Okay, we’re not talking nationwide or world crisis here. We can still make chocolate chip cookies.
As a franchise business consultant, I am fortunate to be able to run my business off my laptop. I’m also a little paranoid about losing data. That propelled me to have both an external hard drive and a subscription to Carbonite. That’s been the extent of my nod to crisis planning.
One morning, I was up early to join an 8am EST call. I went to my computer and opened it up. To my horror, I saw an entirely new desktop view from the one on the screen just the night before. All my old icons and files disappeared. Yikes! I panicked and immediately called Dell Tech Support. I’d paid extra for this service when I bought my laptop because when you need it, you need it!
Fortunately, the Dell Tech Support guy quickly figured out the issue. It seems there was a conflict between my external hard drive and my Carbonite backup. Turns out my external hard drive was full and not able to back up anymore. Apparently, that caused Carbonite to either move all my files to the cloud or no longer give me access to them. Talk about a jolt of adrenaline.
Based on that info, I called Carbonite customer service. While it did take a long time, 2 hours and 8 minutes to be exact, he was able to restore my system and returned my desktop with all my icons, saved PowerPoint presentations, miscellaneous docs, the works. Whew! I could breathe again. Later that day, I bought a new 2 terabyte hard drive. While my original backup system didn’t work perfectly, in the end, it worked to save what was important to me. I also learned something about systems.
Ironically, as a franchise consultant, I tell my candidates who are exploring franchise opportunities that investing in a franchise means you’ll have a team to back you up. A team of experienced business individuals to help you over the rough spots, provide sage advice, and walk you through the infrastructure systems already in place. All the support and tools that can prove essential for running a business effectively.
This mini-crisis gave me a renewed appreciation for the support and systems franchisees can look forward to after investing in a franchise.
If you are someone looking for a change and seeking more independence but would also like a safety net, a franchise might be just the ticket. I’d be happy to help you explore all your options. Contact me today at dpleuss@franchoice.com.