5 Business Lessons I Learned From Storm Emma

First, Hurricane Ophelia hit in October and then Storm Emma/The Beast From The East arrived in March. It has been a testing few months for entrepreneurs in Ireland.

Just for context, I run HostButlers, a short-term property rental concierge service in Dublin.

Here are the 5 quick lessons, I learned from keeping my business going during the crazy events of the last few days.

1. I need to design a robust crisis plan

If I had asked 100 small Irish businesses owners 6 months ago, "What your crisis plan?", they would have laughed and so would I. Storm Ophelia forced me to put some temporary plans in place where I was able to edit our procedures to make sure guests had 24-hour access to their properties.

Lesson: Design a one-page emergency/crisis plan that your team can access remotely.

2. In extreme situations, scale back to critical services

From Wednesday to Sunday, we sent over 500 messages to guests already here and guests arriving on flights. It was a logistical nightmare with 18 hour days required to ensure everyone was looked after.

Lesson: Investigate a new software solution that allows us to send emergency messages to all guests in one go.

3. Twitter is invaluable in breaking news scenarios

I relied on Twitter almost exclusively for news and weather updates. Over the last few months, my personal social usage has reverted back to Twitter and LinkedIn.

Lesson: It's time to start spending more time engaging on Twitter.

4. You're only as strong as your weakest link

My business relies on a number of other key external partners to run efficiently. Our cleaning team and laundrette were both shut down by the storm so alternative arrangements had to be made in a hurry.

Lesson: Always have an alternative/backup solution for every external provider you use.

5. Using keys to open a door is highly inefficient

Keyless entry for all doors is the future, either using our phones or codes. The biggest issue we had during the storm was trying to coordinate property access with guests who may or may not get a flight to Dublin.

Lesson: Explore keyless entry options and offer affordable solutions for landlords.

In the grand scheme of things, I was pretty lucky and we were able to ride out the worst of the storm without major effects. However, not everyone in Ireland has been as fortunate.

It's been a rough few months for small businesses in Ireland. For the next month or so, try to pop in and support your local shop, cafe, butcher, etc. When your business is under 12 months old, you have very little cash reserves. An extra few customers per week can be the difference between survival and closure, so every customer counts!