[Audio/Visual: Upbeat music starts playing with blue introduction screen with white business.govt.nz logo. The words “Resilience tips to build a strong business and future” appear on screen for a few seconds. The screen cuts to a profile shot of the male presenter against a blue background. He is wearing an ivory blazer over a white dress shirt.]

Resilience is a company’s capacity to absorb stress, recover critical functionality, and thrive in altered circumstances.

[Visual: the screen cuts to a shot of a busy café with customers sat down at tables and waitstaff taking orders and delivering food.]

As the business environment grows more dynamic and unpredictable, resilience is only becoming more important.

[Visual: the screen cuts to a shot of two woman sitting with a laptop at a dining table and taking notes.]

Building a resilient business is about planning and developing routine practices to become more resilient.

[Visual: the screen cuts to a profile shot of the presenter. The words “Building a resilient business” appears on the top right in bold white text. This disappears after a few seconds.]

Here are some simple, practical, steps that will get you well on the way to surviving in a crisis and, potentially, also thriving in the aftermath.

[Visual: the screen cuts to an upper body shot of the presenter on the left side of the screen. The words “Step 1: Be alert to changing conditions” appears on the top right of the screen.]

Step 1. Be alert to changing conditions.

Business crises are not necessarily natural disasters;

[Visual: the screen cuts to a shot of two disused petrol pumps, followed by a shot of a woman plugging in her electric car.]

a slow creep of changing customer tastes can be just as critical to your business as an earthquake.

[Visual: the screen cuts to an upper body shot of the presenter on the left side of the screen.]

Be involved in industry and local business associations and networking groups;

[Visual: the screen cuts to a shot of three people sitting and talking at a café. This last for a few seconds and then cuts back to the upper body shot of the presenter.]

Get to know your neighbours, customers, suppliers, competitors, and local community.

The more people you know and interact with, the more information they will funnel your way that is relevant to your business. This information may enable you to adapt your business before a crisis develops.

[Visual: the words “Step 2: Identify core business needs” appear on the right side of the screen.]

Step 2. Identify core business needs.

The easiest way to do this is to put some of your scenarios to your team.

[Visual: the screen cuts to a shot of three tradies with toolbelts talking at a building site. After a few seconds, the shot cuts to two workers at a bakery. Both workers are wearing aprons, hairnets and facemasks and cutting and rolling dough.]

These can range from the simple; if you are a bakery, then discuss “what do we do if we come in one morning and the oven does not work?”,

[Visual: the screen cuts to an upper body shot of the presenter on the left side of the screen.]

to the more complicated “what do we do if there is a fire in our building and everything inside is damaged?”

[Visual: the screen cuts to a shot of two women looking at notepads and talking in a warehouse. There are tall commercial storage racks in the background, and staff pushing trolleys and operating a forklift.]

Make sure you consider people, premises, processes and technology.

[Visual: the screen cuts to an upper body shot of the presenter on the left side of the screen.]

The point is not to come up with right or wrong answers but to explore what your options may be, as well as revealing the key vulnerabilities of your business.

When coming up with scenarios, consider the following questions:

[Visual: a titles “Step 2: Identify core business needs” shows up on the top right of the screen. The title stays on screen. Below this, a bullet point appears:

- What are the things your business needs to operate?]

What are the things your business needs to operate? And how might they be vulnerable?

[Visual: the bullet point changes below the title to say “How vulnerable to damage are your premises?”]

How vulnerable to damage are your premises?

[Visual: the bullet point changes below the title to say, “How vulnerable are your key suppliers?”]

How vulnerable are your key suppliers?

[Visual: the bullet point changes to say, “What are your risks in getting things you need to operate?”. After a few seconds, the bullet point and title both disappear.]

What are your risks in getting things you need to operate?

These sessions may result in follow up plans or agreements, or they may simply provide you with a pre thought out course of action that can be easily carried out in the heat of a crisis.

[Visual: the screen cuts to three people sitting at a table with a laptop in an office setting. They are talking and smiling.]

Make the activity fun and keep repeating it.

[Visual: the screen cuts to an upper body shot of the presenter on the left side of the screen. Text appears on the right side of the screen “Step 3: Getting back together”.]

Step 3. Getting back together.

Being able to contact each other is a key first step to beginning recovery from a major disaster.

[Visual: a bullet point appears under the “Step 3: Getting back together” title: - Communications systems resilient.]

Are your communications systems resilient and ready?

[Visual: the bullet point changes to “IT system down”, and a second bullet point appears below this “Office access”.]

Do you know how to contact your staff, your suppliers, and your key customers if your IT system is down and you cannot get into your office?

[Visual: the second bullet point disappears, the first one changes to “Alternative contact information”.]

Do you have alternative contact information for when landline or mobile networks are down?

[Visual: the bullet point changes to “Information location access” and disappears after a few seconds.]

Does anyone else in your organisation know where to find this information if you are not there?

[Visual: Three new bullet points show up:

- Compile a list of contact details

- Electronic and paper format

- Update periodically.

The bullet points and original title disappear after a few seconds on screen.]

Compile a list of contact details and make multiple copies in both electronic and paper format, then set a reminder to check that it’s up to date periodically.

[Visual: a title “Step 4: Backup your data” appears on screen in bold white text. This stays on screen with changing bullet points as points are made.]

Step 4. Backup your data

Be clear about what data is critical to the operation of your business.

[Visual: a bullet point appears below the title:

- Critical operational data

- Mobile phone data

- Off site copies.

These disappear after a few seconds.]

Most firms ensure their accounting data is backed up – but what about your customer contact lists, process manuals, and important contracts?

Is the information stored on your mobile phone also stored elsewhere? Is there a backup copy off site?

Generally, the quicker you can get your key systems up and running, the less interruption to your cash flow.

[Visual: a title “Step 5: Cultivate open-mindedness and adaptability” appears on screen in bold white text.]

Step 5. Cultivate open-mindedness and adaptability.

[Visual: the screen cuts to a shot of an old-fashioned rotary dial phone. After a few seconds the shot changes to a man in high-vis in working on a tablet. There are pallets, workbenches and a forklift in the background.]

If you have a rigid way of doing things and seeing the world, then you will have difficulty in adapting to the new circumstances presented by a crisis.

[Visual: the screen cuts to a profile shot of the presenter against a blue background.]

If innovation or creative thinking is not your thing, perhaps someone else in the business can be this champion?

[Visual: the screen cuts to a shot of a woman sitting in front of a computer. There is another lady stood next to her pointing at the computer screen.]

If you’re the go-to person for any problems or issues, start trying to develop your team’s ability to come up with solutions by asking them what they suggest.

[Visual: the screen cuts to a profile shot of the presenter against a blue background. A bullet point appears saying “Test vital business operation”.]

In summary, test the things that are vital for your business operation.

[Visual: the bullet point changes to read “Identifying your core business”.]

Refer to the lessons learned in identifying your core business needs, and ensure any plans you create are tested, or at the very least ask: “But what if…?”.

[Visual: the bullet point changes to read “Conduct a trial data restore”.]

If you have physical backup systems like power, phones, and IT, then switch to them once a month and conduct a trial restore of your computer data.

[Visual: the bullet point changes to read “Run new scenarios annually”.]

And continue to run new scenario exercises at least annually.

[Audio / Visual: The music slowly fades out while a blue outro screen appears with the business.govt.nz logo in the centre of the screen. This logo disappears and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment logo appears on the left-hand side and the Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa, New Zealand Government logo appears on the right-hand side.]

[Video ends]

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