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 или 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.

Here is a practical plan to scale while protecting daily operations during an outbreak. Identify which functions can be covered by contingent staff and which must stay in house. Build a pool with plenty of qualified candidates and a clear SLA with each partner. Define contact paths and a rotation schedule that keeps the same core hours across shifts. Establish a daily practice of safety checks, credential reviews, and equipment readiness, including supplies like PPE and syringes if healthcare-facing. In addition, plan a phased onboarding, so days before full deployment you verify skills and compliance. Start with a phased onboarding to verify capabilities and safety, then expand as you learn what works.

To maximize effectiveness, review capacity daily and adjust the contingent mix based on the outbreak conditions and travel restrictions. If a key supplier falters, reallocate trips and optimize contact with alternate vendors. Maintain clear documentation about who is having access to which systems, and ensure there is a plan to address any gaps within the same day. The goal is to keep operations running with at least the same level of service while reducing risk across the country and within the broader supply chain. For ongoing learning, track metrics such as fill rate, time to full productivity, and incident frequency; share findings here with leadership to refine the approach.

Leverage Government Relief, Tax Breaks, and Grants

Apply for eligible relief programs this quarter and appoint a dedicated relief lead to manage all submissions; this step becomes part of your plan and helps you depend on clear timelines and regain control of cash flow.

introducing a simple relief tracker, a checklist for deadlines, required documents, and program statuses, keeps your team aligned and speeds discussion with your advisor.

Estimate the funding impact under best-case and certain scenarios; these funds could cover payroll and essential expenses during events.

Partner with banks, governments, and regional centers for economic development to access grants; coordinate with these partners to identify qualifying programs and active opportunities while avoiding duplicate applications.

Maintain stockpiles of essential inventory and adjust producing capacity to match demand; relief funds bridge cash gaps when demand dips, especially for low-margin producers.

Prepare a ready-to-submit package: tax records, payroll data, licenses, and supplier agreements; luckily, this duplicate documentation helps answer reviewer questions quickly.

Engage in a short discussion with your advisor about intended programs and their deadlines to avoid missing funds.

Practical steps to apply and optimize relief

Build a relief calendar with clear owners for each program and track key dates to align with your budgeting cycle.

Review available tax breaks that reduce payroll taxes, depreciation, or credits, and update financial models to reflect potential savings.

Verify eligibility for each program and map intended uses to your current operations, then schedule a quick quarterly review with your finance and ops teams.