I Will Survive Valuable tips on preparing for the worst-case scenario before disaster strikes your business

Earthquakes, fires, floods-disasters happen all the time.Whether man-made or from Mother Nature, unexpected catastrophes areless likely to defeat businesses that have effectivedisaster-preparedness plans in their back pockets.

While it may seem too early to worry about the worst, protectingyour business as soon as you launch it is actually the wisestcourse of action. An entrepreneur's first step, according toexperts, is to ask yourself what you would do if you couldn'toccupy your offices. How would you contact employees? How would youreach your clients? What kind of insurance coverage will you needto ensure you can do all these things?

Business-interruption insurance and records reconstruction aregood policies to look into, according to experts. Says Gary W.Eberhart, executive vice president of the National Association ofProfessional Insurance Agents in Alexandria, Virginia,"[Insurance agents] can be your partners-they can help youcome up with a plan."