When the Unfortunate Happens, Are You Ready with a Contingency Plan?

Wherever you are in the world, it can’t be sunshine all year round. That much you know. In life, the same principle applies. You can’t possibly have your way every given time.

That isn’t how the world operates. You will, at one point or another, have to deal with the lemons thrown your way. To make lemonade out of those lemons, having contingency plans help a lot.

There’s this National Geographic Channel series called “Doomsday Preppers.” While some may scoff at the idea of an end-of-the-world preparation, saying it’s far too extreme as the world isn’t ending anytime soon (it didn’t on December 21, 2012, right?), expecting the unexpected and being ready in case it happens can spell the difference between survival and the exact opposite.

As in the case of day-to-day events, being prepared for the unforeseen can go a long way. Consider the following:

1. Unprepared for a meeting

Now, you’re asking, “unprepared for a meeting?” How did that earn a place in this article, especially when we’re talking about preparation?

If you’re a businessman, there’s no telling how busy you will be, especially in the initial phases of the business.

And because meetings, product demos, contract signings and such will likely be a regular occurrence, aside from overseeing other aspects of the business, including back-office functions, sometimes, getting all prepped for a business meeting is something you might overlook – simply because you didn’t have enough time.

Because you know these meetings cannot be postponed just like that, having a secretary or assistant you can rely on should be step one of your contingency plan. Step two would involve a clever little gadget called a spy earpiece that can be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth.

Whenever you find yourself at a loss for words, your assistant should be able to help you with the presentation’s details.

Having said all of that, the ideal scenario still is that you come prepared complete with paraphernalia, the know-how and everything in between.

2. Off to a remote area with wonky phone signal

Going places to see the world is an entry in almost everyone’s bucket list. Some people go to beaches to surf and wakeboard. Some people find themselves skiing down a mountain when the snow season comes, or in some former military base for a hot air balloon ride.

And then others prefer going to far-flung areas like the countryside to experience life away from busy cities.

Really, it’s all a matter of taste. What’s even better, there’s no shortage of places to go to and sites to see.

Amid all this, however, there is always the possibility of getting stuck in a place with wonky phone signal. Normally, if the owner of a resort or hotel or whatever place you’re in is aware of the signal attenuation, the odds are he already has a GSM or 3G repeater in place, GSM being the world standard for phones as opposed to CDMA and 3G being still widely used despite the growing popularity of 4G and LTE.

But if there isn’t one anywhere, it pays to have one in your car waiting to be put to good use.

The above are just two examples where knowing what to expect, including the backup measures to implement, can save you from a ruined day. What other scenarios can you share with us?

   Maricel

About the Guest Author:

Maricel is a blogger and freelance writer with over 10 years of freelance writing experience. She enjoys writing about business and technology.