Business Continuity Management Plain & Simple: How To Write A Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

This would definitely have been a good book for me to read some years ago, whereupon I might have considered such questions as:“What happens if my business property is broken into, and the thieves also steal my property’s wiring and plumbing for the scrap value, and if this then causes a flood in addition, and if my business landlord turns out to not have the correct insurance that he is obliged in our contract to have, and if he then commits a series of frauds before going on the run, resulting in the property being repossessed, but not until after I’ve been groundlessly sued for bankruptcy in the process? What then?”Ok, so even with the best preparation, it’s unlikely anyone besides Sybill Trelawney would have predicted quite such a series of unfortunate events, but what I may well have done is planned more around each of them as individual possibilities, at least, and thus saved myself a remarkable amount of time and money lost.Kopp lays out a groundwork for performing a useful risk assessment regards the calamities that may befall a business, how to plan for them, implement countermeasures in a fashion whereupon the budget is proportional to the potential loss, how to adequately test those measures without, say, setting fire to one’s office, and how to maintain this strategy going forwards.If I have any criticism, it’s that the book has some repetitive sections, perhaps in the spirit of the P.T. Barnum dictum “Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em, tell ‘em, then tell ‘em what you’ve told ‘em”. However, better to be presented with material too many times than not at all, and the material presented is of great merit.There are many pieces of advice in this book, and any one of them could save you thousands, tens of thousands, or more, depending on the size and nature of your business, not to mention the time involved in then recuperating from that (for me it has taken years and I’m still not back to where I was). I think that rather offsets the small cost of this Kindle book and the small amount of time invested in reading it.I’ll be rethinking my own business continuity strategy, which — like for many — currently amounts only to software backups.

This book is short, clear, and concise, which is exactly what I want in a book with this subject matter. If I'm reading fiction, sure, throw in some flowery language and descriptive nothings. But when I want business advice, just get to the point. This book does just that. Erik Kopp lays out exactly why and how to make a business continuity plan. I can see it being just as important for small businesses as large. In a small business, entire families may obtain their livelihood from one business, and it's important to protect that and have a good plan in place should the unthinkable happen. I actually remember a situation in a small family owned business I used to work for. A very similar business in another state burned to the ground over night and they were totally unprepared for it. My boss immediately started working on a plan for our business. I will recommend this book to other business owners and managers.

Erik Kopp's "Business Continuity Management Plain and Simple: How To Write A Business Continuity Plan" was definitely an interesting read for me! The biggest takeaway from this book for me was how he explained how to take care of your business ahead of time. There is no suffering between the business or the client! I have a few people I am close with that are business owners and I will 100% recommend this book to them. It is simple and to the point: how to take care of your business, whether big or small and prepare accordingly. It is never too early to ensure your business stays afloat when disaster strikes and if you live in the South, like me, you know hurricanes and flooding are always a big issue surrounding the area. I think this book is smart, strategic and very informative for any kind of business owner!

Erik Kopp makes you realize the vulnerability of your business in the case of a catastrophe. Do you live in an area susceptible to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or even blizzards? How would your business fare if the power went out for several days? Could you even function if your area had a swine flu epidemic? Most business owners do not account for disaster to hit, therefore, when something major happens to stop, or slow production, their business is in a tailspin setting up an emergency plan and trying to contact employees.Business continuity Management Plain & Simple: How to Write a Business Continuity Plan breaks down the steps so large and small businesses can be prepared for a disaster. This book gives you the tools to keep your production at a minimal loss if a misfortune event occurs. Plus, it shows you how to keep your employees up-to-date and your contacts currant. This is a very helpful book most people won’t read until disaster has already struck.

When I was thinking of starting my business, my primary concern was the customers. How do I remain competitive in the market so that people keep coming back? Pretty soo I figured out there is a lot more than the external factors, the business needs to take care of itself independently. Coming up with a BCP (I didn’t call it that back then, just a backup plan) soon became very important.I am happy I found this book because now I know a BCP doesn’t have to be an expensive project involving a large inventory and dual channels of communication – it’s all about looking inwards. Finding out what your customers want. There’s no standard BCP for all companies, and it really depends on your niche.Erik Kopp has taught me so much about anticipating the unexpected. We all like to think that things will be fine, but you realize the world is not perfect. Reading this book has really opened my eyes and I already feel like I’m prepared for anything. Thank you for this resource!

This book is a jokeI saw the reviews, but I never paid attention to its sizeIts 57 pages in a very large font and the book is a very small format

Business Continuity Management Plain & Simple: How To Write A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) written by Erik Kopp is a well written guide to help those involved with entrepreneurship, plan for the worst in the most easily directed way. Erik Kopp explains some good reasoning as to why a BCP is important and needed. Many business owners only ensure their data is backed up, but do not plan for emergency situations such as natural disasters, suppliers not being able to supply needed parts, sickness outbreak that causes only a quarter of the staff to show for work, and other situations that would require a plan to ensure that the business suffers the least amount possible. I have taken classes and even attended school for business, and some of the questions Erik Kopp raised in this short book made me think, “wow, what would I do? I didn’t even think about that.” The author makes his points clear and gives a great guide on writing a BCP. I believe this is a must read for those involved in business, as it never hurts to be prepared.