What Happens If You Get the Flu Tomorrow?

Can your organization can survive the first 24 hours of chaos? Here’s a checklist written for people who are the business (or run very lean teams).

You (a.k.a. People) - If you are unavailable for 24 hours…
Does someone know what’s allowed to pause vs. what must continue?
Is there a non-email contact list (phone numbers written somewhere)?
Could one trusted person step in and make basic decisions within 15 minutes?

Communication - When something goes sideways…
Do you have a short, pre-written message for clients if you need to go quiet?
Is there a backup way to reach people if email is down (SMS, WhatsApp, phone)?
Do you know exactly what you would say and what you would not say?

Operations & Technology - If your tech failed today…
Could you still deliver something to clients manually?
Do you know when your last backup ran and how long a restore would take?
Is there a simple SOP (even a messy doc) for your most critical process?

Tools, Vendors & Access - If one tool stopped working…
Do you know your logins or are they trapped in one password?
Do you have a backup tool or workaround for payments, scheduling, or delivery?
Could someone else access what they need without texting you in a panic?

Decisions Under Pressure - In a real disruption…
Have you already decided your top 3 drop-everything priorities?
Do you know what gets paused first to protect your energy and cash flow?
Is there a clear “if X happens, I do Y” rule written down?

Score Yourself (Be honest)
12–15 YES answers: You have a solid baseline, but you still need to test it.
8–11 YES answers: You’re vulnerable. A multi-day disruption will hurt.
Under 8 YES answers: High risk. Your business is relying on you never going down.

If you are disappointed with the number of YES answers, we may be able to help.