the long run by avoiding outages you cant predict.

Technological safeguards should cover data and operations: deploy offsite backups to at least two separate servers, duplicate key databases, and ensure real-time synchronization. Build dashboards with visuals that show recovery time objectives, and practice failovers weekly to verify real, measurable progress.

Reduce exposure around your facility by updating physical and cyber controls: install UPS units, generators with fuel reserves, and surge protection; enforce remote work where possible; and cross-train staff to handle critical tasks. There are many ways to keep load balanced, including energy-efficient lighting, staggered shifts, and modular workspaces, to reduce facility strain and costs.

Cost planning should track the effects of a storm of disruptions: allocate 5-7% of the IT budget to resilience, and run quarterly drills that include supplier outages and power failures. Across departments, ensure you have visuals for recovery status and a clear communication plan. Whether your operation spans retail, manufacturing, or services, the approach stays practical, and it helps you stay real under pressure.

Assess Cash Flow and Build a Liquidity Buffer

Start with a rolling 12-week cash flow forecast and set a liquidity buffer at 90–120 days of operating expenses. Secure a flexible credit line and keep it unused until needed, then deploy it to cover payroll, supplier payments, and critical operations as cash gaps appear. The buffer should be reviewed weekly and updated after every forecast run.

Dealing with revenue shocks requires prioritization. Direct cash to payroll and essential costs first, then service expenses. Create a 4-item priority list and apply it to every vendor and service contract. This discipline reduces burnout during a cycle of reduced sales and increases resilience.

Take a holistic view of cash conversion by mapping each stage: items you sell, receivables, inventory, payables, and outflows. Increase visibility by tagging aging receivables and days of inventory on one dashboard. Review infrastructure, including electrical, IT, and facility costs, to cut nonessential spend without harming core operations.

Shift procurement toward core items and renegotiate terms with suppliers. Build a lean order schedule that favors critical items and reduces rush deliveries. Consolidate vendors where possible and seek early payment discounts; notice how even a small 2% discount on a 60-day term can improve free cash by thousands.

Brainstorm ancillary revenue ideas and cost-saving practices with cross-functional teams. Promote a formal cash-management practice, with weekly check-ins and scenario planning. If you have a partner oder virtual finance resource, bring them in to test stress scenarios and report results to leadership. If theyre short on staff, this external support becomes a key lever.

Provide financial schooling for managers so they understand the impact of every decision on liquidity. Maintain constant monitoring of key metrics: days sales outstanding, days payables outstanding, and cash burn rate. Notice early warning signs, such as rising vendor balances or shrinking visibility into updated forecasts, and trigger corrective actions within 48 hours.

For businesses dealing with pharmacy or clinic operations, track drug inventory and ancillary items to avoid cash traps. Maintain a limit on slow-moving items and rotate stock through promotions or bundle offers to preserve cash and improve turnover.

Build a practical rhythm: set a 90-day forecast cadence, refresh assumptions after every significant event, and keep all stakeholders aligned with the liquidity target. Use a virtual collaboration space to share the latest figures and guardrails, empowering teams to maintain steady cash flow even during storms. Companies across sectors can apply this approach to weather the pandemic’s shocks and preserve continuity.

Cut Non-Core Costs Without Harming Core Operations

Start with a concrete action: renegotiate ancillary contracts now to cut non-core costs by 15–25% while keeping critical operations intact. Target services that do not directly drive output, something like select facility services, non-mandatory subscriptions, and non-core travel, and tie new terms to performance and volume.

Establish a 90-day planning window to map all ancillary spend, classify categories, and identify high-potential savings. Create a cross-site plan that covers buyers and suppliers countrywide and across campuses, with price caps, multi-year terms, and measurable targets. Build a baseline by tracking spend per employee, per square foot, and per category, updating weekly to catch slippage. This drives momentum during surge periods; thats why leadership supports the plan.

Technology and IT optimization

Consolidate IT and reduce duplicate servers by virtualization and rightsizing. Move to a geographically centralized cloud plan where appropriate, and shut down idle servers to cut electricity and maintenance costs. Ensure continuity for critical apps and data, providing a stable medical basis for operations across country campuses.

Procurement and supplies: renegotiate terms with key suppliers of medical and other critical inputs, reduce stock levels by implementing just-in-time replenishment, and establish a reserve for surge periods. Monitor vaccine supplies to prevent shortages during surge and protect margins.

Governance and keeping a proactive cadence: set monthly reviews, a cross-functional planning team, and dashboards that show progress against targets. Keep lines open with campuses, buyers, and partners; communicate clearly that this approach safeguards the core capability while you advance efficiency across non-core spend, so that the country network remains resilient during social and economic shifts; however, it must not compromise service levels.

