There are a lot of people that a potential entrepreneur should have amongst their contacts. After all, you never know who you’re going to need, but there are some situations that need to be addressed right away, some scenarios that need to be resolved in a matter of hours or minutes. This is why there are some numbers that every entrepreneur needs to have on their speed dial. Here are some of the people that are at the very top of this priority list.
PR representative
The most obvious number for your speed dial list is the PR representative. In the case of a scandal or controversy, you need to start with the crisis management right away. Here, every minute will be of an essence, seeing as how addressing the issue too late will make you look incredibly guilty in the eyes of the public. Responding too soon is also quite bad, seeing as how it makes you look too defensive. However, you need to give your PR team a head start to prepare a response. You see, the sooner your PR can start gathering the information, the less likely it is that they’ll be asked a question that they can’t answer.
IT maintenance
In the age of information, having an IT maintenance person is incredibly important, seeing as how this is a person you contact when your hardware or software starts misbehaving. Imagine a scenario where you’re running e-commerce store and your website crashes during peak hours. Now, think about the scenario where your team is working on a massive project and your collaboration tool or your intranet network starts misbehaving. This would cause downtime that could, potentially, cost you a small fortune.
Emergency electrician
Hardware maintenance is incredibly important, especially when it comes to production and manufacturing, but what good is your hardware if your power shuts down? Sure, the majority of facilities solves this problem by having a backup generator. However, this is an expensive temporary solution. It’s also important to mention that, in Australia, electrocution is one of the biggest causes of fatal injuries at work. This is why it’s incredibly important for any entrepreneur to have an emergency electrician in their contacts. Due to the fact that swiftness of response is of the essence, you need to have a local electrician. For instance, a Sydney-based business needs a reliable electrician from Sydney, seeing as how they’ll be able to get there in no time.
Lawyer
Sometimes, by trying to wing a potentially dangerous situation, you’ll get yourself in a much worse legal situation. This is why you need to talk to your lawyer before making any moves. Keep in mind that lawyers are not there just for contract-making. Employee compensation claims and workplace injuries are sensitive legal matters that require immediate action and planning. This is why you need a reliable lawyer on speed dial.
An accountant
Having the privilege of just asking your accountant for an opinion is an action that takes several seconds, while it may determine the future of your business. Sure, tasks like planning for the future and data analysis may take a lot of time and don’t require an immediate response. However, when it comes to the issue of internal audits and on-the-job decision-making process, time might be of essence. It’s also a good idea to have your bank and other financial institutions on the line, as well. Time is money, which means that being able to save time in these kinds of situations may be a frugal thing to do.
Of course, there are some honorable mentions, as well, like your business partners, shareholders and important customers. Still, due to the fact that the above-listed five people are there for moments of crisis, they always take precedence. Just by having all of these contacts on speed dial, you can raise your preparedness on a completely different level.
