No matter how tight your business plan, how thorough your business loan application or how cool your logo is, an unexpected disaster can wreak havoc on your small business. In fact, this is the leading cause of why businesses go under. Having some strategies in place for worst-case scenarios is what separates the wheat from the chaff in the business world.

1. Nature

Natural disasters are one of the most common small business home-wreckers around. When it comes to tornadoes or fires, their destruction is on such an immense scale. The obvious answer to these looming threats is to carry insurance for whichever disaster is most prevalent in your area. However, there are risks that lie beyond storms or earthquakes. Sometimes the smallest every-day natural phenomena can have immense impacts on your business. Hot weather may keep customers in their air-conditioned house rather than purchasing goods from you. If it gets too cold, you can find the same thing. Understand the environmental aspects of your location and you’ll be able to navigate these dangerous waters like a professional.

2. Demand

Having too much business sounds like the goal of any young small business owner. However, being too successful can actually be your worst nightmare. Anticipating demand is a tough process to handle, but learning it can save you thousands in the long run. Understand how long it takes to make your product, ship it and make a sale, so that you don’t end up with long back orders and angry customers when they don’t get what they wanted. Research your customers and get a good sense of what they want and what scenarios could arise. Keep your finger on the pulse of customer satisfaction, and ensure you’re doing everything it takes to keep them happy.

3. Technology

Digital technology is the way of the future, but nothing can crash a meeting with investors faster than a dying Wi-Fi signal. Make certain that your technology is up to date and can handle the amount of work you’ll be doing with it. Invest in a website that can handle heavy traffic loads, train your employees to know how their technology works and keep customer information safe from data breaches. Acquiring proper online security is a great step to keep bad technological missteps from occurring. Also having a snazzy website that customers will want to visit is helpful, just be prepared to handle all that traffic. Customers wont mind having to sign in or complete security measures just to make sure their information isn’t liable for potential hacking.