Negotiate Terms with Suppliers and Landlords

Reach out to your top suppliers today to renegotiate terms and establish flexible delivery windows that align with current demand and ensure seamless data flow across forecasting, orders, and shipments.

Practical steps to renegotiate

1. Inventory and supplier audit: list must-have products, map suppliers by country, and avoid overreliance on a single source; document past disruptions to guide replacements across multiple countries.
2. Extend payment and booking terms: request net 60–90 days for key orders, allow split shipments, and introduce a booking window that routes deliveries to low-traffic days, introducing a cadence that helps planning.
3. Lock pricing and terms: negotiate price stability for 6–12 months with caps or indexed adjustments, with substitutions allowed if a supplier cannot deliver on a given week; ensure you have alternatives so you are not alone if one link drops, either option.
4. Improve delivery reliability: require firm lead times, reserve space in backup infrastructure warehouses, and consider vendor-managed inventory or cross-docking to reduce variability in supply; creating redundancy to handle weather disruptions.
5. Diversify suppliers: pursue at least two sources per essential product and consider additional suppliers in different regions to weather weather-related delays and other shocks; this creates resilience rather than a single point of failure.
6. Landlord coordination: request temporary rent relief or deferral for 2–4 months, discuss space reductions or subleasing options, and adjust common-area charges to reflect reduced occupancy.
7. Establish a preparedness program: set monthly check-ins, share forecasts through secure servers, and use a simple dashboard to keep everyone aligned; this program allows teams to plan ahead and will help resilience before disruptions hit.
8. Formalize changes: draft amendments promptly, attach a clear timetable, and retain all communications in a single thread to avoid misinterpretations.

Key negotiation levers for suppliers and landlords

• For suppliers: offer longer commitments on volume in exchange for favorable terms; arrange easier booking for surge weeks; provide semi-monthly deliveries to reduce stockouts.
• For landlords: propose tiered rent, temporary reductions, or credits tied to occupancy or lease extension; discuss sharing of certain operational costs during low-traffic periods.
• Operational safeguards: require written amendments, appoint a single point of contact, and maintain a shared timeline for term changes.
• Data sharing and infrastructure: use secure servers and a planning program that collects forecasts, orders, and space use data; the system should allow real-time updates to avoid back-and-forth delays.
• Communication cadence: set monthly reviews of forecast accuracy, inventory levels, and delivery performance; clear notes prevent misunderstandings and help preparedness across teams.

Move to Remote or Flexible Work to Reduce Overheads

Move to remote or flexible work now to cut overheads. Expect real estate, utilities, and on-site services to shrink by 30–60% as you consolidate or reduce workplaces, creating vast cash-flow improvements and resilience against waves of disruption. Start with a clear remote-first rule for roles where performance is measurable, with a hybrid option for those that benefit from in-person collaboration.

The intended policy should be designed to scale quickly. Review leases, sublease unused space, and repurpose funds toward equipment and virtual tools; that shift strengthens cash flow and gives teams the freedom to work from anywhere, thats a practical benefit for many firms. For companies across industries, this approach reduces fixed costs while maintaining service levels.

Prepare teams with essential equipment and connectivity. Provide a home-office stipend to cover laptops, monitors, desks, chairs, and high-speed internet. Equip employees with secure access via MFA, VPN, and endpoint protection to protect data in virtual environments.

Promote efficient collaboration with booking practices and clear availability windows. Use virtual collaboration boards to preserve visibility over projects, deadlines, and customer touchpoints. For travel-related teams, otas platforms can keep bookings flowing and reduce on-site visits. Set a clear order for approvals to avoid delays.

Experts recommend piloting with a single department, then scaling. The intended plan should include metrics for overhead savings, cash flow, and staff morale. Our company cares for people and customers, and this approach also helps promote autonomy, visibility, and sustainable productivity. Practice regular check-ins, iterate on feedback, and prepare a clear roadmap for the next waves.

Scale via Contingent Staffing and Freelancers

Build a ready-to-scale contingent workforce that covers essential functions within 7 to 14 days. Partner with vetted freelancers and staffing firms to maintain capacity during spikes in demand. Establish a formal onboarding flow so new team members reach productivity quickly, while your core staff handles decisions for daily operations. Having a robust pool gives you plenty of flexibility during waves of outbreak and periods when daily supplies are tight. A country-specific roster helps manage compliance and contact with suppliers, and to avoid ghost shifts, implement two-person backups for critical hours.

Hier ist ein praktischer Plan zur Skalierung unter Schutz der täglichen Abläufe während eines Ausbruchs. Ermitteln Sie, welche Funktionen von Aushilfskräften übernommen werden können und welche intern bleiben müssen. Bauen Sie einen Pool mit vielen qualifizierten Kandidaten und einer klaren Servicevereinbarung (SLA) mit jedem Partner auf. Definieren Sie Kontaktwege und einen Rotationsplan, der über alle Schichten hinweg die gleichen Kernarbeitszeiten beibehält. Etablieren Sie eine tägliche Praxis für Sicherheitsüberprüfungen, Überprüfung der Qualifikationen und Gerätebereitschaft, einschließlich Verbrauchsmaterialien wie PSA und Spritzen, falls im Gesundheitswesen tätig. Planen Sie zusätzlich ein schrittweises Onboarding, damit Sie Tage vor dem vollständigen Einsatz Fähigkeiten und Compliance überprüfen können. Beginnen Sie mit einem schrittweisen Onboarding, um Fähigkeiten und Sicherheit zu überprüfen, und erweitern Sie dann, wenn Sie lernen, was funktioniert.

Um die Effektivität zu maximieren, überprüfen Sie täglich die Kapazität und passen Sie den Personaleinsatz an die Ausbruchsbedingungen und Reisebeschränkungen an. Wenn ein Hauptlieferant ausfällt, verteilen Sie die Aufträge neu und optimieren Sie den Kontakt mit alternativen Anbietern. Führen Sie eine klare Dokumentation darüber, wer Zugriff auf welche Systeme hat, und stellen Sie sicher, dass es einen Plan gibt, um etwaige Lücken noch am selben Tag zu schließen. Ziel ist es, den Betrieb mit mindestens dem gleichen Serviceniveau aufrechtzuerhalten und gleichzeitig das Risiko im ganzen Land und innerhalb der gesamten Lieferkette zu reduzieren. Verfolgen Sie zur kontinuierlichen Verbesserung Kennzahlen wie Füllrate, Zeit bis zur vollen Produktivität und Häufigkeit von Vorfällen; teilen Sie die Ergebnisse hier der Führungsebene mit, um den Ansatz zu verfeinern.

Staatliche Hilfen, Steuererleichterungen und Zuschüsse nutzen

Beantragen Sie in diesem Quartal die in Frage kommenden Hilfsprogramme und benennen Sie einen engagierten Verantwortlichen für die Hilfen, der alle Anträge verwaltet; dieser Schritt wird Teil Ihres Plans und hilft Ihnen, sich auf klare Zeitpläne zu verlassen und die Kontrolle über den Cashflow zurückzugewinnen.

Wir stellen einen einfachen Relief Tracker vor, eine Checkliste für Fristen, erforderliche Dokumente und Programmstatus, die Ihr Team auf dem Laufenden hält und die Gespräche mit Ihrem Berater beschleunigt.

Schätzen Sie die Auswirkungen der Finanzierung im Best-Case-Szenario und in bestimmten Szenarien ab. Diese Mittel könnten Lohn- und Gehaltskosten sowie wesentliche Ausgaben während der Veranstaltungen decken.

Arbeiten Sie mit Banken, Regierungen und regionalen Zentren für Wirtschaftsentwicklung zusammen, um Zugang zu Zuschüssen zu erhalten; koordinieren Sie sich mit diesen Partnern, um in Frage kommende Programme und aktive Möglichkeiten zu ermitteln und gleichzeitig Doppelanträge zu vermeiden.

Aufrechterhaltung von Lagerbeständen an essentiellen Gütern und Anpassung der Produktionskapazität an die Nachfrage; Hilfsfonds überbrücken Liquiditätsengpässe bei Nachfragerückgängen, insbesondere für Produzenten mit geringen Margen.

Stellen Sie ein einreichungsfertiges Paket zusammen: Steuerunterlagen, Gehaltsabrechnungen, Lizenzen und Lieferantenvereinbarungen; glücklicherweise hilft diese doppelte Dokumentation, Fragen der Prüfer schnell zu beantworten.

Führe ein kurzes Gespräch mit deinem Betreuer über geplante Programme und deren Fristen, um keine Gelder zu verpassen.

Praktische Schritte zur Beantragung und Optimierung von Entlastungen

Erstellen Sie einen Entlastungskalender mit klaren Verantwortlichen für jedes Programm und verfolgen Sie wichtige Termine, um diese mit Ihrem Budgetzyklus abzustimmen.

Überprüfen Sie verfügbare Steuererleichterungen, die Lohnsteuern, Abschreibungen oder Steuergutschriften reduzieren, und aktualisieren Sie die Finanzmodelle, um potenzielle Einsparungen widerzuspiegeln.

Überprüfen Sie die Förderberechtigung für jedes Programm und ordnen Sie die vorgesehenen Verwendungszwecke Ihren aktuellen Abläufen zu. Planen Sie anschließend eine kurze vierteljährliche Überprüfung mit Ihren Finanz- und Betriebsteams.