Imagine sitting down at your desk in the morning, typing in your password, and you see that round circle. It’s just going round and round.

And you wait.
And wait.
And wait.

You tap your mouse a couple of times.

Nothing.

You risk a hard shut down and try again.
And try again.
And try again.

Suddenly, it occurs to you that you don’t have access to your systems.

That’s what happened last week. While this wasn’t a back up issue (although that helps in getting up and running again), it was an access issue. When that access is temporarily unavailable, it’s then that you realize the effectiveness of your Plan B.

Fortunately, we had other ways to access our programs but it didn’t end there. If you’ve been in business long enough, then you know sometimes when it rains in pours.

Coincidentally, when we sent out our Excellerator Ezine, we received an error message that the message couldn’t be sent. We tried to send out the message again only to discover the first message was sent and our reader community received two copies of our Ezine.

In this moment, I realized the full generosity of the people in my community. The overwhelming majority responded with kindness and compassion to the apology email that was sent right after we realized the duplicate mailing. I’m so fortunate and thankful to be surrounded with people, like you (and, of course, my IT support), who have my back.

As I sit at my computer once again relishing in access of this glorious technology, I realize several business lessons learned from this experience:

1. Assess your access. While you may have the best protections, a simple fried cord, downed power lines, or corrupted file, can interrupt your access to the very systems you use to reach out to your clients. Identify your Plan B that not only includes backups but includes an alternative access point, like an additional computer.

2. Have your IT support on speed dial before you need them. Identify an IT company you trust, is reliable, and is responsive. When you do need them, you know how to reach them.

3. Respond with grace. Despite your best efforts, technology snafus will happen. When they do, communicate. A simple email apologizing for the inconvenience is helpful. By the responses you receive from your communications, you will also get a lesson on the attributes of your ideal clients. I am really present to one of the attributes of my preferred clients: compassion